A Loss

[mbhandy]

I can feel for you. I had to put Prissy down last winter after 17 Yrs. She was in constant pain and I felt so sorry for her.

MrBill

[Cat]

I'm a "cat person" too (probably obvious from my username), and I feel your loss. Cats can be little turds sometimes, completely selfish and self-centered and they always seem to hork up a big, juicy hairball RIGHT where you walk half-asleep in the morning on the way from the bed to the bathroom at 6am...but we love them anyway, and ultimately they always give back tenfold, even if they gave you the cold shoulder the night before because they didn't get their favorite mushy foods or something. Whether you're a cat or a dog or rat or ferret or whatever person, pets are always our friends and whether or not you "like" one animal over another, ultimately all pet lovers feel the same way about their companion. They ARE part of the family and it's never easy to let them go. I know it's probably not much consolation, but twenty years is REALLY good for a cat, and you need to rest easy knowing that she lived a really long time in cat years and had a good life...you obviously took good care of her if you were taking her to the vet every week. Animals just somehow KNOW when their owners love them and care about them, and I can guarantee that she knew you loved her. It was just her time to go away for awhile. My cat Noodle is pretty much my best friend...I can't see my daughter very much, I have a lot of personal problems, but HE's always there and even if he was being a little s*** the night before, he always comes back and wants to sit on my lap or sleep next to me. He listens to my rantings and doesn't talk back, he has this way of making me feel better, and I always have a warm fuzzy to curl up with at the end of the day (yeah, you "manly men" who are laughing can bite me...you know you love your pets and get all squishy around them too!!!) I'm sorry man, I really am...Noodle's only four years old, but sometimes I think about the day when he won't be here anymore. That's a hard thing to think about, but I realise the most important thing is not to think about the inevitable, but to cherish the good times and the unconditional love and happiness that our pets give us, even in the worst of times. Their love is unconditional, and even if they throw fits sometimes they still love us more than anything. And that love is the most important thing to remember. They are part of our family and we are part of theirs. And when the time is right, maybe you can adopt another little fuzzy waiting for a good home to go to. Just remember, one of the national icons of Scotland is a lion!!!

[Galician]

Thanks for your comments, guys. Mr. Bill, I know that I have to be grateful that she was one companion whom I didn't have to have put down. She died peacefully in her sleep.

Cat, yes, I know that she knew that I loved her. Her mother was with me when she got out in answer to the other "call of nature," returning right afterwards. (I swore at the time that she had a smirk on her face.) So she literally spent her entire life with me. Two days after her birth, a disease killed her littermate and caused her to lose one eye. I can still see her running away from me as a kitten when I had to apply drops 3x/day in attempt to save it . At the age of six months, though, she realized that I was her friend, and would come to me for comfort throughout the long months of discomfort until the eye could be removed.

I already have several other cats whom I've rescued from the street. Even at her advanced age, though, Cloud terrified them all and showed them who was boss in that house! I just don't think that I'll ever have the relationship with them that I did with her.