My parents have always had both dogs and cats. Usually, the cats and dogs did not get along. Their current dog Kaya did not get along with the previous cat at all. So when they got Freddie Pip we all suspected they would not get along either.
They do however!
This is probably mainly because Freddie Pip is not scared of Kaya at all and does not run away from her. Dogs tend to enjoy chasing cats that run away from them and cats tend to hiss or swipe at dogs.
These two quite like each other though. They’ll sniff each other when one of them comes inside. When Freddie Pip is in the dog bed, the Kaya sits outside her bed and looks sheepish. But when Kaya is in the dog bed first, Freddie Pip just joins her 🙂
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
Dirk passed away at home where we held him and cuddled him till he breathed his last breath.
Before we let him go, a visit to the vet confirmed that he was deteriorating rapidly and in addition to his CKD having progressed he also had a suspected tumour. For my partner and me this was a sign that it was time to let Dirk go. Even if he was not terribly unwell and not suffering much, we also did not want to let it get to a stage where he would be suffering a lot.
As heartbreaking as this decision was, and I know many of you will also face this decision, it’s a day we knew was coming and we had prepared for it.
Saying goodbye to your pet is a very personal decision and the final months, weeks and days with your pet are an emotional journey.
For me, it helped that my partner and I had talked this over beforehand and taken a few decisions about how we wanted to say goodbye.
We felt strongly about letting Dirk die at home and then taking him to the pet crematorium ourselves. We were able to take his ashes home the same day.
Dirk’s final day
In typical Dirk fashion he was happy to greet the vet and very chatty and cuddly. Caroline was compassionate and made sure we had all the time we needed. Dirk was at ease with her and the whole process, from sedation to euthanasia, was incredibly peaceful. This mattered to us, as it was our last memory with Dirk. It was a beautiful goodbye and I’m sure this will help us during our grieving process. We cannot thank Caroline enough.
It was the best day, because we still had Dirk. It was the worst day, because it was our last day with him.
Dag lieve Dirk
Dirk in his first days with usand in his final days
At the end of September last year, Dirk was diagnosed with early stage kidney failure (CKD).
As he was still in the early phases of stage 1 we were quite optimistic we might be able to slow down the disease’s progression. This can be done mainly through diet and making sure the cat drinks enough. Dirk is not normally a fussy eater, but unfortunately he did not want to eat and of the various brands of kidney diet wet food. He does consistently eat the kidney fry food, but with wet food it’s a bit trial and error at the moment. He sometimes likes something for a few days and then goes off it again.
However, in late November/early December he was quite unwell and lost weight fairly rapidly.
Dirk had more tests done last month and sadly his CKD is progressing more rapidly than we’d like. He is now in the latter phases of stage 2.
As regards his behaviour, he no longer shows any interest in toys, but he remains very affectionate. We’ll enjoy as many cuddles as possible for as long as possible, but the time to say goodbye is coming closer.
Wishing everyone joy and happiness during the Holiday season.
It will be a special season for us as Dirk has not been doing too well. We’re extra grateful to still have him with us and cherishing our time with him.
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