Fluffy Died.

Our seven-year-old’s first pet died. Fluffy was a good hamster. He didn’t bite (much). He loved his little wheel. His nose was twitchy and cute. He was low maintenance and that was good. It is sad to see his cage empty and his wheel silent, but he gave us nine good months (in reality Fluffy was a female but our son was convinced otherwise—we didn’t try to change his mind).

We buried Fluffy under a Manzanita tree behind our house. The service was brief but poignant. Our son spoke. He expressed how lucky we all were to have known Fluffy. He said a prayer. A large rock marks Fluffy’s resting place. We will all miss Fluffy (well, maybe not my wife, she was kind of scared of her, er “him”).

My son now wants a rat. My wife isn’t so sure about the whole “tail” thing. We are in negotiations at the moment.

Comments

[Amy]

Rats are the best! The only thing to keep in mind is that you have to pay attention to them or they get sad and lonely.

[Bill Ekhardt]

Sorry to hear about Fluffy. I remember when your hamster died back ages ago on OE.

Blessings to your family in the midst of the loss and transition to a... Rat? I think I'd go for another hamster myself.

[Dan Tudor]

John, level with us. You finally went forward with your long talked about "Can The Hamster Outrun The Cat?" experiment, didn't you.

How could you?

You're living in the woods now...how about a pet squirrel? Raccoon? Mountain Lion?

[Kristen]

I'm sorry to hear about Fluffy. I have a good friend whose wife is a zookeeper and they have many pets and highly recommend rats. I guess they are real characters and very intelligent. I imagine it would take a little getting used to, though.