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Death is a sure thing in life - but so very hard to accept.
I had no pets until I was an adult. My very first love was a miniature black poodle named Dutchess. She was my heart dog and just showered me with her love. She was only a year old when I lost her.
My next pet was my heart cat, Sugar and had him for 18 1/2 years.
My next fur babies were Patches and Magic. Oh, the stories from those two............life was never dull around them.
So I have sent four loves to the Rainbow Bridge.
Not including my childhood family pets(at least a dozen of those that I can recall off the top of my head).....
8, all lost in the last five years...Hoodoo, a four year old Siberian who had a massive stroke for no apparent reason; Dominique, a five year old indoor kitty who escaped and was killed by the dogs; Twicket, an elderly kitty, kidney failure; Kasha, another old kitty, acute liver failure; Beau, yet another elderly cat, everything failure;(all the old cats were at least 13 when I got them) Preacher, 13 year old Alaskan husky, stolen by cancer; Pirate, 15(?) year old husky mix who's body just failed her; Paxil, 15 year old husky, my soulmate, died from a stroke a month ago.
Facing the loss of at least two more dogs in the not so distant future and probably one cat too......I get many comments on how "cool" it would be to own as many animals as I do; no one ever considers how often you get your heart broken though.....
There are seven buried in the back yard, and all the ones that went before them. Probably another 6 or 7. That would make 12 - 13. But I have been on this earth a long time.
Each of the backyard bunch were cremated. I put the ashes in a tupperware container with a laminated picture of them and a copy of The Rainbow Bridge poem. Each spot is marked with an engraved brick stating their name and year of birth and death.
Too many in my 45 adult years. Most were with me for quite a long time, others not so long. Starting way, way back:
Dutchess - shepherd mix
Snuffy - tiger stripe cat
Muffin - heinz 57 mutt
Cinnamon - terrier mix
Peanut - orangie
Spook - gray cat
B.R. - dwarf bunny
Inky & Smokey - rabbits
Rocky - cockatiel
Ming, Sam & Suki - Meezers
Tai, Bear & Scooter - Lhasas
Mortimer - tuxie
O.C. - orangie
I always had several at one time - never just a one pet household! Some were meek and mild - others feisty - but they were all loved dearly. :love:
Childhood - teenage years(all Irish Setters-4):
Copper, Sr. - Champion show dog, PTS, cancer & arthritis.
Josie - Copper's daughter, real character, heck of a jumper; put in a kennel while she was in season, they were told to put her in a roofed run & didn't, she jumped to the next run. Their decision was to tether her & she snapped her neck jumping (she had never been tethered, our dogs had runs). She was only 3 and had one litter.
Copper, Jr. & Rio - Josie's son's, PTS - I can't talk about them, my parents shouldn't have had dogs without their children living at home.
Adult (all cats-2):
CK - age unknown, adopted stray Tomcat, pure white, hit by a car in 1983.
Jamara - 1984-2002, adopted abandoned kitty, solid grey, PTS, took a HUGE piece of my husband's and my hearts with her.
I FORGOT!
Lizzy the lizard :( - we don't know what she died of - she just kind of quit one day.
:love::love: all loved and missed terribly :love::love:
I had a number of uncountable fish as a kid, and two frogs. Then came Sassy and a few years later Sunny and Star.
Sunny- budgie of 10 years old. I got him when he was 6 and had him for 4 years, he died of unknown causes.
Sassy- severe arthritis took a toll on her. We tried many meds and even acupuncture, but by the 6th month of all that it was just too much. We put her to sleep on June 13th 2008. Surely, the worst death of my life.
Star- Died of unknown causes on Febuary 22, 2009.
They are all missed. No one said having pets doesn't come with a terrible price in the end, but it is sure worth it for all the years of love and companionship. :love:
I've lost two dogs since I've been married. Sammie on New Year's Eve in 2001/2002 and then Nicki last July 4th.
I asked for July 4th off this year to remember Miss Nicki. I miss her so much.
I have two RB kitties.
My Aysche, a persian girl, who only lived for 21 months. She died from FIP. She went to the Bridge in 1986.
