I euthanized my cat on Monday evening. He was almost 16 or may have been 16. He was a stray and his age was hard to determine.

He was sick most of his life and the last few years I never left him alone since 2000 because I did not trust anyone to give him his medication or to watch him.

He required a lot of love and constant care. He was on daily medications and he was on a restricted diet. I monitored his condition and I determined what drugs to give him and when. I have a great relationship with my vet and he gave me a lot of freedom with Kaya.

When Kaya was a couple of years old he had a colon resection and after this he developed a lot of side affects.. He vomited all the time and had constant infections in the colon that was left. He was never sick enough to euthanize and I could not do this to a cat that was eating normal and loving life. He required constant nursing and love to keep him going.

The last couple of months he could hardly get to his food dish. Many days I brought his food to him and carried him to the litter box. He was going blind and he had severe arthritis in his joints. His appetite was very good up until the last couple of days. He loved his five brothers and one sister very much and he was very close to me.. I knew it was almost time to put him to sleep. I was waiting for a sign and the news about the pancreatic cancer helped me make my decision on Monday night.

I bathed him so he would look nice for his last visit to the vet.. He seemed to relax in the water and I think it helped with some of the stomach pain he was having.. He got in his cage like a little angel when I told him we were going to the vet. He was in so much pain during the hour drive. I finally turned on the air conditioning and he seemed to be more comfortable and he went to sleep for a while.

When we got there Kaya would not let go of me. He pushed his little head into my chest and purred and I think he was telling me how much he loved me. We put him on a blanket on his side and I kissed the top of his head until he was gone..

He was such a sweet animal and endured so much in his life. I really wanted him to die at home.. My vet is also a very good friend.. Frank told me it would be a horrible site for me to see within the next 12 hours. I could not stand to see this happen to any animal. We are so fortunate that our animals can be put down without all the pain and suffering.

I am very liberal and I feel people should have the same rights.. I watched my father suffer a death from lung cancer. Every day he begged me to get a gun and shoot him.. OMG, I still wish I could have done that for him. I think people should have the right to euthanasia as an option.

This is the beautiful card and message I got today from my veterinarian Frank.. He is a wonderful vet. After it was over with Frank walked me to my car and hugged me for a while. He actually started to cry before I did. I am so fortunate to have this group because they are one of the best Veterinary Hospitals on the east coast.

I will be picking up his ashes at the end of the week and Kaya will be in a custom Rosewood Box.

Some people might think it is ridiculous to grieve over a pet.. When you spend that many years with your pet they are part of your life and unlike people all they have is love to give. When you think about it our relationships with them last longer than most marriages do. hahaha