Fantasy and Dreams: Liberty

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Liberty Has Died

Liberty (October 6, 2018) Her Last Day In My Arms

Liberty has died.

I found her under the desk in the spare room very sick and weak on Saturday morning (October 6, 2018) . She purred a little when I picked her up. Liberty had managed to escape death recently. With multiple visits to the vet for treatment, she managed to recover, but she was never the same. She had grown weaker in the days that followed and I knew I couldn’t save her this time. I did the only thing I could do; I kept her with me and held her all day even into the night because I didn’t want her to be alone when she crossed over. And because I knew that’s what she needed from me. I slept with her beside me, my hand still holding on to her. In the early hours, somewhere between midnight and 2:00 am she clinched my hand with her paw and pulled it close to her. Her claws dug into my hand, but I didn't care. And then she went still and crossed over into that place where she could be happy until I can join her and my other fur babies where we never have to part again.

Liberty Resting In My Desk Drawer

I’m going to miss the way that little six pound cat stomped into a room and her nightly forays running up and down the hall hollering loudly maybe just to warn any critters that might be about that she was in charge. I’m going to miss that persistent spirit of hers that demanded to be held whenever she felt like it, even when I was trying to work.

Liberty Sleeping While I Work

Right now I would love to hold her like that forever. I wanted her to stay and I did everything in my power to keep her with me, but Liberty had to go. The house is quieter and less lively today. It's just me and Lily now.
My darling Liberty is gone. My grief comes in overwhelming waves of sorrow and memories. I will never forget Liberty and I will love her as long as I draw breath on the Earth.

The Mobile I Made For Liberty

I made this mobile for Liberty to honor her. As soon as Hurricane Michael passes and the winds have gone, I'll hang this mobile from a limb of the Japanese Maple tree above her grave. I'm sadder than I can say, but I must take steps toward "normal" again for the sake of my dog, Lily. She needs me now.

Sunday, July 15, 2018

Losing Liberty

Liberty in the Window

I thought I was going to lose Liberty, my 17 year old cat, this past week. She stopped eating and drinking and dropped her weight which wasn’t that much to begin with. She normally weighs 6 pounds. I took her to my veterinarian, Dr. Jack Miller on Tuesday (July 10^th). They did blood work and examined her, but everything came back normal. They treated her with a bolus of fluid and gave her a couple shots to increase her appetite and decrease any inflammation.

After that, she acted like her normal self and still seemed able to remain active, but she still wouldn’t eat or even drink water. I was feeling desperate.

I took her back to the vet the next two days and each time they gave her fluids and medicine. She was beginning to look rough, uninterested in most activities, and just wanted to be held day and night. I know I couldn’t take her to the vet every single day of her life to get fluids and there was no way she could get any real nutrition.

On Friday I began to think about whether or not I should put her down if she didn’t improve over the weekend. The thought of losing her sucked out all my joy. I couldn’t even sleep or rest for thinking about what might happen next. I wrote prayers for her and lit a candle, hoping for anything that would bring her back from the brink.

And then something DID happen.

Liberty on Friday July 13, 2018

On Friday, she followed me into the bedroom while I made my bed and, while I was straightening the bed clothes, she started pawing at something under the dresser. Liberty had found one of Lily’s old dog kibbles…and then she ate it. I couldn’t believe it. I had been trying to get her to eat wet food believing it would be easier on her to start on something semi-liquid, but being Liberty, she decided she wanted a dried out old gross kibble that may have been under that dresser for quite some time. I was amazed, but not reassured yet.

A few minutes later, she went to her dish and ate her dry cat food ignoring the special high powered canned food the vet gave me. Then she went back for seconds and then she went to the water bowel and drank, and drank, and drank. I called the vet and his trusty animal nurse, Stacy, told me to just keep an eye on Liberty to see how she would do and that they would be open half a day on Saturday if anything went wrong.

Here it is, Sunday and now Liberty is eating her food including her favorite canned food of chicken and tuna (gross in my book) and acting completely normal. Crisis diverted.

I know that I’m not going to have Liberty forever, but the very idea of her starving herself to death when there was nothing apparently wrong with her was very upsetting to me. I may never know what happened (Can cats get the stomach flu?), but I am so very grateful for the excellent care the vet and his staff gave to Liberty and the kindness and generosity they showed me during this whole ordeal. And now I get to have more time with Liberty and enjoy her antics. It’s such a relief!