Our cat died

Hello People,

last night was a really hard night. Isaac's cat, his pride and joy, passed away after being bitten by a brown snake. I feel SO bad and SO guilty.

He came home for dinner as per usual and seemed fine. When we were doing devotions as a family, Jerry was there on Isaac's bed pussy footing and purring as per usual. No dramas. Shortly after that he climbed onto his bed in the lounge room and went to sleep. A couple of times during the night like at 9.30pm and 10pm I noticed him shuffling around a little weird but I also thought he was being a sleepy cat. I had no idea he had been bitten by a snake and that he was becoming paralysed. At 1115 pm something about Jerry concerned me and so we went to check on him and he was paralysed down half of his side and breathing harshly. I immediately started to think either a tick, a snake bite or a stroke. However, he is not even 3 years old yet and so a stroke would seem real unlikely. I started to pray for him and stroke him as he seemed distressed. It broke my heart. Isaac was in bed and so Alan took him to the vet hospital down the road and they tried to work out what was happening and what treatment. They thought it was a clot but then his temperature started to drop critically and that is like a snake bite. So they were going to treat that. Jerry became critical and they started to try and warm him and give him injections for the anti-venom. Then they started the anti-venom. Alan came home to me because I was a wreck. By now it was last into the night like 2am. I had been crying and crying and dreading telling Isaac the next morning if he didn't survive. I went to bed, after hours of praying for Jerry, at about 2.40am. Apparently they rang at 3.10am to say that he had passed away. The vet said that he just started to deteriorate VERY quickly despite the anti-venom going in. That they could do nothing to help him past that point. So he died and I am SO sad. I have had tears a lot through the day and night. I feel lonely without him because he used to cuddle us in the lounge every night. He would sleep on his bed in the lounge and tonight he wasn't there. I feel weird, strange and I hate the heaviness of grief. I know he is an animal but this heaviness reminds me of what it was like after my brother died a month after his transplant.

I had to write because I feel scared and lonely even though Alan is still here. We have another cat called Matilda but she is a different personality. Isaac could do anything to Jerry. They were so close and shared many hugs and cuddles and games and all sorts.

My heart broke when we had to tell Isaac who then cried quite forcefully for an hour to an hour and a half. He has been coping ok though. He has been drawing pictures during the day of him and Jerry and us as a family. He has role played about the snake which is helping him work through it. He has a photo of Jerry and himself that he carries around with him and he has it by his bed right now as he sleeps. He also has Jerry's collar because he wants to smell Jerry. My heart aches for my little fellow right now who is grieving. Tonight when he was going to bed, he became distressed and cried and took a while to settle. We just want out cat back again. For the pain of loss to go.

Jerry helped us all cope with FA. We will let Isaac have another cat at some point. Matilda is really Alan and my cat because she doesn't put up with Isaac's rough play but hopefully he finds some comfort in the fact that she cares so much and has been affectionate.

So that has been our day. Please pray things turn back to normal.
Love Charisse