My daughter recently had to make the always difficult decision to have her 19 year old Burmese cat put to sleep. He had been in failing health for some time but was not suffering and managed to eat and find his way around in spite of his loss of sight.
However, the day came when he was clearly near the end of his long life. Preparations were made with our young grandchildren, who had been made aware of his impending demise for some time, and they were included in the procedure at the vets.
Whenever we have to make these kinds of decisions, I always remember what my mother taught me. She said, “It is our responsibility to make decisions in the best interest of our pets as a condition of our having them in our lives.” I have always honored that wisdom in my own life with pets but, it is always a hard choice.
The first time I really faced this terrible loss was when I was away at nursing school in Salt Lake City. I received a letter from home informing me that my beloved pet cat of ten years had died. I was devastated and could hardly make it through my shift at the hospital. This was the first time I had personally felt the pain of loss. I still had both my grandparents, who i was very close to, and my parents. I had never experienced personal loss until my cat died.
We had other pets through the years but they were always closer to my brothers or were the ‘family pet.’ This cat, Willy, was a cat I found when I was in 4th grade. One day, while walking home from school, I spotted a litter of cats under the front porch of a house. I saw this particular cat – a black and white with markings that made it look like he was wearing a baseball cap backwards (fashionable before his time)
I dashed home and asked my mother if I could have that cat. She told me to ask the people in the house so, the next day after school, I timidly walked up to the door, rang the bell and bravely asked the lady if she would let me have one of the kittens under her porch. She was very friendly and asked if I had permission from my parents. I assured her that I did so she said, “Pick out the one you want.” I, of course, had already made that decision so it was a matter of crawling under the porch and grabbing my pet-to-be.
I was thrilled to have my very own pet. He was a sweet cat and we loved each other very much. He was my companion, confidant, sleep buddy. I guess I believed He would always be there for me so that is why it was such a shock to read in the letter that he had died.
Another piece of wisdom my mother taught me was, “Always love your pets, take care of them, make the right choices for them and when they die, grieve their loss and then find another pet to love.” She was right about that and I have lost a few pets along the way.
Given the longevity of Burmese Cats, my current pet, Zachi – a beautiful Blue Burmese male – could quite possibly outlive me! Wow! wouldn’t that be something. (Maybe I should adjust my will?)
Pets do enrich our lives and whether we are cat lovers or dog lovers it matters not. Having them in our lives enriches our existence immeasurably.