"Right now, I’m here. In a bit, I’ll be gone."

Life is so unexpected. I dedicate this post to my mother who lost something really precious yesterday. Her dear cat, Charles, was put to sleep, being hardly five years old.

Charles was a cat with a personality. But which pet would not have one? He was quite obstinate and he sometimes showed up like he had disliked me. But after all, I was the “bad buddy” who always brushed his fur, cut his claws, wormed him, and did such things. So, of course he had learned that I was the one who deserved some hissing and showing claws.

Charles and my mother were like a mother and a child. They had their way together. They had their common traditions every morning, day, and evening, just like I have with my cats. Garfield and Kenneth are as dear to me as Charles was to mom. They are like my kids. They are just so dear and the paw marks of these little creatures will always remain in our hearts.

Things were still running normally on Friday morning. My mother and I have a nice tradition of going to the café close to where we live in some mornings before work. From there, we take the buses to work. When mom went home in the afternoon she discovered that Charles had not peed. And because he still hadn’t in Saturday morning she took him to see the vet.

It turned out that Charles had quite a bit of kidney stones. He was set to a 24-hour-long intensive care but mom was allowed to bring him home. Fortunately, we say now, as he got to spend his last moments at home.

Mom took him back to the vet yesterday morning to check the kidneys. The vet said they had injured so badly that it’d not be certain if they could be healed – ever. Mom told me after getting home that already on Saturday she had started getting mentally ready for the worst – to put the poor cat to sleep. And when she had told the vet yesterday that she was ready for it the vet had said that it’d probably be wise because no one could guarantee if the kidneys could be healed or if they would heal. And at least in that way the Charles wouldn’t suffer for any longer.

Of course, mom could have taken the chance to try if the possible care would have helped. But at the end of the day, it’d have been even worse if it hadn’t and then Charles had put to sleep after suffering and being in pain for a week or two. It simply wouldn’t have been humane. And it’d have been too hard for both of mom and C.

My mother and I had a nice way of calling our cats as “cousins”. Garfield and Kenneth were Charles’ cousins and vise versa. G and K are “bros”. Especially Kenneth and Charles were really good buddies. They were very fond of each other. I’m already feeling sorry for K probably looking for C when I next time take the cats to mom’s place. I have explained them that their fellow cousin is not there anymore. But one day they’ll see it in practice.

Losing a dear one is always so hard. But it’s part of life even if it feels cruel. Charles was too young to go. But at least he had a very good and happy life. No one could have given him a better home and life than my mother.