ME DESPEDÍ DE MI GATO | I SAY GOODBYE TO MY CAT

Quisiera comenzar este post haciendo una pregunta:
¿Alguna vez te sentiste culpable por dormir a una mascota?

Yo sí

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Mi gato Bono fue un gato extremadamente sano; recuerdo haberlo llevado al veterinario unas 4 o 5 veces en 11 años de vida. Era muy gordo y le encantaba comer de todo; nunca fue un gato ruidoso o dañino, más bien muy tranquilo y bastante alejado de dar mimos.

Llegó a mi casa siendo una pequeña bola que tenía menos de un mes de vida y llegó con una gran herida en su cuello, lo que le provocó tener un maullido bastante gracioso.

En octubre del 2025, notamos que estaba bajando de peso y que le costaba comer, y también estaba teniendo comportamientos extraños como dar mimos y no querer estar solo, así que lo llevé al veterinario y allí encontramos la causa.

Una especie de tumoración bastante común en gatos, pero que su ubicación tenía muy mal pronóstico, ya que estaba en el paladar, es decir, no se podía operar.

El doctor me explicó que había varias terapias para que él se sintiera bien y tuviese una calidad de vida. Me habló de la quimioterapia, que solo sería para el dolor, puesto que no tenía cura.

También me habló de crioterapia y medicamentos usados en humanos para el dolor.

Ese día me fui a casa muy triste, pensando cuál sería lo mejor para él y para mí económicamente, ya que estas terapias en Venezuela no son muy económicas.

Al final decidí comenzar a darle medicación para el dolor, que era lo que más me importaba, que no sintiera dolor al comer. A veces el medicamento le hacía buen efecto y se veía tranquilo, pero en otros momentos su cara reflejaba el dolor, que no solo estaba en su boca, sino también ya en los huesos.

Los meses que siguieron fueron de estrés, recaídas, emergencias en el veterinario y cambios de medicamentos y comidas especiales.

Hicimos todo lo que estaba en nuestras manos para que él no sintiera dolor ni hambre; pasamos Navidad juntos y a veces, por momentos, pensaba que él se iba a sentir mejor.

Luego comenzó a estar más ausente, siempre escondido lejos de las personas y ruidos; la hora de la comida, que para él era el mejor momento, ya no importaba y simplemente me dije que ya era el momento, pero yo no estaba lista.

Un día solo desperté y le escribí al veterinario, luego fui a comprar su comida y postre favorito, lo dejé comer y vi que ya ni podía disfrutar su comida aunque tuviese mucha hambre. Yo también me senté a comer pollo y lo vi con interés, esos momentos que decía: “Él puede seguir luchando” y básicamente le di todo mi pollo porque quería que fuera feliz.

Estuvimos un rato en calma después del almuerzo, en donde solo pensaba con mucha ansiedad que no podría mirarle a los ojos.

Me armé de valor y fui yo solita porque nadie era capaz de verlo partir.

En el camino le pedía perdón y también cuando estábamos en la veterinaria. Le di las gracias por tantos momentos bonitos y lo miré a los ojos porque sé que ese brillo ya no estaría más.

El doctor me explicó todo lo que iba a pasar, que primero tenía que darle una sedación pequeña para poder inyectar el medicamento que termina con su vida.

El doctor lo hizo e inmediatamente mi bono se durmió, allí tuve un momento para seguirle hablando porque estaba vivo.

El doctor volvió a tomar su patita y le inyectó el medicamento que le quitó el brillo a sus ojos verdes... ya todo había terminado.

El doctor tomó su estetoscopio y revisó los latidos, me miró y me dijo: ya descansó.

En ese momento no podía parar de llorar y me sentía muy culpable por no darle tiempo a él de sentirse listo para irse.

Le dije al doctor que quería mirar por dentro de su boca para ver el tumor, lo abrimos y lo vimos y la imagen me quitó toda tristeza y culpa, sabía que había tomado una buena decisión.