And my Katz, my beloved tux girl. She lived with me for 14 years; she had hypertrophic cardiomyopathia and in the end, she was so miserable that my vet helped her to cross the Bridge. That was in May 2000.
Kirsten
I've had several animals in my lifetime. But they were "family pets". A couple cats were conisdered mine. Jasper, a black cat, that I believe was hit by a car and had internal injuries. He went to my brothers house and died. And then I had Jinx, a orange and white kitty. Wow, I can't even remember how or why he died. :(
So, Taz is my first cat as an adult. And Zoee is the first dog. Luckily I still have them with me. Although, I know the time will come when I must say goodbye and that is going to hurt so much!!
And there was Bruce's Cocker Spaniel, DJ, that we had to let go in March of 2005. I only knew him for a couple years.
Not to mention all the pets had as a child. Of my own pets, I've lost 5. With one to come, hopefully not too soon.
Sami, my first own dog. Lived to be 12 years old, died a week after her 12th birthday, her body quit on her.
Rascal, the second of our ferrets and the first to die of cancer, he was only 2 years old.
Trouble, our first ferret, died at 4 years of age of Adrenal Gland Disease and its associated complications.
Miko, our third ferret, actually adopted with his brother Sebastian after Rascal died to keep a lonely Trouble company. Miko had awful cancer on his blood vessels that made blood leach into his body cavity. Had surgery to remove 3 cups of blood, found the cancer, got the diagnosis, he died 10 days after surgery.
Sebastian, adopted with Miko. Diagnosed with Adrenal Gland Disease 2 weeks after Trouble died. Changed vets, he got the surgery and lived to be 6 years old before he joined his brother Miko at the Bridge, 12 days before Christmas, 12 months after Miko left.
I miss them all TERRIBLY. But I know they are well and happy.
Sasha is almost 15 and holding her own for now, but I know in my heart that her time grows short.
Smokey the Elder went to the Bridge on Dec. 19, 1999. She had cancer.
Pixel was PTS Dec. 26, 2004 (lousy Christmas present.) She was a feral who got really sick before I could catch it.
I had a rough stretch: Ebony PTS Dec. 17, 2006; Diva passed in January 2007, and Luna in March 2007. Ebony and Luna were old (over 15.) Diva, my first CH cat, was 10 1/2.
And on D-Day (June 6) I lost Moby, my nearly 16 year old diabetic. I miss them all so much, but it is good to have a thread like this to remember them all.
Counting only pets in my adult (aka married) years there were
cats...
BrightEyes, Amanda, Thumper, Bear, Y.Lee, Lucas and Rutherford
Ev'ret the ferret
And 17 or so fancy mice.
Also some very special foster cats and kittens,
Braveheart and Tuvok being the two who stand out the most.
I've lost 5....
The first was my fish who was called Polly... I had her when I was about 5.
Then I lost Nut who was my guinea pig due to what I think was old age, and about 6 months later, her sister Egg died.
Then I had Whisk, my hamster who died less than a year ago. He had to be put down due to a tumor...
Lastly, I lost my Chino (another hamster) a few weeks ago because of old age.
Miss all my babies a lot :love::(
Oh heavens, they're too numerous to count! I remember every single one of them, though, from my first kitty kat to my little bunny to my dogs and more cats. I miss every single one of them. :love:
I also have had too many to count. Since I lived on a farm when I was a child I had cows, horses, geese, chicken, duck, rabbits, pigs, dogs, and tons of barn cats. As an adult I have had more rabbits, cats, hamsters, dogs.
My pony Joker comes to mind he is certainly gone many years now.
As do the three horses, my pet cow King I was very fond of. My pet pig.
Maybe 30 or 40 cats have come and gone. Our dogs, Cindy, Princess, Heidi, Gypsy, Buffy, Rex, Hobo so many. Each one life was of great value, bringing joy and love, happiness and laughter, tenderness and loyalty.
Bunnie, Bugsey, Buckwheat, Buster, Bunny, Snowy my rabbits.
Cassie, Olivia, Annabell, our recent cat loses in 10 years.
And then all the rats, hamsters, gerbils, birds, mice my daughter and boyfriend have had.
I am going to be so busy seeing them all when I die. Heaven is full of all our pets, it will be wonderful.