8/29/23 On Monday I took Coco to the vet, on Friday he was gone. It was a sad week and hard to watch him fail. Our special cat Coco has been the best cat a family could ask for. He was pretty amazing and unique. Coco came to us through Jake's rescue. When Jake was 9, he found 3 kittens in his grandparent's hay loft. He was so proud of himself walking into the house carrying a box with three little kittens. Jayden, Jake, and Luke each picked a favorite. Coco was the only one to live a long life. He was also the chosen one that became a house pet. The kitties were so little they needed bottle feeding. Because the feedings were multiple times per day, one weekend the kids wanted to go visit my parents, so I sent the box of bottle kittens with. They took care and bottle fed them all weekend.
The three kittens Hammie, Mouse, and Coco, got to come into the house on occasion to play. Coco was a good sport and let the boys do just about anything. They rode in Barbie's Volkswagen! That cat was way more fun than playing with toys. One time Jake made a car out of a cardboard box for his kitties to go for a drive. It was such a site. Those cats were pretty fun.
Coco has been an amazing addition to our home. I am not a big fan of pets in the house, but sometimes there comes along an animal that is exceptional, and that was Coco. He was quiet, rarely did he ever make a peep. He would get your attention in other ways, such as showing extra extra affection or walking across the computer keyboard, knocking things off the dresser, rattling the blind in the window above my bed, or literally walking across my body while sleeping. He would do these things when he wanted fed or let outdoors. He was more like a dog than a cat. He would go to the patio door when he wanted let out to go to the bathroom. He would show up later and sit in the window until you let him back in. A few years ago, I started teaching him how to use a bell on the door handle. He would rattle it to go out, but I could never quite teach him to ring the a bell to come back in. Coco was very affectionate and a total lap cat (when he wanted to be). He had to be in the right mood, but he was always on your lap if you weren't feeling good. I really think he could sense when you were not feeling well because he would cuddle with you. That cat was the best medicine whenever we were sick or sad. He got us through many tough times. He is also the most photographed animal ever!
Coco was a big cat weighing 16 lbs. He wasn't fat, just very long with big feet. He had cool tiger stripe markings with a lot of black. He loved to be petted, especially under his chin. He would purr so loud. He was the best, it just won't be the same without him. He has been such a big part of our lives for over 10 years. Greeting us every morning, he was the first thing we all looked for when we came home. Whenever we took vacations, we were worried he might run off if he was shut outside for so long, so we would shut him in the house with access to the basement. Coco was the territorial king of the pride and wasn't a fan of Tom cats. He made at least 5 trips to the vet for swollen bite wounds. I am quite sure that is how he got his FLV. He got in many a cat fight keeping away all the stray Toms.
Coco was a favorite among the kids and sometimes it was a fight over who got to have him. They would argue over who got to have him sleep in their room, who got to have him on their lap on the couch for a show, and who got to have him in their room while they were doing homeschool. It was a daily battle. The kids loved having him near them when they did school. I liked it because he was very calming to them. He would sometimes lay on the desk. He would lay on the floor and stretch and he was so long! He then would often times sit in what we called a loaf, he looked like a loaf of bread. If it was too bright, he would lay with his paw over his face to block out the light. He would get in playful moods and run and bat things across the floor like a wild animal. He was quite entertaining and we enjoyed him so much.
I happened to notice Coco just seemed different. I noticed his cat food wasn't disappearing very quickly and usually begs for more. Then he was hardly eating. I feared the worst and knew that he had been diagnosed with Feline Leukemia a couple years ago. I knew the day would come, but really hoped we would get lucky and have many more years with him. I made a vet appointment on Monday, Aug 21. Coco was quiet in his carrier, which is not like him. I knew he didn't feel good and it made me so sad. The vet could tell he wasn't well and his gums had already started to get pale. My vet told me to let him eat anything he wants, feed him good and spoil him. She didn't tell me how much time I had or how bad he was, she just told me that I would know when it's time to make the call. I never dreamed it would be so quick. I moved the litterbox upstairs. I let him eat tiny bits of steak and fed him canned food, but after a couple days, he wouldn't eat anything and wasn't really drinking either. I bought Coco a big puffy cat bed earlier this year for his birthday. I took the bed into our bedroom and put it on the floor. I have never allowed Coco to sleep in our bedroom. I think he appreciated that and he stayed there all night. The second night, he got out and lay on the floor. He was getting colder and weaker. I hated that he wasn't eating or drinking and would give him water with a dropper. I was hoping he would make it to see Jayden and she was hoping too. She arrived back on Thursday evening. It was very sad. He was getting thin, cold and weak. He had a rough night and I knew we had to take him to the vet in the morning. Jayden held Coco on her lap. We had a place for him in the laundry room for the night and I knew he couldn't go through another night. I am thankful Jayden got to be here to see him one last time as hard as it was. On Friday she went with me to the vet. Coco was so weak and it was just so sad. There will never be another quite like him. We will miss him so. Sweet Coco, you were the best cat!
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