The Unbearable Unfairness of Life

Yesterday was a very hard day for the pet blog community, as we lost our beloved Pip. No, Pip didn’t “belong” to me, or to the pet blogging community at large; he had a loving family and furever home. But this adorable little doggie was “ours” in the sense that he openly shared his life and love with all of us, through his blog. Pip was one of the sweetest, kindest and cutest woofies I’ve ever known.

I never met Pip in person, but I adored him just the same, and the news of his passing unleashed a torrent of tears. Those who question how someone could cry over the death of a pet they’d never met, will never understand the deep bonds that pet bloggers forge with other pet lovers and their pets. It can be every bit as profoundly special as the bonds we have with our own pets. These blogging woofies and meowsters use words to bring them to life. They let us in, let us see every part of their life while sharing their joys, triumphs and sorrows with us. And when they run off to the Rainbow Bridge, the gaping hole in our heart feels much the same as it does when we lose one of our own.

Not a week goes by that we pet bloggers don’t have to say goodbye to another cherished pet. Sometimes there are more than one in a week. It reminds me of the old saying, “Life isn’t fair.” It’s a fact that no human journeys from birth to death unscathed. Tragic things happen. We deal with sorrowful circumstances as best as we can. We soldier on, because we must.

But for pet lovers, life can seem even more unfair because those we love leave us much too soon. I often wonder how it came about that animals have such infinitely shorter lifespans than humans yet they create for us such life-altering emotional experiences. We love them with every fiber of our being, despite knowing that one day, we’ll experience the soul-searing pain of losing them.

Even when we’re lucky and our pet lives to a ripe old age, it’s never long enough. Surely this is one of life’s greatest examples of unfairness, that we humans can have 80 or more good years on the planet, yet our four legged friends rarely have 20. But it speaks to our resilience and emotional capacity that we love them deeply all the same.

I will admit, there are times that I think “I hope I die before Annabelle, because I don’t know how I will ever be able to cope with that loss.” Each week that I say goodbye to yet another treasured woofie or meowster in the blogging community brings fresh pain and fresh fear of that day I know will come. And I’m not ready. I will never be ready to say goodbye to my beloved heart cat, but I can hold her close today and tell her how much I love her. I don’t know when that last “today” will come, so I have to cherish every precious moment I have with her.

As I say goodbye to the wonderful woofie Pip, I will try not to be sad and dwell on the loss, but be uplifted by the fact that knowing him made my life richer. Yes, Pip has gone too soon…as they all do. We can only love them as much as possible until that final day, and keep them close in our heart forevermore.

We’re Alive!! (sort of)

Oh hai my furry peeps. It’s Annabelle. Did you wonder where I disappeared to? The Warden lost her blogging mojo and she said I was not allowed to post either. She didn’t mean for us to stay away for so long, but before we knew it, several weeks had passed.

To tell the truth, I am a little worried about the Warden. She has been having a rough go of it (“life”) for awhile now, and every so often that dreaded monster we call The Big D rears its ugly head. She has to fight that awful thing with all her might, and it chases her down into a big black hole where she has to claw at the walls to get out. It’s so dark and gloomy down in that cave and she gets scared that she won’t ever get back out. I give her as much Purr Therapy as I can, but sometimes the monster is just so strong. For now, the epic battle continues.

The Warden had to put Purr Therapy on hold because it was making her sad and giving the monster more ammunition. She had met so many wonderful folks the past four years managing that other, company sponsored blog some of you know about. Well, some nice folks associated with the CWB said if she started a personal blog, they could hold one of their auctions to help her pay off the huge vet bill from when I was really sick. So she did, because that bill was making her feel really bad. She started gathering up a bunch of cat things she could put into the auction to help, and she was hopeful for the first time in a good long while. But then the auction never happened. We weren’t popular enough, apparently, for an auction.

The Warden was upset to hear that, but she knew in her heart it was true. For months she’d spent hours every day reading a gazillion other pet blogs and being genuinely interested in their kitties and doggies, but not many came ‘round to visit us. Some furriends migrated here from the other blog but then they quit reading what she wrote over there.

She was disheartened. She just couldn’t keep spending so much time on what seemed like a fruitless endeavor. So she stopped. She’s so very grateful for the dear blogging furriends she has made and maybe one day, it will be okay with her that there are just a few Purr Therapy readers.

In the meantime, I’m giving her lots of purrs and headbonks, and hoping she can send that D monster packing and get out of the cave soon. A dark, cold cave is no place for a good-hearted Warden OR for a kitty. We miss you, dear furriends.

Love and kitty licks,
Annabelle

Our Warden is the Dumbest Human Ever!!

