And this is the quick tale of my two cats, one of whom was gay, the other was not. Both died this week.

tomchappell · 8 months

When my wife was quite young but already living alone, she got an orange tabby kitten and a German Shepherd pup, and they grew up together, fast friends. She would take the German Shepherd (a dog, by now) for a walk, and the big old orange tabby would go with them, running along, zipping up and down trees as they passed them.

In the end, the dog was too much for her to care for, at that time, and she gave him to some people who then moved away. And the cat never really recovered. I only knew him later on, and he was basically a big, mean, bitter old tomcat, but one time when I was outside our house, a couple was walking their German Shepherd dog along the sidewalk, and he dashed over to them and started weaving and purring against the dog, which was otherwise completely out of character for him.

The couple, and the dog, were all greatly taken aback, but the cat was clearly taken back to Happier Days. As far as he was concerned, all German Shepherds were brothers.

kaaris · 8 months

I had two cats who were best buddies, and one died a tragic, premature death. The other basically stayed in our bathroom for about a year. Crying. I would go in there to hang out with him for long periods of time and brought him all his meals, etc... It was really intense. This all unfolded many years ago, and my then-grieving cat is a happy-go-lucky crotchety old bastard now. I felt like I almost lost him to grief all those years ago, though. These things are very tough.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Sending you good thoughts tonight.

MechAngel · 8 months

Both of my childhood cats died this year. We got them within weeks of each other, and from the same breeder as well, so they'd been raised together since birth.

Maggie, our Himalayan, died of renal failure back in January. Puff, our Persian, was completely heartbroken. She started crying and yowling all the time, and would come running into the room any time someone said "Maggie" or any word that sounded like "Maggie," and start looking around frantically for her friend. She also died of renal failure, about 3 weeks ago.

Both of our cats were 18. I think I've cried more over losing them than I have over any human I've ever known.

hiddenlakes · 8 months

I loved your story, it brought back so many memories for me. I'm really sorry for your losses. Those sound like really sweet cats.

When I was a little girl we had two cats - Umbo (siamese) and BQ (tabby). BQ was Umbo's best friend, never seen two cats get along that well. Tiny BQ used to sleep on top of him like a pillow and groom him...he was like her foster dad. Once she found him when he'd been hit by a car and was lying in a ditch, and my mom was able to fix him up.

When BQ died, Umbo stopped eating for a week. He looked like he was on the verge of death.

By coincidence some family friends had a litter of tabby kittens, and we adopted one of them to cheer Umbo up. That little kitten was a holy terror, mean as hell - but she instantly loved Umbo. They became very close and he recovered from his "grief" (obviously I have no idea what he was actually feeling in cat emotions, but it was a big deal). We maintain that she saved his life...he was old as hell but lived a long time after that. When he finally died of old age, she was never the same, never took to another cat like that again. Soulmates, we figured.

gurry · 8 months

Vaya con gatos.

Phantom_Scarecrow · 8 months

Sorry to hear about your kitties. We had two rabbits, Bun and Muffin. Muffin was around 9, and was starting to show her age. She stopped eating one day, and died the next. Bun acted very depressed all day, and spent the night out of his nest, sitting in the rain. As I watched him, he became listless, then unresponsive, then stopped breathing. Rabbits will die if their bonded mate dies, and they don't reconcile themselves to the loss, but I had never heard of cats doing the same.

SpiritSausageFingers · 8 months

Little ditty was sung to me as a kid, and now I sing to my kid. Seems appropriate here:

O Senor Don Gato was a cat.

On a high red roof Don Gato sat.

He was there to read a letter,

(meow, meow, meow)

where the reading light was better,

(meow, meow, meow)

'Twas a love-note for Don Gato!

"I adore you," wrote the ladycat,

who was fluffy white, and nice and fat.

There was not a sweeter kitty,

(meow, meow, meow)

in the country or the city

(meow, meow, meow)

and she said she'd wed Don Gato!

O Senor Don Gato jumped with glee!

He fell off the roof and broke his knee,

broke his ribs and all his whiskers,

(meow, meow, meow)

and his little solar plexus

(meow, meow, meow)

**Ay Caramba!!* cried Don Gato.*

All the doctors they came on the run,

just to see if something could be done.

