2003 – 7/27/2024
My dear sweet 21 year-old vegan cat, Raj (“king” in Hindi), passed on my lap and in my arms on my porch, under our pine tree about 3:40pm Saturday 7/27/2024. Today is the one week anniversary.
A few days prior, he had thick nasal discharge, which seemed resolved with a vaporizer. Then he refused breakfast, going to his napping throne on an Indian comforter on my bedroom ledge. It’s his favorite spot, where he can get sun, be left alone and watch the neighborhood.
He normally pestered me for breakfast, so ignoring it made me pause. After not eating for a day, I began feeding him through a syringe, along with water. He became frail, not standing. Saturday morning, I found him curled up in his litter box. I created a makeshift litter box with a box that had a low edge to maneuver.
We sat on the porch early Saturday morning, him under a blanket in one chair, me in the other. The birds sang and there was a gentle breeze. After periodic feeding, I laid him on ground cover under a big pine tree next to my porch. I laid next to him.
Later, I laid him on my lap on the porch and we both napped. An hour later, he made some whimpering sounds and I thought he could be dreaming. He then convulsed twice as I stood under the tree holding him, calling to him, and then I no longer felt him breathing.
Raj’s passing was idyllic. After a very long life with a loving family, he passed in a peaceful environment, outside, where he enjoyed being, in my arms. I’m so grateful he didn’t pass the prior weekend, when I was out of town. My AC broke the following day, Sunday, but learned of it Monday and was preoccupied getting it handled during a heat wave. I’m so grateful my attention on it was not taken earlier so that I could be present for Raj.
He is the first companion animal I’ve had who has passed naturally and not euthanized, like my previous 3 cats and 2 dogs. Despite various health issues, such as a heart murmur, and various injuries over decades, he has carried on, loving me and my 2 kids, over a decade apart in age. They both grew up with him.
Raj early morning 7/27/2024 on my porch
Raj has been a significant part of my life since he came into my life as a four year-old in 2007. I noticed him at a shelter, nervously eating his food, which he continued, until a few days prior to his passing. The shelter staff told he me his nervous continuous eating, grazing was likely due to his history, being found in a shed, abandoned with other animals.
Raj joined my two former dogs in 2007. After my dogs passed, my former cat, Tarzan came into our lives for exactly 7 years, passing as a 12 year old with diabetes 11/21/2021.
Raj loved being outside, lost various collars neighbors would turn in. He entered a house through a doggie door. In our new neighborhood in 2013, he was lost for a week. He purred more than my other cats. He was independent and mostly tolerated the presence of my other companion animals.
For a while in my single life, I had the 3 musketeers – my cats Raj, Tarzan and dog Bear. Since Tarzan couldn’t get Raj to play with him, they would fight, 2 males marking territory. Tarzan ending up connecting possibly more with Bear, who would lick Tarzan’s ears. Raj allowed Bear to continue this practice with him, following Tarzan’s passing.
I prefer to believe Raj is with my 5 companion animals who were with me as an adult – cats Tarzan, Pumpkin, Toede, dogs Bhaloo, Pooja, and 3 dogs growing up – Birju, Deepu, and Raju.
Raj and Bear greeting me in the mornings
I received Raj’s paw print yesterday and placed it on my altar, next to Tarzan’s.
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