Animal Lovers Are Special People

When I checked the mail this morning, I found a card-shaped envelope addressed to The Tobin Family from the animal hospital we used for Flo.

Intrigued and feeling a little dread over what was sure to bring more tears, I opened the envelope to find a sympathy card saying, "Expressing heartfelt sympathy for the loss of your pet and hoping you find comfort in the thoughts that others care."

You know what? I do. I really do find comfort in knowing that they understand how hard it was to let Flo go and how much I miss her. I have felt such love and support from my friends with pets who had to end their own fur-babies suffering or who dread facing that decision someday.

People without pets have no idea how much an animal can become part of the family. The wordless love and companionship you get from a pet is hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it. I am very fortunate that I have had several special animals to love over the years and who knows? Maybe someday I will again. Not yet, it's way too soon and Lord knows that sassy Miss Flo, a furry version of The Madam if ever there was one, is not replaceable.

But maybe someday, when our loss is not so fresh and Tom ups his asthma medicine, lol, we'll open our hearts and our home to another cat or two. I think it's good for kids to have a pet to love and caring for a pet is a great way for children to learn responsibility.

The card from the vet included the following poem:

When a pet dies,

that special, warm place in our hearts

suddenly becomes empty...

and, as in all painful events,

it will take time to get over the loss...

But we realize, as time passes,

that animals have a way

of teaching us about loving,

about loyalty, joy and friendship...

And whatever we've shared in their presence

can never really be lost.

Corny? Maybe a tiny bit. But oh-so-true.

My eyes still get all stingy and wet when I think of Flo but I smile to remember how beautiful she was as she sunbathed in the front window, how tiny and fluffy she was as a kitten and how patient she was as she waited her turn for my lap each day. She forgave me for sometimes forgetting that she was my first baby, not Jack and the girls who loved to "pat" her with the force of a wrecking ball and who always spilled her milk. She could have resented them but she loved them back, letting them rub her gorgeous little body whenever they wanted and never flinching when the baby would scream, "TAAAAA!" in her face.

"Ta" is Bonglish for "cat", by the way. Until very recently, it was Bonnie's first and only word, shrieked with delight whenever the littlest Tobin caught a glimpse of her beloved cat. I think it says something that Bonnie said "cat" before she ever said "mom." Maybe it says something unflattering about me but more likely it just shows how special Flo was to our family.