Lleve su cuerpo a casa y lo enterré.

Algunas personas me dicen que lo liberé del sufrimiento, otros me dicen que fui valiente y no tengo por qué sentirme así, pero no dejo de recordar ese momento y tampoco dejo de sentirlo por la casa, preguntándome: ¿fue una buena decisión?

Perder a una mascota es algo bastante doloroso, a veces quisiéramos que fueran eternos, pero sé que él cumplió con su propósito en nuestras vidas y que fue un gato muy amado.

I would like to start this post by asking a question:
Have you ever felt guilty about putting a pet to sleep?

I have.

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My cat Bono was extremely healthy; I remember taking him to the vet about four or five times in his 11 years of life. He was very fat and loved to eat everything; he was never a noisy or destructive cat, but rather very calm and not very affectionate.

He came to my house as a little ball of fur less than a month old and had a large wound on his neck, which gave him a rather funny meow.

In October 2025, we noticed that he was losing weight and had trouble eating, and he was also exhibiting strange behaviors such as wanting to be petted and not wanting to be alone, so I took him to the vet and there we found the cause.

It was a type of tumor that is quite common in cats, but its location had a very poor prognosis, as it was on the palate, meaning it could not be operated on.

The doctor explained that there were several therapies available to make him feel better and improve his quality of life. He told me about chemotherapy, which would only be for the pain, since there was no cure.

He also told me about cryotherapy and medications used in humans for pain.

That day I went home very sad, thinking about what would be best for him and for me financially, since these therapies are not very cheap in Venezuela.

In the end, I decided to start giving him pain medication, which was what mattered most to me, so that he wouldn't feel pain when eating. Sometimes the medication worked well and he seemed calm, but at other times his face reflected the pain, which was not only in his mouth but also in his bones.

The months that followed were stressful, with relapses, emergencies at the vet, and changes in medication and special foods.

We did everything in our power to ensure he didn't feel pain or hunger; we spent Christmas together and sometimes, at times, I thought he was going to feel better.

Then he started to become more distant, always hiding away from people and noises; mealtimes, which used to be his favorite time of day, no longer mattered, and I simply told myself that it was time, but I wasn't ready.

One day I just woke up and wrote to the vet, then I went to buy his favorite food and dessert. I let him eat and saw that he couldn't even enjoy his food anymore, even though he was very hungry. I also sat down to eat chicken and watched him with interest, those moments when I said, “He can keep fighting,” and basically gave him all my chicken because I wanted him to be happy.

We were calm for a while after lunch, where I just thought anxiously that I wouldn't be able to look him in the eyes.

I gathered my courage and went alone because no one else was able to see him go.

On the way, I asked him for forgiveness, and also when we were at the vet. I thanked him for so many beautiful moments and looked him in the eyes because I knew that sparkle would be gone forever.

The doctor explained everything that was going to happen, that first he had to give him a small sedative so he could inject the medication that would end his life.

The doctor did so, and immediately my dog fell asleep. I had a moment to keep talking to him because he was still alive.

The doctor took his paw again and injected him with the medication that took the sparkle out of his green eyes... it was all over.

The doctor took his stethoscope and checked his heartbeat, looked at me, and said, “He's at peace now.”

At that moment, I couldn't stop crying, and I felt very guilty for not giving him time to feel ready to go.

I told the doctor that I wanted to look inside his mouth to see the tumor. We opened it and saw it, and the image took away all my sadness and guilt. I knew I had made the right decision.

I took his body home and buried him.

Some people tell me that I freed him from suffering, others tell me that I was brave and that I shouldn't feel this way, but I can't stop remembering that moment, and I can't stop feeling it around the house, asking myself: was it the right decision?

Losing a pet is quite painful. Sometimes we wish they could live forever, but I know that he fulfilled his purpose in our lives and that he was a much-loved cat.

Kisses to heaven, Bono.

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Texto traducido en | Text translated:DeepL
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