Sky, little “Bucket” . . .
When we first saw you we were smitten,
Such a tiny little kitten,
Grey and White with bright blue eyes,
Like the clouds in Seattle skies.
Cherished buddy always near,
In our hearts forever dear,
Waiting for us all one day,
Peace and light for you we pray.
A friend of mine recently told me about the loss of her cat Sky. In comparing stories about our loss, we realized the similarities of our experience. In both cases, we had to make the determination to have our pets put down. In both cases, the Veterinarian had a difficult time finding a vein and so it took longer, and was agonizing.
When we made the call, it seemed clear what needed to be done. After the fact I felt such guilt and pain. Did we do enough? Should we have waited another day? These are the questions that would enter my mind over and over again.
Now, almost six months since our loss, I can still feel Buckley. I can still feel his rough paws, the brush of his whiskers, the warm lick.
He still follows me outside whenever I take the trash out and then I have to herd him back inside. I can still hear his bell ring several times a day when he wants to go outside. We hung the bell his very first months with us. He seemed confused when he arrived as to what the procedure was for potty breaks. He would look at me with a very urgent look on his face and I would send him outside. He would run down the hall with his tail flying high. We installed the bell for those times when he could not get my attention. I put the bell up and then when he gave me the urgent look, I would go over and ring the bell and tell him to go outside. Pretty soon he would ring the bell on his own, he had a procedure!
At night everyone had to go to bed at the same time. I can still hear that little snuffle he gave when everyone was all settled in for the night. You did not get the snuffle until everyone was in bed, then he would know all was well and it was time to sleep.
In the morning, everyone had to get up. If we had company staying the night, he would make every attempt to get our guests up. I would need to guard the door from our frantic little dog.
So many memories and I never want to forget. It is getting easier and instead of so much pain, I am experiencing more and more of the wonderful entertaining memories that makes having a pet so very rewarding. They bring their own ideas of how things should be done, and instead of me training our dog, Buckley trained us. We became what he expected of us.
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