Thank you for this essay. I’m visiting my mother this week who is 94 and still living independently. She struggles, though. Her short-term memory is very poor, she gets confused easily, goes to bed earlier and earlier and gets up later and later, and is fatigued all the time. Moving her into assisted living would probably kill her.
We lost our 16 year old cat last year a month after my mother-in-law died; he gradually declined and then suddenly got worse. And our 18 year old cat died this January.
It’s hard watching our loved ones decline, wondering if they’ll still be here in the morning. It’s difficult for me to stay patient with my mother when she asks me for the tenth time in almost as many minutes what day it is. I try to find joy in the absurd. I try to accept that I’m grieving her eventual death.
A beautiful, loving little creature. He was lucky enough to have the best of lives, right to the last breath. They are family. We love them and dread losing them, but do not want them to suffer. Always such a difficult decision. Thanks for sharing this poignant story, Janice.
We just went through this with our loyal but aging dog and we went above and beyond for months before we could say good bye. Being the caregiver for an aging furry family member is a special kind of heartbreak. It’s also hard because often you must choose when to say goodbye. Thanks for giving this attention.
Having a pet was not even a consideration when I was a child at home. So, my introduction to animals was actually when I was about 12, and Dan gave me a hamster named Andy for Christmas. My parents were appalled, but allowed me to keep Andy. However, he had to stay in his cage in the basement.
After we were married, Dan brought home a stray dog. After that, it was a series of dogs, cats, gerbils, fish, birds - you name it. We finally settled on cats - and there has been one in my life for over 60 years. Right now, I have two rescue cats, Bella and Bailey, who are definitely a part of my family.
A love story of another kind.
💜💜💜💜
Thank you for this essay. I’m visiting my mother this week who is 94 and still living independently. She struggles, though. Her short-term memory is very poor, she gets confused easily, goes to bed earlier and earlier and gets up later and later, and is fatigued all the time. Moving her into assisted living would probably kill her.
We lost our 16 year old cat last year a month after my mother-in-law died; he gradually declined and then suddenly got worse. And our 18 year old cat died this January.
It’s hard watching our loved ones decline, wondering if they’ll still be here in the morning. It’s difficult for me to stay patient with my mother when she asks me for the tenth time in almost as many minutes what day it is. I try to find joy in the absurd. I try to accept that I’m grieving her eventual death.
Hi Teri, those are difficult circumstances to deal with - no doubt about it. Finding joy in the absurd - what a great idea.
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Beautiful article 🫂
A beautiful, loving little creature. He was lucky enough to have the best of lives, right to the last breath. They are family. We love them and dread losing them, but do not want them to suffer. Always such a difficult decision. Thanks for sharing this poignant story, Janice.
Hi Sharron, Thank you for reading - it is that fine line - dread losing them and not wanting them to suffer.
❤️
We just went through this with our loyal but aging dog and we went above and beyond for months before we could say good bye. Being the caregiver for an aging furry family member is a special kind of heartbreak. It’s also hard because often you must choose when to say goodbye. Thanks for giving this attention.
💛🐕🦺
Hi Kirsten, that's the truth of it - we have to decide.
What a sweetie. Our fur babies are truly family.
Having a pet was not even a consideration when I was a child at home. So, my introduction to animals was actually when I was about 12, and Dan gave me a hamster named Andy for Christmas. My parents were appalled, but allowed me to keep Andy. However, he had to stay in his cage in the basement.
After we were married, Dan brought home a stray dog. After that, it was a series of dogs, cats, gerbils, fish, birds - you name it. We finally settled on cats - and there has been one in my life for over 60 years. Right now, I have two rescue cats, Bella and Bailey, who are definitely a part of my family.
Awww. So nice. Love that you “tried on” different species.