MY DARLING DEXTER

my darling Dexter is in heaven now.

Chris and I took Dexter to the vet this morning and after a long battle with Diabetes and kidney failure, decided it was time. Dexter decided as well. We had an agreement that he would tell me when he was ready. When I woke up this morning, he was staring at me. The past week was difficult for Dexter. He had trouble walking and lost all interest in food. He was not suffering, but his quality of life had declined rapidly enough that I have been sick with worry.

One of the most incredible things about Dexter is how regal he was. He was a proud cat. I placed his favorite blanket on the exam table and he walked out of his carry-case and snuggled down on it. He crossed his front paws and started to purr in a heavy and labored way. We cuddled and he let out a silent meow that told me, for certain, that he was ready. He wasn't scared, just tired and drained.

Dr. Pirotin (a wonderful cat specialist) gave him a tranquilizer and Dexter slipped into a deep sleep. I was nose to nose with Dexter as his tired little body let go. I was the last thing he saw.

We wrapped Dexter up in his blanket and sat with him for a few minutes before the vet gave him his final shot. Dexter has been getting 2 or 3 injections a day for the last 8 years. It was relief to know this was his final injection and I explained there would be no more shots in heaven.

Dexter's breathing slowly stopped. He was wrapped up snuggly. Chris commented on how regal he looked; like the mummified Egyptian cats at the Metropolitan Museum. Dexter would like that.