# R.I.P. Storm, my beautiful girl.



## ratclaws (Nov 11, 2012)

So today, after many months of surgery on her mammary tumours and deciding what was best for her, I had Storm put to sleep. She made it to a year old and had a great life while she was alive; she always used to play whenever I shook her head and bounced around everywhere. She was my first ever rat and has made a lasting impression. Her tumours compounded into three separate lumps and she made a quick decline in the past week, so it was the best decision to make. I gave her a nice burial in the garden earlier today with a small plaque, wrapped in her favourite hat and alongside her favourite sock to hide inside. I know she's in a better place now and no longer suffering. R.I.P. Storm.


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## TexasRatties (Jun 2, 2013)

Poor baby sorry for your loss


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## CapnKennedy (Sep 30, 2012)

I'm sorry for the loss, losing the first every ratty is tough. :C
RIP


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## Jesi (Jun 10, 2013)

Sorry for your loss. That's such a sweet picture by the way  looks like a cheeky little one


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## Jenzie (Dec 26, 2012)

I'm so sorry to hear that. It sounds like you made the best decision for her, even though I know it must have been difficult for you. 


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## Hamsterific (Jan 14, 2013)

I'm very sorry for your loss  She sounds like she was a very happy girl and had a good life.


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## ratclaws (Nov 11, 2012)

Thank you for your condolences. She did have a good life, though short as it was. It was doomed from the start for her to be honest; she was getting a new tumour every 3 months and that was no good for her, for her whole life. It was like she had chronic tumours. Just goes to show that every rat is different in that respect and even simple mammary tumours can take the best ones away from you. She's in a better place now and no longer in pain.


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## alexn (Sep 30, 2012)

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## nattybrown (Jun 26, 2013)

I'm so terribly sorry for your loss. Find comfort in knowing you did the right thing for her, as hard as it was to do. I hope your heart heals soon. Just know that we're not really saying 'Goodbye' to our dear friends, but rather, 'See ya later' instead. Take care.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

There are no words that I can find give you any comfort. Because neither love nor loss are about words. They are about shared soap bubble moments once blown floating on the breeze and popping in the brief fullness of their time. It's the unimportant things that matter, the snuggles, the skritches, the hugs the naps taken on your lap. It's the silly moments and the frustrating ones that add to the full flavor of a friendship. Its the simple nothing that occurs between stuff that happens that matters most. It's the shared blessings you didn't even realize you were having that you miss. I still miss the rats we had, that we have no longer and although there is more dust on the glass, the shards of their reflections in my memory are no less sharp. Still for want of a better cliche, it is far better to have loved and lost....

As you know Fuzzy Rat is now more tumor than rat... sometimes I have to lift her up to the water bottle so she can drink and we have to carry her, she doesn't even try to walk back to the car now, and the last time we put her on a fence rail, she just fell off. At the park she sits beside me on the bench now, and sometimes naps in the clovers or drags herself a few feet to steal a fallen French fry from the ants. Last night we took Fuzzy Rat to the fireworks show and as we stood underneath I supported her head with my finger so she could see the bomb bursts above and when I looked down I no longer saw the lights reflected in her dark eyes. And I felt sad. We stayed in the park for a few hours after the show, she met some old friends and she made a few new ones... One child that had met her before remarked she feels old and boney, another child remarked that the way she was draped over my arm made her look like an animated toy when she moved her head. She wanted down so I put her in the grass to go to the bathroom and she still found a mostly eaten corn on the cob, and I let her share a little sausage with us. 

I still can't bring myself to end our relationship but I'm not sure what I'm doing is any easier either. Either way we're approaching the parting of ways and I'm facing the choice you have courageously made... It's just a matter of time and for a rat there really isn't much to begin with so I'm stretching it out as best I can.

Ratclaws, please accept my sincerest condolences on your loss... 

And to Storm who has blessed your life and enriched the world just a very little bit by being with us.... Farewell little girl, you will soon be in very good company.


