Lost a 26 year member of the family tonight

[bangerjim]

Our pet Cockateal passed away tonight after being a wonderful friend and companion for over 26 years. An amazing lifetime for a bird. We got him when the boys were very small and they grew up with him. He could talk and whistle tunes including "smoke gets in your eyes". He would fly up to my 2st story office when he would hear me on the phone and perch on the desk light and talk. Every night we had a ritual of "beddy" where we would tell him it was time go to to bed, he would sit in the cage door and flap his wings hard, sometimes taking off.

He had been going downhill rapidly after Thanksgiving Day and he died in my hand tonight.

Loosing a pet of that long is almost like loosing a human member of the family.

bangerjim

[osteodoc08]

Had a citron cockatoo for a while. Hated the damn thing at first, but she grew on me over several years. Wife took her when we divorced 5-6 years ago. She's still in the family. Unless you've had an aviary pet, it's hard for others to understand but they are just as smart as a good dog and have personalities all their own.

My sympathies and condolances my friend.

[RED333]

Sorry for yalls loss Jim, pets of any kind are missed a lot.

[Multigunner]

The Shar Pei' I'm keeping had a very near miss before and through Thanksgiving. He seemed almost comatose, rousing only for a few minutes per day to drink and use his pads. I missed the family dinner because I didn't want him dying alone.

Day after Thanksgiving he began to show some improvement and now seems to be recovering. He is eating a drinking okay now. He has a thyroid condition and very low metabolic rate so he doesn't move around much anyway.
I'm going to try him on chicken liver and mackeral in spring water, this has helped old dogs in the past.

[Artful]

Sorry for the loss of your little buddy :cry:

[smokeywolf]

As long as you show them even the slightest love and attention, most pets will love you without limit. It is almost unbearable when they pass. I have found comfort in knowing that no one else would likely have provided the love and care that you (or I) gave them throughout their life.
Thanks to you, your feathered friend had the best life he could possibly have had.

Very sorry for your loss.

smokeywolf

[Riverpigusmc]

My condolences. We have a Quaker parrot that fell out of the nest in Dallas/Ft Worth and he's been with us for twelve years now.

[white eagle]

truly sorry for your loss
Time will heal some

[legend 550]

Sorry for your loss.
There will be others, but never replaced. Each is special and different in there own way.

[dagger dog]

Sorry for your loss. Once the heartache subsides you will still have 26 years of fond memories.

I was raised with a parakeet Robbie, he could mimic any sound if he heard it repeated, he would ride on the back of our dachshund Toddy, and I used to share my sugar crisp breakfast cereal with him, he would greet me every school day when I arrived home.

Pets give unconditional love to their "masters" for a mere smile or affection.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

Sorry for your loss

[jmort]

Very sorry to hear this. We had same bird that did not live so long. That is a long life.

[lightman]

Sorry for your loss, my friend. Losing a pet is tough.

[karlrudin]

Sorry for your loss. Loosing a personal pet is hard.

[opos]

Sorry for the loss...we had a Java Temple bird and a parakeet for a number of years...always excited to see us and always made things cheery..All pets are special and when they move on it's not an easy thing...We now have cats...all rescues and tamed feral cats...when we lose one we just go get another one and learn what makes it happy...when it's happy..we are happy...

[jcwit]

Sorry for your loss, you have truly lost a family member.

[bullet maker 57]

Sorry for your loss.

[MrWolf]

Sorry for the loss of a friend. Our dog wasn't supposed to make it six months and been almost a year now. Hopefully make it to the new year but feel your pain.

[MaryB]

Sorry for your loss. Friends had an African Gray parrot that lived 30 years. One day he was sitting on his perch swearing(he picked up swear words fast for some reason) when he went silent and fell off. Died instantly. People who didn't know him would walk up and do the "hello" thing Jack would tell them to F-off!

[fast ronnie]

We've got two chihuahuas that eat and sleep with us. Our 10 year old male got a chunk torn out of his side in the woods a few days ago. My wife's been doctoring him up. We've had two that lived more than 18 years with us. I didn't hurt as much when my dad died as when we had to put poncho down. Your gut just hurts. Every now and then I still call his name when calling the other two, and it's been more than four years. My condolences to you and your family.

[MaryB]

Yeah my cat Tigger is now 10 years old, hope he makes it a lot more years because he is my mind reader cat. He knows when I hurt and where and will gently rub that spot or just drape over it like a living heating pad. He was parked over my left shoulder earlier because that is the side my neck is messed up. Nothing like a 20 pound vibrating purring heating pad.

[w5pv]

Know how feel.I never had pets that I was very attached to until in these last few years.Had a Jack Russel that did everything with me,I think the yotes got him no sign of him after one evning about dark.Just recently lost a Black Mouth Cur dog that I a\had gotten attached to but only had him for a littlle over two months,He was the type that just grew on you.

[shdwlkr]

Yes it is hard losing a friend after so many years.
I had a female cat that my step son almost hit on the road many years ago. She was a good companion for 20 years. She has been gone now for 3 years and I wonder if I will ever have a cat that long again. I know many don't like cats,but I have had one with me for close to 70 years now and even while in the Army. That cat would not bark like a dog would do and let everyone know something was up, that fool cat would either purr in my ear, mix on my face or find some quiet way to get my attention.

[MaryB]

Tigger my 22 pound tabby/bengal is my guard cat. He has attacked strangers who have ignored my warnings to not touch him if his ears are back. He is also my lap kitty, like to sit here while I am on the computer and make it hard to type.

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/2012-11-02_00-44-24_636_zps5226bcde.jpg

[Lance Boyle]

Sorry for your loss.

We had a cockatiel with a lot of character too. We had him for about 10 years. My mom lost him due to a busted door latch that failed to catch and the door was blown open in the winter. The cold shock got him and it crushed my mom losing her little talking buddy.