Posted on 55 Comments on Spiff: 1991-2005

Spiff: 1991-2005

Spiff in 2004

Spiff, my valiant orange cat, died yesterday at about 1:45 PM.

He was 14 years old. During our time together, we lived at seven different addresses, and he endured my moves through four different jobs and six different “significant others.” I’m quite sure that our current arrangement was most satisfactory to him. Our house has seven sets of patio doors, which are very cat-friendly as they are windowed all the way to the floor, and I share this house with my precious and lovely Martine, who Spiff grew to love and admire as much as I do.

I’ve spent half of my adult life with this cat as a constant companion. He was the most “present” cat I’ve ever known — in some ways more dog than cat in the way he would follow me around the house and meow at me whenever he felt like talking. I’d meow back and we’d have some lovely discussions.

blork's little helper

Spiff loved to watch me work, although at times I wondered if he was mocking me. After all, his life was pure bliss. He never lacked for food or attention.

He loved to be carried around on my shoulder, like a baby being burped. He also loved to drape himself across my shoulders while I was working at the computer or to just hang around the desk feeling the vibration from my typing. He also loved to plop down on my legs when I was watching TV, or on my back when I was laying on my stomach. “Where’s Spiff?” was a very rare question, because where ever I was, Spiff was there too.

A couple of years ago his health started to decline. First there was a thing with his teeth — which caused him to lose a bottom fang to his endless embarrassment. Then there was a digestive allergy, which required us to feed him special hypo-allergenic cat food made from brown rice, duck, and pheasant. I’m not convinced he wasn’t faking for the sake of a better diet.

In recent months there has been a general decline in his energy and vitality, which culminated 10 days ago, during the heat wave, when he suddenly developed a breathing problem. Late that evening he started panting and howling, and his back legs had lost mobility. We rushed him to an after-hours veterinary clinic, where he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. They put him in an oxygen tent and kept him overnight.

Next day, he was feeling better so we took him home along with two kitty prescriptions — pills, and a liquid to be administered orally. The vet said he might hang on for a few months, maybe a year. He had a swollen heart and a body that didn’t manage fluids well, so it was hard to say with any certainty.

Although his breathing was back to normal, poor Spiff wasn’t. In the 10 days that followed I got him to purr only once. The rest of the time he just dragged himself around, looking defeated. We would get him to eat his pills by grinding them into his breakfast, but he absolutely hated taking the liquid medicine. We had to bundle him into a towel, and while one of us held him, the other would squirt the medicine into his throat with a syringe. He would choke and howl and it was very stressful for both him and us.

On Wednesday night, at bedtime, I noticed his breathing was a bit fast. Nothing serious, just a bit fast. On Thursday morning he didn’t come down for breakfast, and Martine found him upstairs in one of his favorite spots, breathing fast and heavy.

He wouldn’t eat, and when we tried to give him his liquid medicine he let out the most heartbreaking howl. An hour later he was hunkered down, panting like a dog after a two-mile run, and drooling excessively.

Apparently the medicine wasn’t enough, and it’s not realistic to expect to put a cat in an oxygen tent every ten days. Clearly it was all over for Spiff. Even if he survived this attack, his quality of life was poor and there didn’t seem to be any way to fix that.

We knew what had to be done. Fortunately, a local veterinarian does home calls for euthanasia. We made the arrangements. The vet would arrive at 1:30 PM. I took the day off work.

We spent the next few hours comforting Spiff as much as we could, but he was really suffering. His lungs were gurgling from the excess fluid, and he never stopped panting with his mouth wide open. Every few minutes he would tilt his head up, like a wolf at the moon, and let out a heart-breaking howl of pain and anxiety. Those three hours were very, very long.

The vet showed up right on time. The procedure was quick and painless — at least for Spiff. Martine and I were crushed.

It seems excessive, but we opted for an individual cremation. His ashes will be returned to us next week, at which time I’ll bury them in the zen garden out back. I know that sounds overly precious, but I don’t see it that way. From my point of view, I’ve been responsible for every aspect of Spiff’s well-being for 14 years, and I have never minded it. Now that he’s gone, I couldn’t just push his body away — I feel responsible for it too.

For some nice pictures of Spiff, check his tag on Flickr…

Long Live King Spiff of Longueuil

55 thoughts on “Spiff: 1991-2005”

  1. Having been in a similar situation three years ago, I know how you feel. I also had a private cremation of my late cat.

