Goodbye…my daughter...
Today is not a good day for me. Today I had to make one of the most difficult decisions of my adult life.
Let me start from the beginning. Sometime last month, Yuna started acting really strange after she got off of a heat cycle. She started acting more agitated than normal around Zero as he was wanting to play with her. I didn't think much of it because she normally not one to wrestle. But a week later she started aggressively and physically swatting at Zero, her growling and hissing sounding more severe. At one point I went to break them up (mainly by chasing after Zero which always does the trick), then her aggression suddenly turns on me. I really don't know what triggered it, but I thought at first it was just her normal behavior and that she'd always get over it after a few hours or so. But the assaults didn't end there. They kept happening. It was at that point I figured something was wrong, so I took her to see a vet for a wellness exam. The vet I took her to didn't find anything physically wrong with her, other than the fact that she hasn't been spayed yet. He recommended that I take her in for spaying as soon as I could, which I was well prepared to do. However, things got worse as time went on. She started to display more and more signs of aggression, even more so towards me. Now it's one thing to be aggressive towards me, but not when it involves her brother. I don't care if I get hurt from it, but I do care if Zero does, and the last attack almost left Zero bleeding. It was at that point that I decided to separate the two of them just to give Yuna a chance to cool down. So on Friday, my day off, I put Yuna in a separate room with her own food, water, and litter box with the intention to reunite the two after some time. Well, the whole time she was in isolation, she never ate or drank anything I gave her. I checked up on her every two hours, and every check up, I would see her hiding in the same corner, hissing and growling at me as I entered, and the food and water levels the exact same as I filled them. Two days later, I decided to let Zero in to see his sister, but she chased him out just as fast and just as aggressively. And still, no food or water touched. The next day I decided to change her food and water to something a bit more fresh to see if she would eat or drink. When I checked up on her again two hours later, she never touched either, and it looked like she didn't even use the litter box either as there was a puddle of urine just next to her. That's when I knew something was wrong and got on the computer researching her symptoms and talking to friends about what might be wrong with her. After a visit to Mike and Michelle's, we learned that she might be suffering from what's known as idiopathic aggression, which as described by The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), is any type of aggression who's cause can't be determined or explained through behavior history or medical exam, and that cats with this type of aggression can attack owners or other pets violently. It also states that these cats are extremely dangerous, and the more I read up on this type of aggression, the more I saw it in Yuna. I immediately called my vet to tell him of the situation, and even HE agreed with me that it was definitely this type of aggression, and that she was definitely a danger to both me and Zero. Her clawing at the both of us could have made either one of us sick. Not to mention her rejecting of food and water was having a devastating effect on her well-being. It was at that moment, my hand was forced. I had no choice…but to put her…to sleep.
I thought long and hard about this. It was not an easy decision to come to. I honestly did not want to see her die in any capacity, but knowing she was so agitated and nearly dying of dehydration and starvation…that was a heavy burden to lay on my heart. So yesterday, with the help of Michelle, my one trusted friend, I made the heart-stopping decision to have her euthanized today.
This morning was really hard for me. I couldn't work right up until lunch and asked Marty if I could leave early (which he understood as I told him earlier). I went to Mike and Michelle's after I took off, and she graciously gave me the money needed to put her down as well as a calming collar for Zero. We talked for a while about what would happen to her, then we went our separate ways. When I returned home this afternoon, I put Yuna in the pet taxi I got for them and had Zero interact with her through there. She struggled the entire time and got confrontational with Zero. As the time drew near, I placed towels over the cage and drove her to the clinic. After waiting fifteen minutes, the vet came in and did the euthanasia. Within seconds…Yuna was gone. I stayed in the room with her for a while, crying over her lifeless body. It was a lot for me to bear. The vet came in and told me that I shouldn't beat myself up over it, and that in his eyes, I made the right decision. I'm glad he was understanding of what I was going through, and I told him that I would bring Zero in if he needed a wellness exam for any reason, and he said he would gladly take Zero.
Speaking of which, my son's a little upset with me right now, now that his sister's gone. It's okay. I expect him to be. They may not have been the best of friends, him and his sister, but I can tell he still loved her. I'm not going to force myself onto him. I'll let him come to me when he's ready, and I know he will be. He's grown a lot more closer to me in the past two years. And one day when we're both ready, I will give him a new playmate. He deserves to have someone with him.
For now, I'm going to take some time to myself. I'm not sure if I want to go to work tomorrow or not. I don't know how long it will take me and Zero to get over this, but Zero is a remarkable cat, and I know we'll be okay. Just keep a thought or prayer out for the two of us.
