in memory of Ben...

[ratcreature]

Ben
31.7.2005 - 14.9.2007

I finally brought Ben to the vet today to have him put down. It wasn't unexpected, his health has been getting worse for a while, but this week the decline became really drastic: He barely ate, drank only little and had trouble moving sometimes, slowly became more apathetic, and finally today he didn't even groom himself anymore. Actually when I looked in on him this morning his whole body felt cold so that for a moment I thought he must have died over night, but then he still moved after all. But I took that as the last sign that it was really time to say goodbye, and that it was better to put him down than to let him suffer a few more days.

He survived his brother Dustin by a little more than a year, and two years and a month isn't such bad age for a rat, though of course I wish he had become a methuselah among rats and lived longer. He was a great rat and a good companion, even though he caused me heartbreak when he killed little Gonzo in the disastrous integration attempt after Dustin's death.

Ben loved to cuddle with me and to groom me, especially as an older rat, when he liked to sleep on me or inside my clothing, and he developed very definite ideas what his food should be like over time. If it had been up to him he would have had scrambled eggs and cooked pasta and rice far more often than he did in any case. He was friendly and affectionate, and had a very soft and fine coat even as an adult which was great for petting. He had a beautiful silver color too that would change a bit with the seasons.

Comments

[jcalanthe]

I'm so sorry to hear this. Thanks for sharing the pictures - he was indeed adorable.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

I'm very sorry. He looks lovely on the photos.

[derryderrydown.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so sorry - it's a horrible decision to have to make, even when you know it's for his benefit.

[hugglewolf.livejournal.com]

Oh, sweetie. *huggles you* He was lovely. :(

[minnow1212.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry. :hugs:

[girlwithoutfear.livejournal.com]

Ben looked like a sweet little guy. My condolences. : (

[iamza.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear this. He looks so adorable and happy in your pictures.

[retsuko.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry to hear this. He looks like such a happy little guy. You gave him a really good life.

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry, it's always hard to lose a pet. You took the best care of him you could, it sounds like. He was a pretty little rat in these pictures.

[ratcreature]

Thanks. And yeah, he was adorable. I posted the photos to remind me of his good times, because he looked so wretched the last week, that's not how I want to remember him.

[ratcreature]

Thanks, he was.

[basingstoke.livejournal.com]

Oh, no. :( Rats are so much like tiny dogs, it's so unfair they don't have a dog's lifespan as well. I am sorry.

[ratcreature]

Yeah. I kind of hoped that he might just die naturally in his sleep, but then today he was so miserable that waiting for his natural death would have been cruel.

[ratcreature]

Thanks. I always try not to think of their lifespan as a "fault", because I mean, I'm going to live shorter than some turtle after all, that's just how it is, but it's still hard. And it does feel unfair that they don't have longer. :(

[ratcreature]

Thanks.

[ratcreature]

Yeah, I posted the pictures to remember the good times he had.

[ratcreature]

Thanks. I hope he was happy with me too.

[ratcreature]

Thanks. *huggles back*

[ratcreature]

Thanks.

[ratcreature]

Thanks. And yeah, he was a very pretty rat.

[caia-comica.livejournal.com]

Awwwwwww. *hugs* He was so cute.

[ratcreature]

He was. I really miss him snuggling with me. My other three rats are all still fairly young and thus tend towards the hyperactive, so they don't sit still for long yet, and there's no rat to cuddle for more than a minute or sleep on me when I read LJ. :(

[janissa11.livejournal.com]

He was absolutely gorgeous, and I am so sorry for your loss. *fierce hugs*

[jcalanthe]

Oh, I so hear that. When my cat died, it was pretty awful at the end, and it's hard not to remember that. I'll be hoping for both of us that we can remember the good times most of all. Posting pictures to help is a great idea.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*hugs hard* I'm so sorry honey. I'm glad you had the time with him that you did.

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry for your loss. :-(

[brownbetty]

I'm sorry. I love the pictures of him you chose, especially him investigating the content of the mug.

[ratcreature]

Thanks. *hugs back*

[ratcreature]

Thanks. And yeah, that he had the chance to grow old unlike his brother is at least something to be grateful for.

[ratcreature]

Thanks.

[ratcreature]

Thanks. I posted photos to remind me of him as a lively, happy rat, because he was so weak and eventually miserable at the end. :(

[cereta.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I know you loved him very much.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bettina_/]

I'm sorry! *hugs*

[ratcreature]

Thanks.

[ratcreature]

Thanks. I miss him a lot.

[jacquez.livejournal.com]

Oh, what a pretty boy. I'm so sorry.

[ratcreature]

Thanks.

[devildoll.livejournal.com]

*gives squishy hugs*

I'm sorry he's gone. He sounded like a very cool rat.

[ratcreature]

Thanks. *hugs back*

He was a great rat. I really miss him. :(

[secretrebel.livejournal.com]

Sorry I didn't respond to this earlier. I know how you must feel and it's awful to lose a creature you love and who loves you. In time the pain will fade but Ben will never be forgotten.

Did you name him after the song 'Ben' about a rat? Even though that's a happy song it sounds so sad it always makes me cry. Losing a little furry person you love is like that. Even when they've had a happy life you miss them so much - but perhaps it helps to know that's more about you than about your loved one because Ben's beyond pain now.

Thinking of you...

[ratcreature]

Thanks. I don't know that song. I named him kind of after Obi-Wan Kenobi, but since it would be really weird to call your rat Obi-Wan, I named him for his later, more mundane alias. (also I just like the name)