If there’s one worst downside of
having a pet, it’s definitely, saying goodbye. On 21 July 2013, I lost my pet
rabbit which had been with me for more than two years. Although this blog is
dedicated to my kitties, allow me to write about Avril for just once, to
commemorate him, to remind myself that although he’s not here with me, he remains in my heart forever.
One day in 2011, I went to a pet
shop near my house with the intention of getting a bigger cage for my other
young rabbits. Suddenly, an image of rabbits, too crowded for a small cage
caught my attention. My heart automatically fell for them. However, bringing
all of them home would be an impossible mission. So, I picked one, looking weak
and brought home. The shop assistant told me that it’s a girl. So, we named it
Avril because of its dark black circle of eyeliner that resembled the singer,
Avril Lavigne. As time passed by and when the day came for the hair to be
shaved, I was so shocked to discover its two testicles, but the
name was retained.
He lived, although very weak at
first. He was given his own space in his cage but was sometimes let out to roam
freely. Slowly, he gained weight and got bigger until one day, I realised that
the shaving could not do any better on his matted hair. He had such a soft,
wooly and cotton-like hair that could easily form balls of fur that did not
only make him uncomfortable but also fly everywhere around the house.
One day, my other rabbit, Furball
got an infection on her legs which had stopped her from eating. So, I rushed
her to the clinic. Furball was found to have a matted hair on her butt and on
the vet’s advice, she needed to be left at the clinic to deal with the problem.
I wasn’t lazy to clear the matted hair on my own but because it’s near the
tail, I was afraid I’d harm her rather than help her. Then, I remembered that
Avril also had the same problem and needed the vet’s attention. So, I decided
to leave both Furball and Avril at the hands of professionals. At that time,
there’s nothing wrong with Avril except for the matted hair and he’s eating
well. Here comes my biggest mistake. Although my sole intention was to make him
feel more comfortable without the matted hair, it seemed I’d dug his grave.
After the (intensive?) grooming, he seemed so stressful that he stopped eating and eventually started to
have diarrhea. I didn’t notice his change of behaviour at first, but
everything happened so fast. I tried to feed him some hay and some drops of
water but to no avail. He was too weak even when I hugged him, he didn’t show
any signs of struggle. Before I realised it, he was finally gone forever.
I felt so devastated and could not blame anyone but me. If I could turn back
the time, I’d never bring him to the clinic, never touch his matted hair as
long as he’s alive and healthy. I was and am extremely sad and can never
forgive myself for this.
Farewell, Avril. I’ve loved you
and will always love you. You’re my precious baby and will always be in my heart and memory forever. I wish I could
say sorry to you and hope you’ll forgive me for the bad decision I made that
had cost you your life. I pray that you’ll be in heaven, happier than ever.
Let this be a lesson to me as
well as to those reading. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
