Rosie the rat has passed away.

The other day, Rosie was playing with Arwen, the cat.  Rosie loved to do this, and the cat actually seemed to enjoy it too, so I didn't do much to put a stop to it.  Then Rosie ran up and started grooming Arwen's leg, and the cat let loose a massive wallop with her paw that caught Rosie in the head.

Rosie seemed okay for a few hours afterward, and then we put her in the cage for the night.  Yesterday, when I got up, however, she wasn't well.  She was sluggish, and dragging her back legs.  She didn't want to eat much, and she curled up next to me, squeaking in pain.  We decided to watch her and see if she improved, and yesterday evening, she did seem to feel better.  I still stayed by her cage for much of the night, because if she did pass, I didn't want her to be alone.

This morning, things had not improved.  At all.  This time, her entire front half was paralyzed.  She was trying to push herself around with her hind legs, dragging her front arms and face over the floor.  She was gasping for air, and not eating or drinking anything.  The lightest touch brought forth a heart-wrenching squeal, and all she wanted to do was nuzzle up to my neck and not move.

We couldn't bear to see her in so much pain, so we brought her to the vet and had her put to sleep.  It was a hard decision, but given that she most likely had either a brain or spinal injury, there would have been nothing we could do, and unable to eat or drink, she would have died on her own anyway.  We just wanted to spare her any more pain.

Goodbye, Rosie.  You were the most loving and intelligent rat I've known, and it breaks my heart that you couldn't stay with us longer.  Be at peace, my furry little friend.