Loss

The last year has been one of loss. The biggest and most traumatic loss was that of my beautiful granddaughter passing away last June. Leah Grace's life was much too short -- only 99 days. I still find myself missing her soft skin and sweet smell. There's no comparison to the loss of life of a child.
In August my favorite cat disappeared. The neighbor said he had been in a bad cat fight. I didn't even realize he was hurt and one morning he just didn't show up. Then in February, on my birthday, our dog passed away. We had her for 14 years and she was a great dog.
Now today, 'new kitty' passed away. He had been sick for a couple weeks. He had taken the place of my favorite orange cat and was pretty much always close by. He often slept in my studio while I worked. If I was on the computer in the bedroom, next thing I'd know he'd be on the floor next to me. He wasn't much of an outdoor cat. We never knew where he came from or what his history was, he just showed up in the garage one day looking quite starved. For the longest time he was just 'new kitty'. I tried to name him Buster but the rest of the family preferred 'new kitty'. I will really miss him.
I like pets and we still have one cat left, but I'm not the kind of pet owner that puts the same value to an animal that a person has. That may sound strange, but I meet people who do. Maybe it's because they don't have children or grandchildren. Or maybe they are just really really pet lovers. Pets are great companions and the loss of one hurts, but it is not the same kind of grief (at least for me) that is experienced with the loss of a close friend or family member. Still for days to come I will look for 'new kitty' in his usual places and then remember that he is gone.
Here's a couple pictures of our 3 beloved pets.