Thursday, July 26, 2007

 

To Old Friends




REQUIESCAT IN PACE


Comments:
An old friend of yours...?
 
Lost a small furry friend? My sympathies. Don't ever let anyone tell you cats are aloof, unfriendly and unattached. They know their people, and they form bonds.
 
Indeed an old friend. Though we lost track of the exact dates, he owned us for at least 21 years.

The people who we got him from literally had to take apart a sofa-bed to get him out from where he had hidden. After getting-to-know-you time, he slept with us for every night thereafter. While he objected to being held or medicated or claw-clipped (and I have the scars to prove it), he preferred our company to being alone. He'll be sorely missed.

Thanks for your thoughts.
 
My sympathies, offered as one who regards the day I had a cat put down (19 y.o., kidney failure) as one of the worst of my life. A successor is sleeping at my elbow as I type.
 
Thanks.

It's particularly tough for me because of what I feel were unprofessional actions by the vet that I am still too angry to talk about.
 
My deepest sympathies.

Those of us who have lost such friends understand your feelings.

I have been present when two of my previous friends were put to sleep. Silly as it sounds, I had promised them I would be there when the time came. It was hard but there was no choice.

In both cases, the vets were very understanding and gave them a very easy passing. Would that the same could be done for human beings in the same situation.
 
We're now enjoying the company of cats #7 and #8 of the last 30 years (Cat #7 is sleeping on my right leg as I balance this laptop on my left). Of the others: three were euthanized for illness, two died while under veterinary care (though not such that I blame the vet), and one died at home in my arms.

Maybe it's because the kids are now mostly grown and flown, or maybe I'm just getting old and sentimental, but it doesn't get any easier to say farewell to the little folk -- rather the opposite. The current two are both young, so it should be many years before we have to make the sad decision again.
 
As one who has lost a friend after 19 years, I know what it feels like. My thoughts are with you.
 
Thanks again to you and everyone else. It has helped.
 
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