Saturday, December 23, 2006

Ideas please...............................

Since the passing of our beloved Cecil, our other cat Andy has been sad and lonely. I get that some of you non-cat-lovers out there might think this can't be so, but trust me it is.

Andy and Cecil used to spend hours laying together and grooming one another. Since Andy was the older cat, he did most of the grooming, along with teaching Cecil the ropes of our family. Now he is stuck with only us to love and pet him and for those of you that have lost a special someone you know this is just not the same.

If any of you have gone through this problem and have any ideas we might try to make Andy a happier kitty I would really appreciate hearing about them.

Of course our youngest thinks we should get a kitten. This sounds good in the moment, but practical ole' mom has to go beyond the moment to the cost and time investments a new pet creates. I do feel a bit guilty that Andy is out numbered by the dogs two to one, but not enough to give in to another mouth to feed. How much can a teenie tiny kitten eat one might ask? Around here, the answer is a lot, and again you are just going to have to trust me on this one.

The big problem with getting a new pet is time management. My youngest is already so busy she has difficulty spending quality time with the pets she already has. It isn't fair to throw a new one into the mix when you know it will make the quality time with the other pets suffer. That just is not a responsible thing to do, though we people tend to do it all the time.

Once upon a time (all those years ago), when Internet dating was just coming into vogue, I happen to be single so I gave it a whirl. I cannot tell you the number of guys that would write to me and feed me the line that, "Yes, they happen to be married, but were extreamly mis-understood by their wife." My answer to them was always the same: "Treat your wife like she is the most important person in the world to you for one entire month, and I bet she will understand you better. If not, write me back and I will consider talking to you further."

Interestingly enough I never heard back from one of them. I like to think they took my advice, but more likely than not they moved on to someone with similar views, as that is always easier than working to fix a problem. Having been a dumpie, as well as a dumper, I might not have space to talk about this. I prefer to think I have grown and come to see the error of my ways.

We live in a disposable society, where everything and everyone can be tossed into the trash. Things (and people) that we JUST HAD TO HAVE no longer hold any importance in our eyes. These are facts of life, and go along with change, which can lead to growth, if done right.

Yes! There IS a right way and a wrong way to move things (from a beloved pair of jeans to a significant other) out of our lives. One way is a selfish, rip and tear, don't care who gets hurt, I only care about me way. The other way is to do so with compassion, kindness, patience, and love. Think about how you would like to be treated if you were the one being ask to move along so that you might treat accordingly if you are ever the one asking for someone/thing to move along out of your daily world. Remember that one person's trash is another person's treasure, so treat your trash as a treasure to help it be so when it finds the way to the next stop on the journey. If you do a good enough job of this, you might just find some value you had not noticed in a while and want to hang onto it for a bit longer. Wouldn't that be great?

6 comments:

Has to be me said...

Hi patty
Howdy? How u been? I've been too busy with the last leg of my holiday. Just a week 2 return & quite depressing!
Sorry 2 note abt andy & feel sad for Cecil. I dunno what 2 suggest!
Just pray guess that will work wonders. :)
tc

Patty said...

Has to be me,

there is always that dreaded depressing feelings as vacation comes to an end, and for you it means leaving home again so I imagine it is much stronger. I would never take more than a week off from work when I worked outside my home as I was afraid I would refuse to go back. What would happen if you did that?

Thanks for checking in.

Anonymous said...

It is not ever an easy thing losing a pet or getting a new one, as they are always much more work that's for sure. You can't replace Cecil anyway so it will just take some time for everyone, including Andy, to adjust. He will need extra people attention for a while.

My patient is getting better but it has been a long haul, which according to the Dr. is "normal". EWWW, only one trip back to the ER but today she called to tell me she ate a strawberry and it did not even hurt!! I am working at the fire station today so she went to her house, where we will be tonite for Christmas Eve--dinner for the 4 of us at my house tomorrow. Pretty easy--her menu is mashed potatoes!! Have a wonderful, blessed holiday. (ORA)

Patty said...

Mashed potatoes...LOL! Let her know I have pumpkin pie that is just as soft if she wants some of that.

Love, hugs, and Merry Christmas!

Sheri said...

How about an older cat that you adopt from a rescue organization. Usually they come with all their shots and spayed/neutured. Andy will probably love begin the head cat again and will like having a "partner". In my experience rescue animals are the BEST and are so greatful to be in a forever home.

Patty said...

I totally am a supporter of rescue cats, but they still have to eat and go to the vet, thus have to be bugeted for. My real problem with another animal is bringing it into the already crazy mix we have around here. I think I am too lazy right now to put all the required energy in a project like that.

On a positive note, Andy seems to be adjusting a bit better. Now when I get the dogs "singing" how much is that doggie in the window, Andy joins in much sooner than he used to.