~ SONG OF AN ANGEL ~
She came into my life during the autumn of 2006 ~ a young tortoiseshell and white cat who had been homeless for several months. We bonded instantly and became ‘soul mates’. She was outgoing and fun-loving, instantly friendly and willing to please.
I named her Polly Angel, for a guardian angel was exactly what she was. It soon became clear that ‘our Pol’ had special qualities. I was crippled with painful arthritis and depression and longed for a special companion. Polly adopted the persona of a furry Florence Nightingale, who guided me about the house, always by my side, glancing up toward me talking all the while in her special way.
During 2008, Polly became ill with what was thought to be Cat Flu, then when no medication appeared to be helping her further examinations revealed a malignant tumour was growing inside her nose. Symptoms were slow to progress and Polly fought to be well and remain by my side for always. By September her condition worsened yet she fought bravely on ~ and the knowledge I would one day lose her, so soon after we had been brought together was heart-wrenching.
It was my turn to look after her, watching over her by day and night. During those last weeks she remained extra close, like a second skin, as she lay beside me in the bed. I urged her to live on so that we could share one more Christmas together, but this was asking too much of my special girl and on 2nd December 2008 I had to make the heart-breaking decision to allow her to go on her final journey ~ my Polly could barely breathe, or eat and she was half-blind.
I shall never forget the look of sorrow and sadness on her beautiful face as we bid our Goodbyes.
I held her one last time, thanked her for her loving care, told her how dearly I loved her and to be strong and brave.
I kissed her velvet-soft head and wished her ‘Happy Christmas’ ~ then my beautiful Polly Angel was no more.
It was revealed she may have had the tumour lying dormant the day she came to me, meaning my Polly Angel had come home to die.
Ten months have now passed without her serene presence and not a second goes by when I do not ache to hold her close again, feel her wet and warm kisses ~ such special kisses.
When I gaze up at the Night Sky and see the brightest, twinkling star, I know it is my beloved girl looking down upon me.
~ I cried for you and the sky cried for you. ~
On the day Polly Angel passed over, a flurry of snow flakes fell from the heavens ~ the angels were crying their own tears, mingling with mine.
Goodnight, my gentle, sweet girl.
Lynn Burman
I didn’t want him to go without a name….
Please take time to read this and think about him. This little black cat had no name, no home, no-one to love him. He had to steal food to survive and sleep under a bush. Maybe he did get a little food left out for him but mostly I think he got ignored. He did go through a neighbour’s cat flap and get shelter on a cold night. As time went on, though, he developed bald patches on his back and became thin. The neighbours around there then were concerned and the Cat Protection were called in, which took him to a good vet. They found FIV, something wrong with his intestines and a skin condition. He went to sleep…..
….. He is safe now and new friends are waiting to take him over Rainbow Bridge to play in the fields and be happy forever. You didn’t have a name; you have now – “Ebony”. God Bless you Ebony.
Please take care of any animal who comes into your garden. Hedgehogs like cat food too.
Celia
BUNNY July 26 – Nov 24, 2009
It is with great sadness that we announce that Bunny passed away a few hours ago. She was always very active and vibrant and loved life. She was also very independent and stubborn at the same time.
Last night, she was still outside her cage when we had to go to bed. Usually we leave a little light on when she’s out, but this one time we switched it off. When we woke up in the morning, CK discovered she had fallen behind a packing box and got trapped. We thought she looked OK but didn’t realise she was in a state of shock. When we returned from work this evening, she was on the bottom of the cage and with her eyes closed and very weak. CK took her out and cuddled her, but she quietly slipped away.
For the four short months we have had her, she has brought us lots of joy and happiness, although she and Belle sometimes did not get on. We hope she will now rest in peace and enjoy a much better life in heaven with our other departed loved ones.
Love Anne & CK and babies (in deep sorrow)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Thank you both so much for the lovely card, you are the only ones who have been kind enough to send me one. It means a lot to me.”
When a friend of ours recently lost a beloved companion animal, we sent her a card with a message of condolence. I was sad to learn that we were the only ones who did this, but I honestly believe people did not mean to be uncaring; it just did not occur to them to do this.
