08/14/2026
My heart is broken. Yesterday Rocko was neutered and although he was FIV+ I did not expect him to have any complications. This morning he was overly lethargic and had not eaten so I rushed him to my vet where they immediately put me in a room, took his temperature and checked his neuter site. His temp was 96° and his gums were very pale. The incredible vet tech immediately wrapped him in a blanket, and surrounding him with heating pads to get his temperature up. They ran bloodwork and my vet let me know that his hemoglobin, hematocrit and RBC levels were extremely low and he had little to no platelets in his blood. He would need blood transfusions and several days of intense hospitalization to potentially fight this. The thought of him being an hour away in at an emergency vet, with strangers, being poked and prodded with only the small chance of him getting better was something I couldn’t bare to put him through so I made a decision to let him go. I stayed with him for the 2 and a half hours we were at my vet and I never took a hand off of him. I cuddled him, trying to warm his body, kissed him repeatedly and told him how much I loved him. Rocko deserved so much more than just six days of safety and affection; he deserved everything that is good in this world.
He will be privately cremated to then come home to me where he will stay and be remembered for the rest of my days. If you would like to donate to his cremation and medical bills you could call Hillside Veterinary Clinic directly or donate to my Venmo -Pillow
Spay and neuter your pets, remember that FIV sucks but the cats who have it rule and in honor of Rocko, be kind to all kinds.
Rocko forever 🤎
