Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

When you get the chance, please check out this page. Just in case you don't believe in the rainbow bridge or being reunited with your beloved furkids, this should set you straight in a most wonderful way.

http://petloss.com/della.htm

  

 

  

A Bridge Called Love

It takes us back to brighter years,
to happier sunlit days
and to precious moments
that will be with us always.
And these fond recollections
are treasured in the heart
to bring us always close to those
from whom we had to part.

There is a bridge of memories
from earth to Heaven above...
It keeps our dear ones near us

It's the bridge that we call love.

 

Dusty has led a very happy, contented and loving life.  Hopefully, he has known without a doubt just how much I loved him and always will.  I know he loved me with an unconditional love that is so amazing.  Most pet owners know what I mean. 

 

 In Dusty's later years, he was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism. Radiation Iodine is the first choice for a cure in this disease but when Dusty acquired it, it was just way too new and there were too many kitties dying from the radiation iodine.  Whether it was administered wrong or in too strong a dose, I don't know.  So I used Tapazole to control Dusty's Hyper-T symptoms.  This helped to keep a pretty even balance in his thyroid and his other organs. He wasn't even aware for three years that he was being medicated.  I would mix it in with a little bit of baby food and he thought it was a "treat". Unfortunately, he became allergic to the Methimozal (the liquid generic form of Tapazole) after three years of medication and the increases in dosage. The vet wanted me to put him to sleep in March, 2006.  I had to give Dusty more time since warmer weather was coming and he could be outdoors. I didn't want him to have suffered from being indoors all winter long without the reward of finally being able to roam free in our backyard again. It just didn't seem fair to him to end his life so soon.  The vet finally agreed to try the Transdermal  Methimozal  to put on the inside of his ears instead of him taking it by mouth.  This way it was absorbed through his skin instead of going through his mouth and stomach.  

Dusty had a glorious and happy summer and I was so grateful that he had this summer, the whole summer, and he was doing just fine with his ear medication.  

In this picture, he is looking at all the flowers I've bought to plant as soon as it warms up more. He was probably wondering why I had them all covered with the plastic.

 

Dusty hadn't slept on his cushion in a few years.  In September, 2006 it seemed he was doing a lot of things that he hadn't done in the last two years. I don't know if these were "final visits" to happy things to say goodbye to them or not. Some people have said they think it is.  Laying on his cushion had become a thing of the past and I was actually going to throw it away until I saw this and grabbed my camera.  

He also sat beside his scratch pad with catnip in it that he hadn't done in the past  year.  He also took a final walk all around the back yard that he hadn't done all this past summer.  I think he knew long before I did that this would be his last Summer. 

I do not mean this next picture to be offensive to anyone but I have to include it here as a remembrance to me that it happened. In the last two weeks of September, 2006, I was about to clean his liter box and I was surprised to find that he had peed in the pattern of a heart.  Usually, he would cover up his pee, but this time he didn't.  I just had to take a picture of his liter box so I would remember.  It just seems so odd that it was shaped like a heart. Was he letting me know he loved me and he understood how hard I tried to keep him alive and happy?  Or, was it just an accident?  I prefer to think he was leaving me a message the only way he could.  This pattern was brought back to me when I took him to the vet for the last time and they made a pawprint for me in a Clay stepping stone ....... in the shape of a heart.  It's also about the same size. Co-incidence? I think not.

I didn't get the above pictures back from being developed until November, 2006.  I was really saddened by them to realize how old he actually looked.  It just confirmed that I was finally right in my decision and that the saddest part was that maybe I should have done it sooner.

In October, 2006 he slowed down on eating and then stopped.  I had to force feed him with a syringe and then he would eat a little on his own but not enough to keep him healthy. I took him to the vet for blood work to see what was going on.  His blood work came out fine except his H-T reading was again going up and I noticed that his liver values were greatly elevated compared to 3-1/2 years ago when we started his medication.  The vet wanted to increase the dose and I did; but, I saw Dusty refusing more and more to eat. I had to force feed him, give him appetite stimulants and he would hide from me afterwards. He did not improve, but only got worse. Nothing was "working" for him to eat on his own again as it had in the past.

