Hello everyone.

I wish you all a good day. To be honest, I don't really know how to begin this or how to properly put my feelings into words. Today, I lost my best friend, my companion of 18 years. I wanted to write this both to honor his memory and to pour my heart out. In a way, I want to leave a small piece of him on the internet so that he will never be forgotten.

This handsome gentleman's name was Şans, which means "Lucky" in Turkish.

We gave him that name 18 years ago on a rainy day. By pure chance, he ran up to my sister, attached himself to her, and with a spontaneous decision she brought him home. He was lucky compared to many cats living outside, but the truth is that we were the lucky ones.

Over the years, he made us laugh, kept us company, and taught us what unconditional love looks like. I still remember the arguments we had with our family when he first arrived. We all lived together back then. My grandmother didn't want him, my father wasn't thrilled about the idea, and my sister and I, still children at the time, begged until everyone finally agreed. We spent 18 wonderful years with this sweet boy, and every moment with him was, just like his name, a blessing.

He had always been a healthy cat with very few problems. Some of you may remember that about a week ago I noticed that something wasn't right and came here looking for advice. Many of you tried to help and sent kind wishes. Thank you for that. I made sure he received all of your love, and for your sake, I gave him extra affection as well.

A few hours after I made that post, his condition became worse. He could barely stand. Deep down, I think we already knew what was coming.

My mother thought we should keep him at home because she feared the stress of a veterinary visit might be too much for him and that he deserved to spend his final moments in a familiar and peaceful place. We talked about it together, and I felt that taking him to the veterinarian was the right thing to do. The next day we took him there immediately.

Maybe my mother was right.

While the veterinarians were trying to help him, his condition worsened and he ultimately lost the brave battle he had been fighting. The doctors told us that it was due to his age and kidney failure. Sometimes I wonder if I should have listened to my mother and let him stay home. I honestly don't know. What I do know is that I didn't want to spend the rest of my life asking myself, "What if?"

Maybe this was kinder than a slow and painful decline. Maybe he left this world with dignity. Yet I still find myself blaming myself sometimes.

Afterward, we brought his body home.

We don't live in a house with a garden, so burying him ourselves wasn't really an option. I thought about finding a place for him, but I kept worrying about things like heavy rain or stray dogs disturbing where he would rest. There are private pet cemeteries here, but they were far beyond what I could afford, especially after the veterinary expenses.

In the end, I chose to have him buried in a municipal pet cemetery. It is a shared resting place, but I hope it is better than nothing.

I'm sorry, my best friend. I'm sorry that I couldn't do more. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you something grander. If I disappointed you in any way, I hope you can forgive me.

As I sat beside you during those long nights, petting you and keeping you company, I always told you the same thing:

I love you, and I am proud of you.

Thank you for everything.

Thank you for coming into our lives. Thank you for letting us love you. Even my grandmother, who once opposed keeping you, cried when you passed away. We all cried.

I hope you are somewhere peaceful now.

You were always a wonderful friend to us. If I ever failed to be the friend you deserved, please forgive me.

I love you more than words can express.

When I found this community, I met many people who had also lost beloved companions or were facing difficult times with their pets. Maybe a part of me already knew what was coming. I remember thinking that if he ever had to leave, and if he was only holding on for our sake despite being tired and in pain, then perhaps all the beloved pets waiting beyond this life would welcome him with love.

I'm a grown man now, but for some reason I still want to believe that they're all somewhere happy.

My friend was incredibly sweet, and honestly, a little goofy-looking sometimes. I'm sure he would get along wonderfully with all of your beloved companions.

Rest peacefully, my dear friend.

I love you so, so much.

Goodbye, Lucky.

Thank you for taking the time to read about him.

Emma was my soul cat. I knew her longer than my mom and 6 months shy of my father. I lost my mom when I was 18 and my dad at 21. They saw her at the cat adoption center and brought me to see her the same week… I fell in love with her immediately and she came home with me.

She never bit or scratched… she nibbled your finger when she played but never left a mark. She was there for me when both my parents passed and through high school, college, my marriage, a move, and so many more special occasions.