If you know of someone who is grieving for a pet, do consider sending them a card. It doesn’t take the pain away but it shows them that you care and helps them to feel that they are not alone. I know it helped me to receive all your lovely cards and emails when Eric died - ed.
Heart to heart communication with pets
Susan Wagner Nov 17, 2009
One of the most controversial topics surrounding our pets is animal communication. I remember when I first heard about the concept of talking to animals. I was a practicing neurologist, and an internist friend told me about a client whose animal communicator told her that her cat had pancreatitis. Boy, did my righteous indignation have a field day with that one! What nonsense, I thought.
Now that I comprehend the human-animal bond as an energetic force, and that we can translate that energy into a state of knowing, or even words, I understand it. Have I seen my share of communicators who are way off base? Sure. Have I witnessed what I believe is true communication? You bet.
My first experience with animal communication came years before I even understood what was happening. I had a patient named Bruce, who was a fabulous cat. Bruce had undergone surgery to remove a benign tumor from his brain. As do most cats with this procedure, he did very well. Unfortunately, complications occurred a few days later, and Bruce found himself fighting for his life.
Bruce’s entire medical team was giving it their best. I stayed with him most of the night and the following day, but I had tickets to a Santana concert that night. In my house, there are three spiritual holidays: Christmas, Easter and Santana. I knew Bruce was in the best hands in ICU, and a dear internist friend of mine was working ER that night and would look after him as well. I knew Bruce would be fine while I got some needed R&R, so I went to the concert.
During the entire concert, I kept worrying about Bruce, but knew that I would be checking on him after the show. After all, he was in great hands. All of a sudden, however, this intense, incredible feeling of peace came over me – a feeling that Bruce was fine and happy. At first I thought my intuition was telling me he had turned the corner for the better. Then I realized it might be something else. I looked at my watch – it was 10:15.
Later that night, when I walked into the hospital and saw the look on my vet friend’s face, I knew I was right. She opened her mouth to speak, and I filled in the words – Bruce had passed, right? What time, I asked? She said she wasn’t sure exactly – sometime after 10.
Now that I am an energy practitioner, and know that science has shown the energetic basis for all life, Bruce’s story doesn’t surprise me a bit. And we also know from science that matter and energy are neither created nor destroyed, they merely change forms. That means that life of all kinds is neither created nor destroyed, it always is. We and our beloved animals always are.
A dear intuitive friend of mine says that when animals pass, they go home, change clothes, and come right back. I wonder what Bruce is wearing now.
We are grateful to CK Yoe for sending us this beautiful article – ed.
Your letters ……” *
Thank you for the September issue of Departed Friend (see DF no. 36, ed.). … As usual, it had many interesting items. I am sure many readers will take advantage of the EASE Bereavement Service which is a further indication of how widely it is now recognised that the loss of a beloved pet does greatly affect people.
I have heard people mention Animal Christian Concern before, and a friend of mine had contributed to the radical Ark magazine. Sadly the clergy as a whole are still silent on animal cruelty and condone or at least tolerate hunting and vivisection. How refreshing to know some Christians are concerned.
John Cowen
Hello Debby,
You have probably thought that I either fell in a hole or departed from this life. Neither is true.
I realize I promised you an article for the Departed Friend about three Septembers ago, and then was never heard from again. Having been a newsletter editor for several publications, I know how that is ……
I simply became very busy with volunteering with my church … Episcopal, that Americanized Anglican church 
. And I took on an increasing load counseling pet parents in the APLB’s Anticipatory Bereavement chat room. If it is of any comfort to you, I have immensely enjoyed reading all the issues of the Departed Friend and have saved each one in a binder. Also, I instigated and help plan an annual Interfaith Pet Memorial Service at my church (our 3rd Annual Service will be on October 4, 2009). We have also been offering a Pet Loss Workshop in the Spring for the past two years.
I just returned from participating in the Second International Symposium on Veterinary Hospice Care held at University of California, Davis … an awesome symposium ! There were two people there from England. I would be interested in knowing if there is a like movement in the UK for hospicing companion animals.
