Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Final Pet

When I wrote the blog Cat Wars last month I would have given odds that my 19-y.o. cat Maxi would snap back from his injuries and ailments one more time. He didn’t. Today he went to Cat-halla.

Maxi 2016
I’ve had seven cats in the past 32 years: generally two at a time, for several years three, and continuously since 1985 at least one. Whenever one has died I’ve been immediately importuned to adopt another in its place. The pleaders come in three varieties and the first two mean well: 1) there are those who actually seem to think I want a replacement, and who thereby think that they are being kind; 2) there are those who mean well at least for the cats by trying to place them in my home whether I want them or not; and 3) there are scheming guys who hope to win the favor of some habitually cat-rescuing woman by placing a cat for her at someone else’s (my) expense rather than their own. If only the last type restricted their schemes to cats… I never want a replacement. Don’t get me wrong. I am fond of my pets when I have them. I just don’t seek to adopt any in the first place; they are a responsibility that, given a prior choice, I opt to do without. Except for the first two kittens (adopted to help out my sister) in 1985, they’ve come into my possession only by the accidents of life – in a sense, so even did those first two. Maxi and Mini (d. 2015) were inherited from my parents in 2001.

There always were dogs and cats and other sundry animals around the house when I was growing up. Pets are commonly regarded as good for kids, and so they are. One of their benefits seems anything but a benefit at the time. They frequently are a child’s first real encounter with death. About a decade ago Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) commented that the biggest social change since he was a child is the insulation of modern life from death. He said there was much more consciousness of mortality in daily life, and that, when his family went to visit relatives on the weekend, they went to the graveyard; in those pre-antibiotic days young people were as likely to be in there as old folks. Nowadays we tend to banish Thanatos from our environment to the extent possible. Of course we are aware of it intellectually, but we keep the awareness as superficial as possible. Losing a pet is likely to be the first real mortal loss with strong emotional content that a child experiences. Nothing truly prepares a person for the far bigger losses that inevitably are to come, but even that bit of training helps a little.

Maxi had a long and good life by the standards of felines. That’s all one really can ask. He is my final pet, and in many ways he was the best. Anyway, so long Maxi, and thanks for all the mice, birds, rabbits, moles, and snakes.

The Doors – The End

4 comments:

  1. I'm the same ways these days. I used to have an all white cat with blue eyes named appropriately, Whitey. He was a good-natured cat that I hardly had to train at all about anything. He just wandered up to my door one day and meowed, and didn't try and run away like most cats. I've had dogs too. An occasionally I think I'd still like to own one or the other. My house here though would need to be remodeled to accommodate one though, which is why I've never taken the effort.

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    1. It is nice to have a critter that's always happy to see you when you come home -- that's the main reason people have pets. However, it's also a responsibility that impinges on every aspect of your life. You can't just take off for a weekend on a whim, for example; arrangements must first be made for the care and feeding of the pets. At this point in my life I'm better off not taking up the responsibility again, even though that means going without the benefits, too.

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  2. Sorry to hear about Maxi, but as you said, you and him had a good life together and that is all you can really give to a pet. I'm actually with you when it comes to pets. I like the idea of them, but all the ways they impact your life (especially when it comes to spontaneity) is a drawback. Unfortunately my wife is an animal love and grew up in a house full of animals. So when Hobbes finally travels to Cat-halla (love the idea of warrior cats feasting with valkyrie cats flying around) I'm pretty sure we'll end up with a kitten or two.

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    1. I usually had two cats, which were not more trouble than one -- until the final acts, that is. Now, however, I just stick with the visits of bears, raccoons, turkey, deer, opossums, and such that wander out of the woods. They'll be staying outside if I have my way.

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