Memories, Nostalgia and the Thoughts We Keep
It has been a busy weekend, and it feels like I have been running the entire time, and yet I have gotten nowhere.
In fact, it was one of those weekends where I could honestly say "Yeah, I got a LOT done, but you couldn't tell from looking at anything around here!"
Somehow, I ended up looking through a lot of old photos here on my computer... trying to sort images I am going to use for posts in the coming weeks and months.
Also came across a folder with pictures of cats and dogs... now gone.
That's "Orange," at the top of the page... one of the Sweetest most "Zen" cats I have ever had. He died a few years back, very suddenly... at just age four.
It made me think about the remarkably many "pet loss" posts I seem to have come across, recently.
And then the next thing: What do you SAY to someone who lost a beloved dog or cat? Unless you have pets you are close to, it's hard to imagine yourself in someone else's shoes. The only thing that is for sure is that the lost "furbaby" was so much more than "just a cat" or "just a dog" to the person feeling the loss.
But what I also know is that the memories will always stay with us, even when they are gone... just like the memories of Orange are still clear with me.
Hope everyone had a great weekend! And if you are one of those who recently lost a pet... I do know how it feels. At least "sort of."
20180819 23:41PDT
Steepshot
I watch other people's attachment to their pets with amazement? curiosity? amusement? wonder? - I'm not sure what word to use. I have never had a desire to have a pet since I was a very young boy. I much prefer "wild" animals that are true to their nature.
It's interesting because I actually grew up in a non-pet household until my parents divorced; my dad pretty much hated cats, dogs, rabbits, birds and anything else equally.
Then we had a dog when my mom remarried when I was a teen, because my stepdad "had always had dogs." I think he liked dogs, but the dog was mostly a "reasonable excuse" for him to take half hour walks and be alone with his thoughts, a couple of times a day. But I never got the sense that his dogs (then, and later) were more than "just a dog" to him.
When I was in college, a "large kitten" gatecrashed my 22nd birthday, refused to leave and didn't seem to belong to anyone. So he stayed. I've had cats (and dogs) for 35+ years now.
Do I understand why? Not sure. I think our pets teach us about trust and unconditional love. They have no "agendas" other than to get food and have their ears rubbed. They don't give a flip whether we've had a good, bad or indifferent day... they're just happy to see us. Although I tend to be of a loner disposition and would just as well do without the company of most humans, I find something comforting about about a cat or dog in my surroundings.
And that doesn't mean I feel compelled to impose "the wonder of pets" on anyone else... I totally respect the views of those who'd rather be unencumbered by them.
Yeah, Sophie has been missing for three days now, after her attack - I think she's history now..(not a pet as such, she just kind of adopted me)
On a completely different note...do you have that 'red barn' photo handy?- or have th elink to it?
(if you have to think about it at all - don't worry, I can get one offline)
I need to build a barn for my wargaming..
(We'll call it 'Denmarkguys barn' on the maps! lol)
Sorry about Sophie... even if she wasn't really "your cat," it's still a kind of sad tale.
The is the "full size" version of the red barn (I hope we're talking about the same thing); you should be able to right click and open in a new tab to download the full sized version:
..thanks for that mate....let me see what i can do...
This is one of those things where I’ve learned to just keep my mouth shut, because, as you said, if you don’t have a pet you can’t understand how it feels.
One time, I did feel like I was entitled to just a teeny tiny bit of judgement, though. It was right after Hurricane Katrina, and a teacher of mine was planning to take time off to go down there... to help the stray animals. This was right in the thick of things when people were still getting rescued off rooftops, so I thought it was kind of a strange priority. But hey, you hear plenty of people say they like animals more than humans, and also I never personally did a thing myself, so guess I can’t be judgmental about that one, either 😅
I have no good answers, really, as to what makes one person a pet lover, and another not. And because I like to "noodle things around in my head," I have spent a good bit of time pondering it... and pondering the similarities and disparities of friends who had cats/dogs and those who didn't.
The only slight common thread I find is that a small majority of those who don't have pets also don't have children, and/or come from large families. And they tend to value their independence and autonomy very highly.
My own experience is pretty well explained in my reply to @onceuponatime.
And yeah, some people definitely go overboard on their animal caring. "Crazy cat ladies" and all that stuff... but whether that's a "mental illness" or simply "caring for all life" I don't know.
Oh, sorry for your lost pet. The cat is adorable.
Thank you. He's been dead for several years now, but he was a really nice cat.
here is my kitten : https://steemit.com/cats/@sawyer2020/i-found-a-homeless-kitten
She's very sweet looking, and you're a good person for taking care of her!
thanks for your support dear freind, i really like helping needy people & animals.
Mine use to really love going in his cat tree. Looked similar to the top of yours.
Over time he got so fat he could no longer fit up the hole to get up there. He had to jump from my bed and try to land on it. Expect it was never that stable in the first place and with his weight it sometimes fell over.