Our Wonderful Friends: PETS

[royster]

"Until one has loved an animal,part of his

soul remains unawakened."


A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS
1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, friends, entertainment, but I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

Take a moment today to thank God for your pets Enjoy and take good care of them.

Life would be a much duller, less joyful experience without God's critters..

We do not have to wait for Heaven, to be surrounded by hope, love, and joyfulness. It is here on earth and has four legs!

royster: I have heard it expressed that when your pet gives that final exhale (from euthenasia) it is a "thank you". I was fortunate that the vet came out to my property to put Sunshine "down", and indeed that last exhale expressed a punctuation to her life story that is experiencial only; words can't define it.

I started this thread for sharing our friend's antics, quirks, and special atributes. I can start it off by relaying this true story about Sunshine (who was a rescue dog BTW):

Before I knew better, I fed Sunshine canned food...Pedigree, because she refused to eat Alpo. (And hated peas...she'd lick around them and leave 'em in the bowl). They were the large cans, and I always allowed her to have the can to lick out.

One day, with no prompt or reason, she picked up one of the cans in her teeth, and stacked it on top of another one which was upright. It didn't take too much care, but she fussed until she got it right, then just walked away.

I wish i had taken a picture of those cans stacked! It was the only time she did it.

[cacheborn]

Very touching, royster. The last one brought back some memories.

[CoolBee]

Very nice

My two purrbabies have been with me through thick and thin for 13.5 years now - even coming to Egypt with me. I shall be gutted when the final journey comes.

[royster]

I had two cats that were brother and sister...it was wonderful how they took care of each other. The sister one day simply didn't come home (after 14 years) and the brother eventually disappeared, too (I'm on 14 acres). Cats do that in the country. I now have a rescue cat "Beethoven" (I didn't name him) and he is the complete oposite of the previous two.

Perhaps when I'm in Alexandria, I'll look you UP, Cool Bee! Oh...wait...Alexandria, Virginia.

[aggie]

oh my God...this brings so many feelings back, i want to cry....i miss my friends so much!

[Mynder]

They are the most brilliant teachers of what being human truly means.

[gigij]

Originally Posted by aggie

...this brings so many feelings back, i want to cry....i miss my friends so much!

crap i did cry ... and i'm at work

[cacheborn]

When I was a kid we had a rabbit. I used to take him to the garden where he would eat the fresh grass till his stomach burst. He was also toilet trained. I think his death was the first one that I saw.

And there were always cats, in all sizes and shapes. My fav cat was killed by dogs.

[ssandra]

I come from an animal loving family

We always had 1 very strict rule:

Take care of the animal before you take care of yourself... Because you can take care of yourself, but the animal cannot.

My mom even took a chicken to the vet to be put down when she was too ill... and stayed with her Most people would have twisted her neck, but my mom rather spend 50 euro's so she was sure it would be painless and fast

[royster]

Okay, raised hands by all those whose first 'funeral' was a goldfish or hampster.....

[gigij]

Originally Posted by royster

Okay, raised hands by all those whose first 'funeral' was a goldfish or hampster.....

not me ... but my kids three hamsters are all lovingly buried at the side of our house

[cacheborn]

We never had fish as pets ..

[ssandra]

Originally Posted by royster

Okay, raised hands by all those whose first 'funeral' was a goldfish or hampster.....

No, a cat...

It was so incredible, and to this day on, I am grateful that I could experience this...

This cat never let anybody touch her, except my dad, late at night when the house was very quiet.

In summer we had a boat and when my brother and me were young we would sneak in my parents bed in the morning to just talk and cuddle. We are 6 and 8 I believe.. something like that.

Anyway.. this one morning, this cat just jumped on the bed, and went to lie at my fathers lap. She was purring, seeming very happy to be there. It was the only time she let us touch her and pet her.

And then she just stopped breathing...

My father took her away to be buried, he didn't want my brother and me to come, because he believed we were too young (and, I think now, because it really affected him and he never showed his emotions in front of us).

I am still grateful for the experience. To witness the trust and love that cat had for my dad

[KaleidoskopicVision]

This made me give my dog a spontaneous hug Not like that doesn't happen all the time anyway.

I have a 7 year old german shepherd. She's wonderful, but can have her annoying moments. She's very antisocial around other dogs and will bark incessantly and try to attack them
She's incredibly friendly to humans and other animals though. My little sister has a pet rabbit and she (the dog) and the rabbit will exchange passive, curious sniffs and then leave each other alone.
Some funny things she's done include, but are not limited to, running around in the large field behind my house eating moths and fireflies right out of the air
Figuring out how to manually unhook her runner so she could explore the neighborhood at full speed (she loves to run).
Developing a phobia of empty milk cartons. She used to chew them and then one day my brother picked one up and started banging on it. This scared the crap out of her for some reason and now she runs away anytime milk cartons are seen.
Tunneling through snow drifts and hiding.

