Wednesday, April 21, 2010

RIP OLIVE

I kinda knew it was gonna happen … it’s been a couple of days and my favorite hamster Olive hasn’t looked her usual self.

She’s usually very affectionate, very active (she runs the wheel like she was possessed) and eats a heckuva lot. On Saturday … she seemed a lil under the weather … which happens to hamsters so I wasn’t overly worried. So … to make her comfy … I moved her into her other cage (she has 3) and gave her new bedding, fresh water and a lot of food. Evening came around and it didn’t seem like she touched the food nor the water and she kept changing positions to sleep … she seemed really uncomfortable.

Sunday morning … I wake up … check on her … and she’s asleep … which is odd cos in the morning … she’s usually (as usual) running the wheel. This time … she wasn’t. Her breathing seemed a little shallow and her eyes were closed tight … a little teary. I’m getting a little worried now.

So Sunday’s kept aside for her … my buddy … Olive … my favorite. I take her out of her cage and hold her in my hands (which she loves) and she’s out cold in my warm hands … I hope she’s comfy. “I hope she can sleep this off”.

Monday comes around … and I’m off to work again after a couple of days off and I’m busy with work … running around after that for an event and I’m home late … a little after dinner. I’m exhausted but I check up on her … she’s still asleep … good news is that she managed to drink some of the water I gave her but her food bowl is still full. “I’ll just let her sleep” I thought and went to bed hoping that she’ll be fine tomorrow (Tuesday).

Then Tuesday comes around and as usual … I’m up at 4am … I shower, have a bit of breakfast and check up on her … she’s AWAKE !!! Yay … but she still looks a little groggy … I pet her … and she gave me an approving nod … which is always her signal to me to say “I like that” (I assume). So I’m off to work … with a renewed hope that my best friend … a hamster … might just pull thru and recover from whatever illness she had.

I get home in the afternoon after work … excited to see how she’s doing … and what do I see ? She’s sleeping again … waitaminute … she’s not breathing. I open the cage and pet her … no response. My WORST fear … Olive has passed away. The time we had in the morning was the last time I got to hold her and pet her while she was still alive.

Not realizing how close I’ve gotten to this tiny hamster … I felt a sense of loss I haven’t felt in a long time. When my other hamster Pepper passed on … I was sad … but this time, with Olive, I was literally floored. I can NOT begin to tell you how much I miss Olive … I’ll miss the times she walks on my computer table while I’m happily typing away … or how she comes to me after letting her roam my living room floor … she was more than just a hamster … she was my best friend … and I’m gonna miss her !

1 comment:

  1. My Mom had a guard dog for eight years.He drained through rainy days and rainy nights when the attap roof came off;one day,my mom decided to reward him by giving him a delicious meal of cooked pork skin given generously by the butcher after being told of its plight.His name,Lucky the dog ate heartily and with great esteem.He was seen barking mercilessly in repeats.By nightfall my mom noticed something strange.The dog was panting and breathing heavily.We thought he was exhausted.In the morning,Lucky was very still.He had passed away due to overeating and blockage of the arteries because of old age.We were very sad but the chicken seller's family's dog has a handful of puppies and my mom was given another puppy to begin a lease of life.

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