Lessons from pets
QUESTION: Masters we have a beloved cat, two veterinarians missed the earlier stages of glaucoma, by the time she was properly checked she was already blind in one eye. I know we have to live in the present, but could I have done anything different to change the outcome? Our pets are so pure and come to our lives to teach us unconditional love. Why the suffering? How are these types of life lessons chosen? Do we (pet owners) make them sick with our negativity? What is her lesson and what is mine? ~Rachel, Canada
ANSWER: Are you sure that sight is integral to the happiness and contentment of your cat? Step back and observe who is more bothered by the resulting present condition of your cat: You are more upset than she. She took it in her stride once the point of no return was reached. She is not suffering, just adjusting to finding ways to compensate.
In addition to providing lessons in unconditional love, our pets also facilitate life lessons. You assume she is suffering because if this happened to you, you sense you would be suffering from the effect it would have on your daily life. You are studying issues of control – as in, how much do you really have?
You were not an expert in cat conditions and therefore had to rely on the people you assumed had the knowledge. You took as many steps as you could to diagnose this condition, but it was out of your hands. Let go of the blame and guilt you are feeling. There was nothing further you could have done. That was all part of the control cycle – you can only control what another allows you to control.
Humans do have an impact on their animals – by agreement, of course. Your cat consented to allowing you to experience this sense of helplessness. In most cases, since only 1% to 2% of animals have souls that study life lessons, almost all of the agreements are for the humans’ benefit.
Animals are sensitive to negativity, and an owner who harbors a massive amount of negativity shares it with their pets.