Have you ever been sitting around when the power was out and been stunned at how quiet it really is? You only notice how much noise you are surrounded by on a constant basis when that noise is gone.
It has been the lack of those subtle, background noises that has been the thing to trip me up the most since saying goodbye to Izzy the other day. I never expected it because she had always been a really quiet dog, unless she was drinking (anyone who has ever had a dog knows about the extended, repetitive slurp that lasts for ten minutes). She never was one to bark or whine. The most you would get was the occasional whimper when she was dreaming of chasing bunnies.
But yesterday, I noticed all the sounds that should have been there that weren’t. Mostly her nails clicking on the wood or the tile as she walked or shifted her position. She always chose the hard surfaces to lay on, so even something as simple as her moving would get at least a small click of a nail. That absence was so unexpected and shocking because it wasn’t something I ever really noticed or paid attention to.
You would think that as used to the quiet as I am since I’m home by myself the majority of every day that something so small wouldn’t be so noticeable.
TJ Fox: Sharing the Experience 
It’s really hard to deal with the absence of a beloved pet. For weeks after my Holly died I kept thinking I saw her out of the corner of my eye.
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I always used to check before heading to bed to make sure we didn’t forget to put her in her crate. I still find myself looking that direction when I go to shut the lights out before heading upstairs. This weekend has been better with everyone home. Tomorrow may not be fun.
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I get it. They own our hearts.
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They are the shadows we don’t always notice until they are not there anymore. As you say it’s the little things.
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I noticed that too when my Rudy passed away a couple of years ago.
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It’s so hard…
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I’m glad I only had the one day to myself before the weekend chaos started.
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The last pet we had was a cat. She went to live with my youngest when the girl found her own home years ago because in an odd way, while I was the one to care for the cat, we always kind of referred to her as belonging to Alison. Darn cat was old, deaf and getting very senile. I remember when I realized that I hadn’t heard her yowling for some time. She would do that for no reason on occasion and I was struck by the fact that it hadn’t happened in weeks. Also, the cat hair. No more cat hair. It’s bittersweet, the things that we realize we took for granted in some ways when our pets have gone…
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We still have two cats, so the fur is not going to be as noticeable. Our one cat has been extra clingy and even stood where Izzy’s crate was and yowled for a bit, which she almost NEVER does (apparently all of my animals are on the quiet side). We aren’t the only ones to take notice of what is missing.
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