Wrecked by a Schnoodle

July 7, 2022 5:45 PM

A beautiful but heartbreaking goodbye poem from a dying cat. Warning, this one's is a real tear-jerker, especially if you've ever lost a beloved pet. By Reddit's unofficial poet laureate, SchnoodleDoodleDo. Previously.
posted by mikeand1 (17 comments total)

Sorry, I think I’ll pass. I still can’t think too hard about my last cat without ugly crying. So this will either piss me off or wreck me.
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:05 PM on July 7, 2022 [6 favorites]

“Now I know I have a heart, ‘cause it’s breaking.”
posted by elphaba at 6:48 PM on July 7, 2022 [3 favorites]

I was okay right up to the last line. Thanks for sharing it here.
posted by briank at 7:06 PM on July 7, 2022

I have a lot of respect for even the ordinary everyday Schnoodles (and "everyday" might be literal for all I know -- I have seen enough, at any rate, to know they are extremely prolific) because they almost always seem like a small gift to the poster and the readers. But this gift is not so small - I consider what it probably means to the individual who has lost their beloved pet and I am heartened to think that there is someone who puts a lot of their time and thought into making the world a little bit better for random internet strangers.

Please don't ever milkshake-duck yourself, Schnoodle, whoever and wherever you are, because on a net that too often seems full of wannabe edgelords, determined to behave as awfully as possible, it is a blessing to know that there is an opposite pole and people who inhabit it.
posted by Nerd of the North at 8:19 PM on July 7, 2022 [12 favorites]

.
posted by slater at 9:18 PM on July 7, 2022 [1 favorite]

Oh dear!
posted by Zumbador at 9:45 PM on July 7, 2022

My spouse and I had to say goodbye to our beloved Missy on Monday. She was nineteen, and she was the sweetest little gray raincloud you could ever meet. I'm absolutely destroyed.
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:58 AM on July 8, 2022 [15 favorites]

Dang it, you warned us! Why did I look. Thanks.
posted by TreeRooster at 7:04 AM on July 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

My 21-year-old cat passed about a month ago and I'm having a real tough time with it. My therapist says it's good for me to cry on purpose — I'm not sure I believe her, and I'm also at work, so I will bookmark for later. Maybe.
posted by Ampersand692 at 8:13 AM on July 8, 2022 [4 favorites]

I think Schnoodle is a great gift to the world of reddit. She has a real knack.
posted by drewbage1847 at 2:13 PM on July 8, 2022

My 13-year-old cat passed in January from cancer, and I knew I would be a sobbing mess if I read the poem. I read the poem and had to find tissues. But I'm doing better now. For weeks, I was crying every time I went to bed, since she slept with me.

Schnoodle's poems are always a joy, even when they bring out the feels.
posted by tlwright at 3:41 PM on July 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

I have to wait as we sit here and agonize about our 15 year old blind cat who is on his last legs (that always sleeps with us). But I saved it for later - thanks.
posted by getawaysticks at 7:24 PM on July 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

Queen's All dead, all dead was inspired by the loss of Brian May's childhood cat. So that's become my comfort song when we've had to put ours to sleep.

Though I haven't used them, I've heard that Tufts Vet School has Pet Loss Resources, including a phone hotline and virtual support groups for dealing with grief.
posted by cheshyre at 8:20 PM on July 8, 2022 [3 favorites]

I had to let go of my old man (18+) six weeks ago. His urn arrived yesterday. Reading Schnoodle's poem broke me all over again. I miss listening to him yell in the morning so much.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 5:29 AM on July 9, 2022 [1 favorite]

For those with terminally ill pets, facing the horrible decision of when it's finally time to put them to sleep,

Look up the 5H2M (HHHHHMM) Quality of Life Scale
The letters stand for Hurt, Hunger, Hydration, Hygiene, Happiness, Mobility, and More good days than bad

After our cat's diagnosis of terminal cancer, I worried that I'd wait too long to make the call and she would suffer unnecessarily. Having this framework to think about her wellbeing was extremely helpful.
We nursed her thru six months of palliative care, and in the end I felt reassured that we'd gave her the best life possible.

I still miss her (she says, misting up), but I have far fewer regrets.
posted by cheshyre at 7:54 AM on July 9, 2022 [2 favorites]

oh gawd.
posted by QuakerMel at 11:55 AM on July 9, 2022

I always tell myself I'm going to stop clicking this genre of link but whenever one is posted, here I go. Ugly crying again.
posted by kimberussell at 7:08 AM on July 12, 2022 [1 favorite]