Good bye, Bubba

Today Bubba passed away at approximately 3:20 pm Mountain Daylight Time. I was by his side, as was my oldest son who had just got home from school. While it was difficult to witness, I'm glad he did not pass away all alone by himself as my first cat Pilar did.

It has been a difficult week and everyday I woke up shocked to see Bubba still alive.  Two days ago, after a day of barely walking a few steps, he shocked me by walking up a long flight of stairs to our bedroom. It was his last burst of energy before sliding into respiratory failure.


Here are some of my favorite pics of him from the 6.5 years he was with us (he was an adopted cat so we don't know his exact age.)

Bubba Big Eyes

Sitting on top of my car

 

Larry, left, and Bubba on the right

Professor Bub

Hanging out with Spanky when he was a puppy

Bub in a basket

Getting ready to say good-bye

When I started my blog back in January, it was my intention to post at least once a week. Unfortunately sometimes life throws you a curve ball and the best laid plans often go astray. Such was this case for me during April. After a lovely relaxing cruise to the Caribbean, things started to fall apart. We knew our sweet cat Bubba had glaucoma and blood tests also pointed to cancer or possibly kidney disease, but he seemed to be okay, as he continued to eat well, use the litter box, and maintained his weight.  However, within two weeks of returning from vacation, his health took a drastic downward turn.

Sunning himself a few weeks ago

Bubba enjoying the sun in early April

Since the weather has been so nice here, we’d let him get some outdoor time. He liked to venture out to the other side of the yard and sun himself on a rock. Because his vision was so poor, we didn’t really worry about him jumping the fence (he did try, but he realized that he couldn’t do it). But last week we saw that he was having difficulty walking and spending most of his time in our basement. We encouraged him to go outside, but he didn’t really want to.

Sadly, our pug Spanky and the other cat Larry seem to sense that Bubba’s health is failing. I’ve already talked to my kids, and even though they’re teenagers, I know they will be heartbroken. Bubba has a kind gentle soul and was the perfect match for Spanky, as he tolerated his exuberant puppy behavior quite well.

Larry with Bubba late last week

Last week Spanky wanted to play with Bubba

I’ve lost two other cats. One died at home  on April 20, 1999, and the other we euthanized. Neither was an easy experience. I’m hoping Bubba can die peacefully at home, but it’s hard to watch his health deteriorate on a daily basis. He barely eats now and doesn’t even love his canned food. He used to run the moment he heard me crack open the can. But now the food sits uneaten in his food bowl.

We all know his days are numbered. He continues to surprise us, though, with his tenacity. I feel a bit selfish since I know he must not feel well, but I hope he can hang in there a bit longer. My oldest son takes his first ACT test tomorrow, and although he can certainly take it again, I know it will be hard to focus if Bubba passes on before the test.

But if he does, we know he’ll be in a better place. It’s never fun to watch your precious fur baby suffer.

 By the back porch the other day. No more venturing to the other side of the yard