I’ve been writing articles for almost two decades but this is the most difficult one I have ever written. Because not being aware of our decisions, not taking full responsibility, and believing in the medical system without questioning cost my beautiful baby Casey’s life.
He is our beautiful cat, but not “just a cat,” truly a part of our family. We lived in a cottage next to a bird sanctuary on Molokai, and the lady who looked after the wetland area would put up traps all around — to catch cats, dogs, chicken, mongoose, anything that she thought might harm the birds. We found out later that she was killing the animals that she trapped, but that’s a different story.
Casey’s mom got caught in one of the traps and gave birth to three beautiful kittens. We heard her crying, climbed over the fence and found the kittens. By this time it was the evening, actually Thanksgiving 2015. We put in some food and water, then opened then trap and left her, hoping she would take the kittens.
She took one but the next morning two were left behind. They were already in bad shape; of course, we took both of them. Molokai doesn’t have a vet, just a Humane Society which back then had very limited expertise and limited hours so we did our best to save them.
We named them Peanut and Strawberry. Unfortunately Peanut lived only 11 days but Strawberry fought so hard and after about two weeks finally started gaining weight and strength. We changed his name to “Casey.” You probably understand now why I call him my baby. He was very very strong and full of beautiful life.
All animals live in the present moment, they are pure and carry absolutely pure LOVE. Casey’s life story is not the reason that I wanted to write this though. Casey lost his life after a series of complications that we believe began when we moved from Hawaii to Texas in March 2024.
Having led a completely free life in Hawaii, when we moved to our new house, he almost immediately starting going out all night and coming back covered in scratches. We took him to a vet in April 2024 when he developed an ear infection.
We asked about the possibility of neutering him because he was fighting feral cats. We had thought of this before; however, on Molokai with no good vet access, we didn’t want to take the risk. The vet suggested neutering, assuring us it was safe — despite Casey being almost 9 years old, having just moved a couple of weeks earlier from Hawaii to Texas, and with his current ear infection.
No bloodwork was done, no one asked if he was fasting before sedation and surgery, we were not warned about potential dangers of neutering him after the extreme stress of his move and the possibility of urinary blockages in older male cats — which unfortunately we learned later are very common, due to the sudden lowering of testosterone levels and narrowing of the urethra.
We also were not advised of any diet changes or any follow up that should be done after neutering. The vet’s answer was that it’s a routine procedure with very little potential for problems, it would just “calm him down.” Of course we are blaming ourselves for not paying attention and blindly trusting the vet.
Almost immediately after surgery, Casey’s behavior changed drastically. He suffered his first full urinary blockage in June 2024. Over the coming months he experienced multiple UTIs and blockages and had to undergo PU surgery in October 2024. He didn’t recover and blocked again immediately after surgery. As we later learned, by this point it was already too late.
After Casey blocked again in March 2025, a specialist found extreme abnormal tissue in his bladder. Unfortunately Casey couldn’t deal with the almost daily catheter and medications. He chose his own way, at the end of June he stopped eating and on July 2, 2025, he died in his home, in our arms.
He taught us so much in the way that he lived his life. He even knew how to die too, with courage and strength. When he died, I really felt something died in me too.
Despite visiting the same veterinary clinic nearly every day for three months, and over 100 times in the the year, after our final visit when it was clear that he was dying, not one person from the hospital followed up — not a single word of compassion after his death.
We emailed them two weeks after he died with an expression of our sadness and concerns. They did not even reply. We do very much appreciate one veterinarian who was kind and helpful, but we trusted another doctor who gave poor advice — and Casey paid for this with his life.
Do not underestimate animals. They live with a connection to nature that most humans have lost. They live in the present moment. They do not carry their anger or sadness. They are pure in everything they do, including pure love. We think we own them, but we are not their owners. If we pay enough attention to them though, they can be our best teachers.
Writing this article, it’s now a month since we lost him. We are still crying and the house feels empty without him, he is everywhere. And yet this article is not just about grief.
It’s about truth.
It’s about responsibility.
Taking responsibility is hard, especially for a loved one who can not verbally communicate with you. We think we understood a lot, and he showed much through his behavior, although we can not really understand them because we have so many preconceptions about what they might want or be thinking. Of course, we think we know — we think humans are smarter than animals, we think we’re the best thinkers.
I don’t blame anyone.
Yes, the vet should have done better. We also should have asked more, and researched more. We should have been more than passive participants. Yes, we should have been better informed. That’s what hurts the most.
This experience has taught us so much about responsibility, and also about the medical system I will explore this in more detail in Part 2.
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Ayda Ersoy is a nutritionist (Dip.C.N., Dip.S.N.); master trainer (CPT ACE, NCSF, CanfitPro); registered yoga teacher; founder, Health Angel Nutrition, Fitness and Wellness; and founder, SMS (Stability, Mobility Strength) Intuitive Training System.
Source: The Garden Island
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