Toughest Job In Wyoming

He was a rescue cat and second choice at that. I had already picked out Wingnut at the shelter, but I figured with my long hours of work, it would be a good idea to get her a roommate. And that’s when I saw Oswald, with a look on his face that said “I didn’t do nothing but they’re going to off me in the morning. Can you do a cat a solid?”

Oz was a second choice cat but not for long. He came with some bad habits at first, the most annoying being that he would either jump a step ahead of you or stop where he was. With no consistency he was likely to trip you or have you step on him. In time he mellowed and became alpha cat, ruler of his domain and lord of the manor. Our relationship kept getting richer.

He was polydactyl, having six toes. I always wanted to get him a tiny piano. His biggest attribute was, he had “Smoove.” Oh, he had smoove. Oswald had a big, cool and casual personality and he had our hearts. Last year he started having some seizures that got us very concerned. The medicine made him stoned all of the time so we stopped giving it to him. Luckily, we saw those abate and were grateful for that.

One morning this week, Ozzy was very low energy. After I left for work, my wife saw that he started throwing up and foaming at the mouth. A trip to the vet lead to tests and those, lead to a very difficult decision. After we found out his kidneys had shut down hard and other contributing factors that were likely non-recoverable and we knew we had to end his suffering immediately.

Not how I saw this day going. I stayed with him to the very end and am glad his short bit of suffering is over. There is a hole in my heart. The same goes for my wife, who he stayed with steadfastly when she broke her ankle.

He will never be forgotten. He will never be replaced. He was Oswald, a loved and central part of our lives.

He was, the best cat ever.

It was a devastating day for us, helped greatly by our most excellent veterinarian, Sam at Frontier Veterinary Clinic. She was perfect in her handling of the situation. She was knowledgeable and calm, a true professional. Sam was patient, kind and caring and stayed strong as we navigated the necessary steps of ending Oswald’s misery. It made me think this has to be one of the hardest jobs in the world.

You get into it to help animals from tiny birds and hamsters to large animals like cattle and horses. You become a vet to help God’s creatures but you have to deal with their pain and suffering to do it. So, thanks to Sam, her crew and all who work so hard to help the critters.

It’s a tough gig, but it needs to be done. Thanks for doing it right.