I had to let you guys know that Marty died on Friday, on his way to the vets to hopefully get to the bottom of his heart issue. Our hearts are broken.
He was just 3 years and 4 months old, exactly. It looks like he had HCM which is a common issue in young male cats, and can cause sudden and inexplicable seeming death. Sadly, the journey caused stress which made his heart beat faster, and his lungs filled with water. Although the vets tried to save him, there was nothing they could do.
We miss him so much, and even though there are still three in our little family, the house feels so empty without him here. I thought he’d be around for at least a decade, and be a big furry brother to our human babies, but that wasn’t to be. I will always remember his expressive purrs and chirps, the way he greeted me every morning, his long fluffy tail that he liked to curl around you. He was a cat who everyone who met him loved – friendly and happy to be stroked by anyone. I am so thankful that we could give Marty a happy, contented life, even if it was far too short.
If you have a cat, these are the symptoms of HCM – lethargy, decreased appetite, laboured breathing. In isolation they seem like nothing, but if you see them, please get your cat to the vets immediately, especially if you start to hear a raspy breathing sound and see their little hearts appearing to race. Marty would make a noise like he was trying to cough up a hairball, but no hairball would appear. We now realise that this was a sign of this disease.
Goodbye beautiful Marty pie. We miss you so much.
x Kerry
Philip says
December 17, 2013 at 3:17 pmMy heart goes out to you. I know what a very difficult time it is to lose a pet.
Such gorgeous pictures of Marty.
Hugs xx
Kerry Cooks says
December 17, 2013 at 8:22 pmThank you for your lovely comment Philip
kerrycooks says
December 16, 2013 at 1:34 pmThank you everyone for your amazingly kind comments. They really do help. Xxx
Jen says
December 16, 2013 at 11:58 amOh no, poor little Marty, that is so sad for you. Hope that Milo is giving you extra cuddles in comfort.
Just think of the amazing Christmas he will have in cat heaven, dreamies and pieces of string to chase all day, and the squishiest clouds to sleep on at night 🙂 xx
E says
December 15, 2013 at 8:19 pmOh Kerry, so sorry to hear this, sending you lots of love xx
B says
December 15, 2013 at 9:05 pmI second that xx
EmmaMT from CakesBakesAndCookies.com says
December 15, 2013 at 1:04 pmOh I’m so, so sorry to hear about Marty. My heart goes out to you. It’s so sad.
{{{Big Hugs }}}
Emma
x
Kerry Cooks says
December 15, 2013 at 1:31 pmThank you Emma, we appreciate your kind thoughts
Oldcat says
December 15, 2013 at 4:11 amI’m so sorry to hear about Marty. I recently lost one of my own cats unexpectedly and can appreciate how hard it is. My thoughts are with you.
Kerry Cooks says
December 15, 2013 at 10:35 amThank you. So sorry to hear about your loss too – what happened?
Emily @ Adventures of a Dog Mom says
December 14, 2013 at 11:48 pmKerry, I’m so very sorry to hear about Marty, it sounds like he was one cool cat. I know he’ll be missed.
Diane @ Life of Di. says
December 14, 2013 at 8:34 pmI was so sad to read this on your Instagram yesterday. I know how hard it is to lose a pet 🙁 They really are like little family members. Thoughts are with you today Kerry.
Carol O'Farrell says
December 14, 2013 at 4:49 pmSo sorry to hear that, they are not just pets are they, they are part of the family and the feeling of loss is just the same. xxxx
Kerry Cooks says
December 15, 2013 at 5:07 pmThank you for your kind comment Carol
Sue says
December 14, 2013 at 3:26 pmSo so sad, will miss making him Christmas sofas :((((