Your Pet Loss Stories

by Lynn Lynch
(Windsor Locks ct)

My name is Fredrick. I am told I should be a majestic Maine Coon cat but at this point no one can tell because I am smaller and don't have the puffy coat my brothers and sisters have. My mother never seemed to care if I was different. My siblings seemed to think because I was little, it was a reason to not let me play with them or even sit with them. If there was anything left in the bowl our people gave us - I could eat. One day it came time to leave mom the only home my brothers and sisters knew. One by one my sisters and brothers were chosen and left me and Mom to go to their new families. I was happy to have Mom all to myself. Me and Mom shared the bowl the people gave us. I was so happy and I grew bigger.

Until that day I was scooped up by one of the people and handed to a little girl who squashed me where I thought I couldn't breathe. I cried for Mom, as best I could. She said back to me "don't be afraid" and that this will be my new family, and she sent me her love and hope that I will find happiness until the day I die. I hear her say "be brave my baby boy!" I was taken away very far way from my Mom, so far I couldn't hear her any more. I was confused, I wanted my Mom. I don't know when I stopped crying but I realized she couldn't hear me any more.

My new people gave me my own bowl and I could eat all that was in it. They would play with me and not beat me up like my brothers and sisters did. It wasn't long before I had long forgotten about Mom and being hungry and left out. My new people love and feed me bowls better then I have ever had. I just had to be smart about that little girl people who squashed me. I was smart - always on the look out for her.

My new name was Ricci... I guess that's OK because when I heard "Ricci" called out - it was something good like a bowl or a hug or scratch under my neck that I love. Sometimes I would see a people called doctor Ann and get a little pinch sometimes 3 pinches, every time I saw this people something like this would happen. When I was little I used to cry - but I have learned it is OK because she would hug me and scratch my neck.... the owchie was long forgotten before I went home to my place, my bowl, and my people.

One day I thought must have done something very bad. I had to get into the box that I would to see Doctor Ann. But when I got out of the box it wasn't at doctor Ann's. I was scared. I was put into a box a little bigger then the box to see doctor Ann.

In the box, I waited for my bowl, my people and even missed squash me girl. I waited a long long time. A people who I didn't know would bring a thing that wasn't my bowl with stuff in it that wasn't the stuff that I liked. I became more than sad. No one scratched my neck or gave hugs to fix the bad owchies I feel, so much worse then at doctor Ann's.

One day a people came by my box and opened it and hugged me and scratched my neck.... I cried and cried "love me and I will love you a thousand times more" but they didn't seem to understand... this people left closed the box... and I waited for a long long time for them to return... but I must have done something bad like always.

It felt like a thousand missed bowls with no hugs or neck scratches. I tried to stay in the corner of the box, because I must be a bad majestic Maine coon cat, as I think I'm not sure what I was supposed to be.

One day my name was changed to a number... 203.. I didn't know what that meant. I was moved to a new box and the others like me were crying out for mercy. Again I was scared. Mercy? What was this place? The others were taken out and don't come back. So they must be getting new people.

I wanted a new people too. But why are they calling mercy? An old half blind cat that looked like an alley cat next to me told me lies..."they call out mercy from death". He continued... "no one wants us." What lies!! I replied, I'm a majestic Maine Coon with a pedigree.

"Big deal" said the alley cat. OK this was a very big owchie....I began to think how much better being squashed a little bit now and again is so much better then this no mercy place is. I cried out, only to be laughed at by the alley cat.

A people with Grey on the top came to my box. I cried louder, and the alley cat laughed harder. The gray top people opened my box, and pulled me out. I grabbed her neck and would not let go. I tried to tell her I am a good cat - and could be better if I got a second chance to prove it.

She told me..."it's OK, I got you". I wasn't sure what that meant. She hugged me almost to the point of squashing, but I wasn't afraid of being squashed anymore. She put me in a box like as if I was going to doctor Ann's. I was happy to go see doctor Ann again, because she made the owchies better.

Later, the gray top people opened the box, but I wasn't at doctor Ann's. I was a little afraid, and I wasn't coming out of the box, the last time I did it was a a bad place with no bowl, no hugs, and no neck scratches. This people put a bowl a little like my old bowl in front of the box, it seemed to smell yummie. I had to at least look at it, to see what was in there. It was like the old stuff I used to love, so I took a taste. I ate it all... and went back into the safety of the the box.

The next bowl was good too, but as I was eating the lady said "come here Eddie" I'm wondering- is Eddie like Ricci.... a bowl, hugs and neck scratches?? I wander over to the lady, she scratches my neck...and I try to tell her all that I had been through... but she just said how much she loves me and all that in the past just didn't matter anymore. She told me, you're a majestic Maine Coon cat! Is this the only people who knew this, after all I didn't even know for sure. I was not like my siblings who knew they were.

Me and my people enjoy many many bowls, hugs and neck scratches. But something bad happened one day, and I don't understand. I went to doctor Ann in the box with a big owchie but I was never allowed to go back home to my bowls or neck scratches... and no hugs.

My people gave me squashing hugs and said they can't wait for me to get home. I didn't want my people to go. Then off I went to the box in the back at doctor Ann's. When I saw doctor Ann I was relieved... she fixes owchies... she gave me a pinch, then I fell asleep..... but when I woke up.... I may have been a majestic Maine Coon cat, I was afraid, very afraid.

I so wanted the love, and hugs of my gray top people... I was alone and struggling for a breath, I couldn't even cry out for this mercy thing that had worked in the past. I was struggling to breathe and a people I didn't know called out on my behalf and became very angry because no one was watching over me.

The last thing I remember was not being able to get breath, I gave up, it was too hard. The one crying people who was looking for someone to help me, and found no one in time, picked me up and held me like I like, but I couldn't make my body hug her neck back. All of a sudden I felt free from that heavy body of fur that this people was holding, the struggle to get a breath was all gone. Is floating away from that place possble without a box?

I was able to go see my gray top people without getting in the box. I saw the gray top people and they were sooo sad. I jumped in the people's lap, to try to make it - whatever it was- better. But I got no hug or scratch under the neck. Only the sobbing of the gray top people got louder. I thought I again did something bad.

I stayed by the people for many days, a few times I would jump in a lap, and the people would start to cry again. They were so sad about something. They didn't give me a bowl or scratch my neck... nothing. I didn't even feel hungry, but I wanted my bowl. It was on the counter, but always empty. I checked it many times.

One day the people put my bowl in the garbage can, again crying and sobbing. I just didn't understand. I wanted my bowl. I thought I should go away, because they didn't want me any more. I just didn't know where. I started walking, all of a sudden like getting in a box - and out somewhere else, I was in a big field.

I felt love and there was lovely music in the air. People who were walking through scratched my neck and some picked me up and hugged me. This is where I will stay always. Here I don't have one or two people, all the people love me! I haven't had any owchies and I have even forgotten what an owchie was. I am waiting very patiently to see all my people, squishy girl, my gray hair people and my Momma soon. I don't know why I know this, but I just know.

Maybe my story will bring something good to others, with owchies.

With Love,

Fredrick

Fredrick's "life story" is a true story, and I was the people who found him not breathing after a simple x-ray.
I believe owners should have a right to demand more from pet care providers, and pets deserve to have those that love them close by even at a Vet's.