In a sometimes colorful, but average life, I've owned about 12 pets. Skipper the Cat was the only pet I've actually ever had to put down. I gave the word over a speaker phone while the doctor explained the situation from the surgical suite. In a cracking voice I gave the permission to "put her to sleep." So when Hubby came home he said, "now we really have an empty nest." I settled up with the veterinary hospital today and donated her kitty condo, some canned cat food and a few packets of Advantage. I took back her cat carrier because I can keep it in the garage without it taking up much room and I'll have it if we decide to get another kitty. It's a nice reminder because we brought her home in it 14 and 1/2 years ago. About 6 months before Skipper came into our lives, we had Hersholt. He was a dwarf Russian hamster, but he died in a few months of what I think was some kind of diabetic problem. That little hamster drank water and peed all the time. When I mentioned thinking of taking it to a vet, a cousin of mine said, "that would be like taking a bic lighter to a repair shop." Right after we buried the brown and gray Hersholt, we got Lakewood. Lakewood was a white dwarf Russian hamster and disappeared mysteriously while we were out of town and the neighborhood boys cared for Skipper and Lakewood. They told us Skipper got the hamster, but I never believed them. Three years before marrying Hubby I got 2 goldfish I named Darryl and Darryl. They didn't last long, and I couldn't believe I didn't have the talent to keep goldfish alive. Years before the sad goldfish incident, my first husband and I had a cool dog named Zeke that we inherited from a friend going off to India, and 2 tabby female cats we named Crista and Anna. Zeke howled relentlessly if we left him alone, so he came everywhere with us. The cats were darling, and when I left the husband, I left them, and I suppose they succumb to feline diseases because I don't think either of us knew to get them shots. In my hippy years I acquired a couple of cats that ended up being given away. One was Cloud, a handsome male gray cat who had an amazing personality. He was a darling. The female cat, Muffin, was hilarious. I came home one day and the entire apartment looked like one big cat's cradle game. She had taken a skane of yarn and rolled it, chased it and batted it around all legs of the chairs, tables, couch. It looked like she had one heck of a party. I wish I had a picture of it. Ten years before the cat era, there was Sniffer the Rat. The rat had been part of my sister's science experiment, and when she was done, I kept it as a pet. Sniffer came along with us as we moved from a big old house to an apartment. He stayed in a cage in my room and one day I noticed he had a huge bulge in his cheek. When my mother took him to the vet, they, she and the vet, told me Sniffer was going to a great farm where rats love to live when they have tumors. I honestly believed that story for about 10 years. The only reason I knew differently is because someone leaked it to me that he was put down!!! And finally we come to my first pet, Rexy the collie. I loved that dog. He didn't get to come with us to the apartment, but he did get to go to a good home. Three good stories come from that collie. 1.He stole a rump roast off the barbecue one night while my parents were entertaining. 2.He came home from a 3 or 4 day jaunt (he wasn't neutered) and had ticks everywhere. He had to be shaved to get rid of all of them and my mom said he seemed so embarrassed that she would tell him, "Rexy you look Sharp!" and he'd cheer up. 3.He brought a doggie lady friend home with him and she had puppies next to our front door. She was a German Shepard and 3 of the pups looked like her, and one of them looked just like Rexy.
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