I knew it was time although it broke my heart. It was the hardest decision of my life and it took me three weeks to finally decide for his benefit instead of my own of wanting to keep him with me. He loved to sleep on my bed so I would catch him after the force feedings and put him on my bed. He would stay there for hours and slept with me through the nights. But he was getting thinner and thinner.   His breathing was getting difficult, very labored and he could only walk a short distance where he would have to sit awhile before he could walk any further.  I could have subjected him to more tests until we might find something else to help him but I realized THIS was NOT living and I began to feel I was being cruel putting him through this. He had already been through so much over these past few years. That's when the decision became much easier and very clear.  There are always, "what ifs" to think about but I cannot dwell on them.  Dusty had been through far more than most should have to tolerate.  I know in my heart that I did the right thing for HIM.  

I finally took Dusty to the vet for the last time and they were very kind. Dusty just "went to sleep" and felt no pain. They made a paw print impression in heart shaped clay for me as a remembrance. I brought him home with me afterwards and he is now resting in a special place in my middle garden where phlox is his blanket and a little girl statue with kittens is his marker. I think he is happy now and watching over me and our backyard from his favorite spot in the yard.

It has always been my strong belief that a cat should be "free".  I usually let him decide what he wanted to do his entire life. I would only step in when I knew his decision wasn't a good one. Funny thing was, he usually chose wisely. I felt he should be free to decide if he was going outdoors (our fenced in back yard that he couldn't get out of due to his arthritic hind leg) or sleep wherever he wanted, or which of his cat food menu he wanted. In the winter when it was cold, he was not allowed outdoors at all but I still opened the door and let him make the decision that it was too cold. He was smart and would decide to stay in. But, at least he felt it was his choice. 

He was the love of my life and I shall never forget him. He purred from the moment he adopted me and didn't stop until he was finally put to rest.  I will love him always and he will be forever in my heart.

Sandy, Dusty's Forever Mom

 

(A friend has this on her website that she got from her Vet and shared it with me:)

My friend, when I am very old and I no longer enjoy good health,

hearing and sight, do not make heroic efforts to keep me going.

I am not having any fun. Please see to it that my life is taken gently,

I shall leave this earth knowing with the last breath I take

that my fate was always safest in your hands.

 

HYPERTHYROIDISM

If you find your older cat howling in a voice and tone you have never heard before,  if kitty is eating a lot but  losing weight, it should alert you to take him/her to a vet for a check-up. These are signs of Hyperthyroidism and should NOT go unchecked.  An over-active Thyroid wreaks havoc on their body organs, making them work harder and faster than they should. A vet visit along with blood work and a T-4 test should tell you if your cat is HyperT.  If so, the first cure for it is the Radiation Iodine.  This will cure kitty without need for further medication in most cases.  All cats however cannot have the Radiation due to possible other conditions that kitty may already have.  The Tapazol mediation is in pill form if you choose this option (as I did) which is the second option for those kitties that can't, for whatever reason, be subjected to the radiation.  If you choose this option, you can get the Tapazol in liquid generic form called Methimozole. This way you can hide it in their food and they will never know they are being medicated. Life goes on pretty normally for these kitties for years.  There is a need for blood work during this time however since the Thyroid can change and the dose will either need to be increased or decreased as time goes on.  Once a dose is found, then blood work usually doesn't have to be done as often. There is also the Transdermal (Methimozole for the ears) if you cannot pill your cat, or if they become allergic to the liquid form.  As with all medications however, there is a downside and that is that the medication will start to work against the cat's other organs.  As the dose needs to be increased over a long period of time, it can become a problem.  The cost for Radiation can run around $2,000 but this is a one-time payment and cures the HyperT for most cats.  Tapazole is cheaper but over the three and a half year period in which I had to give Dusty the liquid form and then the transdermal, along with all the blood work, the cost went way past the $2,000 mark.  This comes down to a personal decision for you, your cat, and your vet as to what is best for your kitty. It can also depend on how your cat's other organs are doing along the way.  Some people have used the medication to help with regulating their cat's other organs and keeping the HyperT just slightly elevated to allow the other organs to work properly.  I found a great chat group with other people with cats going through various different things like HyperT along with Diabetes, Liver trouble, Kidney trouble, Renal Failure, etc.  You should search the internet for all the information you can on any of these subjects so you can be an active participant in the happy healthy life of your cat.  Don't just rely on one source and don't fully rely on your vet.  Do your homework so you can ask the important questions.  If I hadn't, I would have lost Dusty 6 months sooner than I did since my Vet had suggested putting him to sleep when he became allergic to the liquid medication. It was me who suggested the Transdermal for his ears that gave Dusty his last happy summer outdoors until October, 2006.  I am glad I did all I could and I have the full knowledge of knowing I did the absolute best I could for a little guy who put all of his trust and love in me.  