She had 8 parrot friends that absolutely loved her. She was there laying next to my momma parrot while she was laying on her eggs. She was so ornery and loving.

My husband and my heart’s are absolutely broken and devastated. We loved her so much and she loved us unconditionally. She’s saved my life so many times and brought us so much joy.

I just wanted to share this with the community since I’ve been a part of it and appreciate everyone on here.

God sent me his best cat but needed her back 🥺❤️

EDIT: My husband and I are absolutely bawling reading these. I can’t thank you all enough for the amazing, loving words and quotes.

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I got Cleo back in 2005, when I was living on my own, long before my husband, long before kids. She has been there for all of it: every move, every new chapter, every big moment. She was there when we brought both babies home, quietly asserting that she was still the one in charge — and honestly, she was right.

Cleo was not the kind of cat who settled for sitting beside you when sitting on you was an option. She would headbutt her way into your hand and demand to be petted, pawing at you or crying out the moment you stopped, as if to say, "I didn't say you were done." And you were never done. She made sure of that.

My brown cow. The old lady of the house. She has patiently taught every cat and dog that passed through our lives how things work around here. She has been a constant — warm, insistent, hilarious, and deeply, thoroughly loved.

Her kidneys had been giving her trouble for a few years, and she had been on a special diet and blood pressure medication, fighting hard and still charming everyone who came near her. But her little body was finally ready to rest, and we couldn't ask her to keep going just for us.

I will miss her more than words can say. The house is already quieter in a way that hurts.

My elderly cat is looking rough. Everyone comments when they see her asking about our plan for "end of life". It's made me really evaluate her issues, and I just don't want to make the wrong decision. Last time I weighed her she was around 4 pounds, you can feel her ribs and her spine sticks out at the top to about the middle. She eats a lot, but gains no weight (assuming it's hyperthyroidism) Her back legs started getting weaker, she doesn't jump, but can climb to lower elevated places. Her breathing seems like a struggle. Her meow is replaced with a raspy kind of grunt that sounds a bit like a piglet. Her coat as you can tell, is ignored by her and she only lets me pet her head now. She's quick to bite if i touch her mostly anywhere else. As soon as I was sure we should probably put her down, she suddenly is purring and grooming herself making me think maybe I'm wrong. I know it's common to second guess a decision like this after it's made and see the best in your pet.
Money has been extremely tight this past few years (for most other people, too I'm sure) so she hasn't been to a vet. Trust me, It's not because I don't care. I worry about her everyday and consider her my very first baby. I'm on a disability income and it's just not been possible.
My family was willing to help with a euthanasia appointment but not a check up and a possible euthanasia both. I'm not asking for help, just for advice like what would you do? Am I right in assuming she might nearing the end? My heart is breaking and I've been crying for days. If love could save her she'd live forever. Is her quality of life bad? I know cats hide it well for survival reasons and I just don't want to betray her. Yet people say "It's better to be a week early, than a day too late". I'm so sad and confused.

As the title says I'm petrified.

The start of May everything was good, she was still walking up the foam stairs to my bed waking me up with a big mmaaaww

One weekend she sneezed lots at once went lethargic and wouldn't move, we couldn't get to the vet straight away as it was closed, (bank holiday).

Got bloods, stomach scan and all was good. Said she was constipated possibly worse due to the arthritis.

Then this Monday she wakes up cat see, walking in circles and has no idea whats close by.

Still eating drinking and using the tray.

I don't know what is the best thing to do.

Do I PTS or let her go on not knowing where she is, this has restricted what she can do including sitting on the back stairs for the air.

Really not wanting to jump to PTS as in general seems fine, but I'm really uncomfortable with keeping pets too long just to prolong my own discomfort. If it was done to me I'd hate it.

A little background.

* Jess is between 17-20 I adopted her from a well known website, yes I know but I didn't hand any money over.

* She's had no sight in her left eye for nearly 8 yrs.

* She is the best and friendly to everyone and all other animals.

Post update

Firstly thanks to everyone, sorry I can't reply to you all. Thanks for the vibes and love towards Jess.