I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, YUNA! REST IN PIECE, MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER!
Let me start from the beginning. Sometime last month, Yuna started acting really strange after she got off of a heat cycle. She started acting more agitated than normal around Zero as he was wanting to play with her. I didn't think much of it because she normally not one to wrestle. But a week later she started aggressively and physically swatting at Zero, her growling and hissing sounding more severe. At one point I went to break them up (mainly by chasing after Zero which always does the trick), then her aggression suddenly turns on me. I really don't know what triggered it, but I thought at first it was just her normal behavior and that she'd always get over it after a few hours or so. But the assaults didn't end there. They kept happening. It was at that point I figured something was wrong, so I took her to see a vet for a wellness exam. The vet I took her to didn't find anything physically wrong with her, other than the fact that she hasn't been spayed yet. He recommended that I take her in for spaying as soon as I could, which I was well prepared to do. However, things got worse as time went on. She started to display more and more signs of aggression, even more so towards me. Now it's one thing to be aggressive towards me, but not when it involves her brother. I don't care if I get hurt from it, but I do care if Zero does, and the last attack almost left Zero bleeding. It was at that point that I decided to separate the two of them just to give Yuna a chance to cool down. So on Friday, my day off, I put Yuna in a separate room with her own food, water, and litter box with the intention to reunite the two after some time. Well, the whole time she was in isolation, she never ate or drank anything I gave her. I checked up on her every two hours, and every check up, I would see her hiding in the same corner, hissing and growling at me as I entered, and the food and water levels the exact same as I filled them. Two days later, I decided to let Zero in to see his sister, but she chased him out just as fast and just as aggressively. And still, no food or water touched. The next day I decided to change her food and water to something a bit more fresh to see if she would eat or drink. When I checked up on her again two hours later, she never touched either, and it looked like she didn't even use the litter box either as there was a puddle of urine just next to her. That's when I knew something was wrong and got on the computer researching her symptoms and talking to friends about what might be wrong with her. After a visit to Mike and Michelle's, we learned that she might be suffering from what's known as idiopathic aggression, which as described by The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), is any type of aggression who's cause can't be determined or explained through behavior history or medical exam, and that cats with this type of aggression can attack owners or other pets violently. It also states that these cats are extremely dangerous, and the more I read up on this type of aggression, the more I saw it in Yuna. I immediately called my vet to tell him of the situation, and even HE agreed with me that it was definitely this type of aggression, and that she was definitely a danger to both me and Zero. Her clawing at the both of us could have made either one of us sick. Not to mention her rejecting of food and water was having a devastating effect on her well-being. It was at that moment, my hand was forced. I had no choice…but to put her…to sleep.
I thought long and hard about this. It was not an easy decision to come to. I honestly did not want to see her die in any capacity, but knowing she was so agitated and nearly dying of dehydration and starvation…that was a heavy burden to lay on my heart. So yesterday, with the help of Michelle, my one trusted friend, I made the heart-stopping decision to have her euthanized today.
This morning was really hard for me. I couldn't work right up until lunch and asked Marty if I could leave early (which he understood as I told him earlier). I went to Mike and Michelle's after I took off, and she graciously gave me the money needed to put her down as well as a calming collar for Zero. We talked for a while about what would happen to her, then we went our separate ways. When I returned home this afternoon, I put Yuna in the pet taxi I got for them and had Zero interact with her through there. She struggled the entire time and got confrontational with Zero. As the time drew near, I placed towels over the cage and drove her to the clinic. After waiting fifteen minutes, the vet came in and did the euthanasia. Within seconds…Yuna was gone. I stayed in the room with her for a while, crying over her lifeless body. It was a lot for me to bear. The vet came in and told me that I shouldn't beat myself up over it, and that in his eyes, I made the right decision. I'm glad he was understanding of what I was going through, and I told him that I would bring Zero in if he needed a wellness exam for any reason, and he said he would gladly take Zero.
Speaking of which, my son's a little upset with me right now, now that his sister's gone. It's okay. I expect him to be. They may not have been the best of friends, him and his sister, but I can tell he still loved her. I'm not going to force myself onto him. I'll let him come to me when he's ready, and I know he will be. He's grown a lot more closer to me in the past two years. And one day when we're both ready, I will give him a new playmate. He deserves to have someone with him.
For now, I'm going to take some time to myself. I'm not sure if I want to go to work tomorrow or not. I don't know how long it will take me and Zero to get over this, but Zero is a remarkable cat, and I know we'll be okay. Just keep a thought or prayer out for the two of us.
I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, YUNA! REST IN PIECE, MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER!