RIP Gizmo

Hey Fit Fam,

I am sharing something very personal with you today. I guess writing just makes me feel better.

Just days before I started to head out to my first show of 2015 .. I noticed some strange symptoms going on with my oldest fur child Gizmo (long hair domestic cat I adopted from a shelter a couple weeks before I graduated college many years ago.)  At 13 .. I knew he was a "senior cat" .. but overall his health was great. So in no way did I ever think he would be leaving me anytime soon. Long story short ... he was diagnosed with a spinal disease.

The vet said it was nothing that would be life threatening in any way (at the time.) But he just continued to progress with other symptoms. A few days before we left for Vegas he had lost most of his mobility and wasn't eating. The vet decided to put him on another medicine that should have helped .. and it did for those 2 days before we left. So I felt okay about leaving him under the care of my best friend who he loves. But while we were gone he got worse. He stopped eating, wouldn't move, couldn't walk. Then on Sunday I got "the call". He needed to go to the vet. He was worse. His breathing was shallow and he hadn't had any food or water in 3 days. My house sitter/best friend took him to the ER vet. Things didn't go well from the second they walked in. He was holding on ... but gone. We and to make the decision VIA PHONE/TEXT from thousands of miles away ... to euthanize. They put my best friend and Gizmo in a private room and we got to say goodbye via FaceTime. This is the first time I've posted this picture anywhere. He looked right at me. My friend said during his last moments ... he was purring :-(

To say I am crushed is an understatement. We all are. My other cat just paces and does this weird meow from time to time and my dog Stella keeps going over to the bed he was sleeping in near the end and just smelling it :-( To be honest ... I am in shock. Since I wasn't there when he left us and since he was a cat and sleept a lot ... it kind of feels like he is just off somewhere sleeping.

Maybe he is.....maybe he is :-(

RIP my sweet buddy. You were with me during some really rough times. You were my side kick, traveling partner and at times all that I had. You were with me longer than anyone (except family) and will always hold a special place in my heart.

Any prayers would be appreciated. A part of me is ... gone.
Stacy