I adopted Valentino at the Wisconsin Humane Society March of 2012. I wasn't planning on getting a cat at the time because I lost Attila the month before. I went there to mentally coach myself to the idea that one day I would adopt again. Window shop per se. Also because my female cat Tigerlilly was being hostile toward me after Attila died. After he died she slept in his carrier for a week. After I put his carier away she went on my couch on started to claw and bite my blinds. After that, she got hostile toward me if I petted her too much. She would claw or bite me. Attila couldn't get enough of pets.
Window shopping did not happen. While I was looking around I saw Valentino. I thought he was the most handsome cat. He was standing on the tallest perch in his room just staring at me like an Egyptian statue. Eventually, the adoption counselor came I said I wanted to meet him. He came down the cat tree and leaped into my arms. He stayed for a while and then got down. I tried to hold his roomate who was another black cat. He liked me but didn't like me. So I said I wanted him because Valentino liked me more. Though if I didn't already have Tigerlilly I probably would have taken both of them. When I got him home I opened the door of the cat carrier and he leaped into my arms again and seemed content. I almost said I loved him but I couldn't do it. It was too soon. He made it too difficult to not love him. In my arms is where he has been for seven years. You probably have seen plenty of our pictures on Facebook.
The name on the door at the Humane society was Mumford. I thought it was kind of an odd name. He seemed so lovely dubby so I named him Valentino.
After I brought him home Tigerlilly stopped being hostile towards me. Over the years they sort of got along and sort of didn't. Valentino became the dominate one of the house. When Attila was alive Tigerlilly was the dominate one. She became an old mama over time. He wanted to play and she made it very clear that she didn't. Though one night years ago they wrestled on my bed while I was sleeping and practically wrestled on my head. Tigerlilly made it very clear that the bed was her spot, not his.
Valentino had separation anxiety bad for a long time. For a long time, I would have to coddle him before and after I got home sometimes he would be right at the door when I come home like a dog. In the earlier years sometimes he would even bite me for being gone. After a while, I didn't have to coddle him as much and he could handle short separations. The week or so before he passed I would come home and find him in one of his resting spots and I would say I'm home! and he would barely acknowledge it as a typical cat.
Not a day went by that Valentino that didn't make me feel loved. He loved to be held like a baby. Get selfies, eat canned food, take naps and sniff the fridge. He never took food from the fridge just liked to sniff it.
The End
Valentino passed away on October 2nd at 6:47 am.
It started at around 2am. Valentino made an attempt to jump on my desk and missed it. The only metaphor for it was like in the Lion King where Mufasa is at the ledge of the cliff and he is trying to pull himself up and of course you know that rest. Valentino hit the floor and scurried away. I said what are you trying to do you silly boy. That was the last time he tried to jump on my desk. He has jumped on my desk tons of times before and never had a problem. Every morning he jumped on my desk for morning pets. I didn't see the impact just that he slipped down. Cats can miss their mark from time to time and nothing bad happens.
This time something bad did happen and it was lethal. 10 to 20 mins later I decided to go to bed and was going to put my tea in the fridge and I saw Valentino laying on my area rug. He made a deep growl at me. Said Valentino what is wrong? And I growled at me again. He then scooted across the floor. His back legs were limp and his tail was not moving. I freaked out and googled. Trying to see if I could administer some first aid because I thought he broke his leg or something. I then called a 24-hour animal hospital. They told me to bring him in. I melted down after that because I didn't know what to do. It was in the middle of the night and it was pouring rain. I didn't think the bus was a safe option. I made two phone calls and my home health care aid came and took him.
Before she came Valentino scooted across the floor and into a box near my desk, after that he got out of the box and tried to pull himself up onto me and slipped down adding insult to injury. (I still have the claw marks for him trying to climb up me) He then for some time laid on the floor. At some point, he threw up some clear stuff and I could hear some weird noises coming from his breathing. I could tell he was breathing excessively. Before my aid got to my apartment he went underneath my bed. He didn't help his cause by getting under the bed. I understand when cats are hurt they want to hide. Eventually, we got him and put it into a box.
I was on speakerphone the entire time he was at the animal hospital. The doctor explained that he has a blood clot and that was why his legs and tail went limp. He was also in heart failure. She said he probably had underlying heart disease. The doctor offered a cardio consult and surgery to get the clot out. The surgery was going to cost 2 to 3k with no guarantee that he would regain use of his legs or that another blood clot would not come after the surgery and kill him.. I couldn't justify putting him through it especially since he was already in heart failure. So I decided to let him. go.
I couldn't tell you how many times I melted down during this time. Eventually, it was time to go. I told him over and over again I loved him and each time he meowed back at me and it hurt so much. Then he was gone.
I wish I was physically there for him. I wish I could have kissed his head and petted him one last time.
After he was gone the hospital wanted too much for cremation so they put him in a cardboard coffin and my aid brought him home. I waited for my vet to open and talked to them. I put his coffin on my lap for a while and blankly stared out of the window. My mind became numb. I can't believe he is gone. I took him to the vet to be cremated and in a few weeks, he will be home.
The vet tech tried to comfort me and told me its not my fault. There was no way I could have prevented this. It was a freak accident. Heart disease is genetic.
He was only 8 years old. I thought we had many more years together. 8 years old is too young for a cat. Tigerlilly is currently 15, so I know cats can live much longer.
If a vet ever tells you that your cat has a blood clot you are only given two options. Euthanasia or to do the surgery. If the cat is in heart failure and survives the surgery the cat will only live a little over two months. If he only had the blood clot and had the surgery the longest is 6 to 7 months. This is based on what I have read since his passing.
I have not taken his death well. I sleep wonky. I haven't had much of an appetite. The night hours especially between 2 to 4 am give me anxiety. Sometimes the anxiety comes earlier. When I get into bed I sit up for several minutes and look at the empty cat condo. The events of that night roll in my head.
The house just feels so much quieter and empty without him. No meowing for attention except the occasional howls from Tigerlilly. He isn't there to wake me up or get his morning snuggles. Not here to follow me everywhere I go in the apartment. Not begging for canned food. Its just silence.
He's just gone.
