I have lived with companion animals for my entire life. Cats, dogs, a variety of bird species ranging from finches to chickens, parrots and lories, tropical fish, goldfish and koi, hermit crabs, ants, stick insects, golden hamsters, dwarf hamsters, mice, rats, guinea pigs, bunnies .. and that’s just the short list of animals who lived in my bedroom with me! So you would think that I am an expert at dealing with the death of a companion animal, but honestly, nothing could be farther from reality. I still have not gotten over the deaths of several of my pets (and cannot even say their names aloud), years and years later. So I empathize strongly with my friend and colleague, Orac, a surgical oncologist, who is facing an impending loss of a family member — to cancer. Please go there and provide him a little comfort.

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