Yesterday, this past Easter Sunday, my precious and beloved 9 year old cockatiel Cade passed away unexpectedly from an apparent blood clot.  She literally was my EVERYTHING, and my heart is broken knowing I will never see her sweet brown eyes again.  I got her when she was 2 months old, and she was in my hands for her final moments 9 years later.  I am trying my best to absorb and accept the fact that she is gone, but she was my everything.  This is a very difficult time for me, for I have never been this attached to an animal that has passed.  This bird was the equivalent of my child, and I don't think I will ever completely get over her death.

She was with me from the time I was in middle school, and I am upset she will not be with me as I take my first steps beyond college.  I had envisioned her living for another decade at least, as she was always well cared for and I loved her dearly.  The shock is unimaginable.  I miss my baby more than anyone will ever know.  She was the sweetest bird I have known, although I have not known many, and would regularly snuggle under my chin and go to sleep while I watched TV from my bed or read a book.  Often I would fall asleep on my side with her asleep on the edge of the bed or on my shoulder, and she would still be there in the morning.  There is an image of her snoozing on my chest while I was passed out in a big round chair, tired from writing an essay.

My lovely Cade was there for me when I moved to a new school, when my cat and dog were euthanized, when my brother came home after having run away 7 years before, when I got my first promotion and wasn't sure I could handle it, when I moved into my first apartment and then moved again 8 months later, when I made the decision to start my own business, and she was there with me for the final moments of my roommate's bird's passing following a lengthy battle with an inoperable liver tumor.  The thought that my baby is gone forever is so much to take in.  I miss her.  I will always miss her.  This is by far the hardest experience I've ever been forced to endure.  I love you Cade Babe.  Please rest peacefully.  At the very least, you picked a good day to go home.



Cade:  11/20/04 - 3/31/2013