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One of my parent's cats had to be put to sleep today. He was a male cat named Big Mouth because of how loud and attentive he was. Long story short, my parents had crappy next door neighbors that just up and left three cats behind. One of them was Big Mouth. After taking care of them as strictly outdoor cats for awhile (they weren't sure if they wanted to bring them in with the existing cats they had at the time) they eventually brought them in.

Turns out that Big Mouth got FIV, which is basically HIV for cats, during the period where no one was watching over the three cats my parents eventually took in (no other cat has it). So basically Big Mouth got sicker and sicker the past few months.

Yesterday, my parents were debating on what to do with the cat because while it was very clear he was feeling awful, he was still capable of independent actions and seemed to still want to do his usual things such as greet dad when he got home, chill outside for a bit, etc. Earlier in the day, my mom took Big Mouth to the vet and they said that there wasn't much that could be done at that point. Still, dad understandably wanted to make the final call, since the cat basically attached himself to dad so much, and dad to Big Mouth likewise.

So dad took the day off and spent a good two hours at the vet desperately trying to come up with a solution that would extend Big Mouth's life. Before my parents went to the vet they let Big Mouth out again and he kept doing that thing that cats normally do when they know they don't have long left: try to find somewhere private, lie down, and wait for their passing.

So with that in mind at the vet, all options presented to my dad were high risk ones that probably wouldn't work and only made the last moments of Big Mouth's life a living hell. So that's why after a long debate, dad made the call and let Big Mouth drift off.

I am not sure what hurts more. The rare sight of seeing dad very upset, or knowing one of the kindest, coolest, unique, and intelligent cats my parent's household ever had is now gone, and gone way too early because of bad luck and horribly irresponsible former owners. One of the other cats that was taken in was the son of Big Mouth. They had a strong connection and would literally speak in weird vocal cues to each other that I never seen other cats do before. I can tell Big Mouth's son is wondering where he went off to by looking out a window to see if he's outside or sniffing spots that Big Mouth frequented. I wish there was a way to convey him that Big Mouth is gone. Fortunately, the cat in question does get along with one of the other cats, so it's not like he was will be alone among the other cats. Still a sad sight to see.

So I not feeling very good today.