Marvin

Today we had to say goodbye to Marvin. Marvin was Kimmie’s baby and has been with her since she was 16. We know he has led a good long life and lived to a ripe old age of 18 because Kimmie took exceptional care of him. Unfortunately, he had been suffering from renal failure for the past 5 years, so we knew that the best care we could give him could only delay the inevitable. The vet had said it was a testament to the care that Kim gave him that he had lived this long. His health had been going downhill steadily and had deteriorated very quickly the past couple of weeks. Today when Kim took him to the Vet, he told her that it was time for us to decide, because there was nothing else he could do for him. We knew this day would come, but it was very hard to make the decision to end his life and not prolong his suffering. Based on the drastic amount of weight he was losing, we knew he was slowly starving to death, and it would have been selfish and irresponsible of us to continue. He wouldn’t take his medicine and even that was more to alleviate his nausea more than giving him any real relief.

As many years I have been in EMS, this was still hard for me. So I can’t imagine what Kim is going through. I am not ashamed to say I bawled like a baby today. Marvin was a sweet loving cat with not a hint of aggression or aloofness. He always wanted to be around you and never knew a stranger. His greatest joy was to curl up in your lap and take a nap. I am blessed to have known this sweet gentle soul. A true gift from God.

We used to always tease Marvin that he was a messy cat. So cleaning up his litter box today for the final time was deeply saddening but somehow cathartic for me.

Goodbye old man. We love you and we will miss you.