Many of you have asked how Moon is doing.... So I thought I would give you an update. Our kitty seems to be holding strong, or at least stable, for now. He's on a special kidney-friendly food, and is taking a couple of things to help his tummy feel better so that he feels like eating this new fancy-pants food. We're watching him closely to make sure he doesn't stop eating again, or start showing any other signs of suffering.
In a round about way, it is a bit of a gift to get to know that the end may be approaching. I know a lot of people who have had to deal with the shock of their pets just disappearing-- missing for good or suddenly and unexpectedly passing away. It's a treasure, in a way, to be able to take this time to reflect on what this small unassuming animal has meant to me.
I was talking with a friend the other day about Moon, and she said something to the effect of "Moon has carried a lot of your grief over the years".
This, I know is true. Grief, joy, fear, loneliness, happiness, confusion-- these are all things we burden our pets with. This cat has been a little fuzzy sponge that has often soaked up my worries and angst at the end of the day. Also, now, he is the love of my little girl's life. We're definitely up for suggestions any of you may have in how to talk with Violet about all of this. It's going to be tough.
Its a tough call and of course there is no easy answer, but I can lend a bit of personal experience which may or may not provide a bit of insight and perhaps a bit of comfort as well.
ReplyDeleteWhen April was 2 she was down south. I was taking care of our cat Satsuki, as I was still living in the house. If you recall, Satsuki was a very tempermental siamese, but a big fluffy momma cat deep down. She loved April and protected her always as if she were her own. In any event, while they she was gone, Satsuki became very, very ill. I took her to see Laura's mom at the animal shelter and the news was of course the worst.. She was a very old cat and it was time.
When April returned to the Bay Area, she asked about Satsuki. Although I don't recall the exact conversation, I think I explained to her that Satsuki was very old and needed to rest, and that she went away. April probably asked when she would be coming back, and I probably told her she would be gone a very long time.
Over time, Aprils miss for Satsuki, which surfaced as "where is Satsuki?" faded to a fond memory.. I know this sounds cold, but really, it was the best.. She knows that we had a cat that loved her and that she loved it.. She of course now knows the truth, I explained it all to her several years later when she was old enough to understand.
So advice? Not really.. Eloquence? hardly.. Just my own experience that I hope can help in some way...
Our cat Tiger died over the summer. I found him curled up on Natalie's changing pad in her room. I was honest with Natalie, telling her Tiger was sick and had died, and we had a cat funeral in the yard that day. I had her and her friend, who I was babysitting at the time, pick some flowers to bury with Tiger and we all thought of something "good" about Tiger to share. I buried him and we all planted bulbs and other flowers over his place in the yard so we'd always remember him.
ReplyDeleteoops, I posted that under Joe's name :P
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your comments, Kathy and David. I really appreciate the advice on how to handle Violet with all of this. Kathy- Natalie hasn't freaked out about sickness=death, has she?
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