pet lessons
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Unexpected Miracles
(I’m pulling from the archives. “Unexpected Miracles” appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Cat, 2009) I have failed as a cat parent. My little cat Maisey, when she was just a smidgen over a year old, was going to be a mother. At first we weren’t sure. Perhaps we were leaving a bit too much milk in her saucer and too many scraps of deli meat in her food dish, perhaps that was the reason for her suddenly ballooning mid-section. But my husband and I soon noticed that it wasn’t just her size that was changing, it was her attitude. She no longer…
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Goodbye Tilly
We had to put our dog to sleep today which, as my son pointed out, is just a nice way of saying she died. She was old and sick and quickly losing control over bodily functions, and it was time. As I write this, Tilly is not sitting at my feet under my desk. Taking a walk seems pretty pointless. And I don’t know who will be my silent sounding board for my writing ideas. She never interrupted. Never criticized my ideas. Just listened patiently, occasionally offering a sigh of contemplation. We are very sad. I am sad about Tilly, our sweet, old dog, and I’m sad as I watch…