Dying

[enduringplum]

I'm pretty certain that my oldest ferret, Bastian, is dying. Although I know I've taken very good care of him and that he has lived longer than the average ferret does, I can't help but feel horribly guilty, like there was something obvious I could have been doing this entire time to extend his lifespan and prevent all suffering. I know that no one is perfect and no pet owner is perfect, but it just seems like I should be. Now that I'm typing this I can clearly see how absurd that statement is, but there's still that niggling guilt at the back of my mind that maybe I wasn't good enough to Bastian. Honestly, I do take care of my pets very well: I give them attention and play time daily, I keep their food and water fresh, I give them vitamins and groom them regularly, and I take them to the vet at any sign of illness and for all their regular checkups, the only thing I ever slack on is emptying their litter boxes every day. I still feel so horrible every time any of my pets gets sick and dies that I can't help but wonder why I feel this way and what can happen to change these feelings.