And they held a consultation,

(meow, meow, meow)

about how to save their patient,

(meow, meow, meow)

how to save Senor Don Gato.

But in spite of everything they tried,

poor Senor Don Gato up and died.

No, it wasn't very merry,

(meow, meow, meow)

going to the cemetary,

(meow, meow, meow)

for the ending of Don Gato.

But as the the funeral passed the market square,

such a smell of fish was in the air,

though the burial was plated,

(meow, meow, meow)

he became reanimated,

(meow, meow, meow)

he came back to life, Don Gato!

Sorry you lost some friends, man. You know you gave them a good life for their tomfoolery. Cheers.

revolverwaffle · 8 months

I have a horse Reggie who did something similar. We had an older mare named Cupcake, who over the winter colic-ed and had to be put down. Reggie was fenced off from her because he likes to kick and my mother was paranoid, but nonetheless he was very attached to Cupcake and would become frantic if she was out of sight. He watched us put her down, watched us put the tarp over her, and watched us bury her. He became visibly distressed when the tarp covered her body, and even more so after she was buried. We took the electric fencing down after she was buried in the pasture. He went to where she was buried, then lay on top of her grave for a solid two days, only getting up to eat, in the middle of winter. Every so often calling out for his friend. It was sad. We ended up getting another rescue horse because the next summer because he was lonely-so now he has a new girlfriend, named Sweetie :)

tyrghast · 8 months

When my family moved back to the US, we brought our three cats we had acquired whilst overseas. They were all of the same litter, yet all looked very different and expressed completely different personalities.

Within a few months at our new house the dominant cat fell off the second story and broke his back. The other two couldn't handle it. They fought constantly, like they never had before. Never inflicting real injury but their every waking moment was consumed with picking on one another.

After another couple months the second one went missing.

Its been seven years now and the third cat has had an entirely different demeanor ever since he realized he's the only one of his litter left. He used to be standoffish, but now constantly craves the attention of others. He used to love the outside but now is terrified after a few minutes of the outdoors.

Dog people say they like dogs because cats don't have personality. After seeing a brash and headstrong animal turn into a desperate shadow its former self, I strongly beg to differ.

lse138 · 8 months

I had a chocolate lab that I loved. I would take that dog to the river and it would swim in the river against the current until it got tired, then curl up at my feet next to the fire. I would take her on the seadoo, she'd sit down and put her paws on my shoulders and her head on one. Awesome dog!

She started getting sick after our other dog died. She broke out of our fenced yard and disappeared. We live on a large lot of land, so our neighbors were pretty far away and they were only vacation homes. Two weeks pass by without a sighting. Then our neighbor comes over and says that our dog is dead and decomposing on his couch. The dog went through his dog door, curled up on his couch and died.

I've heard about dogs that don't want their owners to see them die, but never experienced it until then. I still miss that dog!

viva_la_reina · 8 months

When I was in elementary school, my family adopted a dog we named Cocoa (brown German Wirehair pointer). Like your Mauricio, Cocoa seemed lonely but Dad thought 2 dogs would be too much for our home, so we adopted a cat instead, that we named Snickers (calico). The two girls became the best of friends, cuddling, grooming each other, chasing, even waiting to eat with each other.

My Senior year of high school, Halloween morning, we found that Cocoa had passed away in the night. We all took it pretty hard, but none as bad as Snickers. She just... sat there. Laid there. Didn't play. It was so heartbreaking. The worst part: sometime in the Spring, my mom was cleaning and she moved Cocoa's collar that had tags and a bell. Snickers came running full speed into the room, desperately looking for her best friend. She was frantically searching, with such a hopeful face. I'm pretty choked up writing this... Snickers lost her battle with cancer one year ago.

They say that our pets go to Rainbow Bridge to wait for us before Heaven, but I think they go there to wait for each other too.

DwarfPig · 8 months

Similar thing happened to my uncles dogs. Best friends and when one died the other one who was completely healthy died in her sleep, took her to the vet and they couldn't figure out what caused it.

