Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Time to trade up

I think there comes a time in every parents' life when they realize their child can no longer be labeled as such. They must refer to her as an adult, and with that title, comes a host of other necessitated actions such as not calling her five or six times a day to see if she has eaten, allowing her to sleep until she decides to wake up in the morning, and not wincing when she shows up dressed as a circus clown. For me, this day has come.

My pet is old.

I remember when we first met, 9 years ago, and she was so carefree, so idealistic. She would let me lounge on top of her, headbutt her, and even nip a time or two. She would giggle, and I would smile, knowing that my presence made her happy. It was so adorable the way she would try to close the bathroom door when she had to do her business, as if that could keep my fatherly eyes from her.

Nonetheless, she is old.

Sometimes, on weekends, she does nothing but watch television and rented DVDs. She pretends to be interested in the world, but she's actually just waiting for something to happen. I love how she tries to make it seem like Isis and I are the lazy ones, but seeing her just continue to decline is beyond me. First, it's the physical, then it's the mental.

My pet is so old.

Now, she comes home from work and won't move from the couch unless she has to eat or do 'other business'. She complains about her back aching, her knee hurting, and her head throbbing. If I so much as meow to her to let her know I care, she hurls out an immediate, "Zeus! Cut it out!" I think it might be time to let her out into the backyard so she can crawl away and die.

Wow, did I mention she's old?

Maybe those 40s will be better.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Zeus, be nice to your Mom :-) btw im new at your blog. I've enjoyed it tremendously though its my first time to view things from a feline perspective. Im only used to the Canine view of the world...

Z

Zeus said...

Nice to hear from you, Z. I hope you come by more often to chit-chat. As I have a sibling who is a Boston Terrier, I'm more receptive than most cats to your kind. It makes me more cultural in my opinion. ;)

The Meezers or Billy said...

oh Zeus, if your pet is old ours is ANCIENT!!! somedays we think she is just going to meld into the cowch. and she still dresses like a clown.

Angel, Kirby and Max said...

Zeus, Your Mom is not old! Believe me Mom is almost twice 30!

Simba's Mom said...

Happy Birthday Marina. May the next decade be a great one. I can identify with the 'doing nothing but watching tv and DVDs" thing - makes me a bit negative about myself but hard to snap out of it. Or reading blogs ad infinitum!

Zeus, be god to the Mom.

Anonymous said...

Hi Zeus,
It's so nice of you to show love and concern for your human pet.

Gemini and Ichiro said...

Yeah--I think mine is ancient as well. She hasn't crawled out onto the yard to die yet though...OF course she held Georgia as she died. I hope she doesn't expect ME to hold her...

The Crew said...

It's hard to face the truth about humans, Zeus old friend, but you're right. At least you were kind and let her down easy.

Of course, WE haven't changed a bit, have we. The intelligence, the sarcastic wit, the chick magnetism, the debonair Mancatly good looks, still in one handsome package!


George

Shaggy and Scout said...

Oh Oh.
Mom turns 50 in a couple weeks.

Is it your pet's birthday today?
If it is....Happy Birthday!

Memories of Eric and Flynn said...

Our mum refused to acknowledge 30. She got stuck on 29 for about 5 years. She said 40 was a doddle though. Her next big one is the free bus pass one and she's not looking forward to that one bit.
Happy birthday to your human pet.

The Island Cats said...

Zeus, if your pet is old...then where does that leave our mom?? She's beyond old!

Quill and Greyson said...

Poor Zeus. It's such a shame.

Just Ducky said...

If your pet is old, that mean mum is positively ancient.

Anonymous said...

Zeus, from the sound of it, not only is she old, she's cranky too. Watch out if she starts to insist she's 39... year after year.