A Farewell to Frankenstein

We had Frankenstein euthanized yesterday.

I made a post on my public blog, with various grub pictures, yesterday. Today, I don't know if maybe I overemphasized the breakup of the twosome that was the grubs. They were great partners in crime and I feel bad for Rafe being alone now, but today I'm just grieving for Frankenstein himself, and it seems more right to have pictures of him on his own, like heisenbug did in this obituary post (friends-only). So here he is as a kitten, seeking the tightest possible spot he could curl up in and feel snuggled. Along with calorie-scrounging and grooming his brother, it was one of the things he would devote his life to.



Frankenstein spent his last few minutes on our laps, and died snuggling with heisenbug, which I think is exactly as he would have chosen. I kept petting him for a while after the vet said his heart had stopped, because I couldn't help it, and besides, who is sure how long it takes for brain activity to end? Anyway, it was peaceful; the first shot made him put his head down and sleep, before the second one OD'd him on anesthetic and stopped his heart. It took only seconds. The vet listened with a stethoscope, and what he said was "I'm sorry. He's gone."

I know we did the right thing. I hated seeing him in pain. It was hardest near the end when he hardly ever was able to even relax, and was just hunched up all the time. It was nice to see him put his head down after that first shot and really go to sleep. So I'm not necessarily crying now because he's dead, or because he isn't here now, I'm crying for all of it.