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| Dancer: Always Found the Sun Beam |
He "danced" into our lives one August evening in 2008, after a Friday evening ballet class at the dance studio where my daughter and I took dance classes.
Another student had found him and his two siblings behind a shed and rescued them. When she brought him into the class, we lost our hearts to a tiny ball of grey fluff we named Dancer.
And for 17+ years, we danced to his tune when it came to his choice of food and favorite napping spots, yielding our seats on the sofa when he chose to sit there and stopping what we were doing when he wanted cuddles.
He was always our helper kitty, always willing to lend a helping paw with whatever we were doing:
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| Quilt Quality Control |
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| Assembling the Raised Planting Bed with Daughter |
He would, sometimes, write a blog post and share his view of things and his words of wisdom.
He always found the spot with a beam of sunshine and that's what he did, on Wednesday afternoon, December 10, around 3:00 p.m., when I took this picture of him.
This is the last picture we took of Dancer at home, asleep in the warmth of a sunbeam. We took him to the vet's clinic, one last time, at 4:00 p.m. and, of course, true to his self, he threw up on the way, just before we reached the parking lot.
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| Dancer, in the Sun Beam |
This is the last picture we took of Dancer at home, asleep in the warmth of a sunbeam. We took him to the vet's clinic, one last time, at 4:00 p.m. and, of course, true to his self, he threw up on the way, just before we reached the parking lot.
He had been having health issues for a few years now, diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, and arthritis, decreasing in weight from 16 lbs. to 5lb. 6 oz. today. We noticed a rapid decline in the past couple of days . He was not eating. He was not drinking. He was finding it hard to walk with his hind legs sliding out from under him and his front legs buckling. He cried in pain and he hid under the furniture.
The vet diagnosed him with kidney failure. She said they could do some aggressive treatment but, it would not enhance his quality of life and only prolong the inevitable for a short while. We made the difficult decision to spare him the pain.
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| In Daughter's Arms at the Vet's Clinic |
For 17+ years, he was a big part of our lives. He leaves his paw prints on our hearts and a big Dancer-sized hole in our lives.
May you sleep in the sunshine and be at peace for ever more.
I am grateful for Dancer and the love and joy he brought us.
I'm so glad Dancer found the right person to love him. And sorry that such a big hole has been left in your life {{{{Hugs}}}}
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary. He is so missed.
DeleteSo sorry. May your sadness be healed. andrea
ReplyDeleteThank you, Andrea. It will take time; we miss him so much.
DeleteBless I am very sorry for your loss, I know a hard decision to have to make, but putting him first was a true act of love. Our fur babies do dance into our lives & leave forever large kitty paw prints on our hearts. Mary-Lou =^..^=
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary-Lou. We didn't want him to be in pain and suffer. We will always remember him with love.
DeleteI hope you are keeping well and wish you and Mr. Man all the best.
Oh, I'm so sorry, Bless. I know he will be missed terribly by you and your daughter. In fact, we will all miss him.
ReplyDeleteThank you, June. He was such an integral part of our lives and he did make his presence known on the blog, too, didn't he? :)
DeleteI am so sorry. I have loved your Dancer posts over the years. You will miss him so much. What joy he brought to you, what happy memories he leaves with you. 💜
ReplyDeleteThank you, Angela. Yes, we miss him and daughter is feeling his loss very keenly, but, we are remembering all the sweet and funny things he did and smiling through our tears.
DeleteI am a long time (years and years) lurker to your blog and have enjoyed sharing Dancer's life and adventures. He will be sorely missed. My heart aches for you and your daughter. You gave him a wonderful life and may he now rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anita. I appreciate you leaving a comment on my blog after being a long time lurker. Yes, Dancer will be missed, but, he is no longer in pain. He let us know, towards the end, that he was ready to go.
DeleteVery sad news. I’m sorry you had to let him go, but it was best for him not to suffer. What a wonderful life you gave Dancer. Cali
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cali. We didn't want to let him go, but, he was in pain and we didn't want him to suffer. He enriched our lives and we will miss him sorely, but, we will remember all the love and cuddles we received from him.
DeleteMy dear Bless and little Bless, you’re in my thoughts and prayers on the passing of Dancer. I hope all the good memories bring you peace during these difficult days. Pam Newton
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Pam. Yes, the good memories are making us smile through our tears, right now.
DeleteHope you are staying warm and safe during your snow storms and the deep cold!
