For all pet lovers...
On Death, Dying And Unconditional Love
Derek HunterDeath touches everyone – in the game of life, it’s undefeated. If you’re lucky, you get to live a lot of your life before it touches you, but it comes, and it never stops coming until you’re the one people are mourning. That may sound morbid, but it’s true. And no, I’m not dying – I mean, I am dying, we’re all dying, but I’m not about to die, at least as far as I know. But one of my family’s pets is, and that is really horrible. It will be the first time my children will be old enough to comprehend, and it has prompted me to think about many things.
First, pets truly are the best. This cat was a 6-week-old girl when I got her 14 years ago; I’ll always remember the little head popping up from inside the carrying box when I got back to my apartment from the animal shelter in Baltimore. I named her Veruca after Veruca Salt, both the character and the band, but quickly began to call her Batistuta after the retired Argentinian soccer star. Don’t ask; I don’t know why. It just got in my head and stuck there.
She’s the sweetest cat, but she has cancer. It’s everywhere, and there’s nothing they can do, or else I’d have them do it. It’s a matter of time now, how much no one can or will say. She’s on pain medicine, antibiotics and an appetite stimulant that is working – she’s eating often, which is a change from a week ago.
But all of this is temporary, I know, and at some point, the drugs will stop masking the reality of what is happening.
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https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2025/08/31/on-death-dying-and-unconditional-love-n2662575
