Your Pet Loss Stories

'Goodbye Cody'

by Karen Begovich
(Waterford, MI)

I found Cody at a parking lot, being given away. I wasn't looking for another cat 10 years ago, but there he was and I wanted him. I brought him home, and he was a big kitten. Not only did he have big eyes, long whiskers and long black and white fur, but Cody was kind and sweet. He was friendly and enjoyed everyone. He even managed to become friends with the dog next door. He never met a "stranger" he didn't like.

The years went by faster and faster, until suddenly Cody was very sick. We took him to his regular vet who suggested taking Cody to a specialist. The specialist took a biopsy of his stomach fluids, and an ultra sound that showed his lymphnodes were enlarged. All of them. This was bad. We got the news Cody had malignent cancer on Monday, by Friday (day of Christmas) Cody was so sick he was unable to walk, eat, and his beautiful gold eyes were telling us it was his time to go.

I don't know how long Cody was sick with the cancer, he did't have many symptoms until before he died. The specialist thought a few months. He had a large weight loss a month before. We thought his diet food was finally working since Cody was a big cat. He weighed in at 21 pounds over the years, and we wanted him to get healthy. Little did we know, he was going to die before the year was up. At the last weigh in he was at 17.4 pounds, which is still a lot for a cat but he didn't look sick at the time. He wasn't acting sick until the cancer took over.

I have no regrets with Cody. He was a good boy, and he enjoyed his life. We did what he could do for him. It's just sad, because I still see him walking through the house and he always liked to eat. I keep expecting him to come running when I say "Are you hungry, Cody boy?".....