It really wasn’t until today that I truly understood just how much time I’d been spending on J.J.’s care. My morning routine would be: get up, get cleaned up and dressed, come down and feed the J Crew if Lyndon hadn’t already done it, check on J.J., change his bedding (and pee pads) if necessary, shift whatever was in the washer to the dryer, load dirty clothes and soiled bedding into the washer and get that going, come back and give J.J. a sponge bath, then some sub-q fluids, then snuggle him for awhile, then put him back on the bedding and grab some breakfast. In the last few weeks I would hang over the back of the futon and hold his water bowl so that he could drink, and try to tempt him with some kibble, Lick ‘n’ Lap, or Hydra Care.

The rest of the day would be spent checking on him periodically, cuddling him when he wanted it, bathing him when he needed it, switching out his soiled bedding as necessary, doing multiple loads of laundry, picking up any poop he might have left in the bedding or around the house, and trying to clean around him so that I didn’t disturb him when I vacuumed. I always had an ear out for him if he yelled for something, and while he was still mobile I would come running if he wanted a sponge bath, water, or kibble.

Today, I fed and watered the J Crew … and that was it. I didn’t have to do any more J.J. chores. In fact, I had enough spare time to give the living room a really good vacuum, hit the futon with My Pet Peed to get rid of any urine smell, take the ramp out to the back yard and hose it off in preparation for putting it away (we’ll need it again once the J Crew become unable to jump up onto furniture), throw away the kitty little box the ramp had been resting on, and order a pretty solar light for the memorial corner.

And I only did two loads of laundry. I don’t think I’ll need to do any tomorrow. It’s just weird, how much of my day had been devoted to taking care of J.J. Even so, I still miss the little booger.