I've spent most of the past weekend sitting with Big Foot. No, it's not the maybe it's real, semi-mythical creature that people try to hunt and take pictures of. Big Foot is the name of my cat. We named him that because when he was a kitten he had disproportionately big feet. Turns out, we misnamed him. A kitten did have unusually big feet, but it wasn't him. You see, he was born to a feral cat who had kittens in a storage building where she was born a year earlier. Another wild cat also had kittens, and the litters were roaming around our yard. Both our Big Foot and the other kitten are solid black, so you can see how we made the mistake. But, he answered to the name, and after time, we were able to tame the mother cat and her kittens (one of them, not both). They eventually came into my house and for the past ten years or so, Big Foot has slept with me. He's a special old buddy, and I love him dearly. He's my best friend.
He started getting sick on Thursday, and has had a hard time with what seems like a virus. He's some better today, but it was a hard weekend for us. He hollered a lot, but didn't want me to sit with him or hold him. I feared that instinct was taking over, and that he was going to crawl off somewhere and die. For that reason, we wouldn't let him out of the house. I couldn't stand losing him that way. So, there have been a lot of nights with only a smattering of sleep. But he's worth it. My Mom is a very good animal nurse, and Big Foot is doing the best he can. I hope he pulls through. It's very hard on me. I hate losing animals. There was a time when we had eight dogs and eight cats. Sixteen animals at once. Big Foot is the only one left, and there won't be any more. So I'm feeling extra sad.
One good thing has come from all of this, though. Since I'm writing a novel where my main characters experience pain and loss, I can better understand how to show my readers what it feels like. It's easy to get into their point of view and convey what they are feeling. A lot of aspiring writers struggle with this. I hate feeling pain, but it's necessary to experience something to better write about it. It's just a lot easier and more fun to experience and write about fun and happiness.
He started getting sick on Thursday, and has had a hard time with what seems like a virus. He's some better today, but it was a hard weekend for us. He hollered a lot, but didn't want me to sit with him or hold him. I feared that instinct was taking over, and that he was going to crawl off somewhere and die. For that reason, we wouldn't let him out of the house. I couldn't stand losing him that way. So, there have been a lot of nights with only a smattering of sleep. But he's worth it. My Mom is a very good animal nurse, and Big Foot is doing the best he can. I hope he pulls through. It's very hard on me. I hate losing animals. There was a time when we had eight dogs and eight cats. Sixteen animals at once. Big Foot is the only one left, and there won't be any more. So I'm feeling extra sad.
One good thing has come from all of this, though. Since I'm writing a novel where my main characters experience pain and loss, I can better understand how to show my readers what it feels like. It's easy to get into their point of view and convey what they are feeling. A lot of aspiring writers struggle with this. I hate feeling pain, but it's necessary to experience something to better write about it. It's just a lot easier and more fun to experience and write about fun and happiness.
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