Post
ak
aksoll
1y ago

May I be the reason my cats don’t live long?

For the past 5 years I’ve been very unlucky when it comes to pets. At school, I had a gorgeous tabby cat that lived with my family for 16 years. It was my dad’s cat but I adored it, and since then I’ve always wanted to have my own cat.. Five years ago, I bought a kitten. It looked healthy, and the first two nights went well, but on the third morning it refused to eat, became apathetic to toys, and generally looked ill. We took him to the vet, and the blood tests showed feline coronavirus. I didn’t even know cats suffered from such diseases! The odds were against us, and the kitten didn’t survive. The vet said to avoid adopting any new animals for at least a year.


Three years later, I decided I was ready for a cat and bought another kitten. This time I checked the kittens’s passport, so that all the vaccines were there. He was a lively and beautiful young feline, slept in my bed, and made me very happy for four months. Then I planned to go on a vacation, so I asked our neighbor to look after my cat for just 5 days. I come back, a week passes, and I notice that my cat doesn’t look well. Again, we go to the vet, another blurry week of treatment. The vet’s diagnosis is infectious peritonitis. How?? The vet said maybe it happened because of the stress when the cat was left alone with a stranger to care for him. Or perhaps something else triggered the virus the cat had already been carrying. In the end he became too weak, and we were advised to help him pass away painlessly.


I cried for months. It’s my second cat, and I couldn’t take proper care of him. I feel guilty that I went on that vacation. I could have waited and given him more time to grow up and become healthier.


I do still want to have a cat. But should I? Maybe it’s a sign that I have bad luck with pets.

Specialist answer
Veena Choudhary
1y
Specialist

It's normal to struggle with feelings of guilty and questioning yourself why couldn't i take proper care of her. Sometimes when we grieve, we replay the situations in our head and second guess the decisions we made. You did the best you could with all the love you had in you. Take a deep breath and try to forgive yourself. Stop blaming yourself for it. Remember you gave your cat ultimate gift of peaceful and painless death.


  • Self kindness is very important. It is a process of acknowledging our pain and not being critical ourselves for it. Awareness is the first step. Write down in a journal what you feel, why you feel. Write down the assumptions and negative thoughts you have in your head like bad luck and see how far is it valid, practical. compare your assumption with reality and then decide.


  • Focus on good things and moments you spent with your pet, the walks, the affection, the connection.


  • Decision of still you want to have a cat is something you need to make only after you have thoroughly analysed the reason of why you need another cat.You should make sure it is for right reason.Is it because you want to replace old feline then wait. but if you feel you want to welcome new friend at home, don't carry any guilt or thinking of bad luck back in your head then get it. you need to have clarity within you before getting one and you need to grieve completely to openly love someone without any fear, remorse.


  • Write down what you did for the cat and who your cat was. do you think you could have done anything more for it? if you feel yes i could have done more then just learn what else you could have done and use that learning in the future
mr
mrsKnobbs
1y

I'm sorry about your cats. Don't blame yourself for what happened. It’s not your fault, pets are like children, and they get sick like children.

Were those kittens of some special breed? I’ve heard an opinion that street cats, cats with no pedigree, are much healthier than elite and expensive cats. If you ever wish to take another pet, find out about your local shelters. You won’t believe what beautiful kittens one may find there, they also have older cats.

marinavs
1y

Dear aksoll, some things are beyond our control, like your pets' health. Self-recriminations only hurt us. From your story, it seems you did everything in your power, consulted the vets. I hope you'll give yourself another chance and that your third cat will bring you joy and many happy years together

99
99uwu66
1y

At work we sometimes cooperate with animal shelters. I can tell you, these types of infections are common in all types of breeds, both cats and dogs. The vet who told you your pet might have been the carrier of the virus is correct. You could do nothing about it. And you never know what health issues an animal has. Be bold and find another one. Just take care of deep cleaning in the apartment where your two cats lived.

tengotti
1y

Try a dog maybe? I know... people usually prefer either cats or dogs. I adore wild felines but my dad wanted a Jack Russell and now we have him! You can take your dog on vacations with you.

sh
shagrot-pev
1y

Be compassionate with yourself, @aksoll You are innocent in this situation. Getting another pet will help you fill up the emptiness that the loss of your cats created.

bumblebee
1y

As my friend said, when our loved pets pass away, we all think "never again", because overcoming the pain of loss of a family member is painful, and pets truly become family members. However, most people adopt pets again. If you love cats so much, in my opinion, you'll be a great mother for your new babycat!

ak
aksoll
1y
Author

Thanks a lot for your kind words, everyone, glad I came across this community!

steroidsjee
1y

Everything you described sounds like a coincidence. Not through any fault of yours. Animals taken from the street are much more likely to have health problems, so be careful about the advice to adopt strays.

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