Saying Goodbye to a Pet is Never Easy

This past week has been one of the more difficult ones at my house. You see, we have two kitties who live with us, and who we love dearly. Pepper, who is almost 18 and our baby girl Bella, who is 13 and who we found at the Dutchess County SPCA, or more appropriately who found us at the SPCA.

We love them, we've been through a lot together. They have snuggled with us, stepped on our heads, given us kitty kisses,and made us crazy as they ran after each other practically knocking things off of shelves. They always seem to know when one of us isn't feeling well, and we get extra love from them.

The one time I thought we had pushed them too far was when we brought our infant grandson into the house to help take care of him. We got a lot of tail gestures that I'm not sure were meant to be polite. But, they got used to him and would follow him around, maybe it was because of the cookie crumbs he was constantly dropping, but I'd like to think it was love.

This past Saturday we took Bella to the vet, her breathing was very labored and she wasn't herself. After an examination, it was determined that we needed to get her to a Vet with an Oxygen room, so that she could breathe easier before trying to take a X-Ray. The closest vet with such equipment was in Bedford Hills. So we went, me trying to calm her as my husband drove, both of us fighting back tears.

Once we were there, the news we received was the worst. She had so much fluid around her lungs and heart and combined with her age, there was nothing more to do. It was time to let her go. They brought her into us, where we hugged her for the last few times and told her how much we loved her. I held her as she quietly and peacefully went to sleep.

Our house doesn't seem like home right now and Pepper is very confused. I know we will get through this, and we will remember how lucky we were that she choose us to live with us and all the happy memories. But right now our hearts are broken.

Bonus Video: Christy Cottage Mantles