Earlier this week we had to say goodbye to one of our cats, Kirk. He started to feel unwell last week and when he didn’t bounce back the next day, we rushed him to the vet. They initially thought it was gastritis and that he was simply too nauseous to eat anything. Unfortunately it turned out to be late-stage renal failure. Since Kirk was only 6 years old, the crash caught us all off guard. We tried everything we could, but in the end the only right decision was euthanasia.
Two Is Better Than One
Ricardo and I adopted Kirk & James in July 2019 from a local animal shelter, when they were still two tiny kittens. We always talked about adopting two cats, but we originally planned on saving up for two pedigree cats. When my mom passed away earlier that year, I felt life was too short to wait for that perfect moment. I was open to adopting from the shelter. When summer came round, I found out the shelter was swamped with kittens. I only wanted to take a look, but Ricardo warned me that we probably wouldn’t go home empty handed. Of course, he was right.
Ricardo first spotted a grey tabby who was romping with two waaayyy bigger kittens, defending his spot on a scratching post. Next we picked a feisty orange tabby, but decided to switch to one that was a bit more demure and mindful. Haha! The orange tabby turned out to be a girl, but we stuck to our decision to name both kittens after Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield from Metallica.
A Bonded Pair
Even though Kirk & James weren’t true littermates, they quickly grew fond of eachother. They ate together, slept together, they used the litter box around the same time, and had lotsa groom sessions. We really enjoyed watching them grow into two awesome cats. After all these years they were still sticking close to eachother and it’s truly heartbreaking that they are no longer two peas in a pod.
Moving Forward
We’re keeping a close eye on James to see how she is coping. For now she seems to stick to her daily routine, but definitely notices Kirk is no longer around during their shared key moments of the day. At this point in time we’re not in a hurry to adopt another cat. We want to see how James adjusts as a solo cat. We also want to do a full health check up next year when she is 7 years old. If James needs any special care, we don’t want to add stress of introducing her to a new family member.
The pain of losing Kirk so suddenly is slowly ebbing away. Ricardo and I have been celebrating his life by collecting all photo’s and video’s of our cats. We went through them, laughing at all the funny moments and reminding ourselves how lucky we were to have shared their lives with us 💜
Last month has been a little slower at NERDSHOCK HQ than I initially planned, but I plan on catching up in August. I will take time to process and keep an eye on the family, so no worries. I’m finally going the open The Vault. Stay tuned!
Love,
Aleida