Grace (left) and WillI am very upset that our cat Will died last weekend, and no one is more surprised by that than I am.
It happened very quickly. The cats woke us up with their meowing early Saturday morning, as they always do. At 7 a.m., when Paul went to shut them into the computer room with their food and litter box, he noticed that Will couldn't move his hind legs. Paul spent the next two hours finding the veterinarian's office that opened the earliest and trying to keep Will from moving.
We got to the vet at 9 on the dot, but neither of us held high hopes. Unbeknownst to us at the time, we had each independently googled Will's symptoms, so we weren't shocked when the vet told us that it appeared that Will suffered from a series of blood clots. He recommended that Will be put down. An hour later and it was all over.
Before we got Will and Grace almost four years ago, I hadn't had a pet for maybe 15 years. Even then, they were outdoor cats who frequently got the short end of the stick early in their lives when they came into contact with the local coyotes. I quickly realized that bonding with an animal was a lost cause that was sure to end badly, and soon.
The last time I can remember being truly upset about a lost pet was in the fourth grade. I was so upset -- almost in tears, if I wasn't actually crying -- that my teacher, Miss Yoder, called me up to her desk and asked if there was anything I wanted to talk to her about. I just couldn't bring myself to tell her that we had accidentally run over one of our cats on the way to school just that morning.
So my pet experiences haven't been good, and I'll be the first to admit that cats frequently annoy me. But now I miss greeting both Wilbur and The Gracie Cat (can pets have pet names?) when I get home. I miss Will hanging out by the dishwasher when I unload it, playing with the puddles of water on the open door. And I hate Grace's pitiful meows, wondering where her brother is.
Don't remind me that I wanted to give the cats away. I already feel guilty enough as it is.
Oh that's so sad! I'm sorry Diane.
ReplyDeleteWe had to put my cat Oreo to sleep when I was in college. I actually made a point of showing her to my other cats so they'd know she was dead. I figured they'd just wonder where she went otherwise...
Diane, I'm sorry about your cat Wilbur. Off topic, but I had a boyfriend Wilbur in high school. Back on topic, I am truly sorry. I feel so bad for Grace.
ReplyDeleteAw, I'm so sad for you guys! It's very hard to lose a pet. I was devastated when my family's Siamese died a few years ago. We'd had her since I was 12. It was the worst.
ReplyDelete