I came to this site when Daisy, my beloved Yorkshire Terrier died. She was the first dog that was ever mine. Her death was devestating to me, and I have said much about it. I have also talked about Debbie, Zoe and Nicole, the dogs of my childhood. But Glitter, the cat of my earliest childhood I have only alluded to. I now feel the need to talk about her horrible death over 35 years ago.

I was two years old and my sister was 4, when my parents brought Glitter home, a black cat with a spot of white under her chin. I am sure that I did not treat her properly since I was two and my parents were not the type to care about this sort of thing.

Anyhow, when I was around 7 or 8, we used to go to Cape Cod for summer vacation. Glitter was an indoor cat, but somehow she got out. She was missing for awhile and then came home, having been badly hurt in some kind of fight with a dog or cat. My sister and I begged my parents to take her right to the vet, but they said it would have to wait until later when they went out for dinner. I don't know how long it was, but Glitter lay suffering in the bathroom between the toilet and the bathroom wall, until they were dressed and ready to go out. The next morning they told us that they had taken Glitter to the vet, but she could not be saved. I have no doubt now that they simply had the vet put her to sleep without trying to save her, if they took her there at all.

I never talk of this because the memory, which involves Glitter suffering and my parents being cruel is too painful. But, I felt that this was a supportive place where I could mention it.

Nothing can really help now and Glitter has been gone many years, but I feel so bad for her. She had a terrible life and a worse death.


Daisy's Mommy

Remembering also Debbie, Zoe, Nicky and Glitter

My heart goes to you and Glitter, it must have been very hard for you at such a young impressionable age. Thank God that for some reason or another we became better care takers of our own pets than our parents were! Same sort of thing happened to me forty some years ago but at least I was a teen. My parents asked a neighbourhood policeman to shoot my cat after a neighbour (I think she had issues with me because I had turned down her son for a date)said my cat was foaming at the mouth.
I came home from school and it was already done. I never asked what became of his body. I remember being in very bad shape for the following months, crying at school etc.. I think only then did my parents realize that my cat was so important in my life. Glitter must have felt all your love, and that love must have been precious to her.
As children, we were helpless. Glitter knows all this, and it must be touching to Glitter to be in your heart, still loved after all these years. Bless you!

Daisy's Mommy

Oh poor Glitter and poor you. I'm so sorry that happened to you. for a child it sears the mind. Not something you can 'get over'. Glitter will be waiting for you at the Bridge.

I think most of us could tell stories similar to yours. The thing we have to remember is that our parents grew up in a different world. A pet was a pet, you didn't spend money on a cat. I have to keep telling myself that when I think of the pets of my childhood.

As Toonie said:
I don't know how we did it, but we did.

Love

Daisy's Mommy,

Thank you for trusting us to hear this awful thing, its good to drag these things out of the dark.

I'm sorry for Glitter's suffering and mostly for yours; hers lasted a short time and has been over for a long time. You have been suffering for it ever since.

I'm glad you didn't grow up to be like your parents. Good job of raising yourself to be a compassionate person.

I thank God again for my beautiful parents, who would not look upon any suffering without trying to help. I won't say I deserved them...they were a gift. But I will try all my life to do honor to them.

Peace to you and sweet Daisy, and Glitter et al.
Dayna

You know, I've noticed through the years (yes, years now) that the losses I've had recently with pets as an adult have brought out memories of losses of pets I had as a child. Some of them were truly heartbreaking, and I cringe, and thinking about them can still bring tears to my eyes, and I still can't talk about them. I guess I try to make up for them by trying my best to do what I can for the animals in my life now, and those pets and animals which will be in my life in the future. Of course "making up" really doesn't solve the issue, but I think in a way it's important that we do remember those pets from our past - they deserve that respect. So, Daisy's Mommy, I think you give us all a lot to think about when you relate this memory about Glitter to us. She lives on for you, and now for us as well. She suffered, no doubt, but please draw some comfort from the fact that she is at peace now, and she must be gratified to know that you remember her and that you've "introduced" her to us. (Yes, I know I tend to humanize animals a bit too much sometimes, but they can be so much more human-seeming than some people I know, so, well . . . )

Thank you for sharing this with us. We all have these types of memories, I'm willing to bet, but either don't want to remember, or block it out. It takes courage to share, and I credit you for that. Take care - Barb

Dear Daisy's Mommy,

I too have a similar story. Chaos' death this past week has brought up memories of the deaths of my childhood pets (well, this particular memory is never really far from the surface of my mind anyway). When i was 12 or so, I was living on a farm with my family. We had alot of animals; cats, dogs, pigs, goats, cows, horses, ducks, chickens, and rabbits.

One day we noticed that some of our cats (one or two adults and about six kittens) were sick with distemper. We knew that they were most likely going to die, but still wanted to do all that we could do to try and turn it around (one of our dogs had caught it too, and he survived it, which was rather miraculous). We had about seventeen cats, most of which were new kittens (they all lived outdoors-we had 47 acres for them to roam, so plenty of room for all and then some!). Once the surviving kittens grew up, we were going to find loving homes for them. One was mine to keep though, his name was Romper. He was six months old, and he knew he was slotted to be my companion, as he mainly interested in being around me. He was a sweet little guy. Thankfully he had not caught the distemper, but unfortunately one day my sister and I came home to find all the cats gone but one (my parents favorite one out of the bunch). My father had taken all the rest of the cats, sick AND healthy, put them in an empty burlap feed sack (including my Romper), then drowned them in our pond. They were irritating him, he said.

I understand somewhat about the ending the suffering of the sick kittens (though I would have had the vet euthanize them humanely if it really was the last option!), but the killing of the ones that were showing no signs of illness practically destroyed the remaining part of my relationship with him.

I was ill for months afterward, emotionally, physically, it was so very damaging.

I will not go further about this, as I respect the site rules about not sharing anything other than sorrow and support for the loss of our Loved ones. I just wanted you to know there are others that completely understand your thoughts and feelings. Let go of that guilt sweetheart, cause you were a kid, and you were NOT in control of what happened. Your parents were, and thank goodness our generation and the ones after us have come to understand the sacredness of life more so than those that came before.

Loving Chaos was the best therapy I could have ever gotten to get over that past hurt and devastation. I couldn't save the others, but I gave him and Katie (who is still with me) a great life. Just remember that you've done the same with yours. You were powerless to save Glitter, but you were able to change the lives of your other Loved ones. That's the very best that any of us can do.

Much Love,

Jenn (Chaos' Mom)