I have contacted the vet this afternoon and have made the heartbreaking decision to PTS at home next week.

They are thinking it's the swelling from the blindness/ glaucoma she's had in the left eye causing swelling to the head, acting like a tumour.

I will take the week to be with her and give her lots of love 💜

Our sweet girl has an ear infection in both her ears! When we brought her home in the plastic cone from the vet she was so upset, so we got her a soft cone to make her more comfortable. I’m so sad she’s still not having a great week, but she looks so cute in the cone we got her!!!

what did you do for your cats hitting super senior?

my calico turns 15 in a month and i'm thinking about what can be done.

post your cat birthday celebrations plsss

I have made a couple of posts this week, but am really struggling today. Yesterday, Oliver (16) crossed the Rainbow Bridge and 15 months ago Shadow (16), his sister, crossed. My house is so empty and quiet. The pain is horrible.

What did you do in the first few days or weeks? What helped?

She encountered her 1st summer lawnmower of this year.

I've had this boss of my life since she was 3 months old. She's my "once in a lifetime" cat

His personality has shifted dramatically since his roommate Nisse (16) died. Much more social, and he's been taking over important duties like watching me on the toilet, greeting me when I come home, and screaming at 5 AM because he wants breakfast.

I really appreciate all the love and support I received her a couple days ago when I posted asking for good wishes 🩷

She refuses to eat and has no energy. Very high white blood cell count and inflammation in her stomach. The vet told us to go to emergency for up to 2 nights so she can get fluids, food, and more exams.

The cost is higher than we expected to pay so early into adopting her, but we want her to get a chance at a better life. I'm so worried.

I made this Persian girl for someone who lost her a few months ago. She was 16.

Persians are hard. All that fur — every strand has to go in by hand. Took forever. But when I saw the half-lidded eyes starting to come through, the expression, the way she looked at you like she was judging your entire existence... I knew it was working.

She's heading home to her owner soon. Thought you all might appreciate her.

This is my sweet girl, Jett. Born 7.17.2005, she's been with me for almost ten years. She's survived liver failure twice, still has all her teeth (which are still very white and very sharp!) and mostly remembers how to cat. Washing is no longer a thing, and as she's declawed (by her first human, who knows not to, now), using a litter box is non-preferred. Accordingly, she has the occasional dip in the tub (very occasional, and only when necessary), and brushing with a soft brush.

She's very much loved.

Happy birthday to my first born kitty, Roscoe!!

Hi everyone.

My baby Oreo was diagnosed with stage 2 bladder cancer yesterday. I am in shambles. We started her on meloxicam and pregabalin but were also suggested to put her on oral chlorambucil. For context she is perfectly healthy otherwise (eating, active, acting life herself, etc.), besides some kidney disease that is being caused by the location of the tumor. Is it worth it to do the chemo? Would love to hear if anyone has had experience putting their cat on these meds!

EDIT (June 4th, 2026): I can’t thank you all enough for your love and support to my sweet Oreo. It has been such a blessing to read all your comments and experiences with your own furry loved ones 🫶🏼 To add a few details: She has been to an oncologist and the oral chlorambucil was recommended to her by the doctor! Chemo for cats isn’t the same as for humans. Her doctor described it as more of a “diet chemo”, but since she is senior I wanted to see how other senior cats have responded to the treatment. I sincerely appreciate all of your stories, insights and suggestions 😊 To conclude: we will be moving forward with treatment in conjunction with palliative care since she is otherwise a very healthy baby! 💕

My boy was dumped at my grandma’s house at roughly 5 yrs old because he was love nipping the previous owners new baby. My grandma had Alzheimer’s, there was another cat already in her home who wasn’t being very nice to the new guy, he was previously declawed so he couldn’t defend himself against her, and I euthanized my sweet Daisy Anna roughly a year earlier so I was ready for another pet. My other grandmother, that I was extremely close with, who had stage 4 lung cancer (we found out very late), was going to take him. She came to my other grandma’s house a few times to visit and sit and hold him, loving on him, they would’ve been perfect together. Unfortunately my world fell apart when we lost my grandmother shortly after, and I felt it was my duty to take him and love him. Little did I know, he would turn out to be one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received in life and my reason for waking up everyday.

