Peter and Beech (1999 - 2002). by Kate Stevens

Peter and Beech (1999 - 2002).

by Kate Stevens

In 1999, I went to buy two rabbits. One was brown and white, and I called him Peter, the other one was all grey, and I called him Beech. They were lovely rabbits. My family moved house in 2000, and Peter and Beech adjusted to life there. In 2001, I discovered that Peter and Beech had started fighting with one another. Beech was bleeding from a cut on his face, and half of Peter's left ear was ripped off. We had to put chicken wire in their run, to seperate them, and prevent them from fighting again. There was a hutch on Beech's side of the run, and another little hutch for Peter. One day, in 2002, Beech became ill. We took him to the vets to see what was wrong with him, and we were told that he had maggots. The vets were going to operate on him while my family were on holiday. In the middle of our holiday, we had a text from the vet on the mobile phone to say that Beech had gone into shock during the operation. He didn't come out of the anasthetic. He was gone. I cried. I was still raw with grief a few months later, when Peter became a bit iffy. He no longer sniffed the brush when my mum went to clean his hutch. It was only a few weeks later when my mum went to his hutch to clean it out when she saw it. She put her hand in the hutch to stroke him, when she realised. Peter was dead, too. I still get upset sometimes when I think about it now, two years on. But now, we have three cats, Precious, who was born shortly after Peter and Beech's deaths, Paws, who was born 11 months later, Preston-Priskus, his non-identical twin brother, a dog called Meg, and some fish. No matter how many pets I take in and give a home, I will always remember Peter and Beech. They were my first ever pets, and I want others to know how much they meant to me. You may now rest in peace, Peter and Beech, my lovely, unforgettable, good boys. (1999 - 2002).

Comments would be appreciated by the author, Kate Steven