My Cat: Maki
Late in 2018 just prior to Thanksgiving, I spent a weekend crying.
For a few days, my cat was not really eating. We found her in a very weak condition, barely eating if at all. Reading the situation, I had to make a decision: Do we put her down or not? I had never experienced this before, so it was rather emotionally stressful. The thought of her being dead so suddenly was too much to bear. Had my decision gone through, she would not be alive right now. When the "last hope" of her eating was dashed, my mind thought: "that was it". My sister managed find some added information; and her nausea was relieved as the vet prescribed some medicine.
In my tears and desperation, I did write out some words on paper. One year later, I do not know where that writing went. It's somewhere. I have to find it; when I find it, I'll type it out. The basic jist made me realize how much this cat meant to me. Before then, I never really made this realization. She's been around for a long time; and so she's "always been there".
She is 19 almost on her way to 20 by mid February, if she makes it. This time, the inevitability will come, as she has a cancer growth on her belly that's spreading. Now, some parts of the cancer would shows necrosis. I can smell it. It's heartbreaking seeing the wound each time the bandage gets replaced. The vet projected roughly six months as of September. Looks like, they're very much on point.
As we enter February, the time could be soon. It is a matter of when, rather than if. We hope to make that decision to put her down at the proper time. This is a very tough call to make.
After last year's experience, it was nice to have this extra year. It was extra time to settle and prepare. Right now, her appetite is good; and I feed her when she asks. Then, add the time when she hangs around my plate, particularly for chicken; and then all the time she sits on my lap or chest. The small moments are great ones.
To be honest, the decision was much scarier last year as it was sudden and there was no prior experience. It is still frightening now; but like I said, I'm thankful to get this extra year and then some.
What does this have to do with mahjong? Given the information known at the time, I was about to make a decision on my cat: to have her put down. At the time, it was my read. I was rather scared and desperate having made that kind of decision. My cat really looked like she could not go on, especially as she would not even take a bite, let alone eat. This is how we make decisions based on known information. I was lucky to have a sister with other information to prevent the decision from following through. At the very least, we managed to get a little more than an extra year with a collection of final year moments. My cat is still here, but who knows how much longer? We are trying our best to get these moments in until no more.
Certainly, out lives will all end at some point. So, we enjoy our time while we can, because some day our mahjong days will end. Those in Connect Kan or Tenhou Tuesday had the pleasure of hearing my cat via Discord voice chat. We can all be so lucky to be able to enjoy something. Therefore, we really should not take all this for granted.
For a few days, my cat was not really eating. We found her in a very weak condition, barely eating if at all. Reading the situation, I had to make a decision: Do we put her down or not? I had never experienced this before, so it was rather emotionally stressful. The thought of her being dead so suddenly was too much to bear. Had my decision gone through, she would not be alive right now. When the "last hope" of her eating was dashed, my mind thought: "that was it". My sister managed find some added information; and her nausea was relieved as the vet prescribed some medicine.
In my tears and desperation, I did write out some words on paper. One year later, I do not know where that writing went. It's somewhere. I have to find it; when I find it, I'll type it out. The basic jist made me realize how much this cat meant to me. Before then, I never really made this realization. She's been around for a long time; and so she's "always been there".
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| View as she sat on my chest. |
As we enter February, the time could be soon. It is a matter of when, rather than if. We hope to make that decision to put her down at the proper time. This is a very tough call to make.
After last year's experience, it was nice to have this extra year. It was extra time to settle and prepare. Right now, her appetite is good; and I feed her when she asks. Then, add the time when she hangs around my plate, particularly for chicken; and then all the time she sits on my lap or chest. The small moments are great ones.
To be honest, the decision was much scarier last year as it was sudden and there was no prior experience. It is still frightening now; but like I said, I'm thankful to get this extra year and then some.
What does this have to do with mahjong? Given the information known at the time, I was about to make a decision on my cat: to have her put down. At the time, it was my read. I was rather scared and desperate having made that kind of decision. My cat really looked like she could not go on, especially as she would not even take a bite, let alone eat. This is how we make decisions based on known information. I was lucky to have a sister with other information to prevent the decision from following through. At the very least, we managed to get a little more than an extra year with a collection of final year moments. My cat is still here, but who knows how much longer? We are trying our best to get these moments in until no more.
Certainly, out lives will all end at some point. So, we enjoy our time while we can, because some day our mahjong days will end. Those in Connect Kan or Tenhou Tuesday had the pleasure of hearing my cat via Discord voice chat. We can all be so lucky to be able to enjoy something. Therefore, we really should not take all this for granted.
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