    I’m sorry for your loss.

  2. :(

    Our condolences. Spiff was a great cat. He will be missed.

  3. Aww, poor Spiff. So sorry to read about your loss, Ed.

    You should know that Spiff was in our thoughts yesterday afternoon as Nadia and I sat with our neighbour and her cats and we were discussing the poor sick boy of yours.

  4. My thoughts are with Martine and you. You showed real compassion and great respect and affection for your nice orange companion. I am glad to read that Spiff will be in the zen garden… Take care

  6. Bye Spiff

    I am saddened to report that the most famous kitty of the Montreal blogosphere has passed away. Don’t forget to raise you glass in his honor at the next meeting….

  7. I only knew him from your blogs but he seemed like a very nice companion. He certainly seems to have led a very long and happy life on account of both of you.

    Our condolences to you and Martine.

  8. We had both our cats euthanised at home (a year and a half apart) and individually cremated. They were my kids and I miss them terribly.

    Heartfelt condolences to you and Martine.

  9. So sad for both you and Martine. It’s trite but I’ll say anyway that at least he’s not suffering anymore. And Spiff was obviously such a loved cat who felt loved to the very end. You can take much comfort in that. As for burial, I still have my first dog’s ashes and I’ll keep them with me until we can be buried together. It’s an increasingly common practice amongst pet owners.

  11. I hope it is not excessive to say, that I almost shed a tear here at the office. I know that Spiff is in a better and beautiful place now. Wonderful to see compassionate people with our smaller brothers and sisters.

  12. So sorry to hear this, blork. My heart goes out to you and Martine. I was where you are in October, when I lost my 16 year old schnauzer, Pepper. Her ashes are in my living room now, waiting to be spread up at the family cottage when I head up on the long weekend.

  14. I am so sorry to hear about your loss. Please don’t apologize for your “excesses” – Spiff was a member of your family and I am glad to hear he’s getting a proper send-off.

    I’ve never met him, but he’s gorgeous and blue-clawed and I know you’ll miss him. My condolences.

  16. The bond we develop with these little fury creatures is quite intense… I buried both of mine, Mimine and Raspoutine, under their favorite tree in the backyard.

  17. awwww man. i feel for you and martine. i think i will go scratch 13 year old Balthy on the head a few times.

    :(

  18. loss is one of the most difficult experiences one has to go through. i hope things will look up. my condolences.

  19. I’m sorry to hear about Spiff. Dina and I are thinking of you both.

  21. Even though knowing you did what was best won’t make missing him any easier, you should be proud of yourself for honouring your responsibilities to your friend right to the end. Glad you got to spend the last day with him, even though it was difficult.

    Always a sad day to hear a friend has lost an integral part of their life and family. Be thinking of you and M.

    So long, sweet Spiff.

  22. Pets have a way of keeping their presence known even after they pass. You’ll know what I mean when the house is quiet and a funny thought of one of Spiff’s little idiosyncrasies pops into your mind for no apparent reason. It’s then that you’ll feel more at ease knowing that death doesn’t remove our beloved pets from us; it just makes them harder to hold.

    I should know, I’ve been coping with the loss of my dog, Inu, whom we had to make the preemptive decision to have euthanized in November of last year. The only thing that’s kept me together are those moments where, for no reason at all, a funny memory of her antics pops into my mind. That comforts me and I’m certain you’ll see what I mean soon enough.

    You have my condolences.

  25. Sorry for you. Don’t feel guilty. You miss your pet as well as a part of your life.

  26. So sorry…we’re thinking of all of you!

  28. While I’m away….

    While I’m off studying, writing papers, etc. here are a few places you can go for some interesting reading. All I ask is that you eventually come back. I can’t believe nobody has responded to my reading or Barney items.

  29. I am so sorry to hear of your loss of Spiff. Your lovely description of him reminded me a bit of the cat I loved as a child, Aquarius (I liked to sing that song from the soundtrack Hair to him!). He too was more dog than cat in certain ways; he was very affectionate, a bit goofy, and filled with an inimitable grace. All these years later his character and spirit are palpable to me, as I imagine Spiff’s will always be to you. Good wishes and thoughts to you.

