Alex is gone

She was just a cat, right?
But this was such a hard decision. Alex was old. 
She lived a long happy life of 18 years minus one month. We knew she was dying. 
Saturday our sweet neighbor who loves Alex dearly came over to express her concerns. 
It seemed to me that the best option would be to let nature take it's course.

We talked to a few vet offices on Saturday. We heard a variety of opinions....from  
"Bring her in and we will see what is wrong with her" 
to 
"At 18 years old, she is dying. You will know what to do." 

We were also told by one vet that "a pet owner knows when their pet is suffering." 
But Alex seemed okay. She wasn't eating and became increasingly thin. 
We could feel every bone of her spine and she looked so tired and OLD. 
But she wasn't crying or complaining.

Then Dennis read last night on a google search that while a dog does not suffer in silence, cats often do. 
Plus Den pointed out, "She is so weak, she could easily be chewed up by the animals in the neighborhood."
That did it for me.



It's sad. But I'm trying to focus on the happy memories.

Way back on July 23, 1996 we celebrated her 2nd birthday with a swim party 
with the neighborhood kids...everyone who loved Alex. 
Look at Tyler hugging Alex. And McKay not able to keep his hands off her.
They were so young back then...


Alex followed them around like a little puppy dog would do. Where ever they were,
Alex would be near by. When they played croquet with Brett and Heidi from next door.....


...Alex wanted to play too
The kids would laugh and say, "Alex, No, Not like that!"



As each of my 4 sons left on their missions, 

They spent extra time with Alex saying goodbye....
feeling the odds were great she wouldn't last the 2 years.

But Alex lived, and thrived through all their missions

She was still thriving as they all got married, and then all became fathers.

Alexandra Lamona Heasley
July 23, 1994 - June 24, 2012


This morning, we were both up at 6, ready to help Alex along into the next world. 
This post is too long so I will continue tomorrow...
the good, the bad and my regrets.

10 comments:

Susan Anderson said...

Clearly, Alex lived a long and happy life. And that's wonderful.

=)

Rebecca said...

oh no! This made me cry! I am so sorry you had to say goodbye to Alex! She lived a long time. I am so glad you have pictures and happy memories with her. She saw her "boys" all safely to and from their missions, through school, being married and with kids, now I guess she is ready for some new adventure?

grandmapeg said...

I'm sorry to hear about Alex. I know how pets can become such a big part of a family.

Anonymous said...

I loved this post. We will remember Alex in our prayers and your entire fmaily. This loss is tough for me to read. I love my Gracie much the same way.

Dad and Susan said...

Jill, This is such a hard thing to do. So glad you and the boys had such great memories. Our hearts are with you. Dad and Susan

Tyler Heasley said...

I have a lot of great memories of Alex. I haven't been around her for the past seven and a half years, but I remember so many fun things about her, some of which you've shown here. One of my favorite memories is of when I worked at the movie theater. Many nights when I came home, she would jump from the roof and land on the top of the car, scaring me half to death. As cranky as she was by nature, she was a lot of fun and great to have around.

Grandmotherfairy said...

Sweet post...

Tamara said...

We had to put a beloved mini-Schnauzer to sleep a year ago April. I have her ashes. I plan on mixing them with mine... She suffered with cancer and was rather silent about it, but one day with the look she gave me, I knew it was time. I miss her. She was MY DAWG and could sense my feelings. When sick, she would curl up at my feet. Blessings upon you!

Karen Mortensen said...

Sorry about that. Those kind of things are hard to do.

Heidi Garvin said...

During the past 7 1/2 years when Tyler (and the other boys) were not around as much is when I really formed a bond with Alex. There was less competition around. :-)

She was always a very independent cat. She wanted to be around her people, was always out in the front yard when kids were playing there or grown ups were chatting, but she wasn't always keen on being picked up until she got a little older. She was too dignified for that. :-)

I spent hours petting her until she decided, ok, maybe I'll TRY getting on your lap... then I spent hours petting her while she STOOD on my lap until she decided, ok, maybe I'll TRY sitting in your lap. It took a lot of patience to get her to readily jump into my lap anytime I sat down, but it was worth it! She would also let me pick her up and snuggle her any way I liked. I would often just tote her around the yard cradled in my arms like a baby. She was such a comfort and joy to me whenever I was home, especially when I was dealing with severe depression. I would just sit with her purring in my lap and think: life IS worth living.

She was very good with Jack, too. She knew to be patient and never got snippy when he didn't pet her just right. Recently, she followed him around the back yard all afternoon during which he declared she was his "best friend." Brett and Liz are still trying to figure out how to tell Jack that the neighbor's cat won't be hanging out in his grandma's yard next time he visits.

I can't believe next time I come to Clovis, there won't be a kitty streaking across the lawn to sit on the curb and wait for pets as I pull up in my car. She always greeted me when I got there and always was at the car to "say good-bye" when I left.

Look what happened last night

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