Kidd and Bandit

July of this year 2013 would have been 2 years since my babies were born and joined our family. 

For a month now Kidd has been missing. I'm most sure of his fate. I feel bad at the fact that he came to me and appeared a little on the skinny side but then took off and never came back. I know now that he was sick at the time. He was my baby and I will truly miss him and hope that he did not suffer much in dieing. 

Bandit on the other hand came home sick seeking help. He was quite a bit on the skinny side seeing as to how he has always been a plump cat. He was my big baby. He was a real "scaredy" cat. But I think it was more a sensory overload on him. New things would scare him. Going outside, all the different things at once would scare him. He started to get used to them but still was scared. Well he came back more skinny than usual. I called the vet and they said it could be heat exhaustion and to keep him inside. He tried to eat and drink but would vomit later. I didn't realize how little he was actually getting into his body or that when cats stop eating, there isn't much time before their liver shuts down. Thinking about it makes me sad because he was my big eater. He was my bigger baby and I loved him so much. He would curl up next to me in bed and just purr at my touch. He was inside the house a full three days and nights and Saturday I had an appointment set for him and just could see him getting worse to the point where he had to have been suffering from whatever was preventing him from keeping his food down and from starvation and dehydration. There wasn't anything I could do for him. As the day went on and I could see him worsening I started thinking about the fact that I may have to put him down and it saddened me. Just thinking about possibly doing so made me cry. I couldn't eat and didn't want to be away from him. I called the vet again to see if there was any way they could see him sooner. After explaining to them what was happening they said to come up and they would squeeze me in. The vet looked at him and told me just looking at his skin and his mouth they could tell his liver was not functioning properly at this point due to not eating properly. He tried eating but just couldn't keep it down. He was severely dehydrated at this point. All these things made me feel worse and worse because what if I had brought him in Wednesday night when he first came home. What if his liver wasn't failing at that point and they could have determined the cause of not being able to keep food down and then he would have gotten better. That's all I can think about. That and the fact that he is gone now. They told me that at this point they couldn't tell why he couldn't eat and the first thing they would have to do is get his liver back on track with iv's and such which could take months. I couldn't bear to leave him in a strange place for months. I already know he was so scared even though he had no strength left to show it. I also knew I could not afford the treatment and what if he didn't get better and only suffered more. I couldn't do that to him. My only choice was to have him put down. It was so hard and just thinking about it makes me cry. I didn't even get to say good bye. Soon as  I signed the paper the lady grabbed him to take him back. At that point all I could think about was what was the last thing he was seeing because falling asleep forever. How he must have been so scared of his surroundings. All I wanted to do was be with him and comfort him in that time. We brought him home in a box. I sad my goodbyes. I had to show ZayLie who is only 3 so she could understand that he is in a better place now and not hurting anymore. She thought we gave him away at first. Then she wanted him to wake up. We let her help us bury him because I think it is important for her to fully understand the best she can that Bandit was sick and had to go away so he could feel better. 

I've not had to do this in such a long time. And he was truly my big baby and it has been so hard. It affected me to the point that I had a headache and stomach ache and just needed to lay down and sleep. I will never forget him. 

One day I may get another cat just as we planned to eventually get another dog. But I want to have the money to properly care for them and take them for checkups and all. I also want to have time to fully mourn the loss of my baby because losing an animal you love is just like losing a child. I know my three year old doesn't fully understand and to her we can just get another but at other times she wishes Bandit would wake up. What's worse is I still have to explain to my other two babies when they get back from spending the summer with their Dad. By then I should be strong enough to talk about it without crying. Until then, this is my final goodbye to both Kidd and Bandit. They were both great cats and will always be in my heart and the hearts of my children.  We love them dearly!

**Reminiscing

I'll never forget the days I brought them home and how playful they were. Kidd was a 4th of July baby born in 2011. Bandit was born the week after. They both would snuggle up next to me in bed each night making their new home their home. Kidd's favorite place to be was across my chest at night in bed or on my shoulders during the day even as he started to get too big. Bandit on the other hand always much preferred being in my lap or snuggled next to my belly at night. They got along well from the beginning and were always close. You'd always catch them curled up with one another in some of the oddest places and oddest positions. Bandit loved to stretch out when he was alone while Kidd would always find himself a pillow which would in turn cause the kids to find him a blanket and tuck him in. They lived almost 2 full years of life with our family and will always be a big part of our hearts. Below you will find some pictures of the memories we have with them...

~Amanda Kay

~~Baby Bandit~~


~~Baby Kidd~~


~~~Kidd and Bandit Love each other~~


~~~Kidd Always Had It Under Control~~


~~Sitting Pretty All The Time~~


~~Every Cat Needs A Blanket Too - He let the kids cover him all the time~~


~~Always someone to stretch out with~~


~~So cute when they sleep~~




~~They spent their whole life together~~


~~Every Cat Needs His Own Blanket And Pillow Too~~


~~Mommas Big Baby~~


~~Kidd Always Let The Kids Do What They Wanted With Him~~


~~Sitting Pretty~~


~~He Loved Me~~


~~He Love Me~~


~~Kidds Idea Of Chillin~~


~~Bandits Idea Of Chillin~~


~~RIP Kidd - You will be forever loved and missed, last time I ever saw you~~


~~RIP Bandit - You will be forever loved and missed, last time I ever saw you~~