Are you ever truly expecting loss?

Mandy and Fiona

Fiona, my family member and cat of nearly 11 years, died unexpectedly this week.

Nothing prepares you for their death. But when I found her, I could not help but think that I failed her.

She was my first baby.

After several years of trying for children with complications, in 2008, we were finally blessed with a baby boy and, a couple of years later, a baby girl.

Think about it - when you’re on your own or you are in a new relationship, you get a pet to keep you company or to see how your new partner reacts to a third-party member. The pet is there for you.

Regardless, they keep you company. Your own personal fan. And then you finally are blessed with the kids you always wanted, and, suddenly - everything changes.

No longer does it matter if your cat curls up next to your legs while you’re reading a book - there hardly seems time to read when you’re caring for an infant whose of your own flesh and blood and needs your milk or help with a clean diaper.

It’s not that I don’t LIKE animals - I think they are awesome and we’re all God’s creatures. It’s just that now that I have children, I put them first.

Am I the only Mom who feels this way? I'm feeling super guilty...

Mandy Forbus is a Sr. Marketing Specialist at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst Euless Bedford, cat lover, and mother of two.