R.I.P Bessie, Melamine Casualty.

It takes a long time to mourn (4.00 / 8)

a family member.

And we never forget them.

I bet the trees next to her final resting spot are growing well. I take comfort in a wild rose that grew enormously after I lost my beloved Coco the Cat to Feline AIDS when she was two. Another beloved kitty, Hiram, feeds a giant white pine in the yard. And soon, our aging golden retriever, Penny, will join them -- hopefully after the frost has left the ground.

Tell your daughter thank you for the reminder. She's learning young that the best thing to do with pain is help others. That's a powerful lesson.

---

by: zic @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 17:09:18 PM UTC

Isn't that the truth (4.00 / 7)

I still miss the two dogs who wandered their way into my life. Alas, they're likely the only two dogs I'll ever have, because my wife won't let me have another one. I mean, just because I'm allergic to them now and dog slobber makes my skin break out in hives (well, some dogs anyway, but she's not taking any chances).

I have succumbed to the Twitter craze. @Omir55

---

by: Omir the Storyteller @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 17:13:20 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

i have a siamese (4.00 / 6)

who's snot i'm allergic to.  He loves to cuddle up and rub his face/nose all over my chin, and it never fails that within a few minutes i'm broken out in a red, hivey rash.  I thought it would go away after a month or two, but four years later, it's still going strong.  

the upshot is that he only wants to cuddle a few times a week, and it's usually just before bed.  :)

funny tho - none of my other cats incite that reaction.

---

by: chicklet @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 21:54:33 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

allergies to cats (4.00 / 5)

tend to be allergies to their saliva. Some cats are more reactive than others. But the usual reactions are either red eyes/sniffling (common) or asthma (less common).

Since cats wash themselves constantly, people with bad cat allergies respond to even cat hair in the vicinity.

"If God were to appear to starving people, he would not dare to appear in any other form than food." - Mahatma Gandhi

---

by: Miep @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 23:29:36 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I am fully allergic (4.00 / 4)

to cats, and have seven.  :)  At some point, your immune system generally gives up trying to react to the constant stimulus and you don't suffer anymore.  But any time I go away on vacation, i come home to horrid allergies, including asthma, for a week or two until I readjust.

sinus rinses help.  so does a rescue inhaler.  :)

---

by: chicklet @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 06:08:34 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

depends on the level of allergy (4.00 / 3)

I have a friend who gets severe asthma when he's around cat spit for very long, has to use an inhaler; and if he waited until his system gave up reacting, he'd have suffocated to death a long time ago, or perhaps gotten heart failure from the inhaler.

Your feedback is interesting though; I'd never heard of that.  

"If God were to appear to starving people, he would not dare to appear in any other form than food." - Mahatma Gandhi

---

by: Miep @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 14:40:29 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

And allergies can become more life threatening. (4.00 / 3)

My brother is living with AIDS. (Our baby brother died from and allergic reaction to AIDS medications, so our family know about the horrors of this terrible illness far too well.)

He used to have no problems with animal allergies. But as his immune system has declined, asthmatic reactions began. First, he had to give up his cat. Then his rabbits. Then his lizard.

Now, he just has his flower garden. But at my urging, this spring, the flowers will be joined by vegetables.

I'm gonna have a lot of fun weeding with him this summer.  

---

by: zic @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 15:39:44 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

good for you (4.00 / 2)

and I hope your brother has a good long run one way or the other.  

"If God were to appear to starving people, he would not dare to appear in any other form than food." - Mahatma Gandhi

---

by: Miep @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 17:02:18 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

(hugs) (4.00 / 2)

I've lost several family members to that horrible disease.  my thoughts will be with you and your family.  

---

by: chicklet @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 21:13:12 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

and mine with yours. (4.00 / 1)

I still freak out when I think of how Ronald Reagan had C. Everett Koop play down the disease instead of actively educate people about it.

Both my brothers might be healthy if not for that. Millions have died or are leading impaired lives because of that silly decision not to cause a public panic.

---

by: zic @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 01:49:57 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

don't get me started (4.00 / 2)

every time I think about the way the beginning of the epidemic was handled - or the catholic church's current position - my outrage meter breaks.  

whoo - i can feel my blood pressure rising already.  

---

by: chicklet @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 22:56:39 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

huh (4.00 / 3)

it's the same for me and a few friends of mine as well.  We all have cat allergies, but aren't allergic to our own cats - just other peoples.  

I'm sorry to hear of your friend's allergies though; I'd be devastated if I couldn't have pets.  

---

by: chicklet @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 21:12:21 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

that's really interesting (4.00 / 1)

that you've adapted to your own cats. But you have to be around them pretty much steady or it goes away? Or did you just wind up with cats you were less sensitive to?