He now gets a new dog every 5 years so that none of them are ever alone.

xmasterZx · 8 months

Last winter my dad cut down a tree and there were baby squirrels inside . We took care of them (two of them, the others died) for several months but one was sickly. The more healthy one would climb the cage walls and eat a lot, but he other had to be bottle fed. It died after several weeks and after it did the healthy one would just crawl into the sock that was in the cage and lie there. It died too with in the week. ;(

Magik-Waffle · 8 months

Where the Red Fern Grows said this could happen; I never believed it till now.

suffer-cait · 8 months

My grandma had a cat and together they grew grumpy and old. They both started showing medical signs of age at the same time, but my grandma got worse faster than Hobbs did. She was taken by something like her 5th stroke. After the funeral Hobbs got really bad really fast. He became paralyzed from the waist down and was continuously sick. We decided it was time to put him down because he was obviously miserable, going from the man of the house too this crippled thing in mere days. He didn't die of a broken heart but he did hold out longer to see my grandma go first, and it was one of the saddest things ever.

Radico87 · 8 months

Your and other redditor's stories really remind us that there is so much depth of feeling in our pets. They're our friends, part of our family, and enjoy one another's company.

I grew up having animals. First a dog, then due to my parent's time constraints, guinea pigs. Each was unique. Now, I don't have time for a dog, and don't really like cats, so I have 2 long hair guinea pigs. Though I act "type-A" and "alpha" in many facets of life, from academia, to sports, vocational environments, and other social stuff, I instantly get all fuzzy around cute little furballs.

newcomplaint · 8 months

And people say animals don't have feelings... Sorry for your loss. I've never had a pet cat die yet, and I know I will be devastated when it does happen. I've only had humans die, which somehow I think is easier. I've had my cat for 12 years, and is my best friend. Cats are so damn cute :( they should be immortal.

coconutcake · 8 months

I have heard of animals dying of a broken heart before. The only thing you can seem to do is to get the living one a pal (usually a small/young one) before it gets to him/her too badly. I haven't had a situation where this didn't work, though if you have a cat that just doesn't get along with others, it might not work well.

I wish there was more I could say. It's very touching, and very sad and heartbreaking. I truly hope they're together again, whatever the afterlife may offer.

Edit: to clarify, even if the afterlife is nothing, I hope they can be alone in such nothingness. This was not meant to spark a petty debate about religion, lack thereof, or anything. It is meant to be a point of comfort to someone who very much needs it right now. Get over yourselves, let trolls be (downvote), and save your words for the people who need them.

fxu1989 · 8 months

Good riddance***, Mauricio.

I never knew you, but you and I share a name, and that means you're cool in my book.

***EDIT: I was informed that "Good riddance" means the complete opposite of what I intended to say. I am sorry, OP. I didn't mean anything rude. English is not my native language and mistakes like this occur often. No excuse for it really, but... I'm sorry :( I'll leave the main message unchanged so that hopefully other people can learn from my mistake.

nathris · 8 months

My Aunt had 3 cats. One mother and her two babies. One of them wasn't really right in the head. He had a crooked tail and was missing part of his ear, and he walked funny. He had a history of medical problems, and he would always come home with cuts, since he would always stand up for his mother and sister against the neighbor cats and even raccoons. Despite all of his problems he was super affectionate and caring.

A couple of years ago he ended up developing getting diabetes and had to go on special cat food, he lasted about a year before he grew too weak and they had to put him down. The mother cat has never been the same since. She put on a bunch of weight (she was already a porker but now its ridiculous) and often times she'll just start meowing for no reason, like she's calling out to her lost baby.

Jaws666 · 8 months

With a name like Mauricio, what did you fucking expect? :D

ZOfashion · 8 months

Life is bizarre and yet no 9 lives for these two bumpkins? ALas, my commiserations dear sir...life is sometimes too awkward to live...

sparkysarah · 8 months

How sad/sweet! I'm going to give my kitty a big hug now. Sorry for your loss. :(

Coco_Bowling · 8 months

I shed a tear for your kitties!

mandalynn2104 · 8 months

fucking onions.

takebacktheland6 · 8 months

cfinn · 8 months

I'm sorry to hear about your loss of your cats :( As an animal lover, it's hard to lose the ones you love.

We had a chow and a cat literally grow up together, we got them at the same time, as puppy and kitten. Our dog got really really sick, and we eventually had to put her down because she was so miserable. About a week later, our cat was found dead. They were both pretty old (our dog was almost 14, and the cat was 13 I think), when they died, but our cat was so healthy.

