I'd moved into a studio apartment in March 1994. I had been out of college a little over a year and was excited to have my first very own place. Toonces had moved with me to my parents' house, after I graduated from college. And, he moved with me to Alexandria, too. However, I was 23 and had a very busy social life....which resulted in Toonces being by himself quite a bit in that little studio.
While I was in PetSmart one day, they had a cat adoption fair. Kramer was such a sweet, beautiful kitty and I couldn't turn away. He was so playful. His crazy personality is what resulted in his name (he's named after the character on Seinfeld).
This is one of the earliest pictures I have of him.
Toonces was not immediately happy that I had adopted another kitty. And, I'm sure there were times when he wondered why he couldn't have been an "only child". :) But, there were lots of loving times between them. (This picture is when they were both at their heaviest....I mean healthiest.)
Kramer was a Maine Coon. One of their traits is being talkative. He fulfilled that part, for sure!!! In fact, he & Toonces slept in the basement because of how noisy he would be through the night.
A few years ago, Kramer was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. I've learned that it is pretty common in elderly cats. He was on medication from then on. However, he never really gained much weight back. When he was healthy, he was 17 pounds or so. He'd dropped down to 6 in recent weeks. He hadn't been able to jump on furniture in a few months and he didn't do very well on stairs anymore.
I'd been preparing my girls for a few months so that when the time came, they wouldn't be surprised. They knew he was old and sick. And, they loved to care for him.
A few weeks ago, when he was going downhill again, I knew that he likely wouldn't snap out of it this time. On Friday, I thought about taking him to the vet, but was actually hoping that things would just happen on their own. I've been through making that decision twice in the last few years and was hoping not to have to do it again. Every morning, I would wake up wondering if he was still with us. On Monday, I got him out from under the couch (where he'd been hiding for days) for his medication and noticed that he was opening his mouth - like attempting to get more air. We left for the vet shortly after that.
The vet guessed he had fluid on his lungs, and possibly was in heart failure. While he wasn't "in pain", he was likely very uncomfortable. (I always remember when my mom had an "episode" of not being able to catch her breath....after her cancer had spread to her lungs. We were trying to calm her. Afterward, she said "you have no idea how scary it is to not be able to breathe.")
I talked to him for a little but and snuggled and loved on him. And, I stayed with him while it happened.
The girls are doing fine. Lacey was more concerned about me (with my tear-filled eyes) when I told her. Leah just commented about him being in heaven with Frisbee & Toonces. However, the next morning, Lacey saw the computer....where his picture was our background...and sobbed. We've since changed the picture.
Kramer - Christmas 2010 - laying with his catnip toy from Santa.
