Had to send this out in two parts cuz it bounced back due to being too
long! OOPS!
 
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Hello everyone - it is with a heavy heart that I send out this message.  On
Saturday morning - June 13th - Jasper and I took Buster to the vet to be put
to sleep.  It was definitely a difficult decision to make, but we both knew
that it was the right decision to make.  As many of you know, Buster had
been sick with cancer for quite awhile now and had gone through two
surgeries earlier this year for mammarian adenocarcinoma.  He started having
more trouble again about two months later and his x-rays showed that the
cancer had done quite abit of spreading - including his right kidney and
lung and perhaps his heart.  At this point, I felt that surgery was not an
option, partly due the extent of the spreading and partly due to the fact
that Buster hated the vet and got so stressed out when he went there.  We
opted for Timmy's Tonic and duck soup and lots of TLC instead.
 
A couple weeks ago, Jasper (my wonderful and supportive) boyfriend and I sat
down and had a long and tearful talk as to what we should do next.  Buster
was very bloated from the cancer and it was affecting his quality of life
alot.  I called the vet the next day and then proceeded to spoil him even
moreso over the next short while, earning him nickname of "King of Sheba"
from Jasper.  He knew already when he woke up in the morning that I would
bring him his Cheerios, his Timmy's and his duck soup to him in bed
(hammock) and would expectantly wait, watching me move about the apartment,
kitchen as he waited.
 
Saturday morning went better than I expected - I think mainly due to the
fact that it was the right thing to do.  I'm NOT saying that knowing this
necessarily made this any easier but I wasn't a complete wreck like I
thought I would be.  Jasper and I both cried alot but Buster went peacefully
and I know that he's no longer experiencing any discomfort or pain.  Judith
said that Chloe (who crossed the Bridge not too long ago) would be there
waiting for him with a brand new coat (most of his fur had fallen out -
Chloe went through almost the exact same thing, so she could relate) and
would show him the ropes.  They have probably now formed the Dynamic Duo of
Terror, frolicking and causing havoc everywhere they wardance.
 
After we finished at the vet, we brought him home for everyone to say their
good-byes.  Jasper and I sat on the floor and I had him on a towel on my
lap.  Gushi, Nik and Geisha all came over to see.  They all sniffed and
licked him - they did seem a little confused because they step back, look at
Jasper and I then check out Buster again.  We put in a sleep sack I had made
and place him with an old ratty t-shirt he liked and an itty-bitty sneaker
in a basket.  We then took him out to a nice wooded area near my place to
lay him to rest.  I had bought an ivy plant, a nice hardy variety, to plant
over his grave, covered the site with rocks then lit four candles and had a
few moments of silence.  As I blew out each candle, I told him how much I
loved him and would miss him and that Chloe would take good care of him.
Sigh.
 
(to be cont'd ...)
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[Posted in FML issue 2342]