While picking up Science Diet at the vet’s this afternoon, I overheard a conversation between a vet tech and an old man regarding the status of his old cat. From what I gleaned, the cat’s health was rapidly deteriorating, and its time was being measured in days, not weeks or years.
When I turned around, I saw an elderly man with a cane wearing the most dejected face I have ever seen. But I have seen that face before. I have seen that face looking back at me in the mirror. In every pet lover’s life, you will face that day when the vet says there’s nothing that can be done, that the best you can do is keep your pet comfortable for a few days, maybe a week. I have worn that face many times, and I will wear it again.
The vet tech brought his old cat out in a carrier. The cat meowed a few times. The old man spoke gently to his old cat, and the two left silently, like the passing of two ghosts.