Pets Add So Much to Our Lives

I just returned from a bittersweet visit to my veterinarian. Our nine-year-old cat, Geordi (all you fans of Star Trek will know where his name came from!) was noticeably ill. Over the course of just a few weeks, he began to empty his food and water bowls several times throughout the day and increase the use of the litter box. Besides the obvious changes, Geordi seemed normal. I mean, cats sleep a lot anyway, and he came out for tickles and he still purred. But we knew he needed to go see Dr. Wendy at Mayde Creek Animal Hospital.

 

Good thing we did. Geordi is a diabetic. Dr. Wendy did blood tests, and his glucose number was in the 500s. The normal range for cats is in the 100s. The point of this blog is not to discuss feline diabetes, but I hope to remind us all about how much our pets are a part of our lives. I drove to the vet thinking that I would not be coming home with Geordi. I really thought I would have to have him put to sleep. He had been a companion of mine since Tropical Storm Allison in 2001; he was rescued as a kitten from the flood waters and passed along to me by a friend.

 

Geordi has seen me through my first apartment, my first job, dating woes, marriage, a new house, one child, and now triplets. He has known me longer than my husband. I am sure that all pet owners can relate to the value they put upon their animal companion. Pets just love us. They make our lives better. When we lose them, our hearts are broken. When I had to put down a previous cat, the vet presented me with a clay imprint of his paw. Now, I don’t look at it everyday and sob over it, but it is a visible reminder that Q (yes, another Star Trek reference!) was here and is now missed. (Of course, another reminder is some scratched up furniture, but that’s a different matter!)

 

We have some more time with Geordi because we hopefully caught his illness early enough to make simple changes to improve his health. I may have to put him to sleep in the near future if these changes don’t effect enough of an improvement. That will be a tough day, but I am thankful that I can now show him some more love while he’s here. How do you show that you love your animal companion? How do you remember those that you have lost?