RIP Monty :(

It is with great sadness that I announce Monty died last thursday.  Sometime in early september, I can't remember which day, he had escaped got into a fight with a stray cat.  Miraculously he somehow managed to escape that altercation without ANY bites or scratches from the stray cat.  He did have numerous abrasions on him, but that was from him running into various things trying to get out of the confined space he found himself in.  After bring him into the house after the altercation, his relationship seemed to have changed with Priscilla.  She declared him public enemy number one hissing, spitting and slapped him if he came too close to her or if he made eye contact with her, making it clear she was displeased with him but she never seriously hurt him other than his feelings I guess.

Brothers

Boy's Club

This traumatic event, unfortunately, did nothing to teach him to stay away from the front door or to not want to run outside again.  Last week, he ran out the door at 630 in the morning as I was on my way to work.  I didn't even see him as it was pitch black that time of the day and our outside light had burnt out.  Unbeknownst to me, he spent the entire day outside.  My Mom later told me she heard raccoons snarling and growling outside on and off throughout the day but she didn't think much of it.  When we got home and noticed he was nowhere to be found inside, we began to search for him outside.  I had a feeling he would be in the same area where he was attacked by the stray cat since there were lots of spots for him to hide in.  Sure enough, he had managed to hole himself deep into a spot beside the house where the raccoons must have repeatedly hit his face over and over again because he face was barely recognizable.  Amazingly, no raccoon bites or scratches on him, just a lot of swelling and redness.  Other than pain medications and antibiotics there was not much else the vet could do for him - nothing broken and he had already had his necessary shots and was up to date on everything.

Zilla & Monty

Hide & Seek

As I mentioned, since the first time he got out of the house, Priscilla had been chasing him and smacking him around, but nothing dangerous.  She would later even sleep with him....provided he didn't make eye contact and growl at her.  Anyhow, the following tuesday after the raccoon incident, my husband came home to find that our living room looked like a tornado had hit it and he found Monty on the floor, pinned down by an "x-pen" that had been folded up and set off to the side.  He said Monty was ice cold and he thought he was dead until Monty slowly opened his eyes.  After getting a sweater on him and putting him on a heating pad to warm him up he had improved quite a bit.  We figured he was a bit hypothermic as he was laying on cold tile floors (all day?).  By bed time that night he was up and walking around (although he had a bit of a limp).  We decided to take him into the vet the next day, but the next morning, wednesday, it was a miracle.  He was climbing up the kitty castle, jumping down, eating and drinking as normal and even playing with the Orion and Moley.  After describing what had happened to the vet and Monty's quick progress, it was decided that we would bring him in the next day, thursday, after I had gotten off of work.  Had I not have just started a new job, I would have taken the day off to take him in sooner, but that was not an option.  Since my husband hasn't been getting regular work he didn't want to turn down the one day of work that he had lined up for himself.  Besides, the vet figured he would be ok for one more day anyhow, so I wasn't overly worried.  I was actually thinking of re-naming him "Lucky" considering all that he'd been through the past several weeks.

However, it was not to be - Monty's luck finally seemed to have run out.  When my husband got home on thursday, Monty was dead.  Already in rigor mortis, "exuding gases", hubby later told me.  Monty was laying in his favorite spot on the kitty castle where he used to watch the birds outside of the large double windows in our living room.  By the time I got home, my hubby had already buried Monty just outside the widow where he loved to sit.  

Such a pretty boy

After discussions, the general consensus was that he died from an internal bleed of sorts.  Perhaps there was a slow bleed that was missed after the raccoon incident?  Or the obvious, that he had a slow internal bleed, developed whilst being pinned underneath the x-pen that had fallen onto him.  But then to see him recover so quickly....it makes no sense at all.  Either way, we're not entirely sure of anything other than this is just so tremendously heartbreaking.

Only 8 months ago I had to put my soul kitty, Rupert, to sleep from FIV and now, my kitty Monty has died from some stupid, stupid freak accident or a combination of stupid accidents.  None of it makes sense, no matter how many times I mull it through in my hand.  I just can't believe this has happened and I feel like the WORST cat mom ever.  Both of the little boys that chose me have died of some freak thing, first a disease and now from an accident.  It's just so heartbreaking.....and devastating......and numbing.  I don't want any more sphynx's, this is just too painful to cope with.  Two, in 8 months, from freak-show shit.  It is just so beyond my understanding.  It kills me to see how much of an impact this has had on my husband.  Over the past several months, Monty and my hubby developed quite the bond and to see my husband's eyes full of tears and pain, JUST KILLS ME.  On top of this, Rupert's death has been re-hashed for me and this combination of Rupert and Monty's passing is a pain that is just so deep and so visceral, no amount of pain killers can take away the pain.  I am so utterly sad and devastated.....AGAIN  :(

A favorite picture of mine.  This is the coveted spot in the house as you can watch the birds from this view and see what they are up to.  I was so thrilled to find all of them laying together, from left to right: Monty, Priscilla (sitting up), Moley and Orion's head peeking out from underneath, he was sooooo squashed but he wasn't giving up his spot.  

How could you not love this face?

My "pride" of Sphynx, another favorite picture