It's taken me a while to write this, because it took me a while to process it. After 10 days on antibiotics, Aiko did not improve, and his nose began to drip on one side. I took him to the vet on Monday, October 5th. In the 11 days between vet visits, Aiko had developed a large mass in his intestines. Because of the unilateral discharge from his nose, the vet suspected a secondary tumor in his nasal cavity. We could have done painful steroid shots that might reduce or at least slow the growth of the tumors, but his quality of life had declined so much that we didn't want to put him through that. It would give him at most 2-3 months before he would be gone, based on how quickly the tumor was growing.
He was always such a beautiful cat, full of life. As a siamese he was very smart, and would talk to us. If we left for the weekend, when we got home he would corner us and meow and tell us all about while we were gone. You could ask him questions and he would respond. My mom never believed me until he stayed with her for 3 weeks while we went on our road trip. The next time she came to visit, he remembered her and talked and talked and talked to her, like he was catching up with an old friend.
He was a great older brother to Tabetha. And just a great cat overall. After Jason got home from work that monday, we dropped Baxter off at a friend's and took Aiko to the vet again. He was so frail, and tired looking. He was so peaceful through the entire process, and the vet reassured us that we made the right decision. We knew it was, it was just so difficult. Indoor cats are supposed to live much longer than 8.5 years!
Baxter had a grand time, and didn't even notice that we had left him. Jason and I spent the night zoning out, watching TV, and reminiscing about Aiko during commercials. Aiko, you will so be missed. You were a great cat, and we loved you. We loved you enough to try to save you, and to know when you were done.
While Aiko had been sick, Tabetha distanced herself from him. She knew something was wrong. She stopped playing and started eating more. Always a very slight cat, she gained wait and filled out. The night Aiko left us, she walked around the house crying all night. It just about broke my heart.
That left us with a very hard decision. Do we get a new cat right away? Do we grieve longer? It's nearing the end of kitten season. Tabetha is lonely. We knew we needed a kitten, since Tabetha is an alpha female and since she's so small the new cat would need to be physically smaller than her.
Enter Mr. Waffles. Mr. Chester P. Waffles to be exact. And yes, the P stands for "pancakes."
At 7 weeks old, he's all of 1.3lbs, and a complete love. There was no adjustment period for him. He cuddles all night, and plays all day. Except when he's napping, which is often. He adores Baxter, and Baxter adores him, they play all the time. He misses us, and if he can't find us he wanders the house crying until we call out and he can find us for cuddles. Tabetha loves him already, and they've started cuddling together after only 3 days. He hasn't filled the void Aiko left, but he's certainly trying to make a dent in it. He will be a much loved cat as well. In fact, he already is!
