Remington's Obituary

Remington Barnes (2001-2013)

Remington Barnes was born in the early spring of 2001 to an unknown birth mother, and was given up for adoption at the age of two months.  He found his forever home with Jeff and DeAnn Barnes of Ames, IA.  He lived in the Ames/Boone area his entire life.  He died on February 20, 2013.

Remington worked as a hunter, a counselor, an entertainer, a wake-up service and a dog trainer.  His primary employment was as a companion through the Fur Shedders and Allied Trades Union.

Mr. Remington was passionate about chasing Tricky Worms, sleeping on damp bath mats, and drinking the leftover milk in Jeff's cereal bowl.  He was an avid birdwatcher, and his favorite season was when the baby robins leave their nests.

Remington is survived by his parents, his human siblings Katie and Erin, and his canine sister Penny.  He was preceded in death by his canine sister Abby Anne Barnes.

A special thanks goes out to the Boone Veterinary Hospital for providing hospice care during his last days. The tenderness and compassion they showed made his journey home much more comfortable. 

In lieu of flowers, gifts in his memory may be sent to the Ames Animal Shelter or a local animal rescue of your choice.

The Cat Door to Heaven

Today is Friday, February 15th, and this whole journey with Remington started last Saturday night- the 9th.  Thursday morning we decided to stop all tests and treatments as it is evident that he is not going to recover.  I am actually in disbelief that he is still alive- I have left the vet's office so many times being sure that he will not live more than a few hours.  We are glad to know that he is safe, warm, and most of all he is comfortable.

I have a very vivid picture in my mind of what he is doing:  He is sitting at the gate to Heaven, meowing for someone to let him in.  Yet every time someone opens the gate, he sniffs the air, and sits back down.  He is such a cat, that Remington.



Thank you so much to everyone who has left a comment for us.  We read them all, and they are very comforting.  It is wonderful to feel support from so many people during this difficult time.

How Remington Is Today

Jeff and I just got back from the vet.  To catch you up, Remington has been there since Monday 2/11/13, after being outside in the cold for 36 hours. 

We have learned that Remington was suffering complications of his blood sugar being too high.  He most likely ran away because of that animal instinct to isolate themselves when they are dying.  We feel a lot of guilt that we did not know he was so sick before.

For the past two days, Remington has mostly been sleeping.  Sometimes I when I visit him, there is no response.  

Once Jeff brought a camera with him to take a picture.  He was hoping to find Rem sitting up and better.  That has not happened, and the way he looks is not a way that we want to remember him.

He seems to be comfortable.  Today he moved his head a little, and even shifted his body to get nearer to us.  I feel more at peace- I am prepared for him to go.  But I do have a little hope that he might pull through.  A very small hope. 


Here are a couple of funny photos of him. He has been such a source of laughter in our lives.  Please send positive thoughts his way.




An early family photo





The cat was not a big fan of toddlers, so finding him and Katie taking a nap together was a bit of a surprise.





Remington photobombing a pic of Katie



Remington

Years ago, Jeff and I decided we needed a cat.  Well, anyway, I decided we needed a cat.  We used to visit the Ames animal shelter on a regular basis.  In no time at all we found an adorable orange kitten who needed a home.  Jeff agreed.  He was THAT adorable.

We named him Remington, because he is a classic tabby with the bulls-eye pattern on his sides.  We had an old advertisment that said "Remington High-Speed 22" and when he would race around our house, that's what we called him.

He immediately claimed a place in our home.

Like all good cats, the mighty hunter brought his first kill to show me

Remington has such a great personality- not too shy, and not too needy.  He adapted well to the changes in our family, like moving to different houses.  And babies being born.

Remington helping me pack coats when we were moving

A new puppy was a huge adjustment. 

Remington liked to sleep in the baby's car seat. 

He apparently felt the need to continue claiming his place in our house!  Yes Remington, you are still our baby!

Erin pretending that her stuffed cat is nursing on Remington

Christmas 2009

When Remington was six years old he developed some issues.  Most noticiably, he was urinating a lot more than usual.  He also had some sores on his chin called feline acne.  We took him to the vet and were shocked to get the diagnosis of feline diabetes.  We were faced with a choice- either put the cat on a strict diet and give him insulin injections twice a day, or not.  If we chose not, Remington would get sicker and sicker and eventually die.  Giving a cat- all that fur!- injections was really hard to get used to, but we did, and he thrived.  He has had some ups and down with his health, but most of the time he is a happy, healthy, regular cat.  And we have been giving him insulin shots twice a day for six years now!

Cats like to sleep in bags

and coats, and baskets of clean laundry.....

We recently switched veterinarians, and Remington's blood sugars had gotten out of whack.  Last Saturday evening Remington seemed to be doing OK.  He decided he wanted out, and was begging at the door incessantly.  I gave in and opened the door.  I figured he would want back in as soon as he felt the cold.  Instead, we watched him hop off the deck and into the dark.  We went after him a few minutes later but he was already gone.  Jeff and I spent two hours walking around in the dark, and then the dark and the freezing rain searching for him.

We waited up all night.  We kept all the outside lights on.  We kept calling for him.  He was gone.

The next day it was 32 degrees and rained on and on.  We kept looking, and we hung up a sign for our neighbors to see.  Remington has never been outside longer than a few hours at a time.  And he always came back.  Something was really wrong. 



Monday morning (today, 2/11/13) a neighbor called, and Remington was on her deck.  He was very, very cold and very, very dehydrated.  Jeff took him immediately to the vet.

Earlier this year- Rem taking it easy

Remington is at the vet getting tests done, and being kept warm and rehydrated.  We have been told that he may die tonight, or he may get better and able to come home tomorrow.  We are praying for the best.

When we learned that he had diabetes I couldn't imagine taking care of him for six more years.  Now that he has been with us so long, we can't imagine not having him.  I know in my head that we have been blessed to have him twelve years.  But my heart, my greedy heart wants more.

I will keep you updated.