You & Your Pet(s): The Importance of the Human-Animal Bond

[away36]

Originally Posted by Alcan

Several years ago, my Mother developed terminal cancer. I woke up one morning to find my cat, which was about 5 or 6 years old and healthy as far as I knew, lying in the kitchen sink. She'd never gone in there before. About 10:00 am I got the phone call from my sister that Mom had passed away. At 2:00 that afternoon the cat died, never getting out of the sink.

Originally Posted by Taffi Abernathy

Al,

I'm sorry to hear about these tragic circumstances, and it certainly puts things in perspective. To say that the incidents would be difficult for anyone to handle would be a gross understatement. Nonetheless, with the passage of time, I hope you come to care for animals again since they enhance one's life to a much greater degree. Best wishes, Faith

Despite the fact that that memory is still very much in Al's mind, he really is remarkable around animals. The cat in this picture is one of our two "rescued" cats. Al brought this one in one absolutely freezing cold dark winter night. It immediately adopted Al and is forever lying on him, sitting on him or sitting as near as possible to the window when we are out on the porch. (they are both indoor cats). Both cats greet him every time he comes into the house, and he always stops right away to talk to them and give them treats. We have no dogs because we are often away from home for very long days because of Al's sailboat races. But.....about every 3rd person in our neighbourhood has a dog. Al knows every one of their names, and gets off the front porch to pet every dog that walks by.