The Circle of Life

Just as a new life is such a joyous experience, the end of a life is so painful. Our 13 year old cat, Sam, started acting strangely this morning. He was absolutely fine one minute, but dragging his hind legs and yowling the next. I immediately called the vet (who has built a revolving door for me and my menagerie) and brought Sam in. The dr. quickly determined that Sam had a sizable blood clot and told me that the prognosis was very bad...even if we took extraordinary measures to treat him. After calling my ex-husband, we decided it best to have Sam put to sleep. I came home to tell the children and to give them the opportunity to go say goodbye to our Sam. Neither one of them wanted to remember him that way, so my ex-husband and I went back together. Our vet, who is the kindest, most gentle doctor I have ever known, was wonderful with Sam and so tender with us! Sam was a sweet, gentle cat...most definitely part of the family...and he will be missed by all of us.
The miracle of birth: our younger cat, Abigail (who was adopted a year ago by our DOG! Be careful who your puppy brings home when you let them out to go to the bathroom!) gave birth to 4 adorable kittens on Friday. It was definitely a "Good Friday"! I haven't posted about the kittens yet because many/ most people feel it is irresponsible to allow a cat to have kittens, with the overabundance of homeless cats. We didn't intend for her to get pregnant (okay, y'all can stop rolling your eyes), but I made sure I found potential homes for them as soon as I found out. In fact, we have more people who want the kittens than we have kittens :-) I believe strongly, that all children should experience the birth of a litter at least ONCE in their life. Abigail went into labor at 1:00 a.m., so my children did not witness the births, but it has been an amazing series of lessons about LIFE ever since. An animals maternal instincts are truly miraculous. One day you have a cat who is completely self-absorbed in meeting her own needs and the next she is 100% devoted to caring for her litter of babies. This is without the need for pain meds/ epidurals, a round-the-clock staff of nurses, a mother/ mother-in-law who comes to wait on the new Mommy hand & foot....there is none of that. It's been an extraordinary experience for all of us.
The timing is an absolute Godsend! When we weren't certain if Gretel would pull through, the impending birth of the kitties helped to ease our worried hearts. Today, with the death of our Sam, the children and I can focus on the new lives that are right in front of us. God certainly knew what He was doing when he orchestrated this chain of events!
I made an appointment today to have Abigail spayed, for anyone who feels compelled to suggest it :-)