Buns_Of_Awesomeness · 8 months

When I was a kid our neighbors outdoor cat had a buddy in one of the other neighbors cats. They always played together and were always just paling around. Well the female one died and within a couple week so did the other. Anyone who says cats don't have feelings can go eat a bag of dicks.

smacksaw · 8 months

I swear I thought this was going to end with the gay cat having it's way with the dead cat.

sigtrap · 8 months

Somewhat relevant wrt cat relationships. Warning: will make you cry.

TheQuietOne · 8 months

The dog we used to have was raised around cats so always got along well with all cats. At the end of his life only one little girl persian cat named Tazz remained (she was a runt so she was a lot smaller then QT who was a medium sized dog). After QT passed she wander around the house looking for him. It was really sad. We eventually moved and she figured out QT was not coming back.

shatterly · 7 months

I moved from my parents' house in Connecticut to Colorado in 1993. I was supposed to be gone just for the summer, and I left my cat at home with my parents.

When I arrived in Colorado, I called home. My mom answered the phone, crying. They hadn't seen Boo since I left, but they'd found him that day. He had watched me pack up my stuff and leave, then he curled up under the neighbor's porch and died. I still feel terrible that I left him.

optiontrader1138 · 7 months

I believe now would be an appropriate time to share the tale of the ghost rabbit.

When I lived up in the mountains, I owned a white flop eared rabbit named (appropriately if unimaginatively), "Bunny".

Bunny liked to play with people's feet and very much liked to be (gently) kicked across the room. She'd do this by getting on top of their foot and waiting for a ride. If the ride did not come, she'd bite the lazy (or unknowing) person, often causing the ride to commence.

Bunny was known for pooping behind the couch. But if she was upset or hungry, she would poop in the middle of the floor to get attention. And that is the key to this little story.

Bunny was getting slower... She had lived almost seven years, a very long time for a rabbit. She stopped eating. And one day... After a beautiful two foot snowfall... She disappeared.

We looked and looked but could not find her. She wasnt in the house. As you could imagine, I was pretty upset. I asked the gods for a sign... If she was ok, or simply had died peacefully, just let me know.

That evening I folded up my jeans and placed them on the floor as I usually did. The next morning, I awoke to find a small rabbit turd dead center on my jeans. But no Bunny.

I posted this to say that I have never heard of a Bunny resurrection, but I know this is what happened.

P.S. I later found out my roommate found the dead rabbit and threw it out but didn't want to tell me. He did however think it would be a funny joke to put a rabbit turd on my jeans.

baglebite88 · 8 months

I had a dog die from grief after his companion of a couple years die from old age, he was only 6 or 7. I'm not sure because he came to live with us in the hope that our dogs would be able to keep him company. We only had him for a week.

styleEnzo · 8 months

Mauricio would try to have sex with Becker daily and Becker would have none of it.

RIP I_RAPE_CATS

Fluffii · 8 months

I've never been so sad, so suddenly... I'm sorry for your kitties =(

nancylikestoreddit · 8 months

Aww, I'm terribly sorry to hear this. You have my deepest sympathies. May you find solace in the memories that you have of your dearest Mauricio and Becker.

hedgie · 8 months

My hedgehog died Friday night. He was puking and my girlfriend looked up whether to take him to the vet. It was a moot point - 10 minutes later we found him dead.

I'm sorry about your cats, having a pet die sucks =( My cats never really knew him because they tried to eat him after being introduced, but they know something is wrong.

Ghstfce · 8 months

These stories make me miss my all black bombay/siamese mix BC (Father named him, not me). My parents went on vacation and left him at my sisters and he ran away and they never found him. They also didn't tell me for 2 months because of how close he and I were. Every time I look at the chair and ottoman in my room I remember all the times BC and I spent just relaxing and sleeping in it. I die a little inside each time I look at it. I miss him so much. He was the best cat I ever had. ='(

berukblue · 8 months

TIL that it's very hard to do any sort of productive work with teary eyes.

feebie · 8 months

When my dog died, my two perfectly healthy cats died within two weeks. They were all really close. It was a very sad thing to witness.

