January 10, 2010

Greetings, everyone. I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend!

Recently, some very good friends of my humans who live in Houston, Texas, adopted a kitten. They thought long and hard about all the factors involved in the decision, and after they were sure they were doing the right thing for their family, they went to a local shelter and picked out a small orange and white kitten. They named him Alex.

Alex was shy at first, but slowly he ventured out and began to explore his new home. He was very curious about his new surroundings, and seemed especially curious about our friend's two children; two-year old Sebastian and eight-month old Sarah.

Alex had an upper respiratory infection when he was adopted, and which our friends treated with antibiotics. He had a good appetite and for a while he seemed to be getting better. Then, about a week ago, he started going downhill. He stopped eating and stopped jumping onto our friend's laps for his loving.

Several trips to the vet followed, and new medicines were tried, but nothing seemed to help. Alex developed severe diarrhea and had to be force-fed both food and water, but still nothing seemed to do any good.

On Wednesday morning, January 6th, Alex passed away. He had finally been diagnosed with pneumonia and his little body couldn't fight any longer. He was just a few months old.

Alex's death hit our friends very hard. In the short amount of time they had known him, they had come to love him. They were envisioning a long relationship with him, and seeing their children grow up right along with Alex, creating lifelong memories of their first cat. It wasn't meant to be.

Losing a beloved pet is extremely difficult. The love and attachment that quickly forms between a human and a pet can only be understood by those who have felt the same attachment and love. And there is an extra-powerful bond that develops between human and pet when the human has been nursing the pet through an illness, praying for its survival, struggling with everything that have to carry that pet through its sickness and back into good health.

And when everything has been done that can be done and the pet still passes away, the trauma can be intense. A small life is over. A cat that deserved to live a long and happy life was denied that life by fate. In a situation like that, there is little one can do to console the grieving family. I know that our friends did everything humanly possible for Alex, and I also know that Alex was fortunate in that, for a brief period of time, he had a home and a family that loved him. Many shelter cats never get that chance.

Alex's journey on this planet was so very short. We can shake our heads or curse at the seeming injustice of his death, but nothing we do or say can bring Alex back. The sun rises and then it sets again. The world moves on. But today our world is a little darker.

Rest in peace, little Alex. I know you're continuing your journey, and you're in a place where there is no pain or illness. And I'll look forward to the day we meet again on the far side of the circle of life.

Your friend,
Obie