I don’t know about you but I think “Furbaby” is such a funny term, people just love cats and dogs. We invite them into our homes to share our lives; they bring fun and comfort when we’re sad. They also provide unconditional love and companionship to many.
Last week, we had a scare with our cat, Poppy, she started acting out of character and we noticed she’d lost a lot of weight almost overnight. She’d gone from being a willful cat, who would keep trying to sit on me while I work, to being the cat who raced upstairs to sit on the floor (she has always preferred the bed or sofa). We also noticed a big, squishy lump on her back, (at the base of her tail) and she seemed to be getting weaker. I was more than a little worried about what the vet was going to say for many reasons.
The vets visit.
We prepared for the worst, but even before we got her there, we noticed the lump seemed a little smaller. We explained it all to the vet, who looked at Poppy and checked her over, head to tail, trying to make sense of her symptoms.
When we got to the lump, we could see what look like a red spot, through the hair (where she’d been over-grooming during the day).
The vet gave her a haircut (ok it was a shave) to help us see and there were more of these spots. We were more than a bit relieved to hear that the vet thought that Poppy had been bitten (which is a bit weird to say, but it could have been much worse.) The lump was a partly drained abscess, which is why it looked smaller. After the vet cleaned her up and gave her some antibiotics, she was ready to come home. We could see a difference in her almost immediately and over the weekend she has continued to improve.
Some lessons.
Clear away the rubbish to be able to see the problem.
To see the abscess the vet had to shave away the hair, it’s the same with people. People put on a “glamour” spell to show the world they’re fine by posting on social media, or telling the outside world it is. In the hope that it makes it right for them.
Don’t always take the “mask” as being the full story. Look out for people even the ones who look like they’ve got it all. We all wear the mask and sometimes we need to look beyond it to see the real problems. We can’t always be the cure, but we can always be there for our friends and family if we just take the time to open our hearts and let them in.
Talk to people.
If you’re worried about something your health (mentally, physically or emotionally) or a situation that you find yourself in however bad you think it is don’t keep it bottled up. The mask is fine to use with some people but let those that can help in behind the mask.
Face your concerns, you may like me tend to think the worse. But it’s better to know what you’re facing and then deal with it and seek the help you need. The fear and worry you have can make the problems seem so much bigger.
In conclusion.
Together we can do anything and there is a saying “a problem shared is a problem halved “. We owe it to ourselves the same care and attention we show our furbabies. We owe it to each other, to be there for each other, put down the devices and talk to people.
Sometimes, we need to be there for others, to be their voice (whether they’re human or animal.) We can help by noticing that there is a problem. We can help them to take down their mask, to talk about it and face whatever is the issue and if needed get help. Although we can’t always “make them” accept the help or healing, by being there for them, you are giving them a choice.
We are all humans, we all have our fears and worries, our good days and bad days. Seeing past the mask can be your superpower, now we just have to show up in people’s lives and “be there” for them.
Namaste. x
