Gone But Not Forgotten

Yesterday my grandparents had their dog put to sleep. Her name was Molly.

Losing an animal is really hard, especially when they have become like a member of the family. Thinking of my grandparents today made me remember the animals in my life that have already passed away. It really is bittersweet, it makes me sad, but also really happy that I have the memories with them.

First, there was Goldie, who we got when I was like 4 or 5. I was pretty scared of him because my dad had made him a fighter. But, he had his sweet side also. Our cats are all indoor cats and I remember one day that my mom and I were taking the trash out and there he was just basking in the sun. That was pretty funny, he had his chance to get away and he was too lazy to go anywhere. When I was in 6th grade we had to have him put to sleep because he got sick, but not before he bit my arm and put it in a sling. Despite that, he was a good cat and we loved him.

Then, there was Caliope. Anyone that knows me knows that I just adored this cat. She really was a member of the family. Some might say that she was a little fat, but I think that she was just proportional. I loved her so much. We got her when in 1988 when I was six and we had her until I was 20. She was such a sweetheart. I will always remember her letting me use her as a pillow and letting me put clips in her hair. She was truly a girl's best friend. I can't say enough about her.

Caliope got sick in Dec of 2001 and we thought we were going to have to put her to sleep but after a little I.V. she got a little wind back in her sail and was with us for 9 more monthes. We had to feed her small meals, at first from a spoon, and she got so used to it that every time someone went into the kitchen she thought she was going to eat. In September 02 my sister called me and said she wasn't doing well. I came home from school to find her in very poor shape. She passed away about 5 minutes after I got home. I like to think that she had to wait for me to say goodbye before she could go. At 20, that was the hardest thing I had ever had to deal with. I miss her to this day. But she was a great pet to me and my family and we loved her very much.

Then there was Thumper. My mom picked him out at the Humane Society. He was the runt of the litter but he had the longest tail ever. He was such a cutie and would pretty much let you do whatever you wanted to him. We used to give him baths and dress him up and he would just lay there. He was a sleeper, as he got older I would say that he probably slept 23 hrs a day. He was a good people cat and always made me feel better. If I was crying he would lay down next to me and put his little paw on my face. He always slept by someone at night and when Vickie moved out it was usually me. He would lay right on top of me or on top of my arm and I loved the way his fur felt on my skin, so soft. I really felt bad when I moved out because I didn't want him to think that I had abandoned him. He was so cute and had gray markings in such cute places, like the cuff around his arm.

We had to have Thumper put to sleep in Jan 06 because he was on a steady decline. My mom, Vickie, and I all took him to the vet and said our goodbyes. I got to hold him while they put him to sleep and it made me feel better because he didn't have to be alone. And afterwards he looked so peaceful. I miss him a lot, especially now that I moved back home and feel like he should be waiting on the stairs for me to go to bed every night. He was such a good cat.

Those were my first three pets (not counting various birds, fish, and hamsters). They are some of my happiest memories. We have other cats now and I am sure there will be many more pets in my future but these first ones will always hold a very special place in my heart.