When I saw the title of the post I wondered whether this might be the news, and then when I read it it made me cry - twice! A heartfelt tribute to your beloved pet. He struck it lucky when he was rescued, and then homed by you! He was certainly a character and it must have been a horrible decision to make yesterday - but seeing an animal suffering is also really horrible. He had a great life, and now he is free of pain, in his eternal sunbeam - all thanks to you both. Hope you are both doing OK. Sending hugs.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lady Ella. Yes, he certainly was a character, wasn't he? He was such an integral part of our lives and we miss him terribly. It wasn't an easy decision, but, we really didn't want him to be in pain and suffer any more. That would have been selfish. Daughter is really sad, though, as Dancer was her kitty. It'll take some time for the sadness to ease.
DeleteI'm so sorry for your loss. You will see him again over the Rainbow Bridge.
ReplyDeletebobbie
Thank you, Bobbie. Yes, he crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.
DeleteI'm so very sorry to read this sad news, Bless. You must be heartbroken.
ReplyDeleteSending lots of love and hugs. Xx
Thank you, Jules. We are missing him and my daughter is definitely heartbroken.
DeleteI am so sorry. Losing a fur baby who is one of the family is painful. I know nothing will take away your feeling of loss, but I hope you can take solace knowing he gave you all the love he had to give, then you returned it when you made the decision to let him move on.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anne. Yes, we are missing him, but, we didn't want him to be in pain. It wouldn't have been kind to let him linger when we could ease his passage.
DeleteOh, Bless, I am so sorry to hear this. You definitely did the right thing. What a beautiful tribute to sweet Dancer you've written today. Biggest hugs to you and your daughter!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Martha. It was a difficult decision, not one made lightly, but, we didn't want him to be in pain and linger. He will be missed.
DeleteThats so sad for you, but you will always have the memories, but still a sad time now.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Chris. Yes, it is a sad time now, but, we have lots of happy memories to comfort us. :)
DeleteI'm so sorry to read this. These kitties have a way of worming into our hearts, don't they? You know that you did the right thing for Dancer but it's still hard. Licks and purrs to you from our three: Bib, Jim & Millie
ReplyDeleteThank you, FD. Please tell Bib, Jim, & Millie that we appreciated their licks and purrs. :)
DeleteI am so sorry :( He was such a good boy, and he could not have found a better home than with you and your daughter. I am glad you could both be with him as he crossed over to the rainbow bridge. Sending all my love.
ReplyDeleteThank you, jj. He was a very good boy and we miss him very much. But, it was time for us to let him go and it was a blessing that we could both be with him as he crossed over the rainbow bridge.
DeleteI'm so sorry to read your sad news. Our pets are just like family members and it's heartbreaking when they leave us. Kind thought to you and your daughter at this sad time Hugs xxx
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sally. Yes, pets become family members, especially after 17+ years! We miss Dancer, but, he's in a better place now.
DeleteOh no, poor little Dancer.
ReplyDeleteHe certainly was a good kitty and I'm so sorry for the loss you and your daughter are feeling.
What a lovely post and tribute to a great cat.
Thank you, Debra. He is sorely missed. But, he is no longer in pain and not suffering any more.
DeleteI am so sorry 😞 I love cats 🐈
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. We miss him so much!
DeleteThank you for sharing how Dancer came into your lives. I see I was not the only one to weep at the news of his passing. ((Hugs))
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bushlady. Yes, he was our little Dancer boy! I think he touched many hearts, just by being his lovable self. :)
DeleteOh I am so sorry to hear this! He was such a part of your family. I really enjoyed reading his posts and the joys he brought you. You and your daughter are in my thoughts. Hopefully, in time, the good memories you have of him will help heal the sorrow.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon. Yes, he was definitely a part of our family, wasn't he? He did bring us a lot of joy over the years and we are smiling through our tears as we remember him. :)
DeleteI’m so sorry. I’m grateful for the joy he gave you.
ReplyDeletersrue.blogspot.com
Thank you, Regine. Yes, he did bring us a lot of joy over the years.
DeleteOh Bless I am so sorry. I've just read your sad news. Dancer was such an adorable cat, well loved and loving for you and your daughter. It is so hard to say goodbye to a beloved pet. My sympathy to you and your daughter.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Celie. We are missing Dancer so much. He was a part of our lives for such a long time that it's hard to get used to him being gone.
Delete