Oh hai, it's me Annabelle again. Now, you know I love my Warden to pieces, but sometimes I think she's just not the brightest bulb in the chandelier. Lest you think I'm being too hard on the poor Warden, allow me to tell you a funny little story.

Not long ago, the Warden was delighted to win a fancy schmancy Ipod Touch. She has an Ipod but it's only one of those tiny Shuffle thingys that doesn't even hold enough songs to lull me to sleep (if I were into Ipods, which I'm not.)

So the Warden took her new Ipod Touch out of the box all excited to try it out, but she couldn't get it to play right. She said it only played music if she held the headphone jack in with her hand. Now, I'm only a kitteh but even I know this isn't the way you're sposed to have to use an Ipod.

The Warden was upset. She contacted the people she won it from and they sent her the receipt. But it turns out all she had to do was contact the Apple peeps, who arranged for a box to be sent so she could ship it back to be repaired or replaced.

Two days after sending it off, the Ipod came back (woot! now that's service!) but the note said they couldn't "recreate the problem" and that the Ipod worked fine for the techs. So the Warden turned it on again and had the same problem as before. Uh-oh. I think I saw steam coming out of her ears.

She started to wonder if it wouldn't play because of something she was doing wrong. I was like, Warden... seriously...how hard is it to operate an Ipod? She didn't listen to me, though, and decided to take the Ipod to Radio Shack to ask them for advice. Good on ya, Warden!

She told the guy what the problem was and he asked her if she had the headphone jack pushed all the way in. She said she pushed it in as far as it would go, and that she thought pushing it in farther would break something. The guy took the Ipod from her, gave the headphone jack a nice big push and it clicked into place. Voila! Music! And you don't even have to hold the jack in with your hand!

The Warden said she's never been so embarrassed in all her elebenty billion years on earth. I ask you again...how hard is it to operate an Ipod??

Wordless Wednesday -- Rocky wears "Mr. Bill"

(Inspired by the very funny website, stuffonmycat.com.)

Would Anyone Hire This Kitteh?

Get a job? Oh no, I am not amused!!

Hey there! It’s Annabelle again. The Warden said Labor Day was a purrrrfect time for me to quit my copious catnapping and go find a job. “What? We cats don’t work! It’s against the Cat Rulebook,” I meowed emphatically. She wasn’t impressed that I quoted that book; she said it was written by some anonymous cat which made it invalid. Pshaw!

So then she tried to appeal to my emotional side, asking me if I felt bad eating all that kibble when I didn’t contribute to the household. Um…nope! Cats eat, play, sleep and then, eat some more. That’s it!

She had the nerve to remind me that she was still crazy-short on the green papers… all because of me. You may remember that a few months ago I was really sick. I spent four days at the vets after horking all night long, then refusing every foodables under the sun and looking rather comatose. At the time, the Warden didn’t care how many green papers it took as long as I could get well and come home. So I did…and now she’s paying for it, or trying to anyway.

Yeah… I guess I do feel kind of bad about that. If I could get a job, she’d be less stressed about the bills and I’d get lots more cuddles! (I already get lots, but a kitteh can never have too many cuddles!).

I put my paws together and came up with a few jobs I could apply for.

*Chief Paper Shredder – I just love eating paper – especially the Warden’s impawtant work papers! – so I would definitely excel at this job. Paper has lots of fiber and tastes yummy, too, so this job would have benefits I could sink my teeth into.

*Seat Filler – You know how the Academy Awards hires people to sit in the celebs’ seats when they go to the loo, so the place always looks packed? I’d be a natural at this job. Every time the Warden gets up from her chair to go do something, there is a cat in it – ME!! – when she gets back.

* Office Supply Clerk – I like to keep track of all the pens, pencils, paper clips, erasers, DVDs and sticky note pads by pushing them all off the Warden’s desk…so naturally I’d be a pro at this job from the get-go.

* Treat Taste Tester – Companies that make foodables always need taste testers to make sure their product is up to snuff. I’d be pawsome at this job because I just LOVE all kinds of treats. Even if it didn’t pay much, the tasty treats would make up for it.

* Psychotherapist – I already have experience doing this job!! Heaven knows I have to (pretend to) listen while the Warden tells me all her troubles. I could do the same with anyone else, and if I came home and told the Warden, she might feel better because surely there are people out there with worse problems than hers! MOL.

***

Because every job seeker must carefully analyze their weaknesses as well as their strengths, here are a few careers I’d fail famously:

See? I ALWAYS turn my head!

* Photography Model – When the Warden aims her camera at me, I turn my head. I can’t help it! She says it's a miracle when she manages to snap a shot with me looking at the camera.

