Friday, April 26, 2013

Pets - A Tribute to Isabel

I had planned to write a post about pets for a few months.
I just never found the words that could adequately describe how I feel about them.

How much you just love them with your whole heart.
How much they truly become part of the family.
How much joy it brings you to watch them play.
How much it makes you feel happy just to see them happy.
How much it feels so wonderful to give them a 'treat' and see them 'smile' up at you. 
How much every ache and pain is diminished the moment you pat them.
How much after a stressful day its amazingly comforting to have them by your side and to feel their company.

    And.....

How much you cry and cry and cry and cry when they pass....

Which is what happened yesterday :'(
One of my furkids passed away.

RIP Isabel

Isabel was one of my two ferrets. Anabel and Isabel are sisters who came from the same litter. I affectionately referred to them as my "Bellas". I got them at just 8 weeks old. I fell in love instantly. Although I don't like to play favourites, Isabel was definitely just that! She was so easy to train. She was always so affectionate and wanted cuddles all the time. Anabel is just very 'ferrety' and is far more interested in running around finding new smells instead of having a cuddle! 
Isabel would even kiss me when I held her and said "kiss for mummy".


It just felt so very very wrong this morning as I picked up Anabel out of their sleeping hut and moved her across to their play-pen on the other side of our house. I'm used to having my hands full with 2 cheeky Bella's running through my arms! 
These two were always attached at the hip....
.....and always in a funny position!
Having playtime in the garage & after coming back from answering the phone one time this is how I found them!

My husband recently spent a weekend making their playpen into a permanent fixture with tunnels and levels for them to jump up etc. I will never forget their delight as we added each new level for them to jump up onto - oh the fun of chasing each other around!

They often featured on our 'family' Christmas cards:
Poor Anabel - I'm not sure how she'll cope without her sister by her side 24/7.

I'm truly grateful that our parents always allowed us to have pets when we were growing up.
We had dogs and cats and guinea pigs and rabbits and birds and mice and even ducks!
And now as a parent I think its so great for children to learn how to care for animals and also its a great way to teach them about life! There's something about seeing the love a child has for their pet that warms my heart beyond what words can say!

Perhaps you could just say that I'm a pet person!

And so I must not forget my kitty either in this post about pets!

I truly do love all my furkids soooooo much! 
Here's one of my babies:
she sleeps through the night and doesn't need her nappy changed ;-)
She makes great company when working from home:
She makes great company during playtime too:
And although she doesn't overly enjoy cuddles, she always tolerates them!!!
And she understands that when you lose one of your other furkids, sometimes you just need to sit and cry.... and cuddle:
And when she lies on the end of your bed and looks up at you like this:
..... how could you NOT fall instantly in love and feel like she truly is just as precious as your human kids ;-)
  

So if a picture says a thousand words....
I guess I didn't need to think about what to say all those months ago.... I could of just posted these pictures! 


Question of the day:
Do you have furkids?
Did you grow up with pets or just have them as adults?

DID YOU KNOW?
People are happier and healthy with pets!
It's now a proven fact that people who own a pet are less likely to suffer from depression and loneliness. Pet owners also tend to have higher self-esteem. Children who grow up with pets are less likely to suffer from asthma and allergies. Pets are also somehow linked to a reduced chance of suffering from a fatal heart attack!!!
If you don't believe me then check out these links for further reading:
So this Friday - be healthy.... and adopt a pet :-)

12 comments:

  1. I just found your blog through Healthy Vegan Fridays. I am a furr mama too, and I totally feel your pain. I had two sweet black kitties, littermates, who inspired the name and face of my blog Gluten-Free Cat. Just last summer, my baby girl passed away. Life has just not been the same since. And brother has had such a hard time adjusting to life without his sister. I'm so sorry for your loss. Pets are such a part of our life and families. The grief in their passing is real and deep. Big hugs to you!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by :-)
      Oh I'm so sorry to hear that you also are feeling sadness as losing your baby :-( It truly is so very very hard.

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  2. I'm so sorry to hear your news :( The only pets I've had are cats but I know how much a part of your life they become and how awful it is when they do pass away. I hope your next few days can be low key and full of more cuddles with Anabel and your own cat.

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    1. Thanks Kari :-) I am enjoying spending a bit more time with Anabel - also trying to help her adjust a bit better too by giving her much more attention.

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  3. I grew up on a farm surrounded by farm animals and pets - we always had cats and dogs. When I got married we had dogs (always Dobermans) but I wanted a cat so much, then one walked into our lives (front garden). Charlie (girl) we assume was dumped just after Christmas 6 years ago - she was about 4-6 weeks old and so tiny. It was 40C and she as very hot and thirsty so we gave she water. Then we gave her food and gradually over a day or so she allowed us to pick her up. She is now our precious cat and we are her family. If we hadn't taken care of her on that first day she would have died. She still doesn't trust humans, but she loves us.

    We are now proud parents of Ruby (cat), Charlie (cat), 4 fish and 2 dobermans (Brenin and Gaia) - I couldn't imagine a house without pets. Yes, they are spoilt rotten - but why not:))))) If you are furry and have 4 legs and live in our house, life is SO GOOD.


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    1. Wow - what a beautiful story about your cat just trusting you guys :-) Thank you for sharing that with me :-)
      I agree that pets are worth spoiling!!

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  4. I'm so sorry for your loss Sandy. I hope the little things I can do have made some difference.
    I've always been fighting for pets... I won the battle for goldfish and mice (rescued from the school science lab) when I was a kid but since we're renting fur babies aren't allowed :(
    I can not wait until I can finally fill my house with animals! Even with the pain of loss the love animals bring is so hugely worth it.
    Hope you feel better soon xxx

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    1. Thank you so much beautiful lady :-)
      hehehe fish are fun to watch at least!!! And mice are pretty cool pets too.
      Oh yes, so true your comment about pain vs love - I will treasure my Isabel memories forever!!!
      I hope one day you can have your dream of filling a house with fur-babies! xxx

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  5. So sorry to hear about Isabel, I hope Anabel is getting used to life without her pal and that you are coping alright with the loss. Losing a pet is such a hard thing to grasp... I'm still very sad about my dog passing away 18 months ago and don't want to change my profile pic from his smiling face. BTW - I think ferrets are incredibly cute and have fantastic personalities. xx

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    1. Oh I'm so sorry you lost your puppy dog :-( They really do leave an imprint on our heart hey!
      Thanks for your concern - Anabel was very upset on the weekend, didn't eat or drink at all and I was so worried about her. Thankfully yesterday and this morning she seems a lot more cheered up & back to her usual self!!! She has been getting lots of extra cuddles and playtime to help her feel less along (which I'm enjoying as much as her!!!) xxx

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  6. So sorry to hear about Isabel. She was seriously a cutie. That Christmas picture of the three of you is great. A memory for sure.

    I know that with my pets they always do better in pairs. Are you considering getting another ferret or waiting awhile?

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    1. Thanks for your concern :-) At the moment I'll just see how Anabel goes by herself - she was always the leader anyway!

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