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July 5, 2003
letting go
"Rick, she's 16 years old."
It's my way of saying to the roomate it's time for his cat Maddie to pass on. I don't want to be mercilessly blunt to the roomate, but for a cat, that's quite a life. But he didn't take the hint today. She's been suffering for over a week now due to kidney failure. Last week she wasn't eating or drinking, yesterday she tried to drink in the morning, and vomited the water back up after her three attempts at drinking. Three puddles of clear vomit later, no thank-you's from the roomate for having his recently cauterized roomate clean up vomit from his own damn cat. And today she's just been lying there, unable or unwilling to move. I've had to check her twice to see if she's dead or not. The roomate is in clear denial about the upcoming mortality of his very old cat. To let her hang on in this state is cruel, in my opinion, as her occasional yowls of agony and immobility can attest. He says he'll give her a few more days, and now the fucking kitchen is a stinking triage center. No, a few more days won't do much for her but extend her pain, but he thinks it will make all the difference.
I didn't much like that cat, but mercy is mercy, even for a beast that had its way throughout the house. She was always getting into kitchen and bathroom sinks, and hopping up on kitchen and bedside tables for a drink of whatever I'm having at the moment. But she was cute in her own cat way. Don't get me wrong...I like dogs and cats, but they have their place, and when it's time to go, sometimes an assist is required.
The roomate is almost as immobile as the cat right now. Yes, he's going through what I did last year, with a one-two punch of unemployment and breakup at the same time. I'm sure such pressures have added to his already inherent laziness. And ever since we got the accursed cable, the television is always a din to be expected in the house, late into the evening at loud volumes. However, it's no excuse to have gotten absolutely nothing done over the three-day weekend, while I have at least washed dishes, washed my car, vacuumed my room and finished laundry with part of my throat recently removed. Meanwhile, the bathroom is filthy as hell and the kitchen floor is coated with a fine veneer of dried cat vomit. It's definitely time for a long weekend away or a work trip.
I don't have many housing options right now in DC due to my debt payment schedule, but after this weekend I'll certainly be keeping my eyes open. Living alone is always the best option for me, but if I must have them, fewer roomates are better, and they must not be lazy, smokers, sloppy, or certifiably depressed. No more cats, either.
Posted by jimbo at July 5, 2003 6:09 PM
Comments
Love the hot new evil-funk photo. Nicely balanced with the artificial solar flare.
-andrew
Posted by: Andrew at July 5, 2003 8:42 PM
Hey there, thanks to all the peeps who told me they liked my spin on the blog. As we can all see, Jimbo is feeling much better. He sits in judgement on the world. All hail the mighty Jimbo! :) Take the pills again baby!
GURL
Posted by: GURL at July 6, 2003 1:27 AM
Don't forget, my building always has openings. You can get a studio for probably $800, one bedroom for $900. Let me know.
Posted by: stebbins at July 8, 2003 6:51 PM