The Furry Four is No More

Yes, the Furry Four. Four because we recently acquired another cat, named Fluffy (who, by the way, isn't fluffy) to go along with Lacey, Friday, and Kitty. In one of my previous posts, I mentioned the dogs, Lacey and Friday. I didn't mention then that Lacey was disabled. We rescued her nearly six years ago. Prior to us getting her, she had been hit by a car. Her former owners used her as a breeder, and after the accident apparently decided she was of no use to them. They neglected to get her necessary medical treatment, and consequently she ended up with a spinal compression. This made it so she couldn't hold her waste in, and she had to wear a diaper. My father found her online while looking for a dog to replace Brandy, a corgi we had recently put down.

Well, Lacey was also a corgi, and my dad fell in love with her. At the time, we lived in Massachusetts, and she was in Delaware, but that didn't matter to him; he drove all the way down there to get her and back. While it was a new and difficult experience caring for her at first, we grew to love her. Two years later, we rescued Friday. In hindsight, that was a mistake. There was a change in Lacey. She became more protective of her food (previously she would leave it all day, and only eat at night), and more nervous. Even so, the change didn't seem to be that serious, and we continued on as normal. Over the next few years, we had hamsters and cats. With each new animal, she became more and more nervous, but we thought it was more or less all right, because by the time it was just Friday, Lacey, and Kitty, they had all come to an understanding of sorts, and they all loved each other in their own way, even though they annoyed one another. Lacey and Fluffy weren't well acquainted (mostly Fluffy's choice). Recently, however, she had tried to attack Friday and Kitty.

Along with her declining emotional state, there was her declining physical state. Lacey struggled to move around these past few months, often falling when trying to stand up or walk. She was resting more and more, with only spurts of energy here and there.

The looming threat of her harming someone or something, and her obvious physical discomfort, are what made us decide to put her down today. Mom and Dad went with her, while Z. and I stayed here. Apparently it didn't take long at all, and she was happy all the way through.

What made me sad more than her being gone--I know it was the best thing--is the fact that she was even disabled and had to die. Nothing was ever meant to suffer or to die. GOD never meant for us to know that. I don't know if I will see her again; the Bible neither affirms nor negates pets being in heaven, but even so, the whole tragedy made me long for that day "when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54). How about you?

Blessings,
Jean