If you have a Hyperthyroid cat and need someone to talk to, please consider joining this group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/feline-hyperT/  You will find great people, great information and a loving spirit from others in your situation that will help you get through this with your cat.  They have good advice, will lead you to informative information, and with love since they have all "been there, done that".  I got some very useful information from the people in this group over the three years that Dusty had this problem. I was so afraid that I would not be able to give him his medication in pill form but I found that I could get the generic Tapazole and put it in a small amount of baby food and for three years, Dusty didn't even know he was on medication. Then when he started having a reaction to the medication and my Vet wanted me to put him to sleep, the group came through again for me by suggesting the transdermal Tapazole to put on the inside of his ears. This alone gave him another 6 months of happy life where he could spend his summer outdoors where he loved to be. When I told the people in the group that Dusty was finally at rest now, I received such heart-felt messages from them. Some of which are below.  Without this group giving their own experiences with their cats, my Dusty would not have lived another 3-1/2 years.  I am very grateful for all of their help. None of these people are vets but they all share a wealth of knowledge from their own experiences.

 

{{Sandy}}} So so sorry to hear you lost Dusty. My heart goes out to you since I've been there and know I will be again when Phantom's time comes. His place of rest sounds beautiful. You did right for him. Its always so hard even when we know its was the right thing to do. Marie, Phantom's momma

 

Dear Sandy, I was so sad to read your post about little Dusty, and to hear the heartbreak in your words. I know you made the right decision to let him go. Bless you for doing that for him. I hope that you allow his memories to comfort you while you grieve for him. He will always be with you, Sandy. Wendy


Sandy, I am so very sorry for your loss... my heart goes out to you and you will be in my prayers as you
grieve your beloved Dusty. Nancy

Oh, Sandy! I'm so terribly sorry... *tears* It's so awful when those adorable fur babies have to go.. Our thoughts are with you. Sending a big, friendly bughug ((((((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))))) Marita & Balthazar the Magnificent =^..^= , & Margot the Sweetheart ~^..^~

Sandy, I know you loved him. He knew it, too. Don't doubt yourself and your actions. There is no purest form of love than the one we feel for those amazing creatures. Whatever you do, try to stay a little longer with us here. It might sound meaningless since our true connections have always been our fur babies, but we are still family to each other. I believe we can help -- even by just being there for you, if and when. Like sitting above a cup of tea, side by side, hearing the silence, sensing Dusty's kind spirit... (((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))) Bughug Marita & Balthazar the Magnificent =^..^= , & Margot the Sweetheart ~^..^~

 

What beautiful words about Dusty who sounds like he was a very special cat. I also have two who sleep in my garden. It was my Mhyrissa's favorite place to sit in the irises. I hope that with some time your heart will heal some. Terry

Dearest Sandy,  I am so, so very sorry about precious Dusty.  My heart just breaks for you, I know how devastated you are.  I know how much you truly love Dusty and how much he loves you too.  Dusty will always be in your heart and his spirit will always be around you until you meet again. You gave him the gift of a wonderful, happy life and you both were blessed to have each other.  You also gave him the gift of peace which is the truest gift of love. I will be keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers, tonight and I will light a candle for you and Dusty. Take care of yourself Sandy, know your little boy is at peace now,  playing and running in a garden in kitty heaven watching over you until you are together again. Sleep soft my sweet friend Dusty. Many Tears and Many Hugs, Candace with Cinnamon and Skylar

 