* Restaurant Critic – I’d be no good at this job because I love ALL food, so I’d never be able to criticize a darn thing.

* Walmart Greeter – You’ve got to love strangers and be friendly to be good at this job. I possess neither quality. I only love the Warden and a few choice people, that’s it. Strangers? Fuhgetaboutit!

What job(s) would you be good at?

Fur Kids – Forever in Our Hearts

The other day was one of those I dread. Finding out that another beloved furriend had gone to the bridge is never easy, but this time it was a cat I admire so much for his amazing spirit and his ability to teach us about love and acceptance.

Homer the Blind Wonder Cat was just one cat, as Gwen said, but he was one of the most special cats the world has ever had the privilege to know. His story, Homer’s Odyssey, touched the hearts of millions…and inspired countless people to give blind cats a chance.

Homer proved time and again that you don’t need eyes to be worthy of love. He showed us that a physical disability doesn’t define who we are, it’s just one part of what makes us unique. I love that, through Homer, so many people came to understand that every cat deserves a forever home, even one without eyes.

I love that Gwen and Homer’s incredible bond was captured so eloquently on paper for the world to read and understand. If we are lucky, we will all get to experience the kind of life-altering love these two shared.

I know I have that kind of bond with my Annabelle, and when I read Gwen’s incredibly touching tribute post to Homer, I saw so much of myself in what she wrote. This post foreshadows my own future, that fateful day I will have to bid the love of my life goodbye. It’s not something I want to think about…ever…but it’s reality. I know I will feel what she is feeling now, and I only hope I can be as strong.

I truly believe every soul that comes into this world has a purpose. And that includes cats. We’re all here for a reason, even if we never discover what that reason is. Homer was one of the lucky ones. He knew exactly what he’d come to do…and he did it so well, that his legacy will live forever. I know that’s a bit clichéd, but it is the truth.

I was privileged to “interview” Homer for my other blog a few years ago, and one of his answers to my questions has always stayed in my mind:

Me: If you could tell people something about blind cats that they might not already know, what would it be?
Homer: That a blind cat, in the end, is just a cat who is every bit as capable of loving you and living a wonderful life as any other cat. Too many people didn't want to adopt me as a kitten because I was “different.”  But just because someone's a little different doesn't mean they're too different to love.

I know some of you have read that interview, but if you haven’t and want to learn more about how wise and wonderful Homer was, you can read it here.

Happy Birthday, Warden!!

Our Mom, aka The Warden, is elebentyy billion years old today. Ok, we don’t exactly know how old she is, because she says it’s a secret – and apparently it’s more closely guarded than what goes on at Area 51. Hehe.

When she woke this morning, I was curled up next to her in my favorite spot: right underneath her chin. I purred “Good morning and Happy Birthday, Momma. Last night while you were sleeping, I left your present right there on the bed where you’ll be sure to see it. It’s not as grand as the one Rocky left for you on the floor the other day, but I hope you like it.”

I don’t know why, but she wasn’t exactly over the moon about my gift!! So apparently I missed the mark. But it’s the thought that counts, right?



Our Mom is determined to have a happy day today, despite feeling kinda blue. See, her own momma has been so mean to her lately. This evil woman (remember, we don’t call her Grandma since she says we aren’t important because “we’re not human”) has been sayin the most awful things that no one should say to anyone, let alone their precious daughter.

She treats our Mom so horribly, it makes her think her own Mother wishes she’d never been born! I thought Moms were sposed to love their kids no matter what, but apparently non-Grandma didn’t get the memo. Besides, it’s not like our Mom did anything to deserve this. She’s a kind, thoughtful, loving daughter. She gave up a wonderful life in California to move here to help that nasty beast, and was told “You shouldn’t have come here for me, because I don’t need any help.”

She tells our Mom “You don’t have any friends; no one likes you because you’re not a nice person.” Wow, non-Grandma that is harsh! We know it’s not true because our Mom thinks of all of YOU as her friends even though she’s never met you in person.

Our Mom’s sister and nephew came for a visit and they’re staying over at the beast’s lair. Yesterday, non-Grandma told our Mom’s sister “If you’re going to celebrate her birthday, DON’T DO IT HERE!!” Wow again, non-Grandma – that’s harsh even for you!

Us kitties are so thankful our Mom was borned all those years ago. She grew up to be a wonderful person in spite of the beast, and then she rescued us. We love her because she loves us with every inch of her heart, and we know she’d never treat her own children the way non-Grandma treats her.

If you want to leave her a meow or a woof on this special day, I just know it would make her purr!

~Love and kitty licks,
Annabelle