This story comes from emails between me and the wife of a close friend.
A friend of mine had an older male cat named Poko. Whenever he'd sit down anywhere, Poko was on his lap. When he went to bed, Poko would curl up at the end of the bed by his feet. And when he had to go out somewhere, Poko would sit in his favorite chair until he returned ... then jump down, wait for him to sit, and jump up into his lap.
Late last year, my friend had to go into the hospital. The problems were serious enough that he had to have feeding tubes inserted. For months, he was shuttled between a hospital and a nursing home, then back to the hospital again, until recently when they decided he was well enough to go home. All this time, Poko would eat as usual, use his litterbox as usual, and generally spend the rest of his time lying down in my friend's favorite chair. But when my friend came home, Poko jumped down, waited for him to sit, then hopped up in his lap just like he always had before.
Three days ago, my friend was watching a baseball game with his wife and brother ... and had a heart attack. He was taken to the hospital but he was apparently already gone when he got there. For the next two days, Poko was restless ... going back and forth from room to room. He stopped eating and started vomiting. And yesterday, Poko died, too.
We often hear stories about the grief people feel when they lose a loved pet. But it's well to remember that humans aren't the only animals capable of grief. His wife is certain that, after her husband died, Poko knew immediately that something was "not right" in the house ... that his best friend was gone and not coming back. Could it be that Poko died of grief over missing him? His wife thinks so ... and I'm inclined to agree.
A friend of mine had an older male cat named Poko. Whenever he'd sit down anywhere, Poko was on his lap. When he went to bed, Poko would curl up at the end of the bed by his feet. And when he had to go out somewhere, Poko would sit in his favorite chair until he returned ... then jump down, wait for him to sit, and jump up into his lap.
Late last year, my friend had to go into the hospital. The problems were serious enough that he had to have feeding tubes inserted. For months, he was shuttled between a hospital and a nursing home, then back to the hospital again, until recently when they decided he was well enough to go home. All this time, Poko would eat as usual, use his litterbox as usual, and generally spend the rest of his time lying down in my friend's favorite chair. But when my friend came home, Poko jumped down, waited for him to sit, then hopped up in his lap just like he always had before.
Three days ago, my friend was watching a baseball game with his wife and brother ... and had a heart attack. He was taken to the hospital but he was apparently already gone when he got there. For the next two days, Poko was restless ... going back and forth from room to room. He stopped eating and started vomiting. And yesterday, Poko died, too.
We often hear stories about the grief people feel when they lose a loved pet. But it's well to remember that humans aren't the only animals capable of grief. His wife is certain that, after her husband died, Poko knew immediately that something was "not right" in the house ... that his best friend was gone and not coming back. Could it be that Poko died of grief over missing him? His wife thinks so ... and I'm inclined to agree.
