Adventures with Dr. Lady Cutie Troublemaker

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Answers to Some Jeep-Related Questions

By Abby at 3:29 pm on Monday, July 27, 2009

Jeepers
What a few days. There are a couple of questions everyone keeps asking me, so I’ll answer them here:

  • How is Jeep doing? – Jeep is doing great, actually. She has been very stressed with Maggie’s frequent trips to the vet. She’s a weird and anxious kitty. Whenever Maggie returns smelling like the vet, Jeep goes into panic mode, hissing, hiding… It’s not pretty. Now that Maggie is not returning home at all, Jeep seems just fine. She has been affectionate and doesn’t seem to miss Maggie at all. The two of them have always been parallel kitties, sharing living space, but in Jeep’s mind, I think there has always been some competition over resources (food, attention, favorite sleep spots, etc.). While I would like to think that Jeep misses Maggie, the truth is that I don’t think she does. No wailing, walking around the apartment looking for her sister. Jeep’s actually doing just fine.

  • Are you going to get another cat? – Actually, I do think this is a pretty good thing to do when a beloved kitty dies. The point of having pets in your life is the joy that they bring. There are so many cats in this world that need a good home, and they bring me so much joy, that I would love to get a kitten in a few weeks, but here’s the thing: Jeep would hate it. She doesn’t like new humans. She doesn’t like new animals either. She’s 12 years old, and I have respect for her and what she needs. A new kitten would be good for the new kitten and good for me, but it would be bad for Jeep. And so I’m not going to do that to her. I will be a one-cat woman until Jeep’s time is up. Then, I will probably wait a few weeks and then get two new kittens. I adore cats, but I won’t get one at the expense of my current cat’s happiness.

Filed under: Kitties6 Comments »

6 Comments

1
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Comment by Jennifer

July 27, 2009 @ 3:32 pm

Again, so sorry to hear about Maggie. It was great to see you Saturday though! Hang in there.

2
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Comment by Abby

July 27, 2009 @ 3:37 pm

Thanks, Jen. It was good to see you, too. I’m hanging in there really well with this. I know I’m writing about this a lot, but it’s very therapeutic for me, and people actually seem interested (which astounds me… I generally feel that people must be pretty annoyed with me for talking too much – no matter what the reason). Being able to talk so freely about Maggie, and to have other pet owners share their experiences and their love for their animals makes all the difference.

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Comment by patty

July 27, 2009 @ 3:42 pm

That’s what I did. I knew my remaining 12-year-old cat would not tolerate a new kitten when her sister died. I didn’t expect to lose the second cat as soon as I did (six months later), but it happened. I took a few months off from being a kitty mommy around the holidays, and then in January I adopted two sweet girls, about a week apart. I still miss those old girls something fierce, but these new girls are so cute and so loving and so much fun.

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Comment by Abby

July 27, 2009 @ 4:44 pm

Oh man. I hope Jeep doesn’t get sick soon. I have a feeling she won’t, but you never know. Kittens are so adorable that they make it impossible to remain sad. And actually, Jeep is pretty adorable, and she’s helping a lot.

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Comment by Pamela

July 27, 2009 @ 7:14 pm

My girls are indifferent to each other too and Madie (16) is Abbie’s (14) mother. I doubt they would miss each other. Madie is kind of an introvert and aloof whereas Abbie is sweet, rotten and playful. I have a feeling Abbie will go first. I’m trying to prep myself for it.

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Comment by Abby

July 27, 2009 @ 7:58 pm

You know, it’s really really hard, but one thing that I’m learning is that when you’re sure it’s time to say goodbye, it feels right. On Friday, I absolutely knew it was not time to say goodbye. Then on Saturday, I absolutely knew it was time to say goodbye. I just kept in my mind that I had to make the best decision for Maggie, not for me. While I wanted her to remain alive longer, I knew that not going through with euthanasia on Saturday would be a mistake and cause her suffering. So even though I miss her terribly, it was time for her to go. Her kidneys were failing. And even though I only learned that a few days ago, I knew that I had some truths to accept about her condition.

Death is final, and in many ways, I find that an easier type of grief than grief over less certain things. You know? There is nothing but love, and just because she’s gone, doesn’t mean the love has to end. Rambling, but I think you get what I’m saying.

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