To the editor:
I recently buried my cat Sophie. She was my best friend of the animal persuasion and I loved her dearly. My life will never the be same — there’ll always be those missing ways she had that endeared her to me.
Many dog lovers say how excited their doggy friend is when they walk in the door. Well, little Sophie would have put many of those dogs to shame the way she’d run through the living room with an excited meowing that made my heart leap with joy. Then she’d assume a position that said unmistakably, “I missed you so much. Please give me lovin’.”
At night she’d jump on the bed just ahead of me, then lie down by my head and groom herself contentedly. After a while she’d look at me expectantly, as if to say, “OK, it’s your turn to love me up.” The best thing is she’d be right there in the morning when I awoke.
The really sad thing is I had to put her down because of a mistake I made. A couple years back she began losing weight no matter how much food she was given. I didn’t take her to the vet because she was so anxious the first time she went there I almost lost her.
She started drinking a lot and urinating excessively. This happened over several months so I wasn’t alarmed until the end. Then she began to hallucinate. She’d start to doze, jump up suddenly and look around, but there was nothing there. After 48 hours of this I called the vet.
Bloodwork showed a thyroid problem. When I got her home she was weak with no desire for food. After two days of watching my little girl in misery, the vet and I made the painful decision to let her go. It was a peaceful goodbye as I looked into her eyes as she drifted off to sleep. She’s in a much better place but I miss her terribly.
I share this as a friendly message that with furry friends, when something is wrong, don’t wait too long to go to the vet.
Clare Kierstead
Presque Isle
