R.I.P. Garfield

Geezus, it seems that most of my posts in the last month or so are titled "R.I.P. someone," which obviously means that this hasn't been a great month. The latest casualty happens to be one of the nicest cats EVER - Garfield.

Garfield was like a dog in a cat's body. Ever since we adopted him 12-13yrs ago, there was something special about this little guy. He started out skinny as a rail, seeing as he was mistreated by his previous owners. Upon being brought into the house, he proceeded to eat anything (and I do mean ANYTHING) edible. Pebbles (mom and Marty's other cat) never really liked Garfield, but they co-existed peacefully. Occasionally they would chase each other around, and these episodes usually ended in Pebbles smacking Garfield in the face and hissing at him. Garfield, very non-chalantly, would ignore her display of aggresion and turn away from her, tail held high, and strut off down the hall.

He had his share of problems - at around 6 yrs old, tipping the scales at over 21lbs, he became diabetic (when I said he would eat, believe me I meant it). We were, however, able to control his diabetes solely with diet, and over the last few years since I qualified and took over as his vet, I actually got him to lose weight - he was a healthy 11 lbs before his latest illness. He would chase his treats around with vigor once we thinned him down, he was loving life.

Unfortunately, right around the time of my grandma's passing, mom and Marty noticed him drooling excessively. I had a look at him, and I knew as soon as I touched him that it was trouble - his jaw was swollen, and he was drooling. We lifted his lip and saw it - a growth in his mouth. This is ALWAYS trouble in cats. Even in dogs it is bad, but cats it is usually very big trouble. Basically, around 3 days later the mass had tripled in size and he was having trouble eating. I knew it wouldn't be long, but we decided to try to debulk the mass to give him some comfort for a while. We removed it with a laser, and sent it off for biopsy. By the next day, it was back at full size. The biopsy came back as expected, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, and I knew then that his time was short. We attempted some last resort homeopathic remedies which did nothing but stress the poor boy out as it was poured down his throat. I went to see him yesterday, and all he did was lie there, dehydrated and sad, and I knew it was his time. We put him to sleep today at 1:26 pm, right on his favorite couch where he spent so many hours in comfort and joy.

All of this happened within 2 weeks - from diagnosis to euthanasia. Did I tell you tumors in cat's mouths were bad or what??

G-man was a supremely sweet boy, and to say he will be missed is an understatement. I feel the final gift I could give him was relief from his suffering. We will remember him always for the joy he brought to us - he is, of course, irreplaceable...but I will see what I can do to liven up mom and Marty's lives with a kitten or two soon. Of course, Pebbles might have something to say about that...

Rest in peace, G-Funk. We will always love you.