#MicroblogMondays 42: My Fur Baby
Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.
*******
Truman got a cold. I was sitting down to a very stressful plate of work when I heard him sneeze several times. I turned around and snot was coming out of his nose. He politely wiped it away with his paw.
I decided to clean his cage before I started working. Midway through cleaning the cage, he started wheezing. He wasn’t wheezing so hard that he couldn’t go after a cookie I hid at the top of the stairs in his playpen. But wheezing nonetheless.
I called the vet feeling a little foolish because… you know… it was a cold, right? But the vet told me to bring him in. When I got in there, I started sobbing because I was so scared that it was going to be like Cozy. Out of context, I’m sure I looked like a lunatic, crying over the fact that my guinea pig was sneezing. But… what if?
I went home with medication for his upper respiratory infection. He’s totally himself personalitywise, just with a runny nose.
I said it with Cozy and I’ll say it again: “It doesn’t matter how small you are; you can still be deeply loved.”
Do you have a pet you fret over and love intensely?
*******
Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts that are connected to businesses or are sponsored posts.
| 1. | Jessica | 14. | No Baby Ruth | 27. | torthú il |
| 2. | Mali (No Kidding in NZ) | 15. | Solo Mama | 28. | Amber |
| 3. | Mali (A Separate Life) | 16. | Daryl | 29. | Savannah (Countless Tomorrows) |
| 4. | Cathy @ Still Waters | 17. | Cristy | 30. | Good Families Do |
| 5. | Geochick | 18. | Sweet are the uses of Adversity | 31. | Traci York, Writer |
| 6. | Gil (The Hardest Quest) | 19. | Justine | 32. | Journeywoman |
| 7. | Persnickety | 20. | Savannah (Because I Can’t Have Babies) | 33. | Laundry Girl |
| 8. | Loribeth (The Road Less Travelled) | 21. | One and Done? | 34. | deathstar |
| 9. | Lori Lavender Luz | 22. | Non Sequitur Chica | 35. | My Path To Mommyhood (Jess) |
| 10. | Mina | 23. | Isabelle | 36. | Jamie |
| 11. | Mary Francis | 24. | Wide Eyed In Wonder | 37. | Infertile Girl |
| 12. | Shilpa | 25. | Relaxed No More | 38. | Barbara Torris |
| 13. | Stephanie (Travelcraft Journal) | 26. | Kasey |
34 comments
I’m glad Truman is going to recover. A pet is a member of the family and I would be worried if it became sickly.
I’ve cried at the vets. It’s a perfectly reasonable thing to do. They (the poets, not the vets) seem so vulnerable and helpless there.
I’m sure that vets have seen tears from people who wouldn’t admit to shedding them. Giving a pet your love means you are willing to share all your feelings/emotions with it – same as you would/ should with another person.
In another life I used to breed kittens (Burmese and Balinese) so there were oodles of cats (pedigree and moggies) in our home and I don’t think there would have been a week go by without some tear shedding – mainly from fun but occasionally from sadness. We now have just one pet cat and I love care and fret over her as much as I did the others when there was a houseful.
So glad you got a diagnosis and medication for Truman – is he an easy animal to medicate?
Who knew a guinea pig could get a cold? I think I would have freaked out too. I don’t exactly have the same fretting tendency with our dog, but I know that when she passes I am going to be a mess. A huge blubbering mess. She’s 11 and I’m trying to get myself prepared for it.
A pet I love and fret over intensely? Oh Lord yes. I have one cat at the moment, one of two that I brought back to Canada from Japan in 1996. They were brothers, from the same litter, born in 1995. Shadow died last year in my arms at the age of 18; his brother Smudge will be 20 in August (assuming he makes it that far). I’ve had my furbabies longer than my husband, longer than Petite, and they are… rather he is (only one left… *sniff sniff*) my baby. He is declining as you would expect a 20-year old cat with kidney issues to do. But so far, he is eating, and drinking and doing fairly well for his age. I was a total mess when Shadow died. I will be a mess when Smudge’s time comes too. It is inevitable, but they have been a huge part of my life for so long and I adore them so. I’ve always said you can tell a great deal about a person by how they treat animals. This has proven true, time and time again. (To read more about my babies, peek at this link: http://thehardestquest.blogspot.ca/2014/05/heartbreaking-loss-in-january-2014.html.) Love them? Hell yea. To the moon and back.
