My sweet little Peggy Sue died recently. Peggy Sue was a cat extraordinaire. She was all of 20 years old when she died on November 9th 2009.
Peg was a rescue cat saved from being sent to the cat shelter and probably being put to sleep.
She didn’t die of her own accord. She became very ill and I had to call her Vet to come over to our home and put her to sleep. It was so sad and I felt panic stricken with what I had to do even though I knew it was the right course of action – for Peg, not for me.
Grief is a strange emotion, loss is a horrible feeling and sometimes needing to be a responsible adult sucks. At times things just don’t seem fair and just.
But, the reality is that no matter how unfair or unkind things can seem, we still need to deal with them right throughout our lives. Avoiding difficult situations only brings a harder, more painful situation down the track. When I feel annoyed at what I need to do that a part of me doesn’t want to do, I quietly take some deep breaths and gently tell myself that I can resist all I like but the fact is, I’ll still have to take responsibility and “do it anyway”. Whether I think it’s fair or not is pretty irrelevant.
So, I asked for help. I knew I couldn’t be alone after the Vet had left and my sweet angel was gone. I’ve learned that asking for and accepting help, is a great thing. My dear friend Deb came over, hugged me, stayed with me while the Vet put the needle in Peg’s tiny, thin leg and cried with me as we said goodbye to a wonderful soul who gave nothing but love throughout her entire life.
I don’t live in the house I want to stay in for the rest of my life so my animals have been cremated so I can bury them in a gorgeous garden, all together when we settle in our permanent, never to move again home. So, after a soothing cup of tea, we took Peg’s little body to the Vet then went out to lunch (we called it her wake) to celebrate Peg’s life and mourn her passing. We thought lunch was fitting as Peg adored her food!
And the lessons here – never be afraid to grieve and feel your pain, share it with loved ones and always ask for help.
RIP Peggy Sue – your time of service sharing your beautiful, joyful nature and your never ending love and warm purrs live on in your enormous, gentle spirit.
I will forever adore you and remain thankful for our time together. You certainly made my life Better Everyday.
Rest in peace dear Polly and Peg. Tomorrow it will be one year since our Lucy Puss died too. Cherishing the time we spend with our pets and other loved ones is a great way to deal with grief isn’t it. I know of people who are afraid to look at departed loved one’s photos or talk about them as they fear their emotionsmay be too much to handle. I find this sad, as for healing to take place, it’s great to talk about and share the memories with others and especially the sweet and fun time. Thanks Debbie xx
What a beautiful puss, sorry for your loss Wendy, it is only 2 years ago today my Polly died and I still miss her but it gets easier. She was very shy at first coz she came from a place where they ignored her, but then she started to trust Pretty Puss and me and invented many fun games. She loved her rituals, including Smack the Pussy where she would scuttle across the room, hide under the coffee table, dash across my feet, ‘surf’ the front of the sofa and wait for me to smack her rump! she would do this several times a day and i miss it. Only 14 and a half, and i only had her for 7 of those years. I know it is hard, you miss their company and their personalities, but i cherish the time we had together. XXX