You came to me though a freshman english project after reading a book. The book took place in New York so you had to pick something that the book had stated. I picked rats. My two partners and I couldn’t decide what to do with our topic. An idea hit me, get a rat and make a video about rats! The only problem were my parents. I eventually got them to agree to having a rat, they really didn’t think a rat could be a wonderful pet. So on 8-23-03 I brought you home.
I can still see the shine in your eyes every morning when I came to see you and give you a piece of my cereal. Or any kind of treat that was suitable to your taste. You never did bite anyone, including me, even when I put my finger through the bars. You would just put your teeth on my finger and realize it wasn’t food. Instead you licked, sniffed, and tickled with your whiskers. You loved getting into people’s hair and sniffing their ears and licking fingers. You were such a sweetie.
I remember you scampering around on the counter, one side to the other as fast as you could. When I put you in the bathtub to get your swims in, you always cracked me up the way you swam.
About the beginning of june you came down with an ear infection. We got you medicine and you were so good when I put it in your ears even though a small squeak would escape when it went to your infected ear sometimes. But then a cyst formed and we took you back. You were such a good little trooper when you had a little operation to drain it. You got medication for you ear and oral banana flavored antibiotics, you loved it.
But a few days ago I became greatly worried when I put you down on the counter to get medicine and you couldn’t use your front paws. You just dragged them along. I noticed how much weight you had lost and tried to give you something to eat. You couldn’t eat anything you were so weak. Thank goodness I had your favorite food and it was soft enough for you to eat, banana. You ate so much I could tell you hadn’t eaten in a while. I gave you water through your medicine syringe (after cleaning it out) and you just drank and drank.
Mom took you to the vet and when I came home I didn’t find you there. You were at the vet because your condition was so serious. I waited for two more days along with a few calls to the vet on how you were doing.
This morning we called and the vet said you weren’t responding to the medicine and you were having to be force fed. I asked if I could come see you having that dreaded idea in my head if you were in such horrible condition.
You were brought out in a green towel. You didn’t have that twinkle in your eyes. I looked at you and scratched behind your ear and heard the familiar clicking of your teeth when you were happy. I took you out of the towel and noticed a significant weight loss, even more than when we were at home. I held you in the warmth of my hand against me. You couldn’t control moving your head to the left side of your little body. Your equilibrium was so off since it moved to your inner ear. Even after a bit more operations it didn’t help, but you were trying your hardest to live.
I prayed the night before that you didn’t leave me if you were not going to recover. I prayed that you wouldn’t have to die alone with a strange person in a strange place. I’m glad you still held on for me.
I walked into the room with mom and dad and we were so emotional over you. I had to make the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make so far. I didn’t want you to keep on living like you were, unable to stop your head from turning around. So I made that heart-wrenching decision. I had the choice of coming in with you but I decided not to because I couldn’t see my little rat-rat helpless and non-moving. You were gassed because you were so small the vet didn’t want to miss a vein and cause you a painful death.
As I looked in your eyes one last time I scratched that familiar spot behind your ears your eyes squinted with content. I said my goodbye to you before I left the room. You were brought back in a box to be taken home and buried.
Your body will always be in our back yard with a garden angel on your grave but your spirit and love will always be with me in my heart. I did my last act of love and compassion for you by letting you go. It’s so painful to know you won’t be there in the morning to jump out of your hammoch and greet me, sniff my ears, dig at the cats tail, share banana’s with me, lick me, scamper across the counter, roll in your rat ball, and always listen and be there with your twinkling eyes. You’re no longer in pain and I’ll be waiting to see you after i die. It will be a long time but I’ll be waiting for my first little rat-rat on the otherside.
Myth-Forever remembered, forever loved
| Myth |
| 18, June 2005 |
| Jana |