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## Hephaestion (Jan 27, 2013)

Rat Daddy said:


> There are no words that I can find give you any comfort. Because neither love nor loss are about words. They are about shared soap bubble moments once blown floating on the breeze and popping in the brief fullness of their time. It's the unimportant things that matter, the snuggles, the skritches, the hugs the naps taken on your lap. It's the silly moments and the frustrating ones that add to the full flavor of a friendship. Its the simple nothing that occurs between stuff that happens that matters most. It's the shared blessings you didn't even realize you were having that you miss. I still miss the rats we had, that we have no longer and although there is more dust on the glass, the shards of their reflections in my memory are no less sharp. Still for want of a better cliche, it is far better to have loved and lost....As you know Fuzzy Rat is now more tumor than rat... sometimes I have to lift her up to the water bottle so she can drink and we have to carry her, she doesn't even try to walk back to the car now, and the last time we put her on a fence rail, she just fell off. At the park she sits beside me on the bench now, and sometimes naps in the clovers or drags herself a few feet to steal a fallen French fry from the ants. Last night we took Fuzzy Rat to the fireworks show and as we stood underneath I supported her head with my finger so she could see the bomb bursts above and when I looked down I no longer saw the lights reflected in her dark eyes. And I felt sad. We stayed in the park for a few hours after the show, she met some old friends and she made a few new ones... One child that had met her before remarked she feels old and boney, another child remarked that the way she was draped over my arm made her look like an animated toy when she moved her head. She wanted down so I put her in the grass to go to the bathroom and she still found a mostly eaten corn on the cob, and I let her share a little sausage with us. I still can't bring myself to end our relationship but I'm not sure what I'm doing is any easier either. Either way we're approaching the parting of ways and I'm facing the choice you have courageously made... It's just a matter of time and for a rat there really isn't much to begin with so I'm stretching it out as best I can.Ratclaws, please accept my sincerest condolences on your loss... And to Storm who has blessed your life and enriched the world just a very little bit by being with us.... Farewell little girl, you will soon be in very good company.


I have yet to loose a rat but having stood on my outdoor terrace with all five on the garden table at 4am this morning (I am writing my PhD thesis and my girls surely deserve acknowledgement in the preface) watching them sniff the air and scurry back to my lap only to return again for another gander, I am reminded of something seldom appreciated, namely, the emotional life of animals, their joys, desires, fears and needs.

In terms of your loss, RatDaddy has payed homage to it and indeed all losses that went before and all losses to be faced on this forum. Based on the dedication and desires of the members here to understand, enjoy and delight in our pets, a truth emerges, subtle and perhaps obvious - our rats, our companions, are teachers, in the most solemn sense of the word. Without my girls, the challenges, consistencies and communications it takes to enjoy them and ensure their enjoyment of the world, I doubt I would be editing the contents of my doctorate right now. 

I am sorry for your loss and the losses we will all face, now and tomorrow. One cannot know rats until one has skritched, chased, held, cuddled, sniffed and been delighted by one!


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## Hazeltherattie (Jun 30, 2013)

*I'm so sorry*

I'm so sorry about your rat. I recently had to give up my dog and it was awful.
I know the guilt, it feels like all the days you yelled at your rat you should have praised her instead.
It's NOT your fault. 

What I learned is that, whatever people might tell you, you will never forget her. Ever.

What I did was I printed up some pictures of my dog and put the up on the wall, or in a frame. 

The thing I remembered to get through the time is that if your rat was alive right now she would never want you to feel this sad. She would have wanted you to get up and go have a lot of fun. 

The feeling will pass with time. Find things to do like going to an amusement park, getting caught up in a really good book, or just going to the mall with your friends. 

I went through a stage where I would randomly erupt in tears whenever someone mentioned dogs.

It will hurt and you need time.


I think mostly you need time, loosing a pet is awful and nothing can immediately heal it.

Hope this helps

-Lilly


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## PurpleGirl (Oct 12, 2012)

You made the right decision ratclaws, I'm sorry for your loss of Storm, she was very pretty; any rat who is unhappy/suffering shouldn't have that discomfort prolonged when it's clearly not in their best interests.


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## franjf (Dec 13, 2012)

However much we may miss her, we know she is in rattie heaven wriggling around in her favourite sock


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## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

I'm so sorry. RIP Storm. I hope there's lots of treats up in ratty heaven...


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## MeAndMyRats (Jul 5, 2013)

Aw  I am very sorry for your loss 
R.I.P


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