There is an old saying:
Never trust a man who doesn't love a dog
That quote can be extrapolated to a woman...and exchange dog for almost any animal.
I lost my cat today after 16 years of being on the job 24/7/365. She showed up everyday. She was always presentable and clean. She never complained. Never asked for a raise or vacation. Never let up on the job.
I rescued Oreo from the Bide-a-Wee home in 1994. I was a single professional at the time. I never liked cats but I missed having a pet. When I passed her crate, she pulled my finger into her and started licking it. I wasn't ready, but, 2 weeks later, I regretted not giving her a new home. So, I went back.
Her crate was gone and I felt I had missed out. I approached the clerk and, to my surprise and elation, they had simply moved her crate into a different area.
I adopted her.
The next sixteen years I was licked, slept on, meowed at, pounced on...yet...I am really not a cat person, bag man, animal activist, mushy anything. Just a general surgeon who enjoys animals. Unfortunately, being a physician comes with a price and that is knowledge. Knowledge is good and it can also be a bad thing.
About 3-4 weeks ago I picked up my pet and felt...bones. I examined her and to my shock and dismay, I noticed a mass in her abdomen. I looked at her food bin and noticed that it hadn't been going down much. I knew that Oreo didn't have much time left. Today, she appeared extremely weak and I knew that her time had come.
I tried to make her as comfortable as possible. I left to run some errands and get my kids across the street to my sister's so that they could play with their nephews. I stopped in to check on Oreo and she was meowing loudly. I sat down next to her, held her, pet her and within minutes, she passed. Now, I don't care WHAT anyone says, but, that animal waited for me to let go.
I'm not sure why, when we don't plan on getting attached, we do. They really don't ask for anything but give so much back in return. I'll dig thru the snow today and bury Oreo in the backyard. She was a great animal and at my ripe old age of 29, I'll miss her. I had to put my greyhound to sleep last August, so, it's been a very rough year for me and I have a lot more challenges to go.
Unrequited love. Surely, something any human can learn a lesson from.
Frank