By the way, are you or any of your readers involved in the Death, Dying and Disposal Conference being held at Durham University on 9 September to 12 september 2009 ? There is one presentation to be given on 11 September on “Am I going to See My Pet in Heaven?” presented by the woman that leads the Pet Memorial Service with me.
Hoping to send you an article for the newsletter … I now have several subjects I could write about….
With warm regards,
Lois Roach Certified Pet Bereavement Counselor Chatroom Moderator and Host, Anticipatory Bereavement and Pet Loss Association For Pet Loss and Bereavement (APLB)A true story
A woman was out walking two dogs, her own and a friend’s, when she slipped and fell, twisting her ankle. She could not move. She phoned for an ambulance on her mobile. Her own dog went to look for the paramedics, while the other dog kept her company. The dog found the paramedics and brought them to his mistress. Just who is the superior species? Who says animals are devoid of understanding?
We are indebted to John Cowen for sending us this heart-warming story – ed.
This black ribbon is
in memory of all the animals
who suffer and die
at the hands of
humankind
and
in recognition of the
outrage, grief and
compassion felt by
those who
care.
DOROTHY
Orphaned by a hunter who killed her mother, Dorothy was sold as a “mascot” to an amusement park-hotel, where she was chained by her neck. Somewhere between 25 and 40 dark years, she endured the endless mocking and jeering of visitors to the park, as she was taught to drink beer and beg for cigarettes to the great delight of onlookers. People laughed mercilessly at Dorothy, but no one came near enough to touch her. She was labeled vicious by the hotel staff. Once at the sanctuary, she made fast friends with many of the chimpanzees, even experiencing mother love by adopting a baby orphan named Bouboule, whom she adored until the end of her life. Dorothy and Nama, another amusement part refugee and soul mate, lived in alpha male Jacky’s group of 27 chimpanzees. Dorothy was at the center of it all—a beloved mother figure to many of the younger chimpanzees—a luminous presence everyone at Sanaga-Yong felt like a nimbus.
When Dorothy passed away, on September 22, 2008, from what appeared to be heart failure, Dr. Speede said “many people from the villages, including the high chief of our seven villages, came to pay their respects. No one seemed to wonder for a second whether a funeral service was appropriate for a chimpanzee. They walked to the camp from their villages after learning of Dorothy’s death, without being invited.
“We buried Dorothy beside the enclosure where she lived and beside the tomb of her friend Becky. All the chimpanzees in her family came to watch and mourn with us. When we brought her to the gravesite, they asked to see her again, so I took her body close for them to see her a final time. None of them left until the burial was finished.”
We are grateful to Diana Hartig for sending us this remarkable account of bereavement in the Chimpanzee community – ed.
S.O.S. HENRY ~ an update
Readers will recall that I sent out an appeal in June 2009 for a good home for this lovely 1-year old cat, Henry, who was in danger of being put to sleep after running up his then owner’s Christmas tree. DF reader Gerry Robinson rescued him but couldn’t keep him herself, as she has six dogs, so she paid for him to stay in a private cattery. We couldn’t have him as we had just got Miss Sammie, a boisterous kitten who was driving our OAPs (Older Age Pussies) mad.
When Gerry got in touch again five months later to say Henry still had not got a home, I did not hold out much hope of a second appeal bringing a result. But I am pleased to say, he is now settled with people who love him very much.
Sammie had established herself and become (more or less) accepted by the four OAPs, and as well as still missing our lovely ginger Eric, we also missed the presence of a boy cat. So we decided to offer Henry a home. From the first day he was at ease, and I have never known a cat settle so well and so quickly. He and Sammie are young and energetic, and they play together often, giving the older girls some peace. When we eventually let him out, he took only a day to master the catflap and now he comes and goes as he pleases. He is a home boy, and has not yet felt the need to wander off and establish territory, preferring instead to socialise with us and the girls, and eat us out of house and home! Debby.
The Lord of the Manor – Henry relaxing!
Filed under: No. 37 Dec '09
