#petcare

Stop. I know you read this title and attempted to turn and flee back out the door. I anticipated this and caught you by the back of your shirt. We need to talk about this now.

If you’re reading this blog, you’re likely Millennial or Gen Z. They’re the largest pie slice of animal lovers—one in three owns a pet. And our attitudes about pets are really intense. Half of us describe loving them more than our own mothers. And all of those pets are doing the absolute worst thing any pet can do: getting old without us.

You likely won’t have experience with being solely, directly responsible for managing a living being’s decline and death. So we’re going to explain what’s gonna happen, and give you our very best insights.

A (Hand-Holding) Guide to the End of Your Pet's Life

A little tiger in disguise.

She owns my heart without a sound,

sometimes people think a cockatoo is just a pretty white bird with a fancy crest

but it’s not

it’s a full personality with feathers

it watches you it remembers you it feels things

and honestly? that changes everything

cockatoos aren’t background pets they don’t just sit quietly in a corner looking cute

they want attention interaction connection

in the wild, they live in loud, social flocks and are constantly communicating

so when you bring one into your home, that need doesn’t disappear

it just gets focused… on you

and that’s where people get it wrong

because a cockatoo doesn’t just “bond”

it attaches

some species are literally called velcro birds because they want to be near you all the time

and if they don’t get that attention?

they don’t quietly accept it

they scream they chew they destroy things

not because they’re “bad” but because they’re bored, intelligent, and emotionally wired

they are also not a short-term commitment

we’re talking decades

like 40 to 70 years with proper care

some cockatoos outlive their owners

imagine committing to something that might outlast your current life plans

yeah

and yet, people still underestimate them

they see a cute bird that can talk

not an animal that needs: constant stimulation structured routine emotional consistency

without that, things go downhill fast

feather plucking anxiety aggression

these aren’t random issues they’re unmet needs

but here’s the thing

if you do understand them

if you meet them where they are

a cockatoo gives you something rare

real connection

not passive companionship but active, emotional presence

they’re loud messy demanding

As some of you may already know, my elderly dog hasn't been doing very well for the past few weeks. Today the vet examined her again, and unfortunately the news wasn't what I was hoping for. Her body is slowly giving out, and old age is taking its toll.

The vet wants to do everything possible to support her for as long as we can, so they've prescribed medication and treatment for me to continue at home. Unfortunately, between the medication, supplements, the vet visit, and the blood tests, the costs have become quite high.

Normally, I would reopen emergency commissions to help cover these expenses, but to be honest, I'm just too heartbroken right now to work on commissions. I don't feel emotionally able to take on new work while going through this.

So I'm asking for a little help instead. Even the smallest contribution can make a real difference.

For the sake of transparency, here are the expenses: • Alevica syrup — €33 • Lactated Ringer's solution — €5 • Epaviten ampoules — €17 • 4 ceftriaxone injections — €20

On top of that, the vet visit and blood tests came to over €100.

If you're able to help, even €1 would mean so much to me. And if you can't donate, simply sharing this post would already be a huge help.

Thank you so much to everyone who decides to support us in any way. It truly means the world to me.

I'll leave both my PayPal and Ko-fi links here: PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/JessicaSorbera Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/21jessica93