On Monday afternoon, my friend's beloved pet was found gasping for breath. He was rushed to the vet and they found that his lungs were completely filled with fluid so he couldn't get any air. He had been playing, running, eating and doing all the normal kitty things earlier in the day. There was only a couple of hours where he wasn't seen and it was assumed that he was in his favorite window watching the birds play in the trees just outside of reach. Within just a few short hours, he passed away. A virus, the vet pronounced. No warning signs or symptoms. No idea of the type or where it came from.
Baxter was no ordinary cat, to say the least. He was the constant companion to his owner and my own cat and he literally grew up together. When I took Gracie over to his house, it was like two kids on a play date. They didn't know it was unusual for cats to be friends if they lived in separate homes. Since they were our only pets, we would take turns keeping them at our homes when one of us was out of town. We joked that they were going to kitty camp.
Gracie went everywhere with me in the car from the time she was a kitten and was quite used to traveling, but Baxter only left his home to go to the vet or except when I picked him up for a visit. He was always relaxed in the car and would peek out the window as if checking out our route in case he ever wanted to make the trip on his own. He always knew when we arrived on our street and when we were close to his home. Occasionally, I would be keeping my daughter's dogs while she was away with the National Guard and even though Baxter had never been around dogs, he just settled in and acted like this was part of a normal kitty routine.
His owner is a therapist and Baxter always greeted the clients as they came into the office. If they were sad, he would curl up in their lap and try to comfort them. Even those who were not crazy about cats were amazed and comforted. He was a therapy cat in the truest sense of the word.
To say he had a full life in four short years would be an understatement but so very true. If nothing else, Baxter has reminded us just how fragile life is and how quickly it can change or end. We rarely understand why a loved one - relative or pet - has to leave us, but if we keep their memory alive, then they never really leave. It serves as a reminder to live each moment to the fullest and not to let opportunities to spend time with loved ones pass us by.
I believe David Grayson said it best, "Looking back, I have this to regret: that too often when I loved, I did not say so."
-- To reach Gail Davis, e-mail RuhenstrothRamblings@yahoo.com or call 265-1947.
