June - Part 2

As the days ticked by in June, Ike and I perfected the art of "hand feeding". As he began to gain strength, it became obvious that Ike had suffered a mini-stroke ... slowly, the weakness along the right side of his body was fading away and he was walking straight and even holding his head straight, at times. What he couldn't do - without any teeth - was eat on his own. He would try to eat a few bites, but he just couldn't get it going. Under the vet's instructions, I broke my own rule and fed him.

Beaba baby spoons and a couple of small food processor spatulas were amazing tools. I would get the spoon near his mouth and he would start moving his jaws to eat it. Bless his heart, he wanted to stay. Drs. Rose & Garrou felt that if we could give him a few weeks that he may regain the ability - and desire - to eat on his own.

Although he wasn't eating on his own, he would still sneak a drink out of the cat fountain!



Along with wanting to spend more time on the patio, he made the circuit of his old sleeping places in his room. Here he is in Jerry's closet after just waking up from a nap.



I was very glad that he was able to make one more trip to his home town - Galveston. He never could stand to be in a car kennel, but he would sit quietly on my lap as Jerry drove. I miss that.



Out on the balcony in the setting sun, Jerry and "his cat".



He slept in his favorite chair, on the ottoman and under the balcony love seat. Painful for us to know that it was the last time, but needed closure for our little friend.












It may seem strange to give a dying cat a bath, but as soon as Ike came here I scrubbed him down and he seemed pretty happy about being clean. For him, part of being a family cat was keeping clean and he worked night and day on his fur. Along with the difficulty in eating, he wasn't able to groom himself and my baby wipes and brushing weren't keeping up with the mess we were making during the hand feeding sessions.

So, for the last time, I threw him in the sink and scrubbed him down!



He looks a bit perturbed, but he was grateful to have shiny clean fur. Only cat I've ever bathed that wasn't scared of the hair dryer and even seemed to enjoy it!



He topped off the styling session with a nap by the fireplace.



Although he was eating everything I fed him, he became weaker and lost a little more weight. He looks shiny and clean out on the patio.



I love this picture. Here he is sleeping in "his" bed in my office, covered with a baby blanket to keep the draft off.



Ike's last day was terribly sad for everyone ... Ike knew, the boys knew and I couldn't stop crying. He snuck a drink from the boy's fountain, just to show us his will was strong.



He cruised out on the patio to spend a little time before our appointment.



As Jerry and I sat in the lounge chairs - talking about how we would miss Ike - Denny went over to Ike and layed under the chair with him one last time.






As we drove to see Dr. Garrou, Ike stood up in my lap - alert and looking out the windows. Knowing Little would meet him at the Rainbow Bridge.



The boys have had a hard time adjusting to losing their second friend in a little over two years. Denny could not stay on the patio. He would go out, look around, lay down in the normal places and then come to the door to be let in. We would repeat the process many times during those days.



Elvis just sulked - he stayed upstairs in bed most of the day. We went to Galveston and it was hard to go without an Ike on my lap, but it was even harder on the boys.



... it takes TWO bar stools for Elvis



The bed on the ottoman in my office, that has held a cat every day since it was positioned there, still goes unused. Even while squirrel and dove watching, they crowd onto one side of the ottoman as if Ike is still sleeping there.



Maybe he is.