It's never easy to lose a family member. When it is a relative, you receive support, condolences and the space you need to recover.
When the loss is a pet, the non-animal lovers around you will shrug and remind you that there are plenty more where the last one came from. Non-animal lovers don't understand that pets are more than animals. They are right about the needs of millions of animals up for adoption, of course, but replacing a member of the family is a more difficult process.
Animal lovers are in staunch agreement, and will listen to your stories with sympathy--briefly--before they share the latest antics of their own beloved pet.
Maui, a short haired calico lived a long and healthy life as a spayed barn kitty and passed away at the ripe old age of 18, two years ago. Her mom, Rosie, was a pregnant stray that wandered onto the property at about 18 months old, and was a little runty thing, but resilient. My folks had her spayed and kept her kitten, Maui as company for her.
When her mom went to kitty heaven after a long happy life, Maui's life became more difficult but she learned to navigate the dangers of coyotes, raccoons, neighborhood dogs and the horses that lived in and around the barn. The barn is on my parent's property, and as my hubby and older daughter is very allergic to cats, the only indoor cats we had were the stuffed toys that the girls had to make due with.
To replace Maui, my parents, "gifted" my girls with two kittens to be barn kitties. I had a very long list of why I was opposed to barn kittens. The first being that 8 week old kittens are in no way ready to face the wide world of the outdoors on their own. And how long do you think it took for those kittens to move indoors and become a part of our lives? Right. About two weeks.
When the loss is a pet, the non-animal lovers around you will shrug and remind you that there are plenty more where the last one came from. Non-animal lovers don't understand that pets are more than animals. They are right about the needs of millions of animals up for adoption, of course, but replacing a member of the family is a more difficult process.
Animal lovers are in staunch agreement, and will listen to your stories with sympathy--briefly--before they share the latest antics of their own beloved pet.
Maui, a short haired calico lived a long and healthy life as a spayed barn kitty and passed away at the ripe old age of 18, two years ago. Her mom, Rosie, was a pregnant stray that wandered onto the property at about 18 months old, and was a little runty thing, but resilient. My folks had her spayed and kept her kitten, Maui as company for her.
When her mom went to kitty heaven after a long happy life, Maui's life became more difficult but she learned to navigate the dangers of coyotes, raccoons, neighborhood dogs and the horses that lived in and around the barn. The barn is on my parent's property, and as my hubby and older daughter is very allergic to cats, the only indoor cats we had were the stuffed toys that the girls had to make due with.
To replace Maui, my parents, "gifted" my girls with two kittens to be barn kitties. I had a very long list of why I was opposed to barn kittens. The first being that 8 week old kittens are in no way ready to face the wide world of the outdoors on their own. And how long do you think it took for those kittens to move indoors and become a part of our lives? Right. About two weeks.
So Marco and his sister Bella became family as new additions to replace Maui, and brought their energy and enthusiasm to our household. In the case of Marco, we only had the adventurer for a little over a year. We lost him to coyotes last week and it breaks my heart. My husband didn't cry when his father passed away, but had tears in his eyes when he came back from burying Marco. Keely sobbed. Cassie is devistated. Bella wanders the garden and calls for him. And I try to come to terms with the loss by checking the pet section of Craigslist. But Marco was unique and he is missed.
Thanks for brightening our lives for a while Marco. You were truely great.
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