by David Blondeau

Tubby, my beloved pet

Tubby was such a joy to have around. He had long fur around his neck resembling a mane that appeared reddish-silver in the sunlight. He was black, with two white patches of fur, one on his chest and the other on his belly. He had wide paws with long fur between his toes, which we would often hold with a hand as we talked to him—he didn’t mind at all. He had a wide, black nose that he would use to nuzzle with when held close. If he was walking past and I rubbed his shoulders he would always get down and roll over, so that I could pet his chest and belly, and scratch him under the chin. To relax, oftentimes he would stretch himself out on the floor (legs, too), resembling Superman in flight. When we would meet him in the hallway or when we came home, he would come up to us and affectionately rub up against our legs. He never minded getting picked up, and oftentimes spent the night sleeping with or near one of us.

Tubby hadn’t been feeling well for a few days. We thought he had a hairball. But when he ceased eating and drinking and lost the strength and energy to move around, we began to suspect worse. Finally, my dad and sister took him to the vet, where we were informed his kidneys were shutting down. He was dying, and in pain. The cost of the treatment to save him was well above what we could afford, so my dad had only two choices: let him slowly die in pain, or have him put down. Making the obvious choice any caring person would, he had Tubby put down. And so that day, June 26, was seared into my memory.

I and every member of my family have greatly missed Tubby since that day. We’ve even cried over his absence. It is most noticeable when I come home and don’t receive that familiar affectionate rub against the legs. It can be very easy for me to get sad and miserable when I think of our lost beloved pet. But surprisingly, this event has positive fruit to bear.

In this whole episode of losing our beloved family cat, I have learned one great lesson: Appreciate and be grateful for the things you have and love. Until we lost Tubby, I didn’t realize how much of a gift from God he truly was to the family. Whenever I was going through some hard times, or a trial of some sort, the constant love, affection, and humorous idiosyncrasies Tubby provided made them a little more bearable. Now that he’s gone, he won’t be here to make life more enjoyable for any of us.

My family, my friends, even my other pets—how long will they be around for me to enjoy and love and appreciate? The fact that no one can answer this question helps me realize the need to make the most of what I have—of all in my life that God has given me. This can even go beyond just the personal. Everything in this world that is good is from God. We need to learn to appreciate and be grateful for all that He has given us—not just our family and friends and pets, but all of His beautiful and wonderful creation. And when we do think of our lost pet, for example, we can dwell on and relive all the wonderful, happy and humorous memories they gave us. You can use the loss of your beloved pet as a motivator to make a greater effort to spend more quality time with those you love, including any other pets you have or will have in the future. And, it can be a motivator to generally be more appreciative and more grateful for all God has given you. From what you have lost, you can gain.

I miss Tubby—a lot. But those sad feelings of loss are overwhelmed and forgotten when I think of all those happy moments I shared with him. I smile when I think of the time when he jumped into my lap as I was reading a book, and I laugh when I think of the time when he woke me up in the middle of the night by grabbing the bottom of my bedroom door and shaking it, just so that he could cuddle with me and sleep on my bed. His loss has prompted me to appreciate more and be grateful for all that God has given me—my parents, my brother and sister, our other two cats, and just all that is good and makes my life more enjoyable. If you’ve lost a pet you dearly miss, you too can use these lessons I’ve learned to turn your loss into a gain—a gain of joyful memories, and appreciation for what you have. Tubby truly was a gift from God. And, through these lessons, still is.