Stevie: June 1995 ~ July 16, 2008
Also known as d'Boy and Fat Boy, Stevie had to be euthanized today because of the aggressive growth of his cancer. A couple of weeks ago I noticed some swelling in his chin, and it just kept getting worse. I took him to the emergency room last week, and they said to make an appointment, which I did.
Jay brought him up to the vet, and I met him there at 2:00PM today. Dr. McFadden indicated that the mess going on in his mouth was not an infection, but tumor growth. I kind of knew that's what she was going to say, but it didn't make it any easier. The kids were sad they didn't get a chance to say goodbye, but I thought it was best we didn't prolong it. The vet said that we could take him home for a couple of days to have more time with him, and bring him back to be put to sleep, but I couldn't bear to think he might be in pain. It seemed selfish to keep him going.
I can't say enough nice things about Carolina Veterinary Specialists, who treated us, and Stevie, with such care, respect and genuine concern. Also, I'm so happy we got a chance to take Stevie on vacation with us. I held him in my lap on the drive up for a couple of hours and he seemed to really enjoy all the head and belly scratches and affection I gave him.
He was such a sweet kitty. He never did any of the annoying things that some pets do; never peed in my laundry, or had accidents in the house. He never bit, or growled, or scratched anyone. He was just sweet, and friendly. He was nervous of strangers, so he would often hide when people he didn't know came around. At night time, without fail, he'd jump up onto my bed and sleep with me every night. Before he got sick he was so heavy on my stomach! I would have to push him off sometimes because his weight on my stomach created too much discomfort. After he got sick, he lost a lot of weight, and it felt so weird when he would come stand on my stomach, and he felt so light. As time went on, he rarely came in bed with me anymore; he'd simply hide under the bed, or climb under the bathroom cupboards. I'll miss feeling Fat Boy standing on my stomach at night.
He was one of the best pets. Ever. I miss him lots.