My cat’s getting on in years. At 13, she’s still fairly young, but already she’s having trouble getting up on the bed by herself. Sometimes she needs a little help.

I’m worried that eventually she will need help getting down, too. Perhaps the jump down will be too jarring for her joints. Then, of course, there are the stairs. One day, those might be too much, too.

One day. Distant, I hope.

But lately she’s been in pain. I don’t know if the pain is constant. I only know that when we touch her in certain places—on her back by the tail or along the spine by her ribs—she jumps and lets out a cry, and she moves away to keep us from touching her again. It worries me. A lot.

I wish she could tell me where and how it hurts. That’s the frustration of being a pet owner; the pet can’t really tell you anything. My guess is arthritis. H.E.’s guess is an abscess or a tumor. Heaven forbid.

I’ve made an appointment for her at the vet so we can diagnose her problems, but I know that this is just the first big indication that her time with us is short. I always knew that she wouldn’t be around forever, but all the same, my heart is breaking.

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