RE: Travel with me #95 : The Endangered Species of Qinling, China - The Giant Panda, The Golden Takin!
@sweetsssj, another great travel blog! This is by far my favorite of yours that I have read, so informative and peaceful, yet determined. If we as a people cannot care for our Earthly fellows, be they Human, Animal, Insect, or whatnot, they will inevitably vanish. That is always a shame when it happens.
It struck home greatly today when you mentioned your cats, because I was forced to put my oldest and dearest cat to sleep. She had been a part of mine and my wife's lives for nearly 12 years and was 20 years old. Unfortunately, she took a turn for the worse over the past couple weeks and stopped eating regularly and became distant and started hiding more than she used to do. When we found her last night, she was in bad shape, so we cleaned her up and spent time with her and put her in a safe place.
When we checked this morning, she was almost unable to walk and did not seem to really know where she was or what was going on. We called the vet and took her in, but it was best for her that we let her go. So now I'm heart-broken over it and just getting through to the next days.
I'm glad you were able to write this as it reminds me of the good times I had with her.
I did have a question that came up, though... with your travels, what do you do with your cats while you are away? Do you use an animal border service?
You must miss them a great deal when you are away, and I'm sorry you must go through that.
Thank you.
dbzfan4awhile, thank you for this really thoughtful comment. Apologies for the late reply. Although your perspective about the eventuality of all life on earth to vanish is a bit alarming, over the course of history and time, it has always been true. Given enough time, everything will tend towards zero. And of course, that is why our very short and almost insignificant time on Earth should be spent appreciating everything that exists for now. Something our descendants may not enjoy.
Also, i'm incredibly sorry to hear about your dearest kitty. With so much time to build that close relationship, losing her is definitely no different to losing a family member. I do however think that your decision was for the best, and though it will be tough and unsettling to not have her around, you can atleast remember her fondly and know that she spent very little time suffering because of your care.
When I travel, I have a few friends who come 'cat sit' for me, they're actually quite popular amongst my friends so I never seem to have trouble finding people to look after them for me! I do miss them an awful lot when I am away though and when i'm back, they let me know they missed me too!
Thank you so much for the kind words and thoughts. I would completely agree that showing appreciation for everything that exists right now is a great idea. Live for now, be considerate of others, and remember everyone that you loved as they all have something that they leave you with to make you a better person if only you deem to allow your to do so.
As a note, I've decided to get a tattoo to remember my old kitty. I have to decide when to do so (when I have the extra funds) and what image I will use. I already have 1 tattoo to commemorate much-loved family members that have passed on, so she will be added to it in some way.
By the way, I've always enjoyed your travel blogs, they are very informative and have great imagery to show the locations. You obviously love what you do and put a great deal of time and effort into them.
Thank you for adding so much to Steemit.