Life Is All About Second Chances

A very good friend of ours, long time client, and one of the most worldly and devoted pet lovers I have ever met suffered a terrible loss recently. His dear longtime friend lost her battle with old age and the diseases that it often keeps company with.

He, like so many of us, spent tireless hours tending to her every need. He brought her in often to see if there was any new changes to her status and to see if there was anything else we could add to her long list of remedies. He coddled her, comforted her, and spent every second he could with her.

When he came in to say good bye to her we all mourned for both him and his dear departed cat.

We see death too much in the clinic. We sometimes lose our ability to relate to those who are struggling with a loss that cripples their ability to still enjoy the beauty of a sunrise, the life still surrounding us, and the foresight that things will get better. To those of us who center our lives around our pets the loss of our pet is debilitating to the core.

Oddly, I had just lost my dear cat, also named Midnight, when he lost his dear Midnight. They had both lived longer than most cats do, and had both died from kidney disease.

For our friend we wondered how he would fare facing the loss of his cat? We wondered if we would see him back, or if he could find another place in his heart for another cat.

After a few weeks of worrying we received a call from him asking us to keep our eyes open for another black cat. Within a few weeks a little black female came into the clinic looking for a home. We knew that she was the perfect match for him. Very calm, gentle, and affectionate, cuddler. We knew that she was just the answer to his sadness.

After he came in to see her he alerted us all that he would be back for her. He wanted to go home and talk to his wife and get the house ready.

A few days later he returned, carried her home and sent me this email a few days later.

Krista,
>
> I thought I would pass along some information about the kitten I adopted formerly named Molly and now named Scout.  My former wife had a nickname of Molly so I stayed away from that.  Scout is the name from a character in "To Kill a Mockingbird" probably my favorite movie of all time.
>
> Anyway, the kitten is amazing.  When I brought her home, I thought there might be a break in period when she had to get used to me and would be in hiding until she got accustomed to the house, after all she had just met me.
>
> I was pleasantly surprised when she immediately was all over me purring and licking and rubbing.  When she was tired she would curl up with me and sleep and spent the night sleeping in bed with me.  She is a little skittish with loud noises but not with me.  I am amused that she runs from my wife (but eventually comes out).  She sits on the sink in the bathroom while I shave which was a favorite activity of Midnight.
>
> I just can't believe the immediate bond we had with each other and that she is providing me with just what I need.  It seems it was meant to happen.
>
> I thank you again for all you did for Gilda, Midnight, and me.  I am glad that circumstances caused our paths to cross.
>
> Steve

My Midnight.

The End Of The First Chapter

I knew this day was coming.

All pet owners know that someday they will have to say goodbye. That someday their beloved companion will no longer be with them and that we just never get enough time with them no matter how long that time is.

I have already told you all about how Midnight came into my life. A tiny speck of black kitten found at a auto garage near my first apartment. She was spotted by my boyfriend and he knew she was too little and too fragile to be left there. If she somehow managed to avoid the dangers of the garage she would be killed on the busy highway the garage was on. Without asking me he brought her home and I knew this was the guy for me.

She is the last living remains of a time in my life I am far removed from. She traveled with me from that apartment to our home in Blacksburg where I spent 15 years, and went to vet school. To my life here in Pa on a farm, and running this veterinary practice. She has been with me every step of the way for two decades.

Saying goodbye to her was as hard as saying goodbye to any of my other cats, but it also meant the end of everything she has helped me through.

I think of Maggie, the little Yorkie, who was attacked by the Rotties boarding at JVC, and how Maggie means so much more than just a pet to her owners. She is the last living reminder of their son who died at such a young age and who's absence has left them clinging to Maggie in his place.

Saying goodbye to Midnight is the last page of the last chapter of a life I remember being long ago, but still miss in some ways. It's the loss of a time, and a place, and a person I am no longer around. And for today, for me, I am sad to let go forever.

There is always a piece of my heart in that place and time but there isn't anything to touch anymore.

With little Wren peeking from behind the pillow

On my lap. Her favorite place to be.

Here is Midnight's original blog, from last August.
http://tinyurl.com/9ctxfgo



I know that everyone doesn't get so attached and I know that for everyone this isn't a normal response, BUT I have forewarned my husband that tomorrow I am bringing home two clinic cats. They have been at the clinic waiting for a home for almost a year, and tomorrow they come here, to help me start a new page in the first chapter of a new book in the rest of my life. I hope they are with me for the next two decades to come.

What kind of crazy cat sleeps on a chair ontop of a table? MINE!!

The Most Beautiful Day

It is a perfect early summer day, and I don't work until 4pm. So I decided to stay home and try to get the hidden corners of the house organized.

I'm still in pj's and about to make my second cup of coffee and almost done with two whole rooms.

I had lots of help from Wren, who inadvertently eradicated the dust bunnies for me in her whiskers.

The pups are sleeping in the sun. And I feel blessed to have my pets and my a-little-less cluttered home.

Wren and Midnight playing "pop goes the weasel."

Charlie's favorite spot. Top of the stairs so he won't miss a thing.

Donner, cat-napping.

Jekyll

Midnight

Savannah

Everyone got their Frontline and Heartgard yesterday. I was a few days late due to being away for the weekend. I always tell my clients to give it as close as you can to the first of the month. (And don't worry if you are a few days late). Also, I use the Heartgard app on my iPhone to remind me..I love it..(Afterall, we all need all the help we can get). It sends me reminders when it's time for their next dose. And then before you close it you verify that you have given the dose. Great idea!