Not so fun things, her getting hit by two cars at once when she was a puppy (first car was a pickup that hit her going 20mph and as she was flying through the air she hit an oncoming cube truck). Amazingly, she only suffered a punctured artery.
Her phobia of wheels after this incident. Anything with wheels would make her go nuts barking and chasing whatever it was. She's not so bad about it now.
She got into a fight with a stray dog that wandered onto our property. The stray dog kicked her butt and took a chunk out of her nose, then pooped and left when I chased it away

I've also had two pet water dragons. They're very spry for reptiles. Their energy levels are more like that of mice or rats. I would let them run around my room and they would climb up my legs to sit on my shoulders

[cacheborn]

Originally Posted by ssandra

No, a cat...

It was so incredible, and to this day on, I am grateful that I could experience this...

This cat never let anybody touch her, except my dad, late at night when the house was very quiet.

In summer we had a boat and when my brother and me were young we would sneak in my parents bed in the morning to just talk and cuddle. We are 6 and 8 I believe.. something like that.

Anyway.. this one morning, this cat just jumped on the bed, and went to lie at my fathers lap. She was purring, seeming very happy to be there. It was the only time she let us touch her and pet her.

And then she just stopped breathing...

My father took her away to be buried, he didn't want my brother and me to come, because he believed we were too young (and, I think now, because it really affected him and he never showed his emotions in front of us).

I am still grateful for the experience. To witness the trust and love that cat had for my dad

Great story, Sandra.

It seems that many cats have strange habits, just like humans. One cat we had, he hated walking on wet floor. (They all do!) And to avoid it, he used to tiptoe in a very funny way.

[ssandra]

Originally Posted by cacheborn

Great story, Sandra.

It seems that many cats have strange habits, just like humans. One cat we had, he hated walking on wet floor. (They all do!) And to avoid it, he used to tiptoe in a very funny way.

LOL, yes, our cat walks on 3 legs whenever she has to walk on a wet floor... but not the same 3 legs

So in the end, she walks slower, and all 4 paws still get wet

She is so amazingly funny!!

[cacheborn]

Originally Posted by ssandra

LOL, yes, our cat walks on 3 legs whenever she has to walk on a wet floor... but not the same 3 legs

So in the end, she walks slower, and all 4 paws still get wet

She is so amazingly funny!!

Maybe it's a well known cat practice! Thou shall not walk on wet floors!

yes, cats are amazingly funny, even more so when they are kittens!

[royster]

Beethoven is unusual for a cat...he will walk through the creek in shallow water. (The creek flows through my property and in front of the house...what a great feature!) He is very amiable to most any other critters. I wonder sometimes if he's Sunshine reincarnated, because he has so many of her traits...like coming down the hill to greet visitors...loves to ride in the truck...and is presently sitting in the front window where Sunshine's platform was (a good view of the road into here). Sunshine, of course, chaced cats, so Karma is at work all the time, for everybody.

Beethoven also has an unmistakeable Wise Old Soul Look to him.

It's interesting, KV, I kiddingly mentioned YOUR face on a milk carton in another thread!

[cacheborn]

Beethoven is a cool name for a cat.

[aggie]

anyone ever told as a kid that the dog went to the old dog farm and then see your dad come back with a mysterious bag walk thru the yard?

you kinda want to believe the story...and let yourself, for a while, until your parents think you are old enough to know the truth?

as an adult, i have just been devasted by my pets deaths and would take a day off from work.

[Mynder]

There once was an old, grizzled shepherd behind the building that housed my stepfather's business (a company selling blue mussels in all kinds of recipes, prepackaged and mostly for retail).

She was chained there to her hut in a garage, and basically left alone, and she would bark and growl at everybody who dared enter the rear courtyard. One day I would sit there, quietly, and let her bark to her heart's content. I tossed her some mussle meat, just a small piece or two, and eventually left her alone.

The next day, when I returned, she was completely transformed, tail wagging, she yipping and yapping for me, and thus, we became sort of friends.

We eventually ended up with one of her cubs, and he was a marvel to live with. Strong in character and body, with a fur that betrayed his collie father, and with more adventures under our belts than I could even begin retelling.

I moved to my father's when my mother got sick and needed to be hospitalized for several months, and ended up staying there, but when it was time to do my military tour of duty of about a year, I returned there.