SpecialKRJ · 8 months

My best friend and former boyfriend had a big poodle and a cat when I met him. I never got to meet them. Shortly before I visited his house for the first time, his poodle died. Two days later, the cat died as well. I guess it's more common than anyone realized.

CaptHandsome · 8 months

So sorry for your losses. They sound like they were an awesome pair to have. They were lucky to have you, you them, and each other.

Also sad story (with happier current state). We got our two boys - brothers - at about 3 months old. One was the runt and had some stomach problems, so he was on a number of different medications to try and fix it. It turned out to just be the food, so he was fine and received a bunch of antibiotics during his growing up period. His brother, though, apparently had a fatal disease (FIP) which was only discovered when we noticed it wasn't really growing and wasn't very active.

Long painful period short, he died at about 9 months, but his brother was fine - my theory is he's either free of FIP or it'll be dormant until he's much older, thanks to all the unnecessary drugs he got. The surviving brother just looked out the window of our apartment for about a week after we got home from the vet after putting his brother down, which was pretty heartbreaking. It was a very rough couple of weeks for us as well, randomly remembering him at weird moments.

After a few days, our little guy was back to his normal crazy fun self, generally mischievous as 1 year old cats go. We had always wanted to have two cats so they'd each have a buddy, and so after a few months of rambunctious cat-ness, we adopted his sister. It took a week to acclimate but then they bonded and are now besties. They wrestle all the time, but they play and give each other baths and snuggle constantly too. They're amazing little creatures and - like most folks here - are basically little children to us.

Side note: if you're interested in getting a cat or two, please go to your local animal shelter to adopt. There are thousands and thousands of animals that need a loving family and warm home.

ag3nt_cha0s · 8 months

A long time ago we had two golden retriever pups, phoebe and Teddy. Phoebe died cause one of the horses kicked her too hard. Teddy was a total mess, he'd just lay around with those sad puppy eyes, sit there and sigh, I couldn't believe how depressed that dog was. Then one day we get a call from my aunt saying that she found him on the side of the road, he'd gotten hit by a car. Poor guy... But we werent too upset cause we knew he was out of his misery... Had forgotten that till I started reading comments here

filthgrinder · 8 months

ARG!! Damn onions!!!

kendrahwithanh · 7 months

my cats are now 9 and 7 and have been together since the younger one was 6 weeks old. Though they are independent enough, this kind of story is one of my biggest fears when I lose one of them someday. I don't know how I would bear to lose both of them...

chad_ · 7 months

My childhood cats died in a similar way. One lived to the grand old age of 21, and was pretty decrepit when she passed. The younger one was 16 when the older died, and until then was annoyingly energetic and affectionate. The older one was pretty curmudgeonly, and regularly attacked the younger when she would get too affectionate with her. When the older cat finally passed, it was only a day or two before the younger cat became listless and only weeks before she just gave up eating and died. My parents brought her to the vet and there was nothing apparently wrong with her. Pretty sad, really.

TheBigStapler · 7 months

I grew up with a pair of huskies. When one passed away, the other howled for an entire day before also passing away less than a week later.

NSMike · 7 months

Not to go off topic but... Have you ever considered writing? Your post is basically a master class in the art of the anecdote.

mystimel · 7 months

This is my cat Kira. There was a time when she was young and we had a friend with a Shih-tsu dog named Sushi who would come over from time to time. For some reason Sushi loved to suck on Kira's ears. Kira acted annoyed at first, but eventually she gave in, laid down lazily, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the feeling of this little dog sucking on her ears. Every time Sushi would visit, we'd find the two of them together in this weird inter-species mutually beneficial relationship.

She was a very odd cat. Over the years she would do very strange things from time to time and many were caught on camera. Once she caught a mouse, so we locked her in the bathroom with it hoping she'd kill it. 2 hours later she was still just playing with the poor thing, catching it and letting it go over and over. She would meow conversations with anyone, welcome you home at the door, greeting strangers as family. She loved belly rubs and had a foot fetish. She'd nuzzle and lick your bare feet, especially if they were especially stinky or very clean. She was a very trusting cat. You could hold her any which way you wanted without complaint and even when you gave her a bath and she howled in misery, she wouldn't run away and hide immediately after. She'd be nuzzling you 2 minutes later and licking your feet again.