  30. Oh no. We’re so sorry, and so glad we got to know the wonderful and memorable Spiff, at least for a short while. But it’s terribly hard to go through this sort of decline and decision. I was a wreck after we had our 14-year-old cat euthanized, in our arms, and then buried her in the garden, but if we had to do it over again we’d do it the same way. Spiff was a really lucky cat. Condolances and hugs to both of you.

  32. A few minutes before reading this post I thought my cat was gone forever, wandering in the streets so I feel total empathy. I’m surethat from where he is now, Spiff will continue to purr and to be with you every minute.

  35. May he forever “paw the glass” of the tropical fish that we’ve buried in our garden out back…

    Laurie & Harry

  38. i’ve been there. last december. same heart problem, same liquid in the lungs. same mergency vet. but my baby lasted four days and his kidneys gave. we had to make a decision. and december 28 though it was we went to bury him on a land i have access to, which i go to as often as i can. and he rests next to his adopted sister. i still say i’ll never get over it. i still believe it. six months tomorrow. it could be yesterday. so i hear your pain. i share it. i know no words can make anything better. the only thing that helped me was knowing how he had touch others’ lives, who also loved him and could share my pain, could understand the incredible feeling of eternal loss. too many people brush off the death of a pet. he was no pet to me. he was my baby and my buddy, in a way no human can ever be – humans are way too flawed, in ways a good cat never is. so with this lump in my throat, all i can say is, i’m sorry. very sorry for your loss. glad too, that Spiff had a good human buddy, someone who did what was right no matter how hard, every step of his life. in the end, that’s all we can find comfort in, eh, the “i did everything i could”. the love though, it never goes away. it just cries and cries for some release though. ((((((((((((((Blork)))))))))))))))

  40. Kitties rock, man, but they’re too short-lived. By the time they’re looking at college, they’re dead already. No fair!

    Marmalades are special, too! My cat Dooley when I was five was a marmalade.

  43. i dread that day. sorry to hear about your cat.

    true story – one of my friends mums had 2 cats and one of them died.she had the cat cremated and about a week later the guy who did the cremation showed up at the house with the ashes as he handed them over to her the other cat let out a loud ‘meow’ and died on the spot. her actual line to the cremation guy was ‘do you have a 2 for 1 special’.

  44. I tried to write something, but I’ll just echo Paolo’s words.

  45. Ouch. condolences. Brought a tear to my eye. :(
    Emma was acting funny during yesterday’s heat wave and I got all worried (turns out she was just being hazy lazy. She snapped too as soon as she heard me fill her bowl).

    I should say though, we should all be so lucky. We should all be so lucky to live full long lives with people we love and who take care of us. Live until our bodies decide they can go no further, and have the chance to be humanely put out of our misery when going on any further is just agony, be it by our own word or by decision of those we’ve entrusted with our care…

    “Blueclaw” Spiff was, by all indications, a wonderful cat with a wonderful life. A lucky one, no doubt; as were his caretakers lucky to have been with him. :)

  46. This eulogy pretty much mirrors my life with Frances, my cat. The arguing back and forth in the morning, the same putting up with various different women and abodes over the years, the sitting on the paper so I can’t read, etc.
    I feel your sorrow.

  47. i can’t help feeling really sad reading all this… je pense à mes 2 chats qui partagent ma vie depuis 5 ans maintenant et combien ils sont importants pour moi.. I truly can understand how difficult this must have been and i send good vibes your way. from me, lilo and orchid.

  48. Awwww! This made me cry…really. I’m a huge kitty lover. Spiff looked soooo sweet and cuddly. Those pictures are precious. I’m sure you’ll remember him always. I know one day when you’re ready you’ll find a new kitty but it is never easy to find one like the one you loved. Cats are like people, they’re all unique. Good luck in getting over your loss and at least for now, you both have each othe…r. :-)

  49. Sorry to hear about Spiff. Ten years after my dog Reggie left us, I still talk about him. When animals deign to make us their own, we’re lucky — even though the memories are never enough when they leave.

    I’m sure Spiff is purring having seen the lovely eulogy you gave him.

  50. i’m so sorry ed.
    i’m so sorry all three of you had so suffer for so long.
    it’s a harsh reality to realize that we will almost always outlive our pets, the ones we love so dearly and with complete abandon.
    and no, cremation is not ‘overly precious’. it’s just something you have to do to deal, to show your utter devotion to one that was so devoted to you.
    i met that Spiff and lemme tell you, he was one great puddy tat.

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