Loss to the family- an Ode to Chloe

I was just reading an old post to see where I left off and I realized after I wrote that post "Please don't take it away", something did happen that was difficult.  Our little one year old kitten, Chloe, or Jeffrey (the boys called her), became very ill, very suddenly.  From Thursday night, acting slightly different, to Saturday morning,  not even wanting to get up.  I called the vet and got her right in.  They did some  tests  and were able  to tell us that she had almost total kidney failure.  They thought maybe she had gotten into some  anti-freeze somewhere. Bob checked  all around the garage to make sure we didn't have anything open, but the cat does wander around the surrounding houses-the people at the bar and grille next door love her.  The vet said we would basically have to do dialysis like 3 times a week. Although we loved her so much, she is barely one and we don't have the time, money or energy to do that.  The vet said she would never be the same cat again.  So, we did what we thought was best-we had her put to sleep.  Everyone took it kind of hard. We brought her home and made a grave for her. Connor put a heart shape with stones around her grave and all 3 kids had a little mourning period.  Keera told Bob that Chloe was being put to sleep and  he asked what that meant.  She said that the vet was going to sing her a lullaby until she went to sleep and then she would sleep forever.  Thank goodness for little hearts and minds in times like these.

I think pets are essential for kids to have growing up.  They teach a lot of life lessons.