It was in that year that Rex succumbed to a stomach full of cancer. When he sat there in his own pee and couldn't make himself get up anymore, I quietly talked to my step-brother's wife (the dog lived with them at the time), and they had the vet come over and put him to sleep.

It was important for me to be there in that moment, and I have no doubt that Rex appreciated this a lot.

In a way that I can't really describe, it felt RIGHT that it all happened and played out exactly this way, and I still feel happy and honored and privileged to have known Rex and grown up with him for several years. It has been a true privilege, and I learned so much from him that humans never taught me, or even could teach in the same manner.

[aggie]

i agree, some non-animal people or the people say its only a dog, etc...just cannot fathom the level of the kind of bond you can have with an animal.

i have had many, and long after they have departed from my earthly life...their impact is still intense.

i feel the spirit of some of them from time to time...and i really think they are trying to tell me it was, is, and will be all right.

[royster]

KV and Mynder's stories are sweet. The others are, too.

Both Janice (now my best friend) and I have experienced cats walking on our bed when there was in fact no physical cat there. It was unmistakeable, and happened several times. The identities of the cats are speculative, but there was no question about the presence.

On rare occassions, Sunshine's presence on the bed has ocCURred, but not as definitive as the cat events. Her presence is an actual energy signature. A contradiction of Beethoven being her reincarnated self, but who knows? I don't question these things, anymore; I just go with the experience.

Other than sniffing butts and licking ourselves clean, we'd be better off to be more like these pets.

[Misscpb]

Originally Posted by royster

"Until one has loved an animal,part of his

soul remains unawakened."


A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS
1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, friends, entertainment, but I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

Take a moment today to thank God for your pets Enjoy and take good care of them.

Life would be a much duller, less joyful experience without God's critters..

We do not have to wait for Heaven, to be surrounded by hope, love, and joyfulness. It is here on earth and has four legs!

royster: I have heard it expressed that when your pet gives that final exhale (from euthenasia) it is a "thank you". I was fortunate that the vet came out to my property to put Sunshine "down", and indeed that last exhale expressed a punctuation to her life story that is experiencial only; words can't define it.

I started this thread for sharing our friend's antics, quirks, and special atributes. I can start it off by relaying this true story about Sunshine (who was a rescue dog BTW):

Before I knew better, I fed Sunshine canned food...Pedigree, because she refused to eat Alpo. (And hated peas...she'd lick around them and leave 'em in the bowl). They were the large cans, and I always allowed her to have the can to lick out.

One day, with no prompt or reason, she picked up one of the cans in her teeth, and stacked it on top of another one which was upright. It didn't take too much care, but she fussed until she got it right, then just walked away.

I wish i had taken a picture of those cans stacked! It was the only time she did it.

Thank you for your post, very true xxx

[royster]

You're very welcome. I'm pleased this thread has touched so many, so far!

One time while driving to Masschusets (sp) I had a strange experience with Sunshine. I drove a van back then, and she had her own platform in the back, complete with a sliding window she'd poke her head out of. It was a delight the first time I went to check my side-view mirror, only to find her gazing back!

She would normally be on her platform, but it was a long trip, so occassionally she'd come up from behind and nudge my elbow. I'd scritch her behind the ears, and she'd eventually go back to her space.

At one point, she came up quite announced, and tried to get under my feet...not an easy task, in a Ford van. My friend and i looked around and could not see anything that would upset her so. this persisted for several minutes, she finally layed down as close as she could to my drivers' seat, trembling.

About three miles later, we came up to a huge bridge. After crossing it, she smiled and wagged her tail, then went back to her platform, happy face poking out the window.

[royster]

I got a lot of positive comments about this photo, so here it is a little larger. Definately in our hey-day.

[lifetimelearner]

handsome !

[lifetimelearner]

oh you are not bad either royster

[blossom]

I had a cat when I was a teenager, who only liked me. When she got torn apart by a possum a few years later, I was the one who had to pick up the pieces (literally) and we buried her in the park, with a full funeral procession (I played the recorder). The next day I found her grave had been dug up (by a dog probably) and her remains were eaten!

I didn't realise how much it affected me, but 10 years later, when I did a creative workshop with this woman, and we were doing a painting and drama exercise, all this grief came up for the cat. Losing a pet can be just as devastating as losing a loved person in your life (though that has never happened to me as yet)

I apologize if reading this disturbed or upset anyone...but I was interested to see if it would still upset me now (18 years later). It did stir stuff up a little, but I think I'm over it basically. It still is disturbing though to tell people about it. Sorry if this reminded anyone of their own pet loss...but this is what came up for me when I read this thread.

[royster]

One reason I cremated Sunshine was that I could not bear the thought of other critters digging her up. Her grave is up on the hill west of me.