Some of you know that one of my family's cats, Gabe, got sick last fall. He had a recurrence of fatty liver disease (he originally had a bout with it in Dec. 2006). He started to improve, but around New Year's Day relapsed and did not recover. We lost him on Jan. 25.
Losing a pet is very painful. I grow so attached to my pets, that the loss leaves a void and sadness in my life. Gabe, a beautiful orange and white tabby (a Garfield lookalike) was with us for nine years. He was a stray that we adopted as a kitten literally off the streets in the Azores. He loved to eat, especially chicken and tuna; my husband encouraged him to beg (as a dog might). As we left the house, he would watch us from the window, then greeted us at the door when we returned home.
He played with our other cat, Shadow, and treated him like a younger brother. He also liked to chase the laser light and nap in patches of sun. Gabe was very protective. When a neighbor cat came into our yard, he hissed and growled. Also, he was a snuggler and bed hog, often taking up a third of our king-size bed with his stretched out body.
Gabe, we'll miss you.
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of Gabe. I lost my last cat Shadow to an incurable bowl disease in March of 2008. It was very painful. Your right about getting attached to our pets. They truly become a part of the family.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry about your loss! I lost 2 pets in the same week one time! My first real loss I experienced was a cat I had for more than 6 yrs I prayed every day that she would get better because I knew she was sick one night I forgot to pray and the next day she died. I used to work at an animal shelter and even though I did not own any of those animals and I still became attached!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for your loss! Losing a pet is very painful. I used to work at a dog kennel for quite a few years, and the owner had quite a few dogs of her own and I took care of them everyday while she was away. They became my pets, in a way, and whenever we lost one it was always a very sad time. The worst was losing one of the puppies. But pets definitely do become a big part of you. :(
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for your loss. My family is a cat family, and we've had a few of our furry family members pass away. Having, and losing, a pet with a disease is even more hard, because sometimes they don't understand whats wrong with themselves or that they have to take it easy. We recently adopted a stray that tested positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. It could be a false positive from a vaccination, since we don't know if he had previous owners. It is hard to look him in the face everyday and realize that he may live so shortly compared to the rest of our cats. There is a silver lining though. Even though we can never supplant our lose, we can open our hearts and homes to new pets, and help each other live better lives.
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