House of Geriatric Pets

I have a neighbor that used to be quite a collector of aged animals. She had, at one time, 2 antique poodles, an 18 year old deaf and blind cat and another dog in the backyard that was well past his prime. Since then I think all of her critters have died, to be replaced by other, presumably younger, models.

I think I've taken her place.

It is a sad fact of life that Abby the famous D-O-G (famous because she appears in the EMT Spray packaging at the top) can no longer make the "big loop" around our neighborhood without showing a very pronounced limp. T and I realized last night that her days of long walks with mom and dad are, indeed, finally over. My poor girl. We have grown older and fatter together, unfortunately her more so than I. This same gimp also affects Dusty, or Fatboy, as we like to call him around home. His jumper doesn't quite jump and he's got a definite hitch in his giddyup. KC, the oldest of the batch, still hops around like the superfit feline she is (even with questionable kidneys) and Penny, the baby of the bunch, hasn't slowed down at all.

The "people ages" of the critters in my household:
KC (cat): 73
Abby (dog): 70
Dusty (cat): 63
Penny (dog): 55-60

I'm the like the Denny's of animal care. The only sobering thought is that I fear that they will all go at once... except for Penny who will live forever, unless she sneaks out the gate and is flattened by a UPS truck. (She hates UPS trucks). I am afloat in a sea of Senior formula dog and cat food, treats for grungy teeth and glucosamine. But I am completely surrounded by furry soldiers of love, my aging but dedicated army of bodyguards. Lucky me.