Pets and Death

First off, let me say, I love my cats!! I really do! I also love them enough to let them go when it is time!

And what started this post was an article in Time magazine about doing stem-cell replacement therapy for pets...nor do I think we should be cloning our pets!! Enough already, pets are becoming almost as expensive as having children!!!

I was extremely blessed with my first cat, Sheena ("my baby"), I got her when she was eight weeks old...she lived to be 21 years old. She was diagnosed at age 15 with early renal failure. I didn't do much except change her food and once a year I had blood work done to make sure every thing was working as it should. Every day past her 15th birthday I felt was a blessing. She got to the point where she couldn't hear, she was having difficulty walking and her teeth were gone. I just knew when it was time.

The boys were a different story, they both developed diabetes. Max was put to sleep the same month he was diagnosed. Simon was diagnosed a year later and was put to sleep five months later. I personally could not see giving my cats two or three shots a day to control their diabetes...not the quality of life I saw for them. I was blessed to have them both and I miss them.

I have watched people hold onto their animals far too long for the comfort and well-being of the animal. How kind is that?

I know that pets are not disposable, nor would I ever give back one that I had (I walked away from my first condo for Sheena when she was seven, well worth it since she lived 14 more years). I just know that my responsibilty to them is to give them a good home, keep them as healthy and as happy and well-cared for as I can without going into debt because we have the technology. Just because we have the technology doesn't mean that it needs to be used to extend a life, and technology doesn't mean quality of life!

Just my thoughts as I live with the not so newest members of my household, Hunter and Bella.

"Every life should have nine cats!"