It’s really hard to write about pet loss. We love all our little critter friends and sometimes, you have to say goodbye. You don’t always know why they have to leave and you do your best to protect and care for them, but as I have been told, when you have livestock, you have deadstock.

We lost dear little Edward, our little grumpy guinea pig over the weekend. He was getting older, not super old, but then, not super young either. I’m afraid he might have gotten a little too much smoke from the pellet stove fire even though we got him out of the room so quickly. He developed a little cold in his nose and eyes and even though we doctored him, gave him lots of liquids and kept him clean and lots of good extra veggies and such, he just started to fail quickly. He was such a sweet little grumpy pig. So tolerant of the kitties and the bunnies and well, any little animal he encountered. It was sad for us all and I think a bit of a growing up chapter in life for Maggie. We are moving away from the little caged pets of childhood. With Loki the ferret and the gerbils passing in the fall, and now little Eddie… we only have Tasha, our last ferret. I’ve asked Maggie if she wanted to get Tasha a new friend, but she has decided that she is Tasha’s friend and rather than to keep the cycle going, she would rather that Tasha be the last of her little caged pets. A big growing up moment, if you ask me.

So we say farewell to Edward G. Pigg. He was loved and he was a good little guy. We miss his little squeek and giving him little veggie and fruit treats. Grapes were his favorite for sure!

And we lost Topaz last week. Woke up one morning to find her laying in the dog yard, in the sunshine. At first I thought she was just enjoying a little bit of sun, but then I thought, no, something is not right. Got my boots and coat and went out, only to find her dead. I couldn’t be 100% certain but I think she might have been hit by a car, glanced, thrown, as she had a little trauma to the side of her head, and blood from her mouth. We tried so hard to keep her from the road, chasing and spooking her if we ever saw her out front. But she was a streetwise little urchin that we took in, tough and set in her ways. She was a wanderer and was sneaking out a lot, even when we tried to keep her in, she would plan and dart out, rushing out with the dogs or just being a little wort about getting out. I just hated to see that happen. I know our road is dangerous and we do everything we can to keep everyone away from it. We’re planning even more dual layer fencing to keep the chickens from going out there. And of course, the dogs and any other livestock. Thank goodness for the train tracks at the south edge of our property… many of the large trucks HAVE to stop or slow down considerably at that crossing. And then we are at the edge of town and the speed limit comes down from 55 mph to a nice 30 mph. That really helps. But in a way, I think it might make some of the animals a little more lax, since the vehicles are not loud and whizzing past. It’s just so sad. I hate when an animal dies. I know we’re getting a little stronger about it, but still, it just leaves a raw little spot in our hearts.

Topaz was a super good mommy and her kittens are doing great. We still have four of them and are trying to find homes for two of them. They are super sweet, great purrers and just as affectionate and sweet as Topie could be. I hope that they will not be wandering souls, though, I hope they don’t get that from their momma. They are starting to learn about the farm and the outsides, but we are so careful to keep them in the back, so that they are comfortable out there and far away from the road. Just as soon as we can, we will be getting the boys fixed so that they will not want to roam. Uncle Jack is their buddy and they hang out with him. I hope he will take over as their outside guardian and teach them how to stay safe and be good farm kitties. He is very protective and plays with them outside.

It’s sad to write about our little pet farewells, but then, life is like that. Ups and downs. We get our share of misfortune, unexpected repairs, big bills and tough spots. And I think this would be a truly lopsided blog if I didn’t fill in the rough spots now and then. And I know that folks follow our various little friend’s adventures. I didn’t want people to wonder what happened to Ed or why no photos of Topaz.

We will miss them both. I’m glad that more folks than just us and our friends got to know them and read about their adventures.

Farewell little friends!