Posted: March 23, 2010, 3 a.m. EST
Boo Boo in her basket. |
I love being a pet sitter. I get to take care of lots of different pets while providing a service to nice clients. I tend to develop a strong bond with the animals I care for frequently, which makes it very hard for me when they become ill or pass on.
Since I’ve been pet sitting professionally for about five years now, I’ve seen quite a few pets in the final stages of their lives. I find it is more obvious with dogs when they aren’t feeling well or getting older. Cats are masters at hiding their illness but eventually even cats start to show their age.
I recently was notified that Samantha passed on. Samantha was a beautiful gray kitty who was about 20 when she passed. I cared for her many times, administering her thyroid medicine as well as love. She had arthritis and had difficulty getting around, but she always had a purr and a meow for me when I pet her.
Having lost my own cat, Meeser, to kidney disease, I can now spot the symptoms if I stay with a kitty for a few days. About a year ago, I noticed Boo Boo was demonstrating some of those symptoms including frequent drinking and urine that is copious and not in the typical little balls you find in clumping litter.
I notified my client, Michelle, of my concerns, and she took Boo Boo to the vet for evaluation. Sure enough, she has kidney disease. Boo Boo is fighting it, but has definitely slowed down since the first time I met her. However, I expect to be notified sometime in the next year that Boo Boo has passed.
You would think after going through this many times, with my own pets and with my clients, losing a pet would become easier for me. But it doesn’t. Each pet has a special place in my heart and I feel the loss when they cross over the Rainbow Bridge.
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