The Superior Express -

editor’s notebook 4/28/22

A friend and former Nuckolls County resident, Gwen (Jones) Porter, recently shared the following article about a pet’s death. Since graduating from Nelson High School, Gwen married a veterinarian and has helped with his practice in the Omaha area. I expected she has witnessed first hand the death of many animals.

I hadn’t thought about it before but since reading the article I have thought about my animal experiences. The death of a cat heads the list.

The female cat was a neighborhood stray. I’m not sure where she came from, where she stayed or what her history had been. I know she seemed to enjoy being in our presence and she frequently joined us when we were outside. As is the way with female cats, she was soon expecting what may have been her first litter.

Rita and I were concerned about her welfare and had been supplementing the cat’s diet with tasty morsels. When we didn’t see her at the normal time, we wondered if it was her time and went looking. We found the cat but she was having trouble. Her babies were being stillborn and it was obvious the process wasn’t going well and she was in pain. The cat looked at us and began to loudly purr. She seemed to be saying, “My friends are here. All will be well.”

It wasn’t well and the cat soon died. But our presence made her last minutes less stressful.

Recalling that experience has made the story Mrs. Porter’s shared more meaningful. It follows:

“Pets, it turns out, also have last wishes before they die, but only known by veterinarians who put old and sick animals to sleep. Twitter user Jesse Dietrich asked a vet what was the most difficult part of his job.

The specialist answered without hesitation that it was the hardest for him to see how old or sick animals look for their owners before going to sleep. The fact is that 90 percent of owners don’t want to be in a room with a dying animal. People leave so they don’t see their pet leave. But they don’t realize that it’s in these last moments of life that their pet needs them most.

Veterinarians ask the owners to be close to the animals until the very end. It’s inevitable they die before you. Don’t forget you were the center of their life. Maybe they were just a part of you. But they are also your family. No matter how hard it is, don’t leave them.

Don’t let them die in a room with a stranger in a place they don’t like.

It is painful for veterinarians to see how pets cannot find their owner during the last minutes of their life. They don’t understand why the owner left them. After all, they needed their owner’s consolation.

Veterinarians do everything possible to ensure that animals are not so scared, but they are complete strangers to them. Don’t be a coward because it’s too painful for you. Think about the pet. Endure this pain for the sake of their sake. Be with them until the end.”