07/06/2025
For all of us who have ever owned and lost a pet, we all feel this one 😞RIP OZZY 🐾
In the early morning hours of July 5th 2025 approximately between 1-1:30 a.m.; I had to say goodbye to my kid and companion of 20 years, my cat Ozzy. He had recently celebrated his 20th Birthday in May, however his age finally caught up to him. I knew it was coming, but knowing can never fully prepare you. Ozzy was blind, had a heart condition which he took medication for, and was going though kidney failure(and had long outlived his life expectancy with that condition for what stage he was in). But as my friend Ray Kube always said, "He's the cat that just won't quit." And he sure was. He never showed any signs of pain or discomfort but was definitely slowing down recently.
However late night on the 4th, Ozzy took a severe turn and I knew it was time. As much as I didn't want to both admit it and have to make the ultimate decision regarding a pet; I knew I had to. Still, nothing can fully prepare you for having to go through with it. You second guess yourself and wonder if you're doing the right thing but looking in your heart, and looking at him you know it is the right decision. I've never been faced with actually having to go through with it before last night. It was a gut wrenching experience, even knowing it was the right thing to do. They get to you. They get into your heart and soul. They're there for you in times when no one else is. They see you at your very best and at your ultimate worst. They're there when you close out the rest of the world and you want to be alone and you fully break down in a way you would never let any other human see of you, but they're still there for you. They love you completely unconditionally and only want love in return. And THAT is why it is so hard to make that decision. But we also make the decision to ultimately never see them suffer, and that's why we have to make that decision when and if the time comes.
Shortly after midnight, Ozzy said his final goodbyes to his little brothers Cliff and Gord with a couple of nose to nose boops. I then placed Ozzy in his carrier and headed to the 24 hour Emergency Vet clinic. After the emergency vet staff did an assessment he was prepared and brought to me in a private room. We were given some time to say our goodbyes, where he did a few things of note. When they brought him to me he wanted nothing more then to cling onto me and hug me. He also burrowed his head in my armpit a few times. There was also something that we have done throughout his entire life which was that I would put the tip of my finger in between the pads of his front paw and ask him to give me a flex. Ozzy would then flex his claws around my finger ever so gently. Even with everything that he was going through last night I asked him to give me a flex and he give me one last flex. I teared up. And then was the ultimate last ditch effort on my part for something I've been trying for twenty years. Ozzy has always been a very talkative cat. You can ask him anything and he will always meow back at you. Absolutely anything. However there has always been one thing that he has never responded to. For 20 years I would say the phrase "I love you Ozzy, do you love me?" He never answered, ever. Until last night. Holding him in my arms shortly before he was put to sleep I asked him one more time right before it was time to go, "I love you Ozzy, do you love me?" And just then, I got the most absolutely perfect sounding response that to me will always sound like the sweetest "yes" I could ever have hoped for. He waited right till the end.
I then told him when he gets where he's going, to say hi to Salem, Bubi, Hyde, and especially Canuck. I then whispered to him that he was the greatest cat that I've ever had the honor of having loved me. With him hugging me and holding my finger I told him that I loved him, I gave him one last hug and three kisses on the forehead, said "goodbye, I love you Ozzy I'll never forget you."
Then; just like that, he was gone. I stayed with him till the very end, just like he was always there for me.
Rest in peace Ozzy. Thank you for 20 years of love. Thank you for all of it. Every single thing. Dad loves you Big Z. Rest easy Big Cat, rest easy. You've earned it. Cliff and Gord miss you. ❤
