Although I'm less than a year into cat ownership, I've had pets my entire life. To this day, it never ceases to amaze me how they enrich our lives, how intuitive and supportive and loving they can be.
Last Wednesday, I had to put my 13+ year old yellow Lab, Cassidy, to sleep, after she had a stroke. It was extremely upsetting and traumatic to see her in such bad shape, and although I didn't hesitate to do the right thing and end her suffering, it was agony to say that final goodbye and watch my longtime canine buddy slip away.
I came home from the vet and curled up on my bed in misery. Within seconds, there were Jack and Sophie-Ann. Sophie took it upon herself to "dry" my tears (with her tongue, of course - a very sweet, albeit painful, gesture), and Jack cuddled up against my side like a little tiger-striped teddy bear. Once she was satisfied that I wouldn't be "leaking" around the eyes anymore, Soph took up her post against my OTHER side - and there they stayed, for over two hours. MY kitties - who are normally sweet but not lap cats, who will come and snuggle up on the bed with me for maybe 15-20 minutes before retreating to their own beds.
Since that day, they seem to be determined to make sure that they provide every bit of comfort they can, while cheering me up with their antics at the same time. They've always liked to be near me (they always seem to like to be on the same floor of the house, at least), but now they follow me around like feline bodyguards, one near my left ankle, one near my right. If I go downstairs to eat or spend time with the family, they follow along, positioning themselves strategically so that one is always within petting distance. Jack has been a high-energy boy since he came out of post-adoption quarantine, but he's been extra-comical these past few days, flying through the air like a circus act after Da Bird (6-foot jump from the floor, no problem!), lying on his side on the top shelf of the cat tree and chasing his tail around the center pole, and constantly chasing after one of the 5 or 6 little fluffy balls I got him last time I went cat food shopping. Sophie, who hasn't been particularly active or interested in play since her spay in January (unless Jack coaxes her into a bit of hide and seek or tag), has also been going after the toys with a vengeance, bouncing around the floor and pouncing in ways she hasn't since she was a tiny 5 week old kitten. And every night, I go to sleep with at least one kitty curled up next to me, head on the pillow and bum under the covers, like a little person. Whoever doesn't nab the pillow spot, curls up against my side just a few inches away. The very fact that they can both be sleeping on the bed with me at the same time speaks volumes - in the past, they'd only both sleep on the bed at once, if I wasn't actually in it at the time. They've even called a "truce" on their ongoing occasional scuffles, and have been much gentler with each other, snuggling in little kitty piles and thoroughly grooming one another.
I cannot imagine a clearer testament to the bond between pet and owner, that innate understanding they have of our moods and emotions, than these two little rascals. They've kept me from doing too much moping, they've kept me smiling, and they've kept me feeling comforted.
And I have to say - I'm not a religious person, but I really do think that I was meant to find Sophie in that awful abandoned house, and that I was meant to stumble upon Jack in that adoption center on a day I wasn't even supposed to be looking. They are my two little furry guardian angels!
Last Wednesday, I had to put my 13+ year old yellow Lab, Cassidy, to sleep, after she had a stroke. It was extremely upsetting and traumatic to see her in such bad shape, and although I didn't hesitate to do the right thing and end her suffering, it was agony to say that final goodbye and watch my longtime canine buddy slip away.
I came home from the vet and curled up on my bed in misery. Within seconds, there were Jack and Sophie-Ann. Sophie took it upon herself to "dry" my tears (with her tongue, of course - a very sweet, albeit painful, gesture), and Jack cuddled up against my side like a little tiger-striped teddy bear. Once she was satisfied that I wouldn't be "leaking" around the eyes anymore, Soph took up her post against my OTHER side - and there they stayed, for over two hours. MY kitties - who are normally sweet but not lap cats, who will come and snuggle up on the bed with me for maybe 15-20 minutes before retreating to their own beds.
Since that day, they seem to be determined to make sure that they provide every bit of comfort they can, while cheering me up with their antics at the same time. They've always liked to be near me (they always seem to like to be on the same floor of the house, at least), but now they follow me around like feline bodyguards, one near my left ankle, one near my right. If I go downstairs to eat or spend time with the family, they follow along, positioning themselves strategically so that one is always within petting distance. Jack has been a high-energy boy since he came out of post-adoption quarantine, but he's been extra-comical these past few days, flying through the air like a circus act after Da Bird (6-foot jump from the floor, no problem!), lying on his side on the top shelf of the cat tree and chasing his tail around the center pole, and constantly chasing after one of the 5 or 6 little fluffy balls I got him last time I went cat food shopping. Sophie, who hasn't been particularly active or interested in play since her spay in January (unless Jack coaxes her into a bit of hide and seek or tag), has also been going after the toys with a vengeance, bouncing around the floor and pouncing in ways she hasn't since she was a tiny 5 week old kitten. And every night, I go to sleep with at least one kitty curled up next to me, head on the pillow and bum under the covers, like a little person. Whoever doesn't nab the pillow spot, curls up against my side just a few inches away. The very fact that they can both be sleeping on the bed with me at the same time speaks volumes - in the past, they'd only both sleep on the bed at once, if I wasn't actually in it at the time. They've even called a "truce" on their ongoing occasional scuffles, and have been much gentler with each other, snuggling in little kitty piles and thoroughly grooming one another.
I cannot imagine a clearer testament to the bond between pet and owner, that innate understanding they have of our moods and emotions, than these two little rascals. They've kept me from doing too much moping, they've kept me smiling, and they've kept me feeling comforted.
And I have to say - I'm not a religious person, but I really do think that I was meant to find Sophie in that awful abandoned house, and that I was meant to stumble upon Jack in that adoption center on a day I wasn't even supposed to be looking. They are my two little furry guardian angels!
