A Sad Day at Our House

Sir Bubo Wilson

2007-2008

Beloved Pet and Furry Friend

R.I.P.

Today our beloved pet rat died. It may sound strange to be so heartbroken over a rat but he was like a member of our family. He was out of his cage most of the time and since we brought him home at 6 weeks old his feet seldom touched the floor. He was even scared of it in the beginning. He would only be on me or Jacob or in his box. He got much braver and would stalk around a bit but never got into much mischief. He was the most loving little critter. Jacob named him Bubo--like Bubonic--and the silliness of the name seemed to suit him. He became ill right before he turned a year old and we went to the vet. He was diagnosed with rat lice (from the wood chips) and chronic respitory problems. He took several rounds of antibiotics but would always get sick again. I started with homeopathic remedies and he has some better days and weeks then others. He got lots and lots of loving but we could tell he was not quite himself anymore. He rarely ventured off the couch or our laps. He was having difficulty breathing--quite a bit the last couple of days and even had difficulty moving around at all. I was feeling like we were in "rat hospice" mode. Last night he was particularly weak and would not take water from me. Today, more of the same. We went out and left him with a heat bag on the sofa. We came home and he was stretched out in a sun beam. I laid down to take a nap with him and he was restless. He couldn't settle and his breathing seemed to slow and he reared his head up a couple of times and then got real still. I was holding him and felt him pass away. We shed a lot of tears tonight. He will be creamated at the humane society where I know they will take good care of him. They were very sweet when we stood in the lobby sobbing saying good bye to our favorite little furry critter. It is very empty in the living room tonight. I keep coming in and looking for Bubo so he can curl up in my lap while I type. Who would have known a family could have grown so attached to a rat! He was by far the coolest pet we have ever had!