Her beloved cat, Lucy, died this week. My mom had to have her put to sleep. The tubby old calico was suffering from massive kidney failure.
The timing of this is cruel, because she's already dealing with the painful decline of her baby brother, my uncle. He's being dragged into court later this month to prove he's not an incompetent invalid, and I think we're resigned to the fact that he won't be able to prove any such thing.
Or maybe it's not cruel. Perhaps the double whammy makes both situations somehow easier to take. Maybe dealing with the sudden passing of lovable old Lucy distracts her from the pain of watching her kid brother unravel so publicly. Or maybe knowing she should be worrying about my uncle keeps her from dwelling on the loss of her feline friend, the one who always raced to accompany her down the hall to her bedroom and bathroom ("the other end of the house," as we kids used to refer to my parents' rooms when we still lived at home).
Do you have to be a pet lover to appreciate how suddenly lonely an everyday thing like a walk down the hall becomes when you're used to having a furry companion at your side?
Gal I had to put my beloved Mandy to sleep last Saturday. I am heart sick over it! The habit of caring for her makes the house feel like a tomb.
ReplyDeleteThoughts & prayer to your family.
Aw... I'm sorry. Pets are people, too.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about your mom's cat. I was going through pictures on my digital camera the other day and I came across a few of my old roommate's kitten and cat and I realized that I kind of missed them, even though I'm not a cat person and I'm surrounded by my dogs.
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to lose a pet, there's just such an empty place in the house. Does your Mom have any other pets?
ReplyDeleteWould your Mom take your Uncle's cat if the cat needs to find a home?
Why do pets(such as cats and dogs) who become such a part of our lives, live such pitifully short lives?
ReplyDeleteYou sound like a very caring, and empathatic daughter, niece and animal lover, Gal.
Aw, Gal, I'm so sorry to hear about Lucy (and the woes with your uncle, as well).
ReplyDeleteBetter days, ahead, my friend. ((hugs))
Sometimes I think we're saddled with mutliple burdens at once because we're already in the mindset to deal with them - instead of spreading them out and making us suffer continuously. I'm sorry about Lucy - having a greeter and companion no matter what is always special. She'll rely on other sources of comfort in dealing with her brother - I'm sure you'll be one of them.
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