I have had pets that did have health concerns, but this post has made realise how robustly Healthy my pets were. The last family cat was hit by a car as a kitten, survived and was quite healthy. Although he did have a tendency to need emergency vet care. I think my vet reaction was like my doctors/hospital reaction. Stoic there, upset at home.
I had to find a new home for my cats. Long story, with a happy, bittersweet ending. They are still together, and they are happy, they are with people who love and care for them, but they are no longer mine. I cried a lot, and still do because of that. It is not the first time I cry for my pets, I have cried for each and every one of them. And after decades, I find myself for the first time petless. I don’t know how I feel about that, or what that says about me.
I re-read the Cozy story, which took place before we got Dexter. It hit me again how impossibly hard that must have been for you.
Glad Truman is on the mend.
Dexter has a huge chunk of my heart. I am surprised at the intensity with which I fret over and love him. And he loves me back so well, too.
I don’t have pets Mel ,but i can say one thing, they are a part of your family n you love them to the core
Awwww. Poor Truman! I hope he’s feeling better soon!
Oh yes! I was a weeping, awful mess when our dog Gracie passed away 3 years ago. And, our new puppy is my heart. Hubby knew exactly what puppy I needed to mend my heart and she is did it. I fret over everything with her. She and I are attached at the hip.
Glad to hear that Truman is okay! I don’t have a pet now, but I have in te past, and I certainly fret(ted) over them. I want a pet now (husband resists, plus we rent and pets aren’t copacetic) because I believe the bond you form is something important that children should experience. But my two are still young, so I know I have time.
Oh yes, a pet is definitely part of the family. I fret over my dog’s health almost as much as I do with my kids.
Our fur critters are family members, too! I’ve cried many a’ time at the vet’s office. I hope Truman is 100% better very soon!
Pets are definitely part of the family. My husband and I are currently struggling with the failing health of our 12 year old dog, Pebbles. It looks like we will have to put her down this week, I have been crying all weekend. We are trying more medication for a few days but that is just to keep her comfortable while we come to terms with losing our first baby.
I hope Truman gets better quickly, I have cried in front of the vet many times, they understand.
Poor Truman! I think it’s totally understandable that you were upset. While we don’t have pets, I think I’d be worried about them just as I’d be worried about any member of the family if they got sick.
I’m so sorry Truman is sick. You did the exact right thing taking him in. I hope his cold disappears very soon.
I have 2 pets we worry about. Years ago, Jaxson mysteriously fell ill resulting in an overnight stay at the emergency vet. I cried the whole time, convinced he wouldn’t make it. Turns out the vets were able to monitor him getting better as the better he felt, the more distance they gave him (he made it clear they were to stay away). In the morning I got quite the talking-to about what a miserable patient he is (still is, in fact). Currently, the new thing in our house is both cats get Prozac to handle the stress of the twins. Seems so strange to pill your pets because of anxiety, but their peace-of-mind is important.
I’ve had my two cats since I was in grad school, long before Hubby and baby girl came along. As much trouble as they get into sometimes, they are part of the family. Baby girl loooves them, and I do worry when they are sick or something seems not-quite-right. I hope Truman is over his cold soon!
My two Shih Tzus are still my babies, even now with my daughter added into the mix. There have been a few health scares over the last six years they have been in our family (time flies!) and each time my husband acts like I am crazy but I just cannot imagine our family without them.
We recently had to take Buster in for canine flu. Some dogs in the area have been dying from it but I figured that Buster was fairly healthy. We caught it early and he is back to being 100%. Hope Truman starts to feel better soon!
Oh my! So sorry to hear about Truman’s illness. (By the way, I have always loved his name.) Glad he is on the mend! You are such a good fur baby Mama.
We have always, always had pets. Since I was 14 I don’t remember a time when I haven’t shared my life with at least one little creature. At the moment we have two Dachsies, a cat, and a turtle. All are rescues and each one is precious. I just don’t understand how people can leave little animals in houses when they move out. That’s how we got the kitty who was abandoned during Thanksgiving week 3 yrs ago – no food, no water, no heat. It was just a fluke that my son found her peeking out the window on a routine check of the property for his job. The turtle was also left behind in a vacant house; he had been there at least three weeks. It just breaks my heart. I hope there is a special section of Hell for people who abandon helpless animals. (Don’t get me started on how I feel about those who mistreat children!!!)
