February 23, 2013

Saying Goodbye to A Feline Friend

I should have known something was wrong by the tone of Mom's text, encouraging me to come over early.

News is bad about her oldest cat, Smokey - he's in bad shape, with dehydration, anemia, kidney failure, and other maladies, rendering him a shadow of his formerly feisty self....and leading to a rough decision on her part.

My current mood, admittedly, has been dark but optimistic - trudging through the tough times (and having some periods where I have given full bloom to my emotions), but otherwise feeling as if my current state will slowly - but surely - blossom into a period of positivity.

But thankfully, I've been spending most of my time with Mom and Smokey (Chucky, her other cat, hides snuggled up on her bed), raging at the unfairness of it all - after all, Smokey's only 14: a long life, but my Dax has outlived him by five years.

(Her health isn't too great, either, but she's....not in the obvious pain that Smokey is).

Perhaps mourning and saying goodbye to a pet seems silly, but for many of us, our pets allow us to experience unconditional regard (with cats, "love" may be stretching it). Smokey's been a good cat, and I'm glad that I have the chance to say goodbye.

And apologize for all the times I threatened to shave him bald.

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