Our beloved cat, Luna, passed away on her own, but so many pets need our help to end their suffering.

I heard from many people who had to make the difficult decision to euthanize a much-loved animal.

Kathleen’s story about Fuzzie, her pet rabbit, was especially moving:

…I had to put my long time friend, Fuzzie to sleep on Saturday. She was much more than a 6 1/2 lb ball of fur to me and my two sons….

I am a single mom, surrounded by lovely boys…. two sons, two male cats, a male dog who stops by from time to time, and a best friend who also happens to be male. Fuzz was my girlfriend. We sat every night and watched tv together. She needed to come out and play, and I had the perfect excuse to sit down for an hour. …Toward the end of the hour I would lie down and let her lick my face, which she did with such precision and caring. She was a devoted bunny. She loved all of us, but I was the only one who’s face and hands were cared for in this special way.

And look at what Kathleen says in conclusion:

think of all the reasons I find it so hard to let her go, other than the fact that I miss her terribly, the most difficult is the feeling that I could not protect her. When we take an animal into our care, we assume full responsibility for their lives. It is so hard to let that go… especially when we have had to make the choice of euthanasia.

I’ve felt this same sense of helplessness every time we’ve lost a pet. I wonder if:

• Loving a pet is a special, concentrated way of embracing Life, and then
• Losing that pet reminds us of the transience and fragility of Life itself

We’ve got another cat, Malcolm, who is very old now and quite frail. He’s partially blind and he walks with difficulty, and he complains, loudly, several times per day (and night).

Yet, the yowls seem angry and frustrated, not pain-filled. Plus, he eats. Boy, does he eat!

Malcolm’s always been an active cat with a hearty appetite, and these qualities remain. Limping around the yard, grumbling, then wolfing down a large helping of Super Supper, Malcolm has a Clint-Eastwood quality to him: wizened, irritable, ornery-yet-tender. Very much alive. A cat version of Walt Kowalski in Gran Torino.

Diane’s beautiful portrayal of her cat, Moses, reminds me of Malcolm. And we’ve decided that, like Moses, Malcolm will signal that he’s ready to go, when he stops eating:

Moses left us this last Saturday after not eating for 5 days. He was 14, and my dear friend. He was loud, willful, and infinitely sweet. A friend said “in his next life he’ll be a talk show host.”

He was clearly suffering, and a lovely vet came to the house to euthanize him. We laid down a towel, asked him to come, he walked around her, laid himself full bodied in front of her, and purred. I have rarely encountered such dignity. It was a great blessing to have such a peaceful end. I miss him terribly.

And Val contributed this lovely piece about her dog, Brandy, and the other dogs who have enriched her life:

Brandy was put to sleep 2 weeks ago… I know that we did the right thing and I have no regrets. You cannot have a cat, dog, hamster or bird, son or friend in your life for that long and not feel a hole in the fabric of your life when they die. I’ve gone through this with cats and dogs who have shared my life and I know my life was enriched by that sharing, even in death. They all rest in my heart and memories as they now reside in the stars above – I like to think of each of them as a new star in the night sky. .. I haven’t fully decided whether to adopt another dog just yet, but I know eventually another dog that needs a loving home will share its life with us and the loving cycle will begin again.

Please do write in with your own stories about the animals who have enriched your life!

I’ll continue to share them on Mondays (Luna’s Day)

photo of Malcolm at Lis Sur Mer two years ago (the only cat I’ve ever known to walk on the beach!)

Good Music for a Good Cause: UFO’s album, Unity Creates Strength, benefits Chile and Haiti.

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    Last reviewed: 3 May 2010