Losing A Kitten
We lost Tucker.
Yesterday everything seemed fine. Cheri was tucked back in her corner and both kittens were latched on and snuggling close. By late afternoon, my mommy senses were tingling and I knew something was wrong. It's nothing I can explain; I just knew something was off.
I was down with a terrible migraine so I asked my husband to pick up all 3 of them and bring them to me in bed. Cheri was good, I sent her back to her corner along with Tanner who also looked great. But Tucker was looking a bit lethargic again and something was definitely wrong. We immediately got him set up in his own towel and heating pad and fed him some corn syrup to raise his blood sugar. We hand fed him some kitten formula and he perked up a bit so I was hopeful at first. But within 10 minutes he started fading again and I knew we were losing him. We continued to try to feed him but he wasn't taking it in at all.
My husband and I took turns holding him all night. At one point I took Tucker back to the bathroom so he could be with his Mama. She grabbed him close and licked his head a few times and then she turned her attention away from him to Tanner. She knew he was dying. I laid in floor, wedged between the cabinet and the toilet, my head resting on the lid with one arm stretched out holding Tucker in my hand so he could be near Cheri. After a while, it was clear she'd made her peace and let go of him.
Tucker came to us very frail and sick so we knew there was a chance we'd lose him. But he had been doing so much better that we had become hopeful that we could keep him with us. About 7 hours after we'd started trying to save him, Tucker passed away in my husbands arms. I can't explain how hard it is to hold a tiny life in your hands and watch it fade away, knowing there's nothing you can do. Before we lost Chunk last year, I thought the hardest part about fostering was letting them go to be adopted. Man, was I wrong.
Rest in peace, Tucker. You were loved, lil man.
