The animal is tired

The animal is aging. No wonder. I knew it would eventually happen. But she did not provide any measures to cope with the situation. Reality crept up unnoticed. And now you have to live with her ...



It rushes about at night, groans from sores, cannot find a comfortable position for sleeping. It wakes me up too early, in the morning the muscles stiffen and do not want to move, and it cannot go back to sleep. And if you leave it to sit quietly, then it will doze off right in the middle of the day. It became difficult to find foods compatible with his digestion. It rejects more and more foods, but does not settle for a monotonous diet that seems to suit it. Despite its limited nutrition, the creature gains weight and thickens in the middle. Loses strength and flexibility at the same time.



When the animal was young, I rode it with all my might. She fed everything that came to hand, or did not feed at all. It only went to sleep when I no longer needed it at the end of a long day. Day after day of constant work. Night sleep was sacrificed to important matters. It didn't seem to mind. It could run, climb, carry heavy loads. It was never the most beautiful of its kind, but it possessed stamina and strength that surpassed some others. This is still the case, but over-effort is costing more and more. It never had fast reflexes, and now it reacts even more slowly.



The animal remembers everything I did with it. I kept him in the cold for too long, freezing his feet, and now any cold floor always reminds him of what I did. I worn out his joints to fit the schedule. Now his grip is loosening. I risked his eyesight, endlessly staring at the monitor, and now the colors are gradually fading.



As our life together is slowly coming to an end, I wish I could take good care of him. Better food, more exercise, more rest ... But I don’t know if it’s any good. I convince myself that he still has many useful years ahead, even if he cannot do some of the things that he once did with ease. I am embarrassed to think that this is the only animal that I have treated so cruelly. Would I feed my favorite dog stimulants to keep it working when it needs sleep? Never. Would you poison your cat with alcohol so that it could relax in an unfamiliar society? Of course not.



But this animal received no mercy from me. And now I regret it.



And now we are entering our 70th year together. Me and the animal I live in.



Be kind to your animals. It's never too late to show mercy.