Waiting at the Rainbow Bridge, Conclusion

Pretty had a routine that any poodin would envy: sleep with the beans, get baby food and stinky goodness, sleep in the sunshine on the floor, get lots of head scritches, get brushed, get more head scritches, sleep in the sunshine on the heated bed, get baby food and stinky goodness, and finally, sleep all night with the beans.

After a while the beans notices that Pretty seemed a little stiff when she got up so they bought a bed for her. It is called a waterbed and they put it in the guest room for her. I cant imagine that any cat would want anything with water in it but Pretty loved it. The beans heated the waterbed to about 95 degrees and put lots of pillows and blankets on it. After that, they always knew where to find Pretty!

One day last December Pretty didn't want her stinky goodness. Mommy was worried but didn't think much about it since Pretty was a little old lady. That night Pretty didn't want to eat either. The next day mommy took Pretty to the vet and they drew blood to check things out. They said not to worry much cause Pretty was 19 years old now, and maybe she just didn't feel like eating. They gave mommy an appetite stimulant and said they would call her the next day. Pretty was completely normal other than the fact that she didn't want to eat. Mommy brushed her a lot and spent a lot of time with her. The next day the vet called mommy and said to bring Pretty in right away...Her blood test showed that her kidney levels were wrong. Pretty stayed in the kitty hospital for 5 days. The vet gave her lots of IV fluids and vitamins and medicines. On the 5th day they checked her blood again and sent Pretty home.

The next day the vet called and said that the kidney levels did not change and Pretty was in kidney failure. The beans decided to keep an eye on Pretty and just make sure she stayed comfy. They brushed her a lot and gave her lots of head scritches. They cooked ham for her (but she didn't want food) and made sure she had fresh water all of the time. Mommy stayed in bed the whole time and let Pretty sleep on her all she wanted. Mommy cried a lot and Pretty stayed with her while she was sad.

3 days after they brought Pretty back home she was too weak to walk very much so the beans took her back to the vet. The daddy held Pretty while the Vet gave her the first shot. She got very happy and the vet said the shot was a disassociative drug and that she was probably already chasing mice. The beans cried a lot more and then said it was ok to give her the second shot. The beans stayed for another half hour and cried a lot more and then went home...Without their beloved Pretty.

They got her back a week later and she was in a pretty little box with the Rainbow Bridge poem engraved in marble on the front of it. They keep her on a shelf in the bedroom so she can always sleep with them. Mommy still misses her and cries, but not as much as last December. She says it is hard because Pretty was with them for almost 20 years, and even though now they have 4 poodins, the house seems kind of empty without Pretty.