socRATties

The Rainbow Bridge

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.  There are meadows and hills for all our special friends so they can run and play together.  There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill or old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them who had to be left behind.  

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance.  His bright eyes are intent; his eager body quivers.  Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted! and when you and your special friend finally meet ... you cling to each other in joyous reunion, never to be parted again.  

The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together ........

Morhen Ernil en Calanon  (Dark eyed prince of light - Elvish) May 2007 - 8 Sep 2008

It was with deep sadness that we put Calanon to sleep on Monday evening.

After loosing Jack and Alagos in such a short time, Cal just seemed to pine no matter what I did. It seems that the stress caused a form of stroke that led to seizures and loss of use of his hands.
During the time since Alagos passed, Cal has been on medication and a special diet, but to no avail. Despite sharing the cage with the new boys, I think he just missed his brothers far to much.

His name, translated (Morhen Ernil en Calanon) means Black eyed prince of light. He was a gift to me from Runebound Rattery, to heal the hole in my heart. Right from the beginning he was the gentlest rat I have ever had.
Cal was a rat who's whole life consisted of only the important things: sleep, food, sleep, food. Everything else was unimportant. His favorite Sat morning thing, was to snooze in bed next to Andres leg (the only rat allowed IN the bed) while we watched cartoons. He was loving and sweet and a truely gentle soul.

A fluffball after bathtime!

Go well my little prince. Enjoy being back with your brothers and tell them I love them.

DUR ALAGOS RANA - June 2007 - 30 July 2008

3 Week old Ally, just before we got him:

On Thursday 30 July at around 16h00, my precious boy, Dur Alagos Rana (Ally) passed away suddenly. He had, over the last 3 weeks, been rushed to Liam twice to get put on oxygen as he was gasping. Despite doing copious checks, nothing prepared us for what we found after his death. Alagos, was it seems one of the fluke pedigree rats with a tumor. His was in his lung and had taken over the whole lung, leaving him with only one good lung. It is likely that it was there his whole life which may explain his faster then normal breathing and why he never became a particularly big rat.

I want to stress that this is a fluke tumor by the looks of it. His sister and other family don't appear to have the same problem.

Alagos will always remain my most, um, strange rat, . He was a talker. From the first time I held him at about 3 days old he talked, he complained and he mooooved!. He got into Brooklax one night and farted for 2 days, he encouraged Jack to get up to all sorts of mischief, we caught him piggy backing on Jacks back to see if the could get him out of the hole Jack had just gnawed in the back of the big cage, he could exit a cage top left at blinding pace (he was a permenant blur) and loved taking a wander across the lounge to say hi to everyone and get a biscuit from my mom (the reason why his shape went from regular to pear shaped!) He fell in my bath twice, as he could never understand why you could see the bottom but couldn't touch it.

The second time he included Jack. Picture me, naked in a bath, with Jack and Ally landing in it (No soap in it at the time luckily) He loved to sit on my knee in the bath and play with the water.  He was truely the happiest rat I have ever owned. Loving life and enjoying everything (esp jumping on Jack) He was the kind of rat you could hand to anyone and they just fell in love, tail and all regardless. Even Andre fell in love with him (which is a huge thing)

He has left a huge hole in our family and will always be the love of all our lives. Calanon is, despite having the other 3 boys, a very sad rat .We are so very very sad to loose this very special boy.

http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/mell...nt=DSCF2398.flv

Jack the Rat - ? - July 2008

It was with a heavy heart that I had Jack put to sleep. A big cuddler, Jack was my wild rat who, because of humans, couldnt live in the wild. He was nutty and the oddest animal I have had the pleasure to own, and words will never describe how much I loved this rat. He should have never been forced to live in a cage by whoever took him as a baby, and never enjoyed cage life (but would never have survived out of a cage). When I put him to sleep, he had become a danger to me, and to his cagemates. He was obviously getting old (at over 2 he seemed to have developed a bit of dementia) and was more skittish then ever.

He will live on in my memory, forever.

Jack, run free now, enjoy life, enjoy freedom

"Born free, as free as the wind blows
As free as the grass grows
Born free to follow your heart

Live free and beauty surrounds you
The world still astounds you
Each time you look at a star

Stay free, where no walls divide you
You're free as the roaring tide
So there's no need to hide

Born free, and life is worth living
But only worth living
'cause you're born free

(Stay free, where no walls divide you)
You're free as the roaring tide
So there's no need to hide

Born free, and life is worth living
But only worth living
'cause you're born free"

Isabella aka Bella
1 June 2006 - 8 February 2008

After Bellas last surgery about 2 or so weeks before she passed on, her recovery was not a great as the past 2 surgeries. We noticed weakness in her legs and that she was struggling to hold food etc. By Wednesday I was having to accept that i would have to help her pass on, but a very noticable communication from her made me realise that she wasn't willing to go (im not hippie by any standards so this was a shocker for me too, believe me) However her condition deteriorated so much that on Friday morning i sat her down and told her that I appreciated that she didn't want to leave me, but her body wasn't going to make it. I asked that she wait for me till I got home from work that night. In response she snuggled up to me and gave me a beautiful look out of her liquid eyes. I will NEVER ask an animal to wait again, cause she did, and collapsed as I got in the front door. I grabbed her and my keys and shot off to Liam (Dr. Bebbington) who as he saw me coming rushed straight to the gas and put her under for the injection. It was the most heartbreaking moment. She died in my arms.

