PeaceBang
The manic mind of the minister -- Auntie Mame Meets Cotton Mather. Blogging about Unitarian Universalism, UU Christian spiritual practice, occasional cultural and political ravings, and the inner life of ministry. PeaceBang is the alter ego of a small town pastor serving an historic New England Unitarian Universalist congregation.
How Far Should We Go To Save Our Pets? A Guest Column By Max and Ermengarde
July 14, 2008 on 10:20 pm | In Cat Blogging, Cultural Commentary, Max Blogging | Max: Hi, this MAx.
Ermengarde: And this is Erm. Max, let me start.
First of al plese excuse our speling and typng. Not easy w/ paw.s
We read an article wtih our Human Lady from The Boston Glob about how humans love us (of curse theydo) and spend alot of muney and worry wen we get sik and sometimz make us go to the hospitel alot to save our livz. Max and I have been talking about it.
Max: Ermengaourd did a LINK!! Ermengourd did a LINK!
Erm: I know but your off topic, Max.
Max: oh that’s right- this was about, we were talking about how many humens try to take care of us and sometims are very a little extreme about it!
Erm: Exactly and we just want to say that we think its a littl crazy sometimes only because humans have to know that we have to die sometimes everything has to die and let me try to explain to you that our hole life is basickly eating, sleeping, loving our people…
Max: Sometimes we love the other animulz in the HOUSE with us only they dont always lov us back butwe dont now why!
Erm: max, your off topic again, and it is becaus you are a DOG okay don’t take it personaly
Max: someday you will let me lick your head and cuddle with you I know it
Erm: Maybe. But more the poynt here is what I’m saying that in my oponion i was very hapi when Human Lady broght me to the hospital last yeer when i couldn’t breathe and she saved me because i’m a young cat and will be around for maybe ten more years even to enjoy life but what if I was 15? She could let me go over the Rainbow Bridge into cat heven or to the Heavyside Layer from “Cats” the best show in the world and it would be OKAY because every body dies
Max: Well MOSTLY everybody does
Erm: No, MAx. EVERYBODEE.
Max: What about the Immortal Poodle? I did hear the story of the Immortal Poodle when i was a puppy what about that?
Erm: It was just a story someone made up to make you feel better.
Max: i dont beleve you. i don’t even beleeve you. Does CEELING CAT DIE?
Erm: Ceiling Cat is immortal, invisible and omniputent. So no but Ceiling Cat isn’t alive. This is beyond your comprehenshun.
Max: why how come there isn’t a ceiling DOG anyways?
Erm: These things can’t be explaind.
Max: well i going to chew on a bone now. i only one years old
Ermengarde: Good idea. But before I go myself let me just emphasize to the humans that we apprecishiat everything you do for our people but don’t feel like you can’t let us go if it is our time the plain truth is we jsut really dn’t live that long and if we were lucky enough to have you take care of us we think if we go over the rainbow bridge its OKAY because mostly we know that some other animul can get adopted when we are gone and thats a good thing
Max: also we hate going to the hospital and having operations and serious things so much!
Erm: that’s true i dont even like to have my TEETH BRUSHED
MAx: you not even likes to has your FURS brushed!
Erm: At least I know enough to poop in a BOX and dont have be taken aspecially outside for that like YOU -ALSO I would NEVER walk on a leash. you dont understand the Leash Resistance Movement at all! you are a collaborater!
Max: but i do like to go on walks I not understand why it a problem!
Erm: that’s why i merely tolerate you.
Max:Let’s go eat some kibble
Erm: That’s the smartest thing you’ve said all day.
“Max, weren’t you supposed to get up early and go job hunting today?”
8 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Leave a comment
Powered by WordPress with Pool theme design by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.
Valid XHTML and CSS. ^Top^
Erm & Max:
Thank you for your thoughtful post. Recently my vet and I decided to put my cat on comfort care. She is 18, she’s lived a good long life. She got sick over the winter with thyroid and kidney problems. She now has a heart murmur and low blood count. I told the vet that I didn’t want anymore invasive tests and that I just want to give her medication that will keep her comfortable. The vet agreed that it was a good plan.