Sandy, I am so sorry for your loss. Yes you did the right thing as only you could know when he was telling you it was his time. I'm glad for the wonderful time you had with him. I lost my Tiger late August to heart disease after a short battle with asthma. She led a little lost red tabby to my door who was with me for a month and grew to be a 10 lb 6mo old kitten before his owners finally found my signs. He helped me to heal while he was here and I know Tiger knew I needed him more than he needed me. I hope you find healing from your grief. I also still look for Tiger everywhere and now am also looking for that mischevious red tabby who filled back in a piece of my heart. Sandy, i love your site! Your Dusty reminds me of a "fluffier" version of My Tiger. same intelligent, yet kittenish look in their eyes. Sandy, Only we as pet parents and lovers of "the most special cats" can know when our cats are telling us they are ready to move on. We will always what if ourselves, but we know in our hearts we did the right thing. Our cats told us so in their ways.

I love that your baby sleeps in your garden. Tiger loved her walks in the garden too. Before her final moment, we took her home for one last walk in the garden (we hadnt expected to hear heart disease). She ate the tall grasses one last time. We had wanted a mobile vet to come out and let her go there, but none were available so we had to take her back in. But as always, I held her in my arms as I've done with my other loved ones as they moved on.

Her picture is on my computer screen so I look into her sweet face many times thruout the day. She looks peaceful again. Our thoughts are with you Kendall

Kendall and I had quite a few conversations about her Tiger and my Dusty and I just had to save the following excerpts:

Sandy (Me) wrote:

I had considered having a vet that makes house calls do that too. I changed my mind since it would have been a stranger to Dusty and even though he hated going to the vet, I thought it should be done among the people who knew him and the girls there were always wonderful with Dusty. I know he was a little confused at the time. He had to be since I was in tears, my Mom was in tears, and then another vet came in that Dusty had never seen before. So much for my plan of "familiar". She was trying to be gentle, quiet and slow with the whole process but when I looked at Dusty's face showing he was scared and confused, I asked her do it quickly. Then, he went so quickly, it took me by surprise and the grief just came in waves. We were there a 1/2 hour talking and taking his paw print and their preparations. Awww, it just makes me so sad.

What I was going to mention after you talk about letting your Tiger walk around the yard and eat grass one last time, was that I noticed over the past two weeks that Dusty seemed to be visiting spots in the house and the yard that he hadn't bothered with for a good six months or a year. I thought at those time that he was doing things "one more time" on his own and saying his own goodbyes. It was the darndest thing, so adorable and yet so sad.

Kendal wrote:

I felt so in control at first when I took Tiger in for her last moments. But you're right, it does go so quickly and then its such a shock, they're there with you one moment and then they're gone...Tiger wasn't scared at least, nothing much fazed her. Our lives were always full of changes and she just adapted.

Its wonderful to hear you talk about your good memories of Dusty. It helps to replace the sad ones by talking about all the good ones. There are so many more of the good ones and it is healing when we are able to let those slowly take over and lessen the strength of the more recent sad ones. Tiger had pain in her eyes the last couple of weeks and when she led that little kitten to me, his eyes were so pure full of joy, he had never experienced pain in his life. I now have replaced the memory of the pain in Tigers eyes with the times she had joy and mischief in them. the kitten helped show me how to do this.

Its kind of sad but in a way not, about your dusty saying goodbye to familiar things. they are such intuitive animals. Truly amazing. They know things way before we figure them out. He knew he wanted to implant all the good memories of his happy life into his soul to take with him into his next life. Like kharma in a way. he'll go into his next life with a happy soul. I believe all souls remain together for eternity, kind of like an eternal high school clique. LOL . He will touch your life again some day. Kendall



I'm so sorry that you had to let him go. But now he is at peace in his favorite place and you can visit and talk to him whenever you need to. Take care of yourself and be at peace that you did the best you could for him. God has other plans for him and you will be with him again one day. Thank you Sandy for sharing your precious Dusty with us. You have created a beautiful memorial to celebrate such a special cat.

