Saturday, November 12, 2005

The big hamster wheel in the sky...


A few weeks ago I wrote about the impending death of my father’s geriatric hamster Stuart Little II and how the thought of him passing on saddened me. For a minute there he seemed to be doing better, then he took a turn for the worse. Last week he tipped over a few times and was screeching when we helped him up. I knew he had to be in some sort of pain. We were told than other than euthanizing him there was nothing to do except just to make him comfortable. I moved his food and water closer to the spot where sleeps in so he wouldn’t have to make the long walk to his food.

This morning I tapped on his cage and he looked up, “Hiya Stuey!” I said and he shuffled over to where I was. Looking up at me with his big eyes, waiting for me to take him out and pet him as I usually do. I sensed something was going on with him, his eyes seemed different. Instead I just stuck my finger in his cage and stroked his fur. He tipped over and screeched, struggling to get up. I picked him up and laid him gently on his bed; a white piece of terry cloth that he always wraps himself up in. As I stroked him he just stared at me sniffing my hand a few times.
I told him, “Stuey if you’re tired and want to leave go ahead. You’ve been a good hamster you can rest now.” My siblings and aunt- in- law stood by laughing at my death speech. Someone even said, “Go into the light, Stuey go into the light!”

My mom told them to leave me alone and she rubbed my shoulders, the woman understands the sensitive side of me. I knew he was dying, and didn’t want him to be alone. Maybe he understood, maybe he didn’t . I have no way of knowing; all I knew was that it felt wrong somehow to just leave him there in his cage all alone as he slipped away. I watched over him for awhile as his breathing became shallow, my eyes filling up with tears. I continued to stroke his fur and pulled his blanket around him, and he snuggled deeper into it . He then turned his head towards me and as I stroked him under his chin he took one last breath and drifted off towards the big hamster wheel in the sky.



Posted by @ 8:45 PM
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