Pets Are Mortal, Too

I took my beloved Phoenix to the vet this morning. He was due for his annual check-up. He’s fourteen – a handsome blue-eyed Siamese seal point and looks in the peak of health – skin, teeth, ears, fur – all beautiful!

The vet probed around his soft and supple body and found that his kidneys are a bit smaller, and he’s lost a half pound of his thirteen pounds since last year. Not major problems, she reported, but he is geriatric and things start to happen. She recommended a special blood screen and will report the results in the next few days.

Struck by the realization that Phoenix is mortal, my thoughts start racing toward my own mortality. While I readily accept that I will die, the thought of losing my cats is unbearable. I have many childhood memories of cats getting fatally sick, running away, or having to give them away. My reactions? Hysteria, uncontrollable bawling, and intense grief.

Phoenix is my roommate, companion, my “baby”, and gives me and his younger brother, Sedona, unequivocal love. All pets, whether they are a dog, bunny, ferret, guinea pig, parrot or parakeet — enrich our lives in so many ways. Let’s value every day they bless our homes and our hearts.