We would often find her sleeping in weird places.... We caught her sleeping on the toilet bowl rim, in the cupboard where we keep the glasses, in the sink, in the bathtub, in the dishwasher, on top of her food tray... You name it and she probably tried sleeping there.

Just when I thought I couldn't be surprised anymore by her choice of bed, a few weeks ago my rather gross and silly cat started taking to sleeping in her litter box. She also insisted on hanging out in the bathroom all the time, where she knew she wasn't allowed. I wish I had realized it wasn't just her going senile in her old age...... Last weekend my mother found her in the bathroom. She had passed.

She was 18 years old, and hadn't exactly been well, but never showed any sign of real suffering. She just got lazier and quite a bit thinner over time. I knew she wouldn't live forever, but her death was still a shock and I miss her so much. I'd had her since I was 6 years old. Home does not seem the same without her. I still come home every day hoping to hear her welcome meow.

lanameredice · 7 months

WHY WON'T PEOPLE STOP CUTTING ONIONS ALL UP IN HERE

DudeAsInCool · 8 months

Sorry to hear. Sounds like they were a great pair.

Tendog · 8 months

O Senor Don Gato...

julie_by_the_beach · 8 months

Just two words; heartbreaking and beautiful.

johnkong · 8 months

That's so sad/sweet. Can you post a pic of them?

didyouwoof · 8 months

I have no similar story to tell; I just wanted to thank you for posting this. You told the tale so well you did tribute to them. Sorry for your loss; hats off to your cats for making it work as long as they did.

carlospc · 8 months

Pictures!

ImTheManOkay · 8 months

I despise cats, but your story was a touching one indeed sir. I know how hard it is to lose a pet. My dogs are family if you ask me. Sorry for your loss =[

ottr · 8 months

Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry that you lost both cats in a week. thanks for telling that story, and here's to love, which takes many strange and interesting forms.

jnet · 8 months

:'(

thank you for sharing. i'm glad they died close together, because it sucks to be lonely and miss your best friend. it reminds me of the winnie-the-pooh quote "If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you." sorry you had to lose both your guys. hugs

rainbowpuff · 8 months

This made me have a sad face. :( What's up with everybody on Reddit trying to make me cry all the sudden?

neurolux · 8 months

no pics?

syuk · 7 months

/sadface

[deleted] · 7 months

When I was a child I had horrible asthma and allergies. My mom smoked like a chimney and my dad smoked too. I was exposed to about 3 packs of second hand cigarette smoke just about every day. We got a dog when I was 3 years old. Of course I was allergic to the dog. When I was 5 we got a kitten, which I was allergic to as well. For about 3 weeks the kitten was super pissed whenever the dog would come around. She's arch her back, hiss and back up agains a wall.

Eventually she got used to the dog and they became friends. I still remember the dog would lay in this archway that separated the kitchen/dining area from the living room (we lived in an 800 sq ft modular home). The cat would go get him a piece of dog food then go get herself a piece of dog food. He would gobble it up quickly and she would lie down next to him and slowly munch her piece. He would nudge her with his nose to go get him more and she would blow the dog off until she was done with her piece of food then repeat the process. They followed each other all over the house and used to snuggle and look out the window together. They would chase each other around. She would bat him but would never extend her claws. I swear sometimes she would let him catch her and he was so gentle when he did.

Eventually my allergies were blamed on the cat, so we got rid of it. We gave it to my aunt and uncle who lived in a rural area on a lake. After about a year she caught feline leukemia from another cat and died. After we got rid of the cat, the dog moped for six months and just looked sad. I tried to play with him but his heard didn't seem as into it as he used to. When he was outside he would just sit down. He was normally pretty energetic.

Eventually my allergies and asthma were blamed on the dog and we got rid of him too. I was 12. We gave the dog to my mom's current boyfriend's brother... an uncle sorts. They lived out in the middle of nowhere and their neighbors had chickens. Eight months after the dog got there he was shot by a neighbor because he was messing with the chicken coupe.

My mother never stopped smoking to this day. As an adult I found I could pretty easily have a dog and a short haired cat without all the cigarette smoke around. There were times through the year I needed allergy meds, but it was worth it. I still miss Tiny, the beagle, and Cally, the calico cat. They were the best.

