One year ago today, we had to put our Hunny Bunny down. Just as we did for her mate Rory we had the vet come to our place to make her departure as pleasant as it could be. Honestly, I can’t believe a year has flown by without her.
Our Hunny Bunny made it to fifteen years old when her time came. Her health had been steadily declining the last two or three years of her life and she lost weight and became visibly frail. We spared no expense in her various treatments: medications, subcutaneous fluid and cold laser treatment. We did everything we could to keep her happy, healthy, and comfortable including picking the right time to euthanize her. We think another week or two and her daily existence of being picked up, poked, and prodded would have become unbearable for her. Maybe it is that timing of the decision that has tempered the pain of her loss.
Now I’m going to tell you random facts about Hunny and show you a lot of pictures.
We adopted Hunny and Rory at the end of 2008. Rory quickly became very affectionate and Hunny was rather aloof initially. We were convinced she didn’t like us for a while. She used to bite us whenever she could! (On a side note I have found over the years that the boy bunnies generally have been very easy to become friends with. The girls take a little more work but it is worth the effort.)
We learned very quickly that Hunny liked order and patterns that repeat with solid regularity. If there was any deviation from the “order of things” she would let you know. When we first adopted them I had just started a new job and while establishing myself there, I returned home later in the evening than I normally would. She would run up to me to greet me and then bite me right after. Then in classic rabbit form, she would turn her back to me to let me know I was dismissed! After a while we realized she didn’t like me coming home late from work. She let us know when to take down their pen in the morning and then would show us where to store the stuff. She supervised me when I cleaned their litter boxes and she would always remind us when it was time for their dinner salad.
She had 2 high pitched yet low volume sounds she would make (very interesting since rabbits are generally silent and do not have vocal cords). One sounded like a tiny kettle whistling on a stove! She did this one when she was angry about something. The second was a little whining “meh” that let us know “I don’t like something.” Both were immediately followed by a solid thump of her hind feet which can either be a warning of danger or telling us that she doesn’t like it – whatever it was.
I am convinced that Rory finally told Hunny to stop being difficult and that Kristen and I were nice people. Suddenly after two years and our second move to a new place to live Hunny actually became sweeter and more affectionate. I remember staying home from work sick one day literally sleeping on the floor with Rory and Hunny. They both decided to supervise me staying home, and Hunny basically leaned on the top of my head and slept there keeping me warm.
She often wanted to be pet and cuddled but she would never come up and let us know she wanted attention. Other rabbits will hop up bop you with their nose, or push their heads under your hand to let you know it’s time to pet them. Not Hunny. She would sit in the corner and stare at us in a very creepy manner. If I approached her and asked her what was wrong she would immediately relax and put her head down in front of me so that I could rub her forehead and ears.
Rabbits like it when humans spend time on the floor with them. Hunny would often cuddle with me and lean on my arm. Other times she would lean against the side of my face and rest on my cheek. Rabbits purr by gently rubbing their teeth together when they are relaxed and happy. It was at times like this I could feel her little skull gently vibrating against mine.
After we lost Rory, we adopted two rabbits to keep her company since bunnies are social animals. Ezio and Snow were both several years younger than her. Despite having to accept their presence, and occasionally annoying Hunny, we suspect these two helped keep Hunny young for as long as possible.
Every pet I’ve ever had has been among my best friends while they’ve been with us. Each pet I’ve had has made me a better human. I’ve never been so protective, patient, accommodating, as I was with Hunny Bunny. Kristen said she had me wrapped around her little finger. We would often joke that she thought she kept everything running around here. Perhaps I was wrong, and Hunny Bunny really was the queen of our warren the whole time.
I would also like to thank Dr. Elaine Salinger, Dr. Sara Gonzales, everyone at San Bruno Pet Hospital, and Lil B’s Trail (home sitter & vet tech) for helping take care of Hunny over the course of her very long rabbit life.
Love your pets and spend as much of your time with them that you can. No matter how much time you get with them it is never enough. I hope she and Rory are together again.
