Thursday, February 26, 2009

In memory of Baboo.


I am grieving. I personally had to deal with the loss of two kittens. Even though Devo died last year and Baboo only yesterday when he was run over by a car, there was never a right time to say goodbye.

My adorable Baboo was a risk taker, an explorer and prone to loving purring moments. Baboo has a simple daily schedule: breakfast in the kitchen; playtime in the garage when the sun was shining or playtime in the living room, running here and there and bumping into furniture; dinner in the kitchen; and bedtime snuggled up to her best friend and sister, Inee, a calico cat he was left with since kittenhood. Baboo was cared for with total love and consideration up to his final purr.

While I am going through my grieving process, Stray the mother and Inee his sister is also going through theirs as well. Inee seemed to take a little more time wandering the garage and wondering where his snooze mate had gone. And just last night both were up long after their bedtime and meowing in the kitchen, and I wondered if it was out of their missing Baboo.

I have become so connected with my pets, that losing them seemed like losing a family member. Because, after all, pets are part of families, aren't they?

It is sad but I know that all too often the death of a pet is relegated to the land of lesser losses. A pet, as many would think, is not as important as a good job, a nice home, a wonderful romance or a dear friend. Many would think that losing a pet could not be nearly as upsetting as losing any of those other things.

Sure, the loss of a pet does not necessarily impact on one's safety on the planet in the way the loss of a job or a home might. And, certainly, the smartest of us would never want to begin arguing about the value of pet love versus human love.

But in the land of relationships, the experiences of love and loss of love are unique. To have a friend leave, whether it is a friend covered in fur, feathers, scales or just skin....well, it can be an experience of the most profound and poignant kind.

I know that these feelings, which range from joy to untenable loss, is part of the cycle of life. I would say, it is all part of the ride.

And to ride alongside a fuzzy or feathered or scaled buddy for a time and to have them choose to ride with me is an honor, a delight and, eventually, an experience worth having.

6 comments:

Tracey said...

It's terrible, losing a pet.. I feel for you Odette.
Much love
Tracey XXX

bubble said...

Sorry about Baboo odette.

Love Amy xxxx

Odette Bautista Mikolai said...

Tracey, Amy,
I had used Baboo's picture as a wall paper in my mobile phone thus i still get to see him.

amna said...

sorry for your loss, he was such a lovely looking pet. i know how you feel. i lost my 2 dogs once to the pound. they kept on digging undergound the fence and ran away. we had to pay penalty all the time and finally we surrendered them to the pound and it took me awhile to get over with it. we got another well trained dog and he doesn't dare to go out even though the gate is wide open.
i lost my cat once for 3 days and i was crying thinking that he was ran over by car on the street. he showed up looking fat with a bloated stomach and i iguessed he was adopted by another family but managed to get away and came home.
get another baboo odette, it will help a lot.

Angry American said...

It's too sad for me to comment. Take comfort knowing he is in heaven and may come back as somebody else some day.

Odette Bautista Mikolai said...

Amna,
losing your dog to the pound is better coz they will still be taken care of, plus you can still visit them from time to time. but when you lose them to death, there is no other way around it.
i have five dogs before but dogs dont have the same luxury the cat has. these cats are way too spoiled but i also delight with their "lambing".
thats why im gonna miss baboo. but i still have inee and she's just as malambing as his brother.

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