I know there's differences - the non-allergenic cats that were recently bred and marketed aren't GMO; they were selected for hypoallergenic qualities.


"If God were to appear to starving people, he would not dare to appear in any other form than food." - Mahatma Gandhi

---

by: Miep @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 00:42:44 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I think it's my cats (4.00 / 1)

and the allergens that they produce.  I do okay around my mom's cats too, but i do get asthmatic toward the end of a 3 day stay with her.  If I go on vacation away from my cats for more than 5-6 days, I suffer through a week + of adaptation time.  

it's worth it to me - i have deep love for my kitties.  :)

---

by: chicklet @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 22:54:32 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

They leave pawprints on your heart. (4.00 / 5)

The anniversary of the death of my sweet Madison is Friday.  I miss her every day.

---

by: noweasels @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 23:57:05 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

{{hugs}} (4.00 / 2)

I saw a German shepherd earlier this week and thought of Madison.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

---

by: Jill Richardson @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 00:13:40 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

yeah, it's like losing part of yourself (4.00 / 2)

this diary made me so sad, and so angry.

"If God were to appear to starving people, he would not dare to appear in any other form than food." - Mahatma Gandhi

---

by: Miep @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 14:41:54 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I cannot imagine (4.00 / 7)

losing a cat because I fed them poisonous food. It would be too painful. I am just so sorry for you AAF.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

---

by: Jill Richardson @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 17:12:05 PM UTC

The Afterlife (4.00 / 8)

I wrote this for Booman23 when his dog (the one his blog is named after) passed away a few years ago. I don't count myself in the same league as Kipling, but I think it's pretty good, especially for a piece of, well, doggerel. Feel free to substitute "Bessie" as appropriate. Cheers, mate.

The Afterlife
by Omir the Storyteller

for Martin

If the fathers and the reverends are right about the afterlife
(I know, but I'm just sayin') then when I have met my fate
And St. Peter calls me over and awards my harp and halo,
I'm sure that I'll see Buster waiting just inside the gate.

He'll jump and bark and put his muddy pawprints on my overalls
(Who needs a robe? Not me) and lead me through a meadow, breezy in
The sunshine, yipping, yelping, chasing, fetching, rolling, laughing,
As we walk toward forever in an endless field Elysian.

I'm told that there's a mansion that's prepared in all its glory
(yeah, I know, but I'm just sayin') and in our celestial berth
He'll sprawl out upon the carpet and proceed to chew my sandals
And we'll laugh about the stupid stuff that happened down on Earth.

Perhaps I'll get to shake the hands of famous men of history
And shake the paws of dogs that they've collected when we meet.
Any Jesus worth the name who loved the little children
Would unquestionably have a dog or two around his feet.

Einstein's dog would ruminate on Special Relativity
While spinning one-two-three times smoothing out a patch of cloud.
Ghandi's mutt would sniff the butt of Moses' retriever
While Oscar Wilde's raised all the hell celestial law allowed.

The preachers and the pastors say that Heaven's very beautiful.
A restful place with golden streets perpetually glowing.
But Heaven won't be Heaven if I can't have friends and family
And dogs -- if Buster isn't there, then thanks, but I'm not going.

I have succumbed to the Twitter craze. @Omir55

---

by: Omir the Storyteller @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 17:18:11 PM UTC

my dog mourned my husband.. (4.00 / 9)

for weeks
and she was in the house when he killed himself. I cannot imagine going through my own grief without her..

I know how you must feel

---

by: LeeN @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 17:19:57 PM UTC

It's hard, really hard. (4.00 / 7)

I'm sorry for you, I really am.  I can empathize very easily. Because our previous dog came down with some kind of cardiopulmonary ailment.  One morning we found her behind the couch, gasping.  We called the vet and on the way down, being held in a blanket in my wife's arms, she gave a last huge gasp and died. We were devastated.  It was 5 years before we were able to let another dog enter our lives.

Bo is now 13 years old and I expect him not to last another year. They are so much more than an abstract entity we call pets.  They are friends, children, boon companions.  When they die, so does a part of us along with them.

Really nice pictures, by the way.

---

by: DennisP @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 17:27:41 PM UTC

it's so true (4.00 / 3)

and following the loss of my brother I am just constantly afraid about the impending loss of my cats, even though it is most likely over a decade away (they are 1, 4, and 5 years old). They are my best friends. I wish people were as wonderful as cats.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

---

by: Jill Richardson @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 23:32:38 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Very touching diary (4.00 / 5)

I'm so sorry for your loss.  

---

by: chicklet @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 21:54:54 PM UTC

What a lovely & heartbreaking diary (4.00 / 3)

Bless you, AAF.  

---

by: noweasels @ Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 23:58:12 PM UTC