Goodbye, Sweet Beatrice Rat

Beatrice rat's passing was relatively quick. Sometime during the week we noticed she was not as active on her wheel and when she was she was very slow. Friday night I noticed she was sitting by herself, looking very tired and sad, and I took her out for an examination. It was not that she was lethargic, she was in fact still perky with her eyes wide and her ears upright. On closer inspection I found she had dried blood on her nose and her bottom. At first I thought she might have gotten into a fight with one of the other girlie rats or that she may have injured herself falling. But I could not find any other signs of injury. Beatrice rat would not eat offered treats or willingly drink pediasure or pedialite. She was quite contented on being wrapped up in a towel and sleeping in my arms, eventually poking her head up and out of the towel to let me know she wanted to go back to her hammock. This morning her health appeared to be improving and I checked on her several times, even taking her out to see if she would eat or drink and snuggle with me. This afternoon I took her out, wrapped her in a towel and we snuggled to together on the couch for a nap. As I slipped in and out of sleep I checked on her, seeing she was snoozing away and I could feel her heart beats and breathing against my chest... And then I awoke suddenly, startled, and checked her once more. Beatrice appeared that she was looking right at me, eyes half closed and almost winking. I stroked her ears and side and could tell she was no longer breathing, her heart no longer beating... But she looked still looked so very much alive. I sat with Beatrice rat for a while longer, giving her soft skritches and cuddles before preparing her for her journey.

I noticed almost immediately after Beatrice rat went on her way that Regina rat and Eva rat knew she was gone. The ratty girls were searching frantically for Beatrice. And when I put the ratty girls in the hammock where Beatrice had spent the last couple of days Regina laid down with her nose over the edge of the hammock, her big sad eyes looking off into the distance...