I was writing a post about cat litter, but I got a call from my mum tonight which makes me very, very sad.

Two of the cats I grew up with, Tiger (17) & Bart (14) will be going to the Rainbow Bridge this week. Appointments with the vet are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. Tiger and Bart’s health has been deteriorating over the last few months, Tiger with arthritis, renal failure and a problem with his mouth; Bart with a condition that the vets have been unable to diagnose, causing pain and incontinence. Both have been on medication for pain management and had been maintaining quality of life pretty well, with even some intermittent improvements in health. But, quality of life is starting to deteriorate and pain management isn’t enough any more.

We’ve known that this was coming for a while, and was just a matter of time, but it’s still extremely hard. Bart and Tiger have been a part of the family for most of my life. I haven’t lived at home for quite  few years now, but it’s going to be difficult not having them around when I visit on holidays. I’m sure it will be much harder for my brothers and my mother, who are accustomed to seeing them every day, especially for my mother – she’s the centre of the cats’ universe, following her around, cuddling at night and sharing affection.

At the end of your pet’s life, it helps to know that you’re doing the right thing for them. Much as we will miss them, and much as it hurts, it is the right and selfless thing to do. Relieving their suffering even if it increases your our and being there with them at the end is one of the finest acts of compassion we can perform, and we owe them that much. For their years of unconditional love, for being there when we needed them, for teaching us to be better people and for putting their trust in us to take care of them.

We’ve been fortunate to have them around for this long – we never expected Bart to last through Christmas, but he’s a tough little guy and apparently had a few more months in him. I’m ever so grateful that I was able to see both of them during the holidays. I wish I could be there now, for Bart and Tiger and for the rest of the family. This loss will be much more immediate and real for them. All I can do is be there emotionally for my family and help them make Bart and Tiger’s last few days as happy and comfortable as possible.

Hard as this is, I am glad we have the means to give our pets a good death at the end of their lives. Having to watch them suffer would exponentially increase the pain of saying good bye.

I’ll get back to blogging about cat litter and other fun topics soon. In the mean time, I’m going to go have a good cry, get some sleep and probably revisit this again tomorrow.