Several weeks ago I was visiting with the vet about some strange symptoms our cat was exhibiting. He said he would run a few tests to see if he could figure out what was going on. A few hours later I got a call from the vet saying that Romeo was severely dehydrated and experiencing kidney failure. Wow. I had no idea it was that serious. We left Romeo in the care of the vet for a few days. They rehydrated him and felt that he was showing improvement enough to come home. Sure enough he was a much healthier cat when he got back home. He reverted back to some of his old tricks like waking up the sleeping baby or digging into the sealed bag of cat food at night. We thought we had our cat back and we were relieved that he was ok.

A week or so later I noticed that Romeo was starting to slow down. Sure enough, his symptoms returned full force and even more vicious than before. Now we are left with a difficult decision. We have been giving him fluids, but he will not eat or drink on his own, and he has trouble walking or using the litter box. I keep hoping he’ll get better, but I know that it’s probably not likely.

Romeo is a special cat and a good friend to our family. He has been the daddy for all but one of our litters of kittens. He has always been so vibrant and strong and loving. None of us want to say goodbye. Even our younger children know that Romeo is going to die, and they stroke his head and say, “I don’t want Romeo to die.”

Alas, he is only a cat. I can’t imagine watching a person waste away like this. I’m sure that in time I will be given the task of helping a loved one finish their race of life in a way that best honors God. Meanwhile I agonize over what to do for my cat.