My first adult pet was a cat named Calypso, a stray found by a friend in 1989. I have had her for 17 years, longer than I’ve been married. Today, I had to make the decision to have her put down; her kidneys were failing, and keeping her alive seemed cruel. I have never had to do this before. We chose to stay with her through the end, and it was very hard. I had been protected from the deaths of the family pets, either away at college or my first job. I understand now how my parents must have felt when Kelly, the family dog, had a stroke. I can still picture myself in the kitchen of my apartment, listening to them tell the story. This dog was such a big part of our family that we created a “Kelly calendar” every year. They had mastered their emotions when they spoke to me but I wonder if they spent the kind of day we did, napping, crying, remembering.<\/p>\n
Today, it was my turn to take on this adult role, talking to the vet, making the decision, spending time saying good-bye, then taking time to mourn together. I posted a little memorial<\/a> to her online along with a picture at flickr<\/a>. She was a great cat! When we get her ashes, we’re going to have a little party before we spread them near the pond that she loved.\u00a0 We’ll eat tuna fish sandwiches and drink glasses of milk, both her favorites! Cheers, Calypso!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My first adult pet was a cat named Calypso, a stray found by a friend in 1989. I have had her for 17 years, longer than I’ve been married. Today, I had to make the decision to have her put down; her kidneys were failing, and keeping her alive seemed cruel. I have never had … Continue reading A Different Kind of Adult Learning<\/span>