I too almost put my Mattie to sleep in August when I first learned she was Hyper-T. The vet made me believe that the only 2 options were the I-131 or to put her down. Thankfully I found this site in time and everyone was so supportive and now my Mattie is doing very well on 7.5 mg Meth. Her values are all back within normal range except liver enzymes were still a little bit above normal. The vet increased her amount from 5 mg to the 7.5. She is putting on a little bit of weight and is back to her normal self. Unfortunately though we have had to keep her confined to the deck (with some chicken wire areound the railings and a baby gate at the stairs) as she seems to get sick (coughing and sneezing) everytime she goes out into the yard unattended. We will let her in the yard when we are with her to keep an eye on what she is eating. She no longer jumps and can only climb or pull herself up onto the bed or couch. She is a 12 1/2 yr old feral that I found at 5 wks and was sick when I found her. So again I'm glad that this site is here for support and info for anyone who has a kitty going through this. Take Care & God Bless you! Dianne, Mattie & Squeak




Dear Sandy, I'm so sorry to hear about Dusty. The way you describe him not wanting to eat and realising that his body was just wearing out sounds so much like Clara Bo's last days. In the end we just have to make the decision that is best for them even though it hurts us so much. There are no words that can help just now but we are thinking of you. Penny * Kevin, Romey & Amber, and spirits Cleebie, Dessa & Clara Bo.

 

And my heart goes out to you Sandy. Most of us here know how precious our kitty babies are to us and how hard it is to loose them. I wish you all the strength in the world and hope the pain will fade....

What a lovely site you made for Dusty and a great idea! I did that too the last time I lost one of my babies and it helped me a lot. Took a week off work and just worked on the page, searching online for moving poets etc. That way I felt she was still with me in some way. In some weird way, after looking after a sick cat for an amount of time, you miss the caring for him/her.

I mean to make a site for all my cats, the ones I have now and the ones I have lost, a cat site in general so saved your site and want to put it on mine in the future. What can I say, I just love cat people ;) hugs, you will be okay, you are doing just great! Marja


 

Sandy, What a sad story to read this Sunday morning. But, you did what you knew was best for Dusty and now he is no longer suffering. My thoughts are with you and you miss your sweet Dusty. Anne Vandalin

Sandy: And mine goes out to you. Be gentle with yourself as you grieve Dusty no longer being present in your life. The kitties we share our lives with do leave pawprints on our hearts...shalom, Theo Lynne Hoffman, with the Feline Three (=^^=) in Wisconsin

 

Dear Sandy,
Thank you for posting the link and sharing your page with Dusty's happy life and great memories. I was so touched! I really understood reading the part of you wanting him to stay to get to enjoy the summer. I so enjoy being part of this group for the support, help we give each other, but this is the best part; the joy in celebrating our babies lives together. Connie


Im sorry to hear you lost him it hurts specially when we work so hard...to help them. 
Hugs from Willie baby girl and me.  In god we trust.  Marce

I've been off line for a few days; and I'm sorry to hear you have lost
your adorable Dusty. I just read your website; and its really just
excellent. We will include you and Dusty in our prayers. It's
incredible how one little furball can provide one with so much love
and affection. My condolences to you. Moose's Mom (Roxanne)

A Parting Prayer

Dear Lord, please open your gates
and call St. Francis
to come escort this beloved companion
across the Rainbow Bridge.

Assign him to a place of honor,
for he has been a faithful friend
and has always done his best to please me.

Bless the hands that send him to you,
for they are doing so in love and compassion,
freeing him from pain and suffering.

Grant me the strength not to dwell on my loss.
Help me remember the details of his life
with the love he has shown me.
And grant me the courage to honor him
by sharing those memories with others.

Let him remember me as well
and let him know that I will always love him.
And when it's my time to pass over into your paradise,
please allow him to accompany those
who will bring me home.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of his companionship
and for the time we've had together.

And thank you, Lord, for granting me the strength
to give him to you now.

Amen.

- © Brandy Duckworth, 1998

 

God's Garden

God looked around his garden and found an empty place.
He then looked down upon the earth and saw your tired face.
He put his arms around you and lifted you to rest.
God's Garden must be beautiful, He always takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering. He knew you were in pain.
He knew that you would never get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough, and the hills were hard to climb,
so He closed your weary eyes and whispered "Peace be thine".
It broke our hearts to lose you, but you didn't go alone
For part of us went with you the day God called you home.

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01/14/2010   

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This site originated on December 30, 1999