Posted on 04/18/2020 10:11:41 PM PDT by EinNYC
I lost my beloved Maine Coon girl Bijou quite suddenly April 4. After a perfectly normal day, she curled up next to me on my couch that Friday night for a cat nap. A bit after midnight, I got up to retire for the evening, very carefully, so as not to disturb her. I came looking for her at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning, as it was uncharacteristic for her not to wake me up to feed her. I found her in the exact same position on the couch as I'd left her. I knew from 10 feet away that she had passed away--no way would she be in the exact same position as she'd been the night before. For all the world, she looked to be asleep, eyes closed, chin resting on a couple of paperbacks.
I went into shock. My mind could not accept what my eyes were seeing. And I wanted to know WHY my precious girl had died, without any symptoms, after a perfectly normal day. So I donned latex gloves and eased her (in full rigor) into a contractors bag and put her into my fridge. It was horrifying to do, but I had to preserve her for a post mortem. The subsequent post mortem showed NOTHING abnormal with her. Nothing. My vet surmised that she'd had an aneurysm or a stroke, but told me that she had felt nothing, and had had a peaceful death. She would have been 12 next month.
I am certainly grateful for her peaceful passing, but I am heartbroken. My other kitty is looking around for her pal. I know from experience that the only cure will be a Maine Coon kitten. She will not replace Bijou, but she will help to fill the void I now have, big shoes to fill, Bijou having been an exceptionally beautiful and loving companion. If any of you saw the pictures I posted of her here, you know what I mean.
I have already contacted several Maine Coon breeders in search of my new kitten, but haven't heard anything back from any of them. So I am asking fellow feline loving FReepers: do any of you know of any responsible MC breeders who get tortie and white kittens? That is what I'm looking for, a symmetrically marked tortie and white with a blaze. That's been "my" cat color for several decades, with only one exception. I am looking for breeders who show their cats, who test for genetic diseases, and are otherwise responsible breeders, not the kind who just breed cat A with cat B and sell the offspring on craigslist or hoobly. In return, I offer a very loving home with all the goodies: indoor only life, no declawing, lots of cat-safe toys, excellent vet care, microchipping, not breeding, premium foods, regular grooming, and most of all, all the petting and cuddling they want. Bijou's natural habitat was my lap.
We have one. He’s a sweetheart. He spends most of his time outside but comes in daily through the doggy door to eat and sometimes sleep. He was a stray and we feel super lucky to have found him.
We also have a Russian blue that’s kind of the opposite of our Maine coon. The blue forces you to play with him by bringing you his birdie toy. He’s really friendly to everyone and quite fearless, even though he’s a skinny little guy. The Russian blue adopted us, he originally belonged to the neighbors but decided he wanted to live here to play with the main coon all the time.
I am so sorry for your loss. Our Maine Coon is 15 and not well at all. She vomits most days, she still is adorable and still has some quality of life. I hope you find a breeder and this is kitten season so you any be quite in luck. So sorry for your loss.
I don’t know any cat breeders, and have always had generic American short hairs, but the Maine Coons I have had the pleasure to know are great cats. Smart, friendly, confident, attractive. Best to you in your search, and expect the kitten to have a different personality. Cats are like that.
I’m very sorry to hear of your cat’s passing. 12 is getting up there for cats although I did have a tabby that lived to be 24 yrs.
Your story reminded me when my son found their Coon cat just laying there gone one morning. It is a shock. So I’m very sorry for your loss after so many years with the family.
Hopefully you’ll have another Coon cat you can give a great home and life to very soon.
Very sorry about your loss. I hope all your good memories of Bijou come back to comfort you.
Sorry for your loss and prayers to you.
Before my dad passed away, he said that one day a bigger cat would come along and Fry would meet his match.
"One day" came about six months ago when family with a large maine coon moved into the house across the street. This cat is huge and whips Fry's ass, and now Fry spends his days hiding in the garage.
I just had to put down my 21-year old cat last week - it was very hard to do but he started deteriorating rapidly and it was painful to watch. I kept hoping he would just pass away in his sleep, but when it got to the point when he could not even walk without falling over, could not eat even the soft mashed up food I was giving him and a whole host of other problems, I could just not stand to see him suffer anymore. He was quite the curmudgeon the last few years but I loved him dearly. 21 years is a long time as a companion and I just don’t think getting another cat would work for me, though.
I’m sorry to hear of your loss. The best, most sweet cat we ever had was a Maine Coon, who died last April after several months of illness. I’d get another in a heartbeat, but our current pet situation makes it impractical for now.
Looks as though you may be in New York? Would recommend this Erie, PA breeder: mckittycreek.com (The page loaded a little slow for me but says updated April 2020 so they must still be active.)
Sorry you had to see him suffer but I can relate. Before I put “Kitty” down she was having something going on which jolted her sufficient enough she’d jump and loose control of herself. Though overwith in seconds it was alarming to see. Only happened a few times but I knew she was on her way out.....but there does come the time when it’s apparent they’re suffering too much and you do what you have to do.
I’m sorry to here that. You can never replace a cat. You can just get another one and start all over getting to know it. Remember, cats train their humans, it’s not the other way around.
Me being a single man these days, my 24 yr old was kind of the love of my life as weird as that sounds. I could go on and on about her as I have 24 yrs worth of stories about her.
She was doing ok until one week she didn’t eat, My son and I took her to the vet and he found that she had liver cancer and a few other age related problems. I had to put her down. Yes a very tough day, but I have great memories of her and was very appreciative to the Lord for giving me such a great lifelong friend when I really needed one. Funny, she’s been gone at least 5yrs or so and it still brings a tear to talk about her. Sheesh!! I guess I’m just a softie at heart, for animals anyway.
If you get another cat it won’t replace your old one but you’ll have a new friend who would love a chance to be yours. There’s not enough cat lovers in the world to suit me.
sorry for your loss.
doesn’t matter what type of animal, it always hurts when you lose them. they are all special and unique and little furry gifts.
i am glad one day i will get all of mine back.
Condolences on your loss.
SORRY for your loss. ==== MC’s are a TRIP, for sure.
(Fyi, I’m a feral cat feeder & a HUGE MC adopted me. = Buster’s gone to the Happy Hunting Ground now but i fully expect when I die & arrive there that he will meet me at the door with the comment, “Hi Boss. this place is GREAT. There’s a legion of mice to hunt here & they are not fast either.”)
Yours, TMN78247
Our tabby started vomiting too. The vet diagnosed it as a kidney disease from excessive protein intake. We were advised to feed him Hill’s Prescription Diet Kidney Care Manufactured by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc 1-800-445-5777. You can order 24 cans for $43 at Chewy or 4 lb dry food for $28.99 Our cat is spoiled and only eats the canned food. He is 7 lbs and we give him 1/2 can twice a day.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.