A Somber Post

As most of you know, I have a cat - a long-haired black & grey cat who eats all plants and J. Crew sweaters. And Kudzu, whose name I stole for my blog, is first and foremost family. And in my sister's family, there is her husband, one cat and two dogs, after having just lost one of her cats to old age and cancer in early June. The remaining cat, Oreo, is a cat rescued from a homeless existence outside the school where she and her husband teach. The dogs, Jake and Ben, are two lively little fellows - a pom-poo (pomeranian/poodle mix) and a schipperke. They are the loves of her life.

Ben is the schipperke, a breed known for its curiosity and intense loyalty. Truly, I have never seen an animal so devoted to its owner as Ben to my sister. So we were all unnerved when he started having trouble with his legs late last week. It's amazing how you can know sometimes that one time a pet or friend or family member isn't feeling well that it's more ominous than another time. This was one of those times - an instinctual knowing that this time was going to be more dire, more severe.

And so when the phone rang before seven this morning, I knew that it was bad news. I wasn't suprised when Mom told me that he had a seizure in the night and that he had died in the car before they could get him to the emergency vet. My sister is devastated, and it was hard to see her and know that there was nothing to be done. And so, I'm putting up a little post here in memory of Ben. We'll miss you.