Please send love. Meggy's gone.

I got home from work this evening to find that my chinchilla had passed away.

Meggy on January 31, 2014

Meguilla's body was still warm, as though she'd tried with all her might to hold on 'til I could be there. She'd been uncharacteristically lethargic this morning before I left, but no warning bells went off. I checked on her a few times during the day via the webcam, and while she wasn't being very active at all, she'd normally sleep most of the daylight hours away anyway. I wasn't expecting her to be gone when I arrived, and it was another shock to my system. If I'd thought for one moment that she was seriously ill, I'd have gotten her to a vet...

I already miss Meggy incredibly.  She may only have lived with me for 26 months or so, but I loved my little round thing with all my heart, and I'm crying writing these words. Meguilla's sister, Priscilla, passed away just over a week after Laura and I had moved the two of them into the apartment from central Pennsylvania, and we were heartbroken then, too. These adorable animals are so fragile, and they tend to hide any symptoms of illness or weakness. I want to bury Meggy in the park, where her sister is, with their cousins the squirrels chattering nearby.

My only consolation is knowing that I gave her a good life for the two years that I knew her. Regular "chinny playtime," dust baths, raisin and dried apple treats... I loved her, and I know she loved me. I still have Preeti, my lovely tortie cat, of course, and I'm going to have to love her twice as hard now. (She seems to realize that something's changed, but I don't think she understands.) It really hurts seeing the happy little family I'd once had with Laura take another loss, though. Really hurts. So, yeah, if you could please send some love, right now I could use a lot. In the meantime, I have more crying to do...