Ask Elnora--About loving our pets?? Lenora Worth

Hello, my little kitties. Elnora and family have had two very sad weeks. Last week our daughter lost her sweet dog, Sassy. Sassy was thirteen years old and she was one of the sweetest animals I ever knew but she was tired and ready for a long, long nap. Sassy is part of the reason we are moving to Florida. We came down here a few years ago and baby-sat little Sassy while her mama went on a trip. We took care of her for three weeks and even took her up to Georgia with us. (In a Miata). She loved all of our relatives and they loved her. While we were here, we also fell in love with this area. So thanks, Sassy, for getting us to Florida. Sassy was with my daughter through a marriage, a divorce, bad boyfriends and lots of joy and sorrow. She was a true companion who loved unconditionally. Granny Elnora will miss you, little Sassy.

This week, our kitty Cujo got sick and took a turn for the worst. She'd been losing weight but we just thought it was old age. Elnora and Big Daddy had fretted as to what we'd do when it came time to move permanently. Would she survive the long drive? We weren't sure. But Cujo Kitty has always had a mind of her own. This is a cat that jumped on the top of my van once and tried to ride all the way to a church salad supper. I had to stop in traffic and coax her down and take her home. Cujo would let friends rub her and then to show them her thanks, she'd hiss and try to bite them. Which is why most of my friends avoided her. She always preferred water from the bathroom sinks instead of a dreadful water bowl. She enjoyed Christmas morning because she got to run and jump into the wrapping paper and shred it with her claws! So in typical Cujo fashion, she decided enough is enough. I'll just get things over with now, before they make me get in that cage and take that trip. She got so sick, she couldn't eat or drink. The vet said it was hyper-thyroid and old age and we all agreed we didn't want her to have to suffer through this again. So Big Daddy and I held her and petted her and told her what a sweet kitty she was and ...after the doctor did what he had to do, she just fell asleep. Her cute little face looked at peace, at last. No doubt she is chasing butterflies in Kitty Land. We forgot to tell her that she'd probably see Sassy up there somewhere. They never quite became solid friends, but they had a mutual respect for each other. And Sassy taught Cujo how to hang around the kitchen and beg for scraps. While this is terribly sad and yes, I've cried buckets, I'm also glad I had the chance to love these two special pets. So that begs the question--why do we love our pets so much? As writers, we love to put pets into our stories. Several of us are working on a K-9 continuity right now, due out next year. I've cried tears over the animals in my story, let me tell you. Let's discuss. What is it about pets?

Oh, on a lighter note, next week is Elnora's birthday week. I'll blog Monday and all week we will celebrate with a Birthday Book Bash in the spirit of also celebrating our fifteenth anniversary at Love Inspired. One lucker blogger will get a ton of books simply by showing up and saying something pithy. I will be 28 twice by the way. The contest ends Thursday at midnight. I will announce the winner Friday (the 20th) in my Ask Elnora blog. After all this sadness, we need a fun week! I mean, Elnora needs a fun week. Virtual chocolate for everyone!