My Old Cat

~ humoringthegoddess

Most of us at one time or another have owned and loved a pet.

Whether it’s a fluffy puppy, fat cat, or skinny weenie dog, we all have fallen in love with their big eyes, sassy attitude, and faithful friendship.

At the end, we take care of them as best we can. Circumstances are different, but we try and hold their paws as long as we can. They are our confidants, our companions, and our entertainment. And we are theirs.

Currently we have four four-legged friends sharing our house: the lab (formerly my son’s, too big and wild back then for the babies); the crestepoo (my brother-in-law’s dog while he is convalescing), fat cat (my gray  10-year-old from the shelter), and my 12+/14+ year old tuxedo (who hand-picked my husband at the same shelter).

My tuxedo has been teetering on the edge of the rainbow bridge for a while now. He has lost a lot of weight in the last six months, and has trouble breathing. He’s got asthma, and often doesn’t have an appetite. He has rallied in the past few months as I’ve changed his food and added meds to his daily intake.

What makes me feel good in this sea of potential sadness is seeing him lay next to one dog or another throughout the day. Our pets have never been close buddies, so to see him curled up inside the legs of our big lab at night or side-by-side with the little dog makes me happy we have more than one pet.

My lap can’t always be available, and he’s not always comfortable stretched out on my lap for an extended period of time. He sneaks a cuddle next to me when I’m sitting still, but he has found comfort in the company of an opposite species, too. They may not “hang” together, but they know they are all part of the same family.

We all can learn something from my old tomcat. You don’t have to be exactly the same to care about each other. That we can feel solace with others of different ages and life styles. A hug is a hug. Pets are pets. It doesn’t make a difference where they come from. What matters is that we get them AND give them. Often if possible.

We don’t know how long we have on this Earth. If we can make someone else’s life easier, we should. Take the time to reach out. To talk to someone in pain, in confusion, someone old or someone young.

Be the old cat that curls into the body of the young dog. Or the fat cat that sleeps smashed up against someone’s back every night. Don’t let your differences make you miss out on the best feelings you’ll ever have.

Life’s too short not to cuddle.

Published by humoringthegoddess

I am a writer of fantasy fiction that often surrounds middle-aged women. I am a married mother of two and granny to three, a BoHo Chic kinda gal. I am recently retired and busier than when I worked 9-5. But writing and blogging is my main game.

24 thoughts on “My Old Cat”

  3. I know, I know and I understand. I try not to read them but they are sometimes shoved in my face and that makes me sick and it sticks to my mind for a while .Both my dogs
    are king and queen as I know they had a hard time before they came to me. 😀

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  4. You are wonderful with your suggestions! I want to interact with a writer (Hemingway), a singer (Rita Piaf), a character from a movie (Gil. Pender) and an artist, whom I hadn’t figured out yet. I should bounce more ideas off of you! 💙

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  5. Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, Henri Rousseau, Pablo Picasso, Henry Matisse, Jean Metzinger, Albert Gleizes, Robert Delaunay, Fernand Léger, Henri Le Fauconnier, Juan Gris, María Blanchard, Amedeo Modigliani, Amédée Ozenfant, André Dunoyer de Segonzac, Roger de La Fresnaye might provide a crew of characters and haunts to start with, and of course moi which by fits and starts, as I enter my dotage, is
    devenir plus intéressant.

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  6. Oh darlin…it’s just a book now. I was going to try it on my own, but I don’t think I will make it. So instead I am writing a book about a 67 year old woman just like me who visits the haunts of famous people of Paris and actually runs into a few of them!

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  7. I try not to read stories like that. I KNOW cruelty exists. I KNOW I will help when I can and take in those I can. But I can’t help them all, and it breaks my heart. As I said in my post, I have two cats from a shelter, and two dogs from family members. And I treat them like kitty and puppy royalty! Heh…

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  8. They do all have different personalities ! And I loved them all very much so I don’t understand why some people can be so cruel towards animals, animals have a lot in common with humans, they have feelings just like us !!!!

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  10. Awww… I had a little sprinkle in my eyes when I wrote it. I really have problems reading sad stories, especially ones about children and pets. Like people, the time to write about pets and love them are when they are still alive. Tom is doing better, so there’s still time for more love.

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  12. I know! I’ve had a few through the years, and have loved each and every one of them terribly. All had different personalities, but each one was special to me. Thank you for sharing.

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  13. You are so kind. I’ve had a few pets through the years, and this is the only one I’ve watched slow down day by day. I think it’s hit me a little harder than the others.

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  14. You have never heard of that? Friends of mine speak of animals passing as crossing the rainbow bridge. It does make the whole thought a little easier to take. I suppose it’s right next door to Heaven….

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  22. I love your message of not being the same in order to care for one another. Helping and caring for others is a much better feeling than what comes with the opposite.

    I hope your Tom hangs in for a little while longer to give his human mom and has canine friends just a bit more love.

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