Radka (2002-2018)
Apr. 2nd, 2018 07:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mmcirvinSometimes the hardest pets to let go of are the ones who actually live to a ripe old age. Radka passed away today at the age of 15 and three quarters, from complications of diabetes.
photos.app.goo.gl/bNARCFXit4FcqoY53
Radka was our kitten, the cat we raised from a baby--something of an indulgence, since she was our one pet who wasn't a shelter adoption; Sam's dad knew someone whose cat had had a litter of kittens, of all different colors and patterns. Radka was particularly beautiful, a blotched brown tabby with some red in the mix, including a striking red patch covering her right ear. Sam had wanted a kitten for a while; a previous expedition to adopt one had instead resulted in our getting Nestor, a sweet guy but also a... problematic cat. Now we'd have our kitten.
She was tiny and adorable, and Nestor immediately adopted her as his kitten. Radka grew up into a smallish, cheerful cat who was also an extraordinary athlete; she loved to play and could jump to unbelievable heights. We started letting the cats out in a futile attempt to control Nestor's peeing behavior, and I'm pretty sure Radka occasionally killed birds by grabbing them out of the air. Her one vice was a tendency to nip at the hand that petted her; she had her rituals, letting me pet her once and then walking in a circle before I could pet her again, or else there would be trouble.
Even that behavior mellowed out in her later years. I think she was fine with being our only cat after Niobe and Nestor passed, and she never 100% made friends with our junior cat Jess. They came to an agreement: Radka owned the upstairs and Jess owned the downstairs. Jess would have our attention mostly during the day, and Radka stayed with us in bed at night.
She was getting noticeably frail over the past couple of years, and about six months ago she started acting fairly ill and was diagnosed with diabetes, which we tried to control with twice-daily insulin injections. It's hard to do in a squirmy, aged animal who is good at hiding, can't tell you how she feels and can't monitor her own blood sugar. But I think the treatment gave her about half a year of reasonable quality of life before it got away from us, which is something.
photos.app.goo.gl/bNARCFXit4FcqoY53
Radka was our kitten, the cat we raised from a baby--something of an indulgence, since she was our one pet who wasn't a shelter adoption; Sam's dad knew someone whose cat had had a litter of kittens, of all different colors and patterns. Radka was particularly beautiful, a blotched brown tabby with some red in the mix, including a striking red patch covering her right ear. Sam had wanted a kitten for a while; a previous expedition to adopt one had instead resulted in our getting Nestor, a sweet guy but also a... problematic cat. Now we'd have our kitten.
She was tiny and adorable, and Nestor immediately adopted her as his kitten. Radka grew up into a smallish, cheerful cat who was also an extraordinary athlete; she loved to play and could jump to unbelievable heights. We started letting the cats out in a futile attempt to control Nestor's peeing behavior, and I'm pretty sure Radka occasionally killed birds by grabbing them out of the air. Her one vice was a tendency to nip at the hand that petted her; she had her rituals, letting me pet her once and then walking in a circle before I could pet her again, or else there would be trouble.
Even that behavior mellowed out in her later years. I think she was fine with being our only cat after Niobe and Nestor passed, and she never 100% made friends with our junior cat Jess. They came to an agreement: Radka owned the upstairs and Jess owned the downstairs. Jess would have our attention mostly during the day, and Radka stayed with us in bed at night.
She was getting noticeably frail over the past couple of years, and about six months ago she started acting fairly ill and was diagnosed with diabetes, which we tried to control with twice-daily insulin injections. It's hard to do in a squirmy, aged animal who is good at hiding, can't tell you how she feels and can't monitor her own blood sugar. But I think the treatment gave her about half a year of reasonable quality of life before it got away from us, which is something.
no subject
Date: 2018-04-03 02:19 am (UTC)