Last night my family lost a very special member. Skeeter was found abandoned in a parking lot when he was 10 weeks old. We adopted him when I was in ninth grade and he instantly became a member of our family. Although he was special to everyone, he and I had a special kinship when I lived with my parents. When I used to have boyfriends over, he would position himself and stare at them the whole time they were there. One boyfriend in particular would always shoot glances at him thinking he was getting stalked, which was probably true. It was like he was saying - I'm watching, don't do anything stupid to her. He was super skitterish and if he didn't feel like being touched as he walked past you, he could actually pick up his back legs only in order to avoid the pet. Yet, he could be so cuddly and crawl into the curve of your back while you were taking a nap on the sofa. The vet used to joke that Skeeter had started out with 9 lives but that he was down to 5 or 6 now. He mysteriously broke the ball off the top of his leg and made it through surgery to make a new ball for his hip (so he literally had one leg shorter than the other). He also survived a coyote attack - something that is almost unheard of. He fought so hard that the vet had to remove the coyote hair that was impacted under his claws. Yet, he made it though that like a trooper. So, it didn't seem like such a surprise when he looked like he would pull though he latest illness. He had been hospitalized and when it didn't look like he was going to make it, my parents brought him back to the house to die at home (he hadn't been in pain, just very, very weak). But, to everyone's surprise he managed daily fluid injections and medicine, and slowly started to recover. He had been doing so well, but finally he started to tell my mom that he was just tired and ready to go. She sat with him last night. She played the radio for him and was with him when he took his last breath at 9:45. She said he looked so peaceful and that his little body just finally wore out. I'm going to miss my little Skeeterman.
4 comments:
That's just awful. I know I'd be devastated if one of my guys passed away. *hugs*.
*hugs* Reading about Skeeter brought tears (literally) to my eyes.. and I'm sorry for your loss. Some folks don't understand how pets become family.. its nice to see another person with beloved furry-brothers or sisters.
Wow, I'm really sad...would've loved to have met Skeeter. I wonder what he'll come back as (since he was quite a fighter...)
I don't know if you will see this comment, but thank you for your thoughts, and more importantly for sharing your memorial. Skeeter sounds like an amazing strong and incredible boy.
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