April 16th, 2000 - August 8th, 2011

Jackie had been struggling with a thyroid problem for a while. He'd begun to lose weight, reducing him to little more than a skeleton. It was growing increasingly difficult for him to breathe. Recently, he started hiding downstairs by the furnace and refusing to eat. He wasn't acting like himself. Jackie liked to play, and he loved to eat. He'd also always hang out at my mom's side. He wasn't doing any of those things.
On Monday, I received a rude awakening from my mom. She told me that she was thinking about having Jackie put to sleep. She was in tears, and so was Jo. I soon joined them. She had the hardest time deciding whether or not it was the right thing to have him put down. We gave him catnip and tuna water to say goodbye, and surprisingly he lapped up both. That made my mom really wonder if it was the right choice to euthanize him. In the end, she decided on putting him to sleep. Before my mom brought out the pet carrier, Ahnyo went up to Jackie and started grooming his head. Now usually, Jackie wouldn't let Ahnyo go within a yard of him. He'd growl and his at him as if he were some kind of hostile stranger. But this time, Jackie didn't care. He just let Ahnyo lick his head without moving a muscle. It was as if they both understood what was going to happen... it was very touching. And when my mom got out the carrier, Jackie hopped right in and settled down. It was really sad watching my mom head for the car with the carrier, knowing that the next time I saw it it would be empty. While he was being put down, Jo and I both decided to make pictures of him (my drawing is in the Art Blog).
I think it was for the best that he was put to sleep. It was a very peaceful way to let him go, and he wouldn't have to suffer anymore. The vet reported that he had a buildup of fluid in his lungs, so he couldn't even lie down and sleep. But I'm still going to miss him a lot... he's been part of my family for eleven years. I still remember the day that I picked him and his brother out at the adoption clinic when I was three... It's going to be really hard getting used to not having Jackie with us. The house just won't be the same without him. No more goofy, strangled yowls coming from downstairs, no more cricket purrs, no more being stalked into the bathroom... But even though I don't believe in a God or anything, I know he's in a happier place.