Fergie

Fergie

I realized I'd really better cover (most of) the ones who have come before and are undoubtedly waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge.

Fergie came to us as part of a litter of fosters and immediately stood out with her striking appearance and incredible spark. A bobtail that really did seem to be part Manx, since she had the longer back legs, she stole our hearts from the beginning.

I don't specifically remember who named her, but I remember thinking the name was appropriate because she kind of reminded me of the singer with the Blackeyed Peas.

I don't think there was every any doubt that ours would be her forever home. Sadly, "forever" has different meanings for everybody. In fact, forever for Fergie was all too short a time. She had a great relationship with all the others and could cuddle with any of them. She was active and animated and her antics made me laugh often.

Here she is with Roscoe, another late furchild of ours. His entry is coming shortly.

She even managed to snuggle with "the old man" Smooch, who is the only one so far to die of old age (more on him shortly as well).

We are not sure exactly what happened, but as she grew she started having pain and hunching her back. Before long she cried out any time you touched it and was reluctant to move at all unless food or litterbox compelled her. She rapidly got worse and soon refused to move at all.

When X-rays revealed a lumbar spinal deformity that basically allowed part of the spine to grow and another part not to, and needless to say we were very upset. The vet said it would only get worse and there was no way to relieve it surgically or with medicine. The prognosis was constant and escalating pain and suffering and no one wants that for any living thing.

So ... we had to make the incredibly difficult yet kinder decision to put her down humanely. As with Gypsy before her, Judy held Fergie while the vet helped her go to sleep for the last time and brought her home to be interred in the growing pet cemetary in the middle of our back flower garden.

Here you can see a bit of the cemetary fence to the left behind a couple of our outside residents.

At this point you have to understand and accept that some of your loved ones will be with you a long time and others for a much shorter period. You just have to love them as you can, while you can.