Isabella was without doubt my favorite rat. From the day i got her she has been full of spunk. I saw her in the petshop and amidst yells of DIVORCE i stuck my hand in her cage only to get a bite on the finger and a look of "huh huh whatcho gonna do hey what what HUH" ofcourse i had to buy her. 2 weeks later she delivered a litter of 8!  She was a great mom and after the tragic death of 5 of the babies, she raised 3 beautiful girls. In a cage of boys months later, a single look from my Ratweiler kept even my wild/domestic child, Jack, quiet.

A week before she passed away, assuming her favorite TV watching spot:

Bella was a girl in a million. Never an overly affectionate rat, she knew how to get what she wanted when she wanted it. She was my child and loved me above anyone else.  I loved her beyond anything I have ever felt for a rat. I feel like I have lost a piece of my heart.

Jack bathing Bella the morning of the day she passed away

Bella, you are and always will be the child I loved most. I will miss those liquid eyes, and the look that just made me feel like a complete banana. Man, you were a smart rat.
The boys will miss you, especially Jack who loved you beyond reason. He still sits and waits, watching the door sometimes, waiting for you. Don't cause to much chaos in Ratty Heaven my darling. I bet all your babies and Max and Cleo were waiting at the bridge to greet your grand and royal entrance.

Always remember how much I love you.

[u]Within temptation - Our farewell [/u]
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIJQuune8sE&feature=related]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIJQuune8sE...feature=related[/url]

A legacy of memories
I can hear you say my name
I can almost see your smile
Feel the warmth of your embrace
But there is nothing but silence now
Around the one I loved
Is this our farewell?

Sweet darling you worry too much, my child
See the sadness in your eyes
You are not alone in life
Although you might think that you are

Never thought
This day would come so soon
We had no time to say goodbye
How can the world just carry on?
I feel so lost when you are not at my side
But there is nothing but silence now
Around the one I loved
Is this our farewell?

Sweet darling you worry too much, my child
See the sadness in your eyes
You are not alone in life
Although you might think that you are

So sorry your world is tumbling down
I'll watch you through these nights
Rest your head and go to sleep
Because my child, this is not our farewell.
This is not our farewell.

Nimmtherial - 17 July 2006 - 17 May 2007

Last night Nimm was fighting for breath. When she and her siblings were born in July last year I suffered a loss of 5 of the 8 babies due to a tragic mistake of carpet powder being put on the carpet in the rat room and the sweat from the nest just sucking in all those fumes. Anyway, since then her lungs were never the best and we always suspected scar tissue. I also suspect she missed Max terribly as she was very very attached to him from birth.

I suspected that i wouldnt see her this morning. And I was right.

Breath easy now, Nimmtherial my little white faced child. Your gracious and sweet personality will always be remembered. You were mommies brave little fighter, who happily slept on my chest and loved cuddles. You were a wonderfully gentle little lady who thrived on love and attention. You will always be the most beautiful PEW in the world.

Note: 28/5/2007: Dr. Bebbington did an autopsy and found pus in her lungs, a sign of Pneumonia. Samples were sent to the lab and it seems that she developed a cold that just gripped her and without anyone realising, she developed the Pneumonia and passed away. It was very very quick and breaks my heart but it is now going to be investigated and we are going to work that it never happens again without being picked up.

"Come on Aunty Cleo, lets go" (Nimm on the left)         Baby Nimm and her siblings and Uncle Max

2.5 week old Nimm

Last night I lost one of my children. Last night my little one eyed pi-rat took her last breath, said goodbye to her cage mates and crawled out of the box to die. She must have tried hard to last because I know she would have wanted to wait for me to get home first to say goodbye to me too, but her little heart couldn’t make it. I found her lying there, cold.

Cleo was my monster, my one eyed rat, the one I chose because she was different, and I knew no one would love her as much as I could. I knew I had to have her the minute I saw her and Max in that pet store cage. From the moment I got her home, she was the most loving rat in the world. First out the cage and the only rat I have ever known to climb out deliberately to run to me to climb up my arm to sit and nuzzle my ears. She had an unhealthy love for heights and open windows, meaning that the rat rooms windows ALWAYS had to be closed. She had an uncanny ability to scale pretty much anything and loved being held and played with. Never a vicious rat, never a bite or scratch (save for bathtime when she was sure she was being done in!) she had a loving and gentle temperament.

The last couple of weeks have been hard. I knew she wasn’t well and even Dr. Liam suspected that her heart wasn’t good. She had a bad eye from birth and I had always suspected a badly developed respitory system too. She always had a slight wheeze and wet sound to her chest regardless of treatments.

 Despite being weak and needing a special diet of soft foods, she was still first at the cage door when I walked into the room, head stuck out and waiting to jump, ready or not, onto my shoulder for some love and attention.

I love you my little pi-rat monster. I hope that wherever you are, you are playing and running around. Max says he will miss you and the other girls won’t forget you, the smallest boss of the cage. You have a special place in my heart and il never ever stop loving you.

RIP

Cleo

October 2005 – 26 March 2007

Max and Cleo early in 2006

                Cleo on her couch     Cleo with the other rats in late 2006   Cleo asleep on the bed Feb 2007

My last picture of Cleo on 20 March 2007

Farewell Max my little man RIP 18/4/2007

On 18 April 2007 I made the decision to have Max put to sleep.

He had 2 siezures/strokes about 3 weeks ago. We took him off all meds to see if that was causing it, but i think he has been missing Cleo terribly as well as he has never lived without her. Yesterday he had another one. I got home and those big black eyes looked up from my arms and I knew what he needed me to do. Thanks to Dr. Liam AGAIN, for being the sweetest vet i could ever ever have hoped to find.

Max was my first boy, my first man rat. He was sweet and funny with loads of personality and no rat will ever replace him. I don't even really have the words to say how much i am going to miss him.

Max being Uncle Max when the babies were small. Always babysitting

Just being Max