GremZealot · 7 months

When I was around 5, my brother got his dog. A nice german shepherd that looked like it was crossed with a collie. Really long, thick shaggy fur. He was 3 months old when we got him. Brother named him Sandy (due to his fur pattern)

Two a couple months afterwards, we wake up to find a strange dog (who is incredibly friendly) in our house, and Sandy is nowhere in sight. I name the new dog midnight, also due to her coloration (and the fact that I was 5). My brother calls our mom (whose at work) and asks what's going on. She had almost hit Midnight on her way to work, and not knowing what to do or have the time to take her to the shelter, she drove the dog home before returning to work. We find out that Midnight is a black lab mix, and the other part is most likely pitt.

Midnight was supposed to be my dog, but I was too loud an energetic for her (and I wasn't quite ready to have a dog yet), so she became my grandmothers.

Several years later, we move into a bigger house, and I REALLY want a dog so mom decides to look around. She finds a lady who rescues abused animals and we go there, and the dog in question is a chunky, creamy-white lab named Boomer. Boomer takes one look at us, pees on the floor then runs away. The lady explains that he was never socialized, and was terrified of pretty much everything.

We manage to catch him and bring him home. Sandy and Midnight are a little unhappy with the new arrival, and spend a lot of the time in the beginning showing him whose boss. He happily accepts the pecking order, and everyone is friends.

Over the years we manage to make Boomer less terrified of new things (we made hm face his fears) and my brother moves out and has to leave Sandy behind. Sandy never quite recovers from it, and becomes a sad, lonely dog who spends most of his time curled up in a soft spot away from everyone.

My mother buys a house in Florida, and we all move in (I'm 17, and am attending a nearby school). Sandy is over-joyed to be re-united with Evan.

Fast forward to three years ago. I'm 18. Sandy is now 14, Midnight is 13 and Boomer is 12. Sandy is covered with fatty tumors that don't seem to hurt him, but are too large to be safely removed. Midnight stopped eating due to having a tumor in or near her stomach, so we force-feed her. Boomer has developed a skin condition and almost all of his fur has fallen out and has a lot of scabs, but he otherwise seems quite happy.

Midnight steadily wastes away until she weighs about 20 pounds. When we take her to the vet (my grandmother isn't healthy, and it was a hard decision for her to make), she's pretty much gone brain-dead. I stay in the room with my grandmother while they put her to sleep. I literally see the light leave her eyes. I knew the exact moment when she died. I tried to say goodbye to her, but I can't because it would make me cry and I don't want to make my grandmother upset. We had her cremated.

Sometime later, I think it was my brother (I wasn't home at the time) gives Sandy a power pain reliever. Sandy becomes five times more energetic, and it's clear that he's been living in pain for who knows how long. Boomer's skin condition has gotten a lot worse, and he's becoming unhappy. We decide to have them put down at the same time. They were like brothers.

My brother's wife and I take them to the humane society and they put them to sleep. I stay by Boomer's side, and I can tell that he knows what's going on and he fought it as long as he could. Sandy just kind of drifted away.

Now, I'm a big, tough looking guy, and the last time I, really, really cried was at my grandfather's funeral, when I was 12. I was sobbing.

Boomer died with his head resting on my leg.

I take both of their bodies (wrapped in plastic), and place them in our car. We drive home, attempting to cheer eachother up.

We arrive home, leaving them in the car (it was winter, so it was around 30 degrees over-night). Our other dogs (we had three more) knew that something was wrong. They were confused, scared and a little warry of us.

The next day, my brother and I dig a deep hole in our back-yard. It takes us most of the day. We bury Sandy and Boomer next to eachother. I say goodbye. We put Midnight's ashes in with them. They were together in life, and will be together in death. We bury them. When we're done, we read a poem that they gave us called the Rainbow Bridge. It makes us all cry.

We let our dogs out back, and the smartest, a pitt, stands on the spot we buried them in, trying to dig them out, not understanding that they were dead.

Writing this is the first thing that has made me cry since we had them put down two years ago.

giant_bat · 8 months

I had a gay cat once.

We (me and my housemates) made fun of him when we found out he was gay (tried to rape a cat much younger than him).

He ran away after a week of verbal abuse.

I'm sorry Moo :'(

arcalumis · 8 months

Don't know if I should downvote for the sadness, or upvote in support :/

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