Prayers please.....this is odd.

I'm not really a cat person. I'm definitely a dog person. Overall, I guess I'm an animal person with a real love for dogs. Three and a half years ago, while visiting my inlaws over Thanksgiving, my kids discovered a litter of feral cats in their barn. They played with and loved those kittens for the entire 3 day visit. By the time they realized we had to go home they were begging to take them home. We already have a cat at home...what are we going to do with two? No....we don't need another cat. Sorry...we don't have room for another cat. What do you think Spooky (cat at home) will think if we bring another cat home. She won't like it at all...... Well....the disappointment I saw in their eyes softened me so I asked them all to hit the bathroom one more time before we leave. While they were in the house, I grabbed one of the kittens, stuffed it in my shirt and sat behind the wheel of the van. We were 15 minutes down the road before they realized I had a kitten in my shirt. Needless to say, I was dad of the year for a couple days.

For the first 3 or 4 months, this was a very social kitten, then, he decided that he didn't want anything to do with any of us except my youngest daughter. That was more of a challenge to me than anything. If you live under my roof...we must be friends. So, I set out to win the heart of this cat. For the past 6 months or so, I finally figured it/him out. He was usually waiting for me to come home from work and welcomed me to pet him and give him a treat. On good days, he rubbed up against me and begged me to love him up. I always gave him a treat before I was finished. We were finally friends again.

Last night...was no different. He was really in a good mood and again begging for attention. His purring was very loud and he was very happy. Just before I walked out of my room, he reached up to get a treat from my fingers. He was standing on the bed. A second after he swallowed it, he laid on his side, tensed up with a loud meow and died. Just like that. Took seconds...not minutes. There had to be something wrong with him that we didn't know about. He did not choke on the treat either. I was able to get air in and out of him with a gentle squeeze. Three and a half years old, always getting great check ups and finally, my friend.

My youngest daughter is really torn up. Please say a prayer for her. She needs them most. The rest of us will be fine, but she has issues that don't help in times like this.

I'm still in shock and wish I knew what went wrong and caused this. Had to be a stroke, heart attack......who knows. We never will.

Thanks in advance for the prayers. You guys/gals are part of my extended family and I thank you for that too.

Peace to us all.

Sorry to hear it Fender, My daughter has a strong attachment to animals also. Wish you and the family the best through this tough time for your daughter.

[-o< prayers sent to your daughter and the entire family [-o<

That stinks Fender, sorry to hear it.

I'm sorry to hear that bud !

Sad news indeed. My thoughts are with you and your family.

Losing a pet IS losing a member of your family. Sorry for your loss.

Sorry for your family's loss. Prayers sent your way.

Prayers sent fender!

Thanks guys. I knew you'd come through. Like I said...you are all family.

Here is Willow when he was a kitten. Unfortunately, I can't find anything in my files at work that's more recent.

Aww what a cute little guy, so sorry to hear about your loss.

Not to hijack your thread, but my parents had a very similar death with one of there cats recently. The cat acted completely normal, you would have never thought anything was wrong. Well, my mom was petting her, then the cat laid down on the step in their bedroom--one of her favorite places to lay. My mother stepped into the shower, and when she came back out about 20 minutes later--the cat was still laying in the same place. This was very normal, and she didn't think anything of it--until she tried to call the cat over. Typically the cat would have looked up or even moved its ear at the bare minimum--and she did not move--she was gone, and died very mysteriously very quickly. Never made a sound or had any previous health problems. She was only about 4 years old.

It was very sad, and continues to be so. My thoughts are with your little ones, I hope they remember the good times with the kitten.

Prayer Sent. [-o<

Ten Years, Twenty Years From Now, All The Family Will Remember The Day, The Week That Willow Died.

But More Important, The Kids Will Remember What Dad & Mom Said That Day, And How You Two Responded To Their Needs In The Days And Nights Afterwards. I'm Sure You Have Been And Will Be There For The Family, But My Biggest Prayer Request Is For You Two Parents. Chin Up, & Shoulders Back - They Are Watching You To See How You Will Get Them Through This Tough Time. [-o< [-o< If Kids Came With An Owner's Manual, This Time Would Be A BIG Chapter.

Hey Chris -- you know I am like you. Definitely an animal person...and you know prayers are sent your way my friend. [-o< [-o< [-o<

Oh man i am sorry. I am exactly like you. Love animals, mostly only dogs. But my fiance got a cat. Its 2 years old now. Never been a cat person, but like you i was determined to win this cat over. And boy have i. She will only sleep with my fiance, but in the living room that cat will only sit with me now. And she just melts my heart. I dont know now what id do if i lost that lil kitty. Or my dog. They are both every bit my kids and just make everyday so much better.

My prayers go out to you and especially your little one.

Just came upon this Chris. Sorry for the family loss,and thoughts are with you all.

A few years ago, Kiana was in the hospital for some surgery for a week.During that time her cat of 5 years developed some kind of kidney failure and died while she was in the hospital.That was one of the hardest things I've ever done,breaking the news to her while she recovered from her ordeal. Good thing Margaret was with her when I told her,that helped ease her pain.

Thanks again dear friends for your prayers. We seem to be doing pretty well. Still miss him, but we are doing well. I guess all the graduations, Confirmations, end of school year activities and such that are keeping us pretty busy have our minds elsewhere.

I'm still ready for a break!