i have had many pets over the years. they have all been a part of the family. usually they were dogs. some years ago, a stray cat began hanging out in front of my house. the cat was scrawny but had the most beautiful green eyes. i felt sorry for the cat. she was always trying to get in my house and all the neighborhood children hung around and insisted i do something to help (i am the neighborhood stray helper). after a few days of this, i asked my girlfriend (a cat lover) if she would take the cat in. my girlfriend agreed and i brought the cat into my house so that she would not run away and would be here when my girlfriend arrived (in two days) to retrieve the cat.
as you can guess, my girlfriend never showed up. she changed her mind, said she had too many responsibilities to take in a cat again. i totally understood. i didn't even like cats was now stuck with one. i asked around but nobody wanted a cat...a dog, sure. but not a cat. finally, i reluctantly agreed to keep the cat. she was to be my daughter's. that never happened. the cat seemed to take to me and i, for some reason, seemed to take to the cat.
i named her peridot. she claimed me for her, i called her mine and we never looked back. what a great choice. she grew into a beautiful, healthy cat with the most amazing green eyes. she was imperial, playful, bossy, distant, loving, greedy, busy, disdainful, and absolutely adorable. i have grown to love this cat more than i thought possible.
she is sick now. she has cancer. she has lost a ton of weight, can keep no food or water down. she is unable to groom herself, to play, to romp, to jump up onto things. she is barely able to walk. i am putting her to sleep tonight because she is dying and in a lot of pain and i can not bear to allow her to live a shell of her former existence. i know i will miss her presence in my life and am grateful for the time we have shared these past six years. she proved wrong all the negative things i heard about cats. she is indeed a joy to have around.
she was more a friend than my dog. dogs are the family member who always needs a hug, plenty of one-on-one time and lots of care. cats seem to be different. mine liked to laze in the sun and spend time alone. but she came out every evening to sit with me...sometimes on me and just spend quality alone time together.she also seemed to know when i was down. she would pop up, rub her head against my leg and wait for me to pick her up. then she would sit in my arms til i felt better. i looked forward to those moments.she is my family but she is also my friend - a friend who is there for me.
not everyone likes animals. not everyone should have a pet. but for those of us lucky enough to have a pet share our lives, to be loved by a pet, we know they bring sunshine to our every day.
so i am thankful for my pet...my cat...my PERIDOT LILY LOVELADY (my daughter and i named her together). i will never forget the impact she has had on my heart and my life.
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