RIP Mia

So this morning was an unexpectedly sad one when our kitty Mia passed away.  I had come downstairs with Lexi like any other morning and could hear one of the cats making a hacking noise.  This happens so often in a house with three cats that it’s almost background noise by this point, however when it continued after several minutes I went into the living room to see what was going on.  Mia was lying next to one of the plants which was unusual in and of itself – we almost NEVER see her around the house, and especially if she knew Lexi or I was wandering around in the vicinity.  I got closer and patted her a little – I could tell she was still breathing, but barely.  I didn’t have high hopes by that point.

Our regular vet had retired last year so I did a quick google search for the nearest animal hospital, which ended up being about a mile away.  I called and they let me know that I could bring Mia over right away for emergency care.  I did my best to pack up the baby and kitty as quickly as possible and head over.  As soon as we walked through the door they rushed Mia to the back and a few seconds later a nurse came out to tell me the cat was in critical condition and did I want them to do CPR?  I answered yes, wondering if some pet owners answer no in this situation and why they would do that.  After a couple minutes the vet came out and sat next to me and Lexi, telling us that there was no heart rate and Mia had died.  She asked if I wanted to see the cat and I just said yes, because that seemed like the right thing to say.  However once I was in the room waiting for them to bring in the body and holding back tears while trying to keep Lexi from opening all the drawers I had no idea why I was there.  The vet brought our poor kitty in, I pet her black fur while asking the vet what she thought had happened.  She told me that the cat probably ate something extremely toxic – she was very jaundiced and I thought about the new houseplants I bought last weekend for the open house.  My heart sank.  When asked if I wanted a few minutes alone with Mia I shook my head and they took her away.  I started to think about how I was going to tell Brent, who is currently in Seattle on business, that his cat is gone.

After that it was just paperwork.  We donated the body to science and weren’t charged for the emergency care or the donation.  We left and came home to one less kitty.  I dragged the plant into the patio, where it currently lays carelessly on its side.  We have a broker coming over today and I can’t even think about moving it.  When I called Brent I had difficulty articulating how I felt – honestly, we barely saw this cat around the house.  I’m not really going to miss her during the day-to-day, but I feel so, so awful that this happened to her.  I hope you’re happy and warm and safe under the big bed in the sky, little kitty.