Loss

Today I lost one of my beloved cats, Sunny. She was 15 years old, found in the middle of the road with her brother at just 4 weeks old, not far from a known feral cat colony. Sunny lived a beautiful life, never met a stranger and while her start was rough, she was one of a kind in our house, and we were so fortunate she passed through our lives. Sunny was my 3rd old cat in just 18 months to pass on. The oldest guy, Brady, lived 19 years. Sunny’s brother, Leo, died at just 13 years of age with what the vet thought was cancer. Losing so many in a short space has left our home very changed.

I would imagine those in rescues are faced with similar heartache quite often. They put so much work in to helping wildlife in need, think everything’s going as well as it could, then suddenly the animal doesn’t make it. Wildlife are not our pets, but that profound loss, especially after all of the love and care goes in to trying to save them. For those that are in rescue, know that your heartache is felt by all that assist in the journeys of these wild lives. Everyone rescues with the hope of seeing a positive outcome, of knowing that animal got the best care and can now go on living a normal life despite the road blocks along the way. Not all stories have a happy ending, whether it’s in my house or at a rescue, that heartache is real.

Take comfort, all rescuers, in knowing that each and every one of us plays a role in helping those creatures in need, wild, domestic, feral, doesn’t matter. If you can help, or get an animal to someone that can help, you’ve played a big role in the outcome of that creature’s quality of life, or in a peaceful end to avoid unnecessary suffering.

Today’s share is short and sweet, but what we all do is valuable. Keep helping those that need help, always. Take heart in the rewards we see along the way, and in the peace we provide when the tough decisions face us.