Do cats go to heaven?

[Fabienne]

Kent,

Learn French, it's easy.

I learnt a great deal of my English, early on, by reading British detective novels. You too can accompany Victor Blainville.

 

[RJman]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

I learnt a great deal of my English, early on, by reading British detective novels.
Hopefully you do not pepper conversation with the occasional interjected "Elementary!", nor do you say, "The game is afoot!"

 

[Steve B.]

RJ:

Let me add my condolences as well...

 

[Fabienne]

Originally Posted by RJman

Hopefully you do not pepper conversation with the occasional interjected "Elementary!", nor do you say, "The game is afoot!"

No, but Miss Marple has influenced my style of dress.

 

[von Rothbart]

RJman, my condolences. I know exactly how you feel, I lost mine this April (1987-2006). She had been with me for the past 17 years. She always greeted me at the door when I came home meowing me to pick her up. She's an alarm clock with a malfunctioning snooze button, whenever my alarm clock went off she started meowing me to wake me up, failing that, she'd put her paws all over my face until I gave in. She's a natural borned comedian. I miss her terribly. I still have dreams about her, the last one with her sleeping by my side.

She's perfectly healthy in all of 2005 but she went south rather quickly after the new year. In retrospective there're some signs & behavioral changes that foreshawdowed the beginning of her end. In the end, I am glad she lived a long and happy life.

 

[tiger02]

I once came home from college to find that my parents had put down my childhood cat and tried to pass off a cheap immitation in his stead. His diminutive size and lack of hip problems were the immediate tipoff.

 

[Fabienne]

Originally Posted by tiger02

I once came home from college to find that my parents had put down my childhood cat and tried to pass off a cheap immitation in his stead. His diminutive size and lack of hip problems were the immediate tipoff.

My parents let me search for my cat for two days throughout the neighborhood when I was about 10 years old, calling out his name, when they knew he had been hit by a car.

 

[Fabienne]

Movie I recommend: Chacun cherche son chat.

 

[Quirk]

Sorry to hear about your cat, RJman.

 

[faustian bargain]

sad news of your cat. it seems it was a peaceful passing, which might be small comfort, but consider that our first cat died, so many years ago now, in the middle of the night of some kind of heart failure. she was hacking and coughing, shrieking and struggling, and we were driving fast to the animal hospital. she died in my arms as we ran in the door of the emergency room. it took me a few days to get over that.

 

[chrysalid]

Originally Posted by tommib

How about a Bengal cat? They're pretty damned cool. They behave a little bit more like a dog i.e. enjoying lots of attention, family life etc.

posh cats get stolen

and of course there is the risk that they might even get stole-en

 

[Nantucket Red]

An ex-girlfriend of mine had an 18-year-old cat who grew very feeble, and though she had never shown the slightest interest in venturing outside, she wandered out onto the balcony and plummeted to her death on the gravel drive two stories below. It was uncertain whether she was just too senile to realize what she was doing or whether it was a deliberate suicide attempt. She died on the way to the vet and was later cremated with her favorite "blankey."

 

[Fabienne]

Originally Posted by Nantucket Red

An ex-girlfriend of mine had an 18-year-old cat who grew very feeble, and though she had never shown the slightest interest in venturing outside, she wandered out onto the balcony and plummeted to her death on the gravel drive two stories below. It was uncertain whether she was just too senile to realize what she was doing or whether it was a deliberate suicide attempt. She died on the way to the vet and was later cremated with her favorite "blankey."

My cat CÃ

dille also fell off a balcony, once. Fortunately, we were on the second floor, and he landed on grass. My fear was that he'd take off, but he was a bit stunned (and probably intoxicated by the grass), so just stayed put, looking around, until I rushed down the stairs to get him. I've heard of goldfish "committing suicide" by jumping out of their bowls (I had one, rescued him 3 times), cats, never. I could see a cat being resigned to die, especially as they have an uncanny ability to hide their suffering, but suicide?

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

My cat CÃ

dille also fell off a balcony, once. Fortunately, we were on the second floor, and he landed on grass. My fear was that he'd take off, but he was a bit stunned (and probably intoxicated by the grass), so just stayed put, looking around, until I rushed down the stairs to get him. I've heard of goldfish "committing suicide" by jumping out of their bowls (I had one, rescued him 3 times), cats, never. I could see a cat being resigned to die, especially as they have an uncanny ability to hide their suffering, but suicide?

My grandmother had a shark (the tiny ones you can get for aquariums) that was determined to flee her home, even if had to flop its way across the floor to get to the door. Every time she would open the aquarium cover to feed the fish, the shark would shoot from the water as though fired by a gun. My grandmother had trouble bending over, so she'd scoop the shark up with a long-handled dustpan and dump him back in the tank. How that fish survived as long as it did, I have no idea.

 

[Nantucket Red]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

My cat CÃ

dille also fell off a balcony, once. Fortunately, we were on the second floor, and he landed on grass. My fear was that he'd take off, but he was a bit stunned (and probably intoxicated by the grass), so just stayed put, looking around, until I rushed down the stairs to get him. I've heard of goldfish "committing suicide" by jumping out of their bowls (I had one, rescued him 3 times), cats, never. I could see a cat being resigned to die, especially as they have an uncanny ability to hide their suffering, but suicide?

CÃ

dille -- great name for a cat!

I knew that cat for a while before the incident. She went from being an old but healthy cat to being feeble and weak in only a couple of months. I think she really got tired of life and didn't know how to die. Still, I do think the idea that she deliberately launched herself off the balcony is a bit far-fetched. I think she was just too old and decrepit to have any idea where she was or what she was doing, and suddenly, over she went.