It was a tough weekend at our home....on Friday afternoon, when my youngest daughter came home from school, she discovered that her beloved hamster of 3-years had eaten his final alfalfa cube...Poor Cookie had taken his final spin on that squeaky, annoying wheel. She found him lying comfortably inside that little plastic wheel, the final resting place for our 4-legged puff of fur. I thought his resting place was quite fitting, since he had lived most of his life running wildly inside it from 12 to 5am every day! And I felt terrible about Cookie's demise...no, not because he passed, but because I felt relief when I realized he had gone to that big hamster haven in the sky....relief knowing that I would never have to hear that incessant squeaking again...relief that I wouldn't be the one cleaning out his cage (it could smell awful), relief because I knew I didn't have to be the one to place him inside his play ball and watch him run around like a psychotic animal in the kitchen, bumping into things, only to start his mad dash again.....relief because I knew I wouldn't have to check his food and water dispensers everyday.... But like all good mothers do.....I feigned remorse!! Yes, we took Cookie and placed him in a nice box filled with soft towels and buried him in the backyard. It was a lovely service...we all said our goodbyes and then gently placed him in the ground. We even made a makeshift grave marker out of colored stones and we all said a prayer. I explained to my youngest that Cookie was in a happier, peaceful place where there are hundreds of wheels for him to run on and an endless supply of hamster treats. She seemed to handle his death rather well, since 5-minutes after the memorial service she was out playing with her friends. But me...the Italian guilt set in and then I felt badly about my "no remorse" period. I actually realized I missed that little rat...as annoying as his upkeep was, he was always sweet, gentle and yes, loving. Every morning, he'd greet me at his cage door and step into my awaiting hand. He was always very friendly....he never bit me and never peed on me (that's a first for any hamster we ever had!) So today (Sunday) I found myself in the backyard at Cookie's grave site. I said a prayer and laid a flower on his grave. A small token of my appreciation for the little, furry pet who only wanted to love and be loved. Regardless of how annoying I may have found his upkeep, I will miss that little, furry guy...BUT not enough to buy a replacement!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
OMG.....Cookie's Sudden and Tragic Demise
It was a tough weekend at our home....on Friday afternoon, when my youngest daughter came home from school, she discovered that her beloved hamster of 3-years had eaten his final alfalfa cube...Poor Cookie had taken his final spin on that squeaky, annoying wheel. She found him lying comfortably inside that little plastic wheel, the final resting place for our 4-legged puff of fur. I thought his resting place was quite fitting, since he had lived most of his life running wildly inside it from 12 to 5am every day! And I felt terrible about Cookie's demise...no, not because he passed, but because I felt relief when I realized he had gone to that big hamster haven in the sky....relief knowing that I would never have to hear that incessant squeaking again...relief that I wouldn't be the one cleaning out his cage (it could smell awful), relief because I knew I didn't have to be the one to place him inside his play ball and watch him run around like a psychotic animal in the kitchen, bumping into things, only to start his mad dash again.....relief because I knew I wouldn't have to check his food and water dispensers everyday.... But like all good mothers do.....I feigned remorse!! Yes, we took Cookie and placed him in a nice box filled with soft towels and buried him in the backyard. It was a lovely service...we all said our goodbyes and then gently placed him in the ground. We even made a makeshift grave marker out of colored stones and we all said a prayer. I explained to my youngest that Cookie was in a happier, peaceful place where there are hundreds of wheels for him to run on and an endless supply of hamster treats. She seemed to handle his death rather well, since 5-minutes after the memorial service she was out playing with her friends. But me...the Italian guilt set in and then I felt badly about my "no remorse" period. I actually realized I missed that little rat...as annoying as his upkeep was, he was always sweet, gentle and yes, loving. Every morning, he'd greet me at his cage door and step into my awaiting hand. He was always very friendly....he never bit me and never peed on me (that's a first for any hamster we ever had!) So today (Sunday) I found myself in the backyard at Cookie's grave site. I said a prayer and laid a flower on his grave. A small token of my appreciation for the little, furry pet who only wanted to love and be loved. Regardless of how annoying I may have found his upkeep, I will miss that little, furry guy...BUT not enough to buy a replacement!
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