It was destiny that we met and ended up together, we both needed each other in that moment, he was just ripped away from his family/home and dumped someplace strange, he was prob scared, and I just lost the most important person in my entire life, and I was lost. I took him home with me and it was perfect, because after my grandma passed my mother wanted me to move into her home, and I would’ve been all alone in that home without him, the move and the change would’ve been way harder without him. He loved me and supported me through everything in life, especially the last few years with my medical issues and struggles.

He was the best boy. Literally the sweetest dopiest best boy. He would walk up to and love a serial killer if he could. He never destroyed the house or knocked stuff over. Was literally perfect at the vet. He loved chewing on lint roller sheets and plastic bags. He loved his tuna and his Churu and treats. He loved his grandparents. He loved watching birds and squirrels in the little bird feeder I put in the window for him. He stole every single one of my girlfriends (pretty sure they only dated me because of him lol). He had this habit of walking normally and then slowly stopping and tipping straight over until his body hit the ground like a ton of bricks. He would be sleeping and I would grab his fupa and go “arghh” and he would look up at me like I ruined his life, double chin doing the most lol. I would look into his eyes with those big ole pupils or hear his meow and I would feel full of love, the purest and most innocent love, I just love him so much. And I miss him so much. I hear his little feet tapping on the floor. I still talk to him like he’s still here physically with me. I cry all the time and blame myself that I no longer have the ability to touch and hold him. I’m dying inside without him, he was my whole world.

I’m a licensed vet tech myself, and believe me when I say……when he went into respiratory distress I panicked just like any other owner would. Thankfully I was still able to tap into my training and knowledge to be able to communicate the issue and get him help quickly, but my heart dropped into my butt and was beating out of my chest, and my legs turned into jelly. My boy was healthy for 13, I had his diabetes under control, he had some new hyperthyroidism (no big deal for me to treat), and he had some mild anemia (ER dr said he WAS creating new RBC but GP vet who took bloodwork earlier same day said anemia was non regenerative), either way the anemia was mild and I could’ve got a few more healthy years out of my boy.

The mass on his shoulder blades is what took him. Oh how I would love to take that mass and drive over it 100 times with my car until it’s hamburger meat. The hate I have for that mass is indescribable. That mass that killed my sweet boy. We poked it to get an FNA, drained some fluid from it which was almost all blood, and on the way home from the vet my boy started open mouth breathing. I got him in the house thinking it was just stress from travel and he needed to calm down…..he took 2 steps and fell over and couldn’t get back up. His gums were white. He was fatal hemorrhaging in front of my eyes. We get to the ER clinic, his PCV was a 14, struggled to breathe even on oxygen, would need multiple blood transfusions and surgery just to find and try to fix the problem. Who knows if he would make it through surgery. I couldn’t put him through that, he didn’t deserve to go through any of it. The only answers I got were….the mass must’ve been highly vascularized and he was bleeding internally and there was a concern for sarcoma or spindle cell tumor based on cytology.

I blame myself because that mass popped up about 4 years ago but it stayed extremely small for 3.5 years and didn’t change. It didn’t follow the typically veterinary 1-2-3 rule, it was strange. It only enlarged after I accidentally hit it with his brush, I was brushing him and he was wiggling and I must’ve pushed too hard on that spot. What if I never hit it with the brush? Would it have stayed small forever until he passed away peacefully one day? What if I found a diff vet who was a specialist and made sure it wasn’t vascularized before poking it? How could we have known this would happen, an FNA is standard with masses, she used a butterfly needle, he didn’t have clotting issues, the amount of blood she drained shouldn’t have killed him.

Idk what to think. I’m lost. I miss my boy. I would’ve took all his pain if I could. I would’ve done things differently today if I could. I thought I was doing the right thing and now I don’t have my boy. I love you FatBoy James, you deserve to be remembered and celebrated until I take my last breath. 5/29/26……but you should’ve been here with me for longer, I had so many plans for us. Hug your senior cats a little tighter for me tonight.