It breaks my heart that I will lose her, however she has given me many years of joy. I owe it to her to give her comfort in her last days.
[Licks and pets to yr cat we sorry, love max &ERM]
Peace to you both, and your human lady too.
Comment by god_guurrlll — July 15, 2008 #
Its a tough decision, but one that has to be made. My 10 year old black lab developed kidney failure the summer of 2005. We tried to manage her with a special diet, but the poor thing still stopped eating. You know a lab doesn’t feel well when she won’t eat. So I had to do the tough thing & take her on a one way trip to the vet. It was the right thing for a dear friend. It wasn’t about me it was about her.
Comment by Juana la loca — July 15, 2008 #
I’d like to leave a note but first things first: I’m very sorry I lost my temper last time I was here. Please forgive me. I’ll endeavor not to get so worked up in the future. I really do regret going off like I did.
Second: I lost my little baby Bean (well, she was 14 years old) this past Saturday to gastrointestinal cancer. It was time. But…one thing the vet did for me was make a clay imprint of her paws; do a search for ClayPaws and you’ll see the kit they used for it. They put her name on it and thus I did not have to go home “empty handed.” A wonderful memento of my wee one.
It’s funny; I’ve noticed a lot of pets coming up with cancer of late. There was a big beautiful golden retriever in the office that day who also had cancer. What’s up with that? Maybe some of the chemicals we have in our carpets (like flame retardants) or pest control stuff, etc?
[Tracie, we very sorry about BEAN we also like to say that we think bean is a very cute name. soft paws pats on the face to you. max for max and erm]
Comment by Tracie the Red — July 15, 2008 #
Erm and Max-
Thanks for the thoughtful post. We humans get that way about beings we love. We do it with each other, too, sometimes–asking people we love to cling to life long after it should be OK to let them go over the Rainbow Bridge to visit with Ceiling Person.
Sometimes, though, it takes a cat and a dog to point these things out. [Thank you, Michael, love ERm for max and ERM]
m
Comment by Michael — July 15, 2008 #
Oh-h-h, this is so timely. My dear woofie, Java, is literally on his last leg. Arthritis and bad hips. He’s 12 or 13, around. It breaks my heart to see him collapse into a heap while we’re out on walks, but he is unfailingly enthusiastic about going. He kind of stopped eating, but now I buy food that comes in cans and he eats again. How do you know when? No one seems to know. [dear karun i think if java likes to go on walks even if he does fall down i hope you will take him because he happi to be with you! he probly also loves his new fud and probly the only thing we are saying is maybe its okay not to take him for lots of operashuns and things and also bemember that he trusts you. licks and wags to you and java love from max for MAX and Erm]
Comment by Karen — July 15, 2008 #
My family just faced having to euthanize Omar, our 12 year old basenji. Cancer, making him very uncomfortable, and not treatable in any meaningful way. And I wasn’t here for them or him, being off in Chicago, taking a class. Ow.
How far do we go? There’s a tough question. We’re facing that question with our other basenji, who’s the same age and just added diabetes to her list of health issues.
It’s like everything else in life. You do the very best you can, making the very best decisions you can with inadequate information–because a decision’s getting made, one way or the other. Every step in love and pain.
Comment by Patrick McLaughlin — July 15, 2008 #
I notice that when the congregations I have either attended or served provide services of animal blessing, they are powerful and highly meaningful to the families involved. There are even people who will skip the non-animal part of the service so they can get their companion into the blessing part, if the animal cannot handle a whole worship service.
I have seen these both in October, for St Francis, and in May, around the old Rogation Day (walking around a field in spiritual preparation for the new plantings.) Those are both old Christian holy days, but that’s just because these were Christian UU congregations.
Comment by Elz — July 16, 2008 #
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the hysterical Ceiling Cat link! I almost peed myself laughing - tears streaming, breathless, couldn’t stop. When my husband asked what was so funny, I showed him, and he had the same reaction. We were pretty useless for quite some time. He swears he’s going to use it on me in church - “Ceiling cat is watching you preach…”"Ceiling cat disapproves of your poseur non-feline theology…”
Comment by Rev. Gidget — July 16, 2008 #