Goodbye Harry

[junediamanti]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, <silverdragon at e...> wrote:
> Sad animal story... If you're upset by such things please avoid...
> 
> 
> 
> About nine weeks ago my black cat had a litter of four kittens; 
two mackeral tabbies, a silver tab and a tiny little black tab - a 
runt - with white feet which we called Harry. He was so small, with 
loads of scruffy black hair. The kids took to Harry straight away, 
but he didn't thrive like the others. The twins (we named Fred and 
George) were always brawling and playing tricks on each other. The 
silver (my SiL called her Lily) was sweet and quiet, and poor little 
Harry was the loner. Soon enough, the kittens were old enough to 
find new homes for, and all but Harry were given to (hopefully) good 
homes. We decided to keep little Harry, since the kids had become so 
attached to him. Harry ate, let his Mum feed and bathe him, and 
seemed reasonably healthy; a little small, a little skinny but he 
seemed ok. Unfortunately, when we got home from shopping this 
afternoon, his eyes were stare-y and his breathing laboured. 
Naturally we called the vet and took him in. The news was bad. Poor 
little Hary had a congential defect, resulting in a very flattened 
chest and ribcage. His lungs and heart would never grow. The vet 
said this was the most servere case she'd seen, and most kittens 
born with this die within minutes, or at the outside, within a week. 
The fact he'd lasted nearlly nine weeks was incredible. Sadly little 
Harry was put down this afternoon, as he was in a very bad way. He 
would have starved to death otherwise as he had stopped eating. Now 
I have two very distraught children and a distraught me, not to 
mention a panicking mamacat (who still bathed and looked out for 
him). My daughter (9) is able to understand what has happened, but 
my son (4) is proving very difficult to console...
> 
> Thanks for listening...
> 
> Nox (crying more over a kitten than over many people she knows...)
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The very real sense of bereavement we can feel over the loss of a 
beloved family pet is underrated.

My deep sympathies to you for your loss.  When my beloved 
tortoishell, Mickey died in 1987 it was months before I stopped 
missing her - and her fellow black house cat Sviatopolk was 
devastated too.

I don't distinguish between the loss of our animal friends and our 
human friends.  Console yourself that it was your loving care that 
made Harry's short life so very special.

June