Son's cat put to sleep.

[JoAnn L.]

My youngest son Mike who lives out of town has two cats. One is a grey and black strip called Kibble and the other one is a black cat with long fur and a flat face and big yellow eyes, his name is Chewie. They both are about 12 years old. Mike called me and said that they had to put Chewie to sleep the other night because of kidney failure. When I called Mike last night to see how Kibble was doing all alone, he said, he never saw him happier. That he was purring all the time. I was so surprised, I thought he would be so lonely. He said that they never did get along. Is this unusual? You would think that after 12 years together Kibble would miss Chewie a little bit.

 

[GB]

I am so sorry to hear about your sons cat. That is never an easy thing to do.

It is actually a common misconception that purring means the cat is happy. That certainly is one thing that it means, but cats also purr when they are scared, upset, angry, and many other things. Kibble may be purring because he misses Chewie, but your son would know best. If he thinks it is because they did not get along and Kibble is happy then I am sure that is what it is and I would not think it would be that unusual.

 

[Katie H]

Oh, JoAnn, I'm so sorry to hear about Chewie. It's always hard to say good-bye to our furry children, even if it is for the best.

Kibble's handling things in his way and, as GB said, your son is in the best position to understand since he's the "daddy."

Please pass on my condolences to your son the next time you speak with him. Buck and I have "been there, done that" with a number of our pets.

 

[jpmcgrew]

So sorry to hear that its always hard to lose a pet.

 

[pacanis]

I can't express what GB said any better. Last I knew they didn't even know how a cat purrs. So who knows why?

 

[silentmeow]

Please tell your son that I'm sorry for his loss. I just had to put down my kitten, three days of seizures made it a relatively easy decision. My other 6 cats, ( much older) are missing the kitten and are sort of acting strange. From past experience I've found that it takes about two weeks for the other cats to actually forget the missing one and get back to normal. Mine are now much more demanding of people time but this too will pass. Tell him just to give the kitty all the attention it wants, possibly a cross bonding type of action. Again I'm sorry, time will heal.

 

[texasgirl]

Aww, how sad. I'm sorry. I think the cat is thanking him for the love that he gave chewie and continues to give him.

 

[auntdot]

Have seen one cat dominate another, OK call it bullying, to the point where the bullied cat is miserable.

Then when the bully is removed the other cat is finally at peace.

Just one possible explanation.

Don't like cats but have had to raise a bunch. Sometimes God does a gotcha. This is one of my gotchas.

Take care and God bless.

 

[buckytom]

joann, i'm sorry for the loss of the little furball.

gb is right that cats purr for many reasons. i've noticed one of our cats purrs even when my son sits on him and makes him hiss and spit.

the fact that kibble is purring more now than usual my be it's way of dealing with the loss.

silentmeow is also right that it may take a while to notice different behaviours in kibble showing that he is sad.

 

[Bilby]

Sorry to hear of your son's loss Joann, and also to Silent Meow on your loss too.

When I bought my house nearly eleven years ago, it came with two (well three really) cats and they really didn't like each other because they were competing for food and attention, and one was neutered (Ginnee), the other not (Greizie). They both became inside cats four years later with a definite picking order. (They were both neutered by this point.) I had to put Greizie down last November and since then, Ginnee has not been happier and has been a much more loving (to me) cat and has noticeably settled down further. Like something clicked. None of the other cats that I have had to put down have made this impact on Ginnee (at one point there were eight cats in the house) and his attitude to the others that remain has also become more involved, with a whole lot of sniffing and kissing going on.

So I would say your son is right and Kibble isn't missing Chewie at all. And while it is very true that cats will purr for lots of reasons, incl being frightened and sad, and near death, in this instance I would say it is because there is no competition any more.

I would also discourage your son from getting a replacement pet. Let Kibble enjoy his cat-free home for a while at least. And if they really want another pet, get a female as Kibble might not see a female as the same sort of threat.

Very sad though...

 

[DawnT]

Sorry to hear about your son's furry child's demise. Please convey my sympathy.