[pinterest]Most of us have had a furry friend join our lives somewhere along the way… It’s amazing how quickly they become an intricate part of the family. The love of an animal is unconditional & steadfast. The hardest part of our lives together is when we begin to realize our constant companion ages much, much faster than we do. The years fly by & all too quickly their lively personality begins to decline.. arthritis sets in, kidneys begin to fail & the truth of their age becomes apparent.
We have given them a long happy life. We have included them in all of our daily activities & all of our fondest memories include them. But eventually the time arises when we must evaluate their state of well being & decide if it is right to keep them around using modern medicine. At what point do we make the hard decision that it is better to let them slip peacefully away into the night?
I have such a quandary… He is a 17 year old kitty cat (who I must mention behaves very much like a dog. He fetches, comes when you call his name & has always followed me around like a lost puppy dog!)
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The day we met Tsanga (pronounced SONG-A- it means ‘pumpkin’ in swahili), he was one of the oldest cats at ‘Purrr-fect Pets [an organization that saves the lives of abandoned cats]. They estimated he was close to 10 years old but that didn’t matter to us. The moment we had him alone, he rolled around in our laps purring & cooing gratefully. That was 7 years ago and, as they say, the rest is history.
When Scott first fell ill (see Lyme Disease), I spent many sleepless nights alone with Tsanga by my side. He was my little shadow, following me from room to room, waiting to curl up with me. He was my comfort when I burst into tears. This is where things become difficult & my vision become blurred. I love this cat- more than any other critter that’s entered my life. He’s been with me through some of the hardest years of my life. I’ve cried with him when there was no one else to listen. But I know the end of his life draws near… the medicine can only do so much & it isn’t fair to force him to hang on as his body slowly shuts down.
Soon there will come a day when a hard decision must be made. When I will be forced to let him go…
