Do Our Pets Have A Soul
Posted: Tuesday, June 09, 2009
by Susan Thom
I brought home a little kitten for my three kids, sixteen years ago. Now Kitty, (we have a knack for originality) was not the "sweet, sit on your lap, roll over and let you pet her stomach" kind of cat. She was declawed, but didn't know it. Our little rescued cat was the "bat you every time you walked by, while biting your ankle" kind of kitty.
Personally, I didn't bother with her much. I fed her and gave her water and let her in and out of the house, and said, "hi kitty" once in a while, but that was the extent of our relationship. She has come into the house with live mice, and let them go on a few occasions, which was in no way, fine with me. Neither did I appreciate guts and gore of who knows what, lying in front of the door.
One day, I walked into my room, and saw something I couldn't make out on my bed, and upon further investigation, lo and behold, it was the head of a chipmunk! Not good. And not in my bed! Remember, this cat had no claws. I must confess I did entertain the idea, a few times, to just drive somewhere and leave her, but damn that conscience. She has been a part of the household, just like we all are, and the sight of her slithering through the house is common to us all.
A couple of days ago, I noticed Kitty was limping. At sixteen, I didn't know if it was her hip, or leg, but I knew it meant a trip to the vet with a sixteen year old cat. I waited to see if it got any better, and it didn't. Now, I believe I have a sixth sense about some things, but I didn't have to use it to know what was going to happen. Getting the cat into the carrier was, with no exaggeration, the worst experience of my life besides natural child birth.
I got her head in, and she started growling, which is always followed by biting, and that's not what I wanted! My hands were on her shoulders, just keeping her contained for now, while she was letting out noises I have yet to hear. She was growling with such intensity. I was clueless as to how I was going to push her in, without her backing out, but I sure knew not to let her go. I looked up and said, "God, please help me, I don't know how to do this", and just then, the cat took off into the carrier.
I slammed that door so fast and so hard I was even proud of my own self! Then, off to the vet we went. We had to cover Kitty with a huge towel to keep her contained. It appeared she may have had an abscess in her back right leg, possibly from a cat bite. I don't think so! He would need to put her to sleep for further evaluation. So then the big decision, "What do you want to do?" I said, "You have to say more than that for me to be able to make a decision."
He said he thought it was prudent to have her put to sleep. "Okay, well, how am I supposed to make that decision and sleep tonight? You have to help me here." I need to be able to justify it." He said she was old, in pain, and didn't really have a quality of life. Okay, I could deal with that, but I asked him, "What if animals have souls? How can I make that decision?" He never answered.
While at the front desk, I was crying, which I certainly didn't expect to do, and the girls were sweet, and gave me tissues, then the doctor came out. He simply and matter of factly said, "It's done." I felt sad. I said, "I hated that cat, but I hated it for sixteen years!" And out the door I went with an empty carrying case, tears in my eyes, and still wondering if I had made a decision that wasn't mine to make.
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Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)A very touching story Susan, you know I know some people with the same kind of character your cat had.Please log in to respond to this comment.hi david,maybe you should take them to the vet :)it feels weird without her here.my son is 18, and so he was 2 when we got her.at least i had a car to get her there!thank you for reading and commenting,my best to you,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
That is an interesting question, one that I myself have committed some time to. I believe animals are in heaven, even pets.Great story.Please log in to respond to this comment.hi ken,thanks for the read and comment.several years ago, i went to a very well known and respected woman who is a medium. she told me there was the spirit of a dog coming through, and she explained what it looked like, and that it protected me and loved me, and wanted to be remembered.now, this dog was a pet of my grandfather's who lived next door, from when i was born until i was 4, so i couldn't really remember what it looked like.when i got home, i got out the few baby pics i have, and sure enough, there was the exact size, breed, and color dog this woman had described, with me in most of my pictures. i was satisfied.i think we are both right in our assumption that "all dogs go to Heaven:)my best to you,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Hi Sue.What is "soul?" Is it "self?" I don't know, but I've always "known" that all animals have souls.As for making a decision to end an animal friend's life ... well I think that might be harder than watching a loved human being die. We can't really communicate with the animals to find out what their wishes in the matter might be. We can never, ever know if the decision was the right one.We had to make the decision to have our cat, Bear, put down over two years ago now. The absolute and utter anguish of it is still fresh in my mind. Might a miracle have occurred and he recovered from his acute kidney failure? Could we have given him a couple more weeks or would he have become even more wretched than he was already? Were making the decision based on his best interests or our inability to tolerate seeing him so ill and afraid?I wish I knew what to say to you that might help you live with the decision, but I think your experience of your spirit dog is really all that you might need. It's a comforting thought to think that Bear might be in a better place and happy.Thank you for sharing that little bit, because it also helps me.Love and best regards,DiannePlease log in to respond to this comment.hi diane,i think this is just one of those times that has to wait to the next life to find out if i'm gonna be called on it.i think it was best, but, as you said, i'll never know.if it was our other, sweeter cat, would i have made the same decision?aye, i don't know.thank you for reading and commenting, i really do apprecuate it,my best to you,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.Hi Sue.We have to have faith that we make the right decisions because otherwise, how could we ever make any decision? We do the best that we can at the time that we do it.Chances are that if you had to make that decision about your sweeter cat, you would still make the same decision. If it's the best thing to do, then it had best be done. It would just probably be a whole lot harder.Have faith in yourself.Hugs,DiannePlease log in to respond to this comment.thanks dianne.i gave her 16 good years, so, i guess she's happy now.my best to you,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Hi Sue--my money is on that they do have a soul. Thanks for writing about your personal journey with your pet.Please log in to respond to this comment.
hi steve,thank you, and i'm putting money on it, too.pets can be the most loyal and loving and caring beings on Earth!my best to you,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
it is so sad. the lady was bright and smart to ask the vet questions and be up front with the dr. vet. i am sorry for the passing of her old cat. i do not know if our pets have souls. we love our pets so much. we love them so much and miss them when they pass on. it is heartbreaking reading this ladies story. all the time it is sad when we lose a loved pet.Please log in to respond to this comment.hi margarita,
i am the one who asked the questions, and our "kitty" was 16, so i guess it was her time.
it is sad to lose a pet, you are right. however, i think the the joy they bring us is worth the time we have with them,
thank you for reading and commenting,
my best regards,
suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
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