Grieving over the death of a pet is something only other pet
owners can relate to, you have to own a pet to really understand the
companionship and love that you are given by that bundle of fur and, although I
have been in this situation before, I was stunned by the overwhelming grief I
experienced recently, at the loss of our cat, Tosca. That small bundle of fur
left a huge space in our lives.
Tosca was almost 20 years old and had travelled from the UK
to the USA to the Netherlands with us. When she first arrived in our family she tolerated the kids, and was possibly the first feline fan of the
Harry Potter books, as she sit on my son’s bed avidly listening to the story.
She was a pretty cat and used this advantage, as beneath this cute exterior lay
a stealth aggressor and terrorizer of small children and unsuspecting adults.
She’d hide in plain sight and swat at ankles or allow the unsuspecting stroker
of fur to let their guard down and then bite down hard! Swooshy skirts were a
great irritant and she intimidated my
mother-in-law by climbing onto the hem of her skirt and hanging there!
Despite this Attila the Hun side to her character we loved
her…even if our guests didn’t. When we moved to the US she had to adapt quickly
to the environment and after being an outside cat found herself restricted to
inside as we lived in a motel until our shipped furniture arrived. Oh, the
indignity of wearing a cat leash, the only way she could get outside! But once settled in her new home she quickly
discovered a new sport, hunting chipmunks. There were many times we had to
rescue Chip and Dale and once even found a rather smart chipmunk sitting in
Barbie’s car trying to make a quick get-away!
As Tosca got older she tolerated the arrival of an older
adopted cat, Twinkle, who was escaping the return to the UK and quarantine, but
was enormously affronted by the appearance of a new kitten. She never really
accepted Squishy and made sure the underling knew exactly whom the monarch of the
house was. She had a new focus for her stealth skills and Squishy developed a great respect for the queen!
It is known that pets are beneficial to our lives in many ways. The action of stroking a pet can reduce blood pressure and stress and research shows that people with pets even recover faster from heart attacks. Owning a pet can even be an ice-breaker with people, especially dogs (I’m not sure Tosca qualified in this department!) and there is some scientific research that shows children who grow up with animals in the home have less allergies. Of course owning a dog definitely improves your fitness with all those long walks.
The move to the Netherlands was challenging but for an old
traveller it was just another place to rest her old bones. Tosca had mellowed
by this time and soon settled into the rhythm of Dutch life. She continued to
make us laugh with her crazy bursts of energy, her “sway belly” swinging
side-to-side as she ran or when she’d go and look through the neighbors
windows, when they were “cat sitting” for us, and remind them it was dinner
time, virtually pointing to her imaginary watch! She even tolerated another
move within the Netherlands…her fourth home, but remained the queen to the end. We miss her friendship and even Squishy is feeling the loss. Goodbye old friend.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/51154/8-benefits-being-cat-owner
