He #died peacefully at the vet's office in my arms around 2:45 pm. He is survived by his human family, me and my mother, as well as his #canine bro, #Chachi. I wanna remember Chaz by highlighting some of the antics and personality quirks that were his alone and brought laughter to us and sometimes, annoyance.
He was my #cat with a little goatee, as you'll observe in the pic where Chaz has sunglasses on. When he was a #kitten, I called him my jazz cat. I pictured him jamming out in a jazz lounge with his little, red goatee and sunglasses on, lol! Hence, I gave him the name, Chaz, as in "cat" and jazz"- "Chaz." He was so alert and curious as a #kitten, my mom fell in #love with him, too, so we kept him.
This boy was stubborn, too! OMG!! If I didn't do what he wanted, he'd become an absolute menace! He'd hang on window screens and slide down until he ripped them. Chaz would verbally harrass me or mom until we did his bidding, letting loose a funny symphony of sounds and #meows until we gave in. #Cats only use verbal sounds to communicate with humans, and Chaz learned that lesson early in life and used it, a lot!
My mom and I would laugh and laugh when Chaz would scratch at the front glass door. His #paws slid against the glass so vigorously that he looked like he was swimming, lol! My boy also enjoyed eating ice cream. It's not a good idea to feed them that, but he'd get a finger or two full of mine. And, when he noticed me drinking a cold drink, there he would climb up onto my lap and lick the moisture off the bottle or cup in my hand.
One of my most favorite things he did was go on walks with me and #Chachi, as well as my other #dog, Zhoi, when he was alive. There he was jogging along side us, every evening. I'll miss that about my Chazzy Boo.
I am a certified #reiki master, so I wanted to use this gift to help my baby transition from this life to the next peacefully and comfortably. #Reiki is a powerful way to bring healing to the whole family, as well as #pets when going through the process of death. It takes away pain and fear and allows everyone involved to accept and let go. I started #reiki on Chaz the evening I realized it was time. It soothed both of us to sleep as I stroked him and let the #reiki flow.
Chaz and #Chachi had a typical relationship as brothers. For the most part, they respected each other's space, but occasionally would fight like #cats and #dogs. In the end, #Chachi could see that Chaz's light was flickering, so he spend the last two days giving him gentle kisses as he'd go into the living room to check on him. That's my sweet boy, very loving.
The next morning, I decided to take Chaz in and do right by him. I wanted him to pass at home but it was taking too long. My boy was willful and hanging on. The only thing worse than watching him #die was waiting for our appointment time to role around, so we could go.
While we waited, I continued to #reiki him, say my goodbyes, and relive #memories with Chaz. When it was time, I wrapped him in my t-shirt, let #Chachi and my mom kiss him #goodbye, and we left for the #vet. The staff was very helpful and gentle with us both as we arrived. Chaz normally hates car rides and strangers, but he was too weak to care by now. A technician led us into a small room to await the doctor.
As we sat there in that room alone, I called on Archangel Raphael, the #healing angel, to come wrap his wings around both of us for comfort and ease of transition. I turned on the #reiki and began to rock my baby, Chaz and sing to him. He used to love hearing me sing. He would tap at my lips as if to try and figure what kind of noise I was making. Chaz was too weak to lift a #paw, so instead, he let out a couple of soft, whispering #meows, to let me know he was listening. I sang, "You Are My Sunshine", to him and continued to hum as the #vet walked in. Oh, how my #heart sank! And everything in my body wanted to run and save my baby from the inevitable.
His doctor gave him a sedative and placed him back in my arms. Still I sang and hummed, and rocked him to sleep, giving him soft butterfly kisses on his forehead. I held his #paws and told him, "Momma's here baby, I m right here." His head relaxed into my chest as he dozed off. Next, the doctor injected him with a syringe of blue liquid. Within seconds, my baby was gone. All that he was in this life and to me... gone. The #vet said, he was ready. I held my boy for a while longer, kissing him and giving him such a hard squeeze, I thought I would break his frail little body. I said goodbye for the last time, handed him over and left. I almost couldn't drive home, I was sobbing so hard. Oh my #heart! Chaz took a piece of it with him.
Today, I pick up his body from the vet to bury him. They were nice to keep him refrigerated overnight for me so I could prepare his grave at home today. I guess my crying isn't over. But, I have to push through this last step and let go. My vet even provided a nice box to bury him in and a cast of Chaz's #paw prints as a keepsake for me. They're very wonderful over at #Kingshighwayanimalclinic here in San Marcos.
Losing a #pet is hard and #healing takes time. I'm going to honor Chaz in my #petsitting business somehow, to keep his memory alive. For now, my #heart is broken, but I still have my #Chachi boy and all the great #pets I #care for in my #familypetnanny family. Since I have no children, my #pets are my babies and it hurts to lose them, but I'm happy that Chaz is no longer suffering. Eventually, my goal is to get a head stone made at #PetSmart to set over the small #pet cemetery I have going in my yard to honor all of my children.
#Blessings to all you #animallovers and #petparents out there, and to all your dear, sweet #earthangels. May they live long healthy lives and continue to teach you the meaning of #unconditionallove, as my #pets have taught me.