Farewell, my dear AVRIL (21 JULY 2013)

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.