I never fully accepted Zeus’s passing, and remembered him like I should have.  I didn’t talk about it, I didn’t give him the proper attention after the fact.  I was too ashamed that I couldn’t keep an animal alive, and deeply saddened that I let such a fragile life slip through the cracks.  But I miss my Zeus, and I regret not honoring him.  So here it goes:

I lost my baby to an undetected gas leak a while back and I haven’t been the same since.  He was a free roaming rabbit for the most part.  When someone was home, he would be out of his cage roaming freely, and then put back at night, or when no one was home.  After a busy day of house work, I went downstairs (the basement was his space) to feed him his nightly treat and put him in the cage.  What I found after that was traumatizing and haunts me to this day.  I saw Zeus laying in his favorite napping spot, but I knew something wasn’t right.  I tried clapping to startle him and wake him from his nap, but I unfortunately already knew he wouldn’t be waking up.  He was cold and stiff, and his eyes still open.  For remainder of the week, (on the rare occasions that I could sleep) all I dreamt about was going downstairs, in the fashion that I had that day, and him running up to me like he usually did.

Zeus was one of the coolest pets I’ve ever had (and my first bunny).  He was playful, loving, and fearless! I was one of the first people to handle him EVER.  When the woman grabbed him for me, he was squirmy and I was scarred to hold him.  I didn’t want to get scratched or bit.  But as soon as he was in my arms he completely chilled out.  I swear I held him for almost half an hour straight.  I knew right away he was the one for me!  Since he was my first rabbit ever, I was still learning the ins & outs of having a bunny, so I would always grab him out of his crate and hold him whenever I wanted.  I now realize that isn’t the best tactic; however, he surly didn’t seem to mind.  He soon became so cuddly!  If Zeus hadn’t been notorious for cord chewing, I probably would have let him sleep with me! (I let him nap with me once.  He left a little treat by my pillow that resulted in me getting pink eye 😂 )  Also, Zeus and my parent’s cat became best friends.  Even when I left for college and returned for breaks, it was like they were never apart.  He would follow the cat EVERYWHERE!  Zeus was so adventurous.  He would always climb to the most random spaces, always trying to jump up on things and failing hard, but that never stopped him from being curious and brave.  One night, I was crying over a boy, and ordered myself some comfort food.  As I was laying in bed with a pizza, out of nowhere Zeus hops up on my (lifted) bed and lands SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF MY PIZZA!  Poor buddy was sliding around the pizza like he was on an ice rink.  The sauce was hot, I was trying to get him off, he was trying to get off, and when he finally did, he left a trail of pizza sauce bunny tracks leading under my desk.  I can’t believe I managed to have such an awesome pet, and I miss Zeus every single day.

I am currently fostering a male/female bonded pair, and they make me miss Zeus even more!  I sit in their pen for hours on end, feeding them, petting them, and trying to gain their trust.  Every time I make a tiny move, they jump and sprint to the opposite end of the pen with a terrified look on their face.  It breaks my heart and I feel so helpless.  I want to pet them, to hold them, to cuddle them.  I want to watch them binky, and flop on their side like they don’t have a care in the world.  But they want very little to do with me.  Don’t every take what you have for granted.  You will never stop regretting it if you do.

Much Love💕