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My cat Freckles has been missing 5 days now...He is 16 years old. He has never in 16 years left our small yard or his little house we had especially made for him. After reading all the postings I am fearing that Freckles has left to go somewhere peaceful to die. I am so heartbroken and can't stop crying. Everymorning when we open our door Freckles was there to greet us and have breakfast with us. He was part of our lives and was our baby! He showed up on our steps, a stray cat, and he took us in!!! Why did he disappear? We knew he drank a ton of water a day, and he slowed down. But we wanted him to "pass on" surrounded with his loved ones and not be alone. We had a blizzard here in NY this past week and he surivived that. But this past tuesday night, he ate his dinner, his treats and went into his little house and wed morning he was gone. We had the whole neighborhood searching. Even the mailman. The thought he went out into the snow to die alone, kills me. We love you Freckles. Freckles was a stray cat. He was always afraid of people. He always kept a foot distance. Over the years, he brought a buddy Smokey into the picture. Still we could not get close enough to pet him. We still had this amazing relationship of trust. We built him a custom dog house for him and his friend Smokey, fed them 3 times a day with the best cat food and treats. Heated his house in the winter. We loved him sooo much. Smokey too who looks every day all over the yard for him. Freckles lived a amazing life. I wish everyone would look after stray cats the way we cared for Freckles and his buddy Smokey. He lived 16 years with our love. So why did he disappear? The pain is horrible. And not to have closure is the worst.Tmb in NY
you have given freckles (and now smokey) a wonderful life.... much much better than he could have had on his own..... i don't have any wise words of comfort, but do send hugs..........
But my Wonder-Cat, Murphy, died in his favorite sleeping spot. Outside in the sun. He had an auto-immune disease and the vet had told us he wouldn't live to be an old cat. But he made it to 10. When he died, he came in from the patio, walked through the house, and out the front door to the porch. He hadn't been sick but I got a funny feeling so I went out to check on him and found him.
I've always thought he had a "kitty heart attack".
you have given freckles (and now smokey) a wonderful life.... much much better than he could have had on his own..... i don't have any wise words of comfort, but do send hugs..........
Me too! I hope you find comfort in late's kind words.
tmb1818. I'm in the same situation as you are in. Our cat is around 25 years old and went missing on Christmas day. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since. We knew she was ready to pass on but that's not what upsets me. Like you, we wanted to be there for her when it was time. Or at the very least, for her to be in the comforts of home. She was part of the family, and to me, a long time friend. She gave us companionship through the good times and bad, through out my childhood and into my adulthood (I'm 31). I feel that we let her down by letting her get out and having to endure it all on her own. tmb1818, you are on point with the whole closure thing. That's what is getting me the most as well. I've been researching if it's true that cats go away to die and that's how I stumbled on to this thread. It seems the general consensus/opinion is that they do. There is no research that supports it though. But although I'm heartbroken, maybe it was her own way of passing. For reasons I, or anyone for that matter, can't explain. I hope Freckles is well and finds his way back home.
Years ago, our 18 year old cat was gone for 3 days saying goodbye to the neighborhood. He came home, jumped up on the couch and refused to move. We took him to the vet and found he had advance kidney failure and we had to let go.
I've had cats do both...seek me out and lie near me...and others who have tried to find that dark secluded spot.
I've had cats do both, too.
It might depend on the cat's relationship with their person, as well as the severity of their ailment.
And the sweetest cat might have a bit of a personality change if they become really ill. This happened to my 20 year old kitty.
I am really sorry for everyone's loss. I've been there and know how much it hurts.
Yes, mine did. His bed (a kitty cube) was in the laundry room with his water dish, and where his cat door was located. At 9:30 p.m., before turning in, I went into the laundry room and he was curled up in his bed. The next morning he was not there, but that was perfectly normal since he liked to prowl around outside in the morning. That night, still no sign of him, so we went out looking, then put up posters. Days later, a neighbor found him, curled up under his porch, dead. He was old, but he did not act like he was sick or in pain. He'd just been to the vet for his vaccination and checkup the previous month. There was no sign of accident, injury or trauma. I guess it was just his time, and he knew it.
I am so sorry for your loss. Time heals. After a respectful mourning of six months, I saw a sign driving home from work that said "Free Kittens". Well, you know the rest of the story...
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