Well, sorry this is so long. It’s one of my “soap box” topics. I get started and can’t stop.
Sending love to you and Truman. Hope he’s back to his to normal self very, very soon.
Oh dear! I don’t know what happened but I posted the wrong link to the Mr Linky! And I don’t know how to remove it to post the right one. A million apologies. (Wide Eyed In Wonder).
Yes. Cats. I had 4 cats together collectively for 16 years. The first of the four I had from age 19 to 41; she died at 21 11 months). The other 3 died over 3 years at ages 18, 18, and 19 (almost 20). That’s a long span. I was gutted yet I feel like I haven’t truly mourned (last one died 2014) them since I was/am in the midst of infertility-pregnancy-new baby-raising young kids.
I am not a pet person and despite growing up with dogs and cats I’ve never been really attached to any pet we’ve had. (I often forget we actually have a pet now – a rabbit – oops). But I do recognize and respect that many do love their pets deeply. And for that reason I hope Truman is ok.
I’m not a pet person, but I can sympathize with those that are. I’m glad that Truman will be okay, but sorry he has a cold. It’s so weird to think of a guinea pig having a cold!
I hope Truman feels better soon! I don’t have any pets. Maybe one day when AJ (and/or any other children we might have) are older and can be part of the experience.
We’ve had cats, dogs, hamsters, rats, and fish share our home, and I agree – all were (and in the case of our current pet cat, are) deeply loved. Happy to hear your furry family member is on the mend!
Pets are family, no doubt about it. I am so relieved Truman is going to be okay. Our dog Juno is called Baby Girl for a reason; she is my adored beast, and when she is not well, I am not well.
Oh, yes. I constantly worry that one of my cats is dying. He obviously just has an ear infection, but he’s dying. He’s cozy and cuddly, he must be dying. He meows strangely walking around the house (which is actually fairly normal for him), he must be expressing his pain. Because he’s dying. It must be because I love him so much and am so scared about him leaving forever, right?
I am so glad that Truman is feeling better, and that you can have some peace that he is being medicated and will be sneezing no more. He will be a very healthy, very loved little guinea pig!
Diva dog (Diamond) developed diabetes which eventually affected her eyesight. About a year after her diagnosis, twice a day insulin shots and modified diet, she developed a respitory infection that she couldn’t fight off. We let her go. That was nearly four years ago.
Today, Cinnamon an three year old poodle mix, Buttah, an 8 year old orange tabby, and Pete, a nine year old brown tabby yank our furry hearted chains.
I’m glad Truman is feeling better. Cheers to a quick and full recovery.
I’ve cried for my kitties. I miss them. PJ went to the vet so many times, poor guy. He had to be put on prescription cat food because he would develop crystals in his bladder. One time he snuck out of the house and went under the house and into the crawl space. I couldn’t coax him out. So, I slept on the couch with the back door open and the screen door shut so I could hear him pawing at the door if he wanted back inside the house. It was a chilly night and I wrapped up in several blankets, but hardly slept. At about 6:00 am, PJ finally rapped on the door. When I opened it, he ran in the house and layed down next to me on the couch under the blankets. His fur felt so cold. I was so happy he came back.
Glad to hear Truman is on the mend and hope he is entirely healed up soon!
Glad Truman is recuperating. 🙂 We don’t have pets. My excuse was always that we were working & commuting 11 hours a day & it wouldn’t be fair to the animals. I suppose that doesn’t hold up now that we’re both at home 😉 but I’m not eager to take on a new responsibility just as I’ve freed myself from work. 😉 I want to be free to travel & do things without worrying about boarding pets & such. (Also, I have a mild allergy to dog & especially cat hair.)
We did have a puppy when I was a pre-schooler. She was handful & we eventually took her to my grandparents’ farm to live — where she was run over by a car. 🙁 It was my first experience with death and I guess maybe it’s had a lasting impact? I do enjoy my friends’ dogs & cats. They certainly do become a part of your family.