For those of you who don't think a pet is part of the family, then you might as well stop reading now.
This morning my mom took my childhood cat to the vet, and came back without her. I knew this was a possibility when she took her. Sarabelle (tiger-striped) had been having troubles breathing and couldn't eat so mom was taking her to the vet to see what could be done, if anything. Turns out she had pneumonia, and had it for awhile. That's why she couldn't breathe or eat and why for the past couple months she's been "coughing." She also had kidney failure, which like any older animal is a possibility and had lost 5 pounds in the past year and weighed only 5 pounds. Sarabelle was a stray kitten in our alley that during the winter many, many, many years ago coaxed inside and she's been ours ever since. She was a bitch. She hated people, but she always let you pet her once and every once in awhile would lay with you. She also had a saggy belly from when she was spayed. We joke that she needed to have a tummy tuck or lipo because it swayed back and forth as she walked. I've never had to say goodbye to a childhood pet, and man was it hard. She's not suffereing anymore though, which ultimately is all that matters. I'll miss her but it's part of growing up. You lose things you love, but with every loss, you'll gain something new whether it's a lesson or a kitten. Ha! It's too soon for a new cat to replace her but don't be fooled-i checked the pounds website this afternoon :) My babygirl Sarabelle is now buried out in the backyard, with my great-grandma's cat. I was outside with dad while he dug the whole(he was more of a mess than me) and the neighborhood cat, Bozzle, sat out there with us like he was paying his condolences or something. Sam hasn't noticed that Sara isn't around, but give it time and he'll realize there isn't anything to pick on.
Man that felt good to get off my chest :)
Miss and love you Sarabelle!
Corie,
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel. When we had to put Socrates down, it was the hardest decision we ever made. I swore I would never get another one; she was too hard to replace. Then some kind lady I worked with at hallmark had this neighbor cat that was not allowed in the little girls house and she begged me to give it a proper home. One night we met in the middle of a street (we were each in our own cars) and she brought the cat to me. We took it and raised it as our own. We named it Jett (you might remember it as Midnight). I don't know if your mom ever told you that she took the little black cat that your friend's father had given her and brought her to us. I really didn't want a cat, but your mom convinced me and I loved that cat. She has since passed on but we have replaced her with a tiger we call Benni (and from your description, she sounds a lot like Sara--dragging belly, standoffish unless she wants you). Tell you mom, I said you need to replace Sara.