I visited an old friend - and have some thoughts to share
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 8:03 am
Yesterday I had to collect some things from my ex, stopped for a coffee, and most important had a cuddle with my old cat Purdy. Purdy moved in fairly shortly before I moved out 11 years ago but I was still a regular visitor until the last couple of years when my ex moved into a shared house.
But yesterday I popped in, and got to have a cuddle with Purdy.
Purdy is at least 23 years old, so she was born in the last century. She was old enough to vote in the last 3 elections! She came to us as a walk-in, following her companion Henry in 2006-7-ish. We thought she was younger than him but the previous owners told us she was at least 5 years older as they hadn't had her from a kitten either.
Well Purdy is now unmistakeably a very old lady. She is thin with a greasy unkempt coat and sunken eyes, sleeps most of the time and cries the house down if left alone in a room. Her every need and whim are attended to and as always you only have to look at her to get a cheery thrrripp! and a big generous enthusiastic purr. She washed my hand and my nose, sat bolt upright on my lap, and purred and purred. She is absolutely incredible, so happy and loving. A great and humbling reminder that old age and even very old age are a wonderful part of a long life well lived, and not just to be sanitised away because we can't bear the idea of our once lively companion gradually fading. Yes, even if that comes with losing senses, weight and sometimes some bodily control. There is a good chance Purdy has some degree of kidney issues, diabetes or hyperthyroidism, with her weight loss and thirst, but she's nearly a quarter century old for goodness' sake and she is not going to spend her old age in and out of the vets being used as a pincushion or stuffed full of tablets. My own Molly and Snoop-dog maybe knew something as they both spent a very long time sniffing my hands in great detail, and I know the signs. It looks more and more likely now that she like our Sarah will simply forget to wake up one morning, the best ending a cat could possibly ever have.
I guess what I'm saying is, we have to be careful that we are alleviating suffering and not sanitising away the natural process of ageing as it turns to dying if we can't bear to watch. I guess in human terms Purdy is now in a nursing home with some aches and pains but can't complain, and I don't think she needs to be put to sleep any more than our own happy granny does.
But yesterday I popped in, and got to have a cuddle with Purdy.
Purdy is at least 23 years old, so she was born in the last century. She was old enough to vote in the last 3 elections! She came to us as a walk-in, following her companion Henry in 2006-7-ish. We thought she was younger than him but the previous owners told us she was at least 5 years older as they hadn't had her from a kitten either.
Well Purdy is now unmistakeably a very old lady. She is thin with a greasy unkempt coat and sunken eyes, sleeps most of the time and cries the house down if left alone in a room. Her every need and whim are attended to and as always you only have to look at her to get a cheery thrrripp! and a big generous enthusiastic purr. She washed my hand and my nose, sat bolt upright on my lap, and purred and purred. She is absolutely incredible, so happy and loving. A great and humbling reminder that old age and even very old age are a wonderful part of a long life well lived, and not just to be sanitised away because we can't bear the idea of our once lively companion gradually fading. Yes, even if that comes with losing senses, weight and sometimes some bodily control. There is a good chance Purdy has some degree of kidney issues, diabetes or hyperthyroidism, with her weight loss and thirst, but she's nearly a quarter century old for goodness' sake and she is not going to spend her old age in and out of the vets being used as a pincushion or stuffed full of tablets. My own Molly and Snoop-dog maybe knew something as they both spent a very long time sniffing my hands in great detail, and I know the signs. It looks more and more likely now that she like our Sarah will simply forget to wake up one morning, the best ending a cat could possibly ever have.
I guess what I'm saying is, we have to be careful that we are alleviating suffering and not sanitising away the natural process of ageing as it turns to dying if we can't bear to watch. I guess in human terms Purdy is now in a nursing home with some aches and pains but can't complain, and I don't think she needs to be put to sleep any more than our own happy granny does.