Dear Sweep,
Oh Sweepy, I have no idea where to even begin with this memorial!
I remember the day I first saw you. You were snuggled up, fast asleep with your brothers. I don't think any of you liked being woken up! But you were the one who came to see me, almost escaping from your cage. I knew then that you were the one I wanted to take home. I'd originally planned to wait a few days, maybe even a week, until a few more things had arrived for your cage, but I ended up taking you home that very day!
You explored every single part of your new home, before settling down to sleep. For some reason you refused to sleep in your little house! I named you Sweep because you were mostly a gray color - reminding me of Sweep from the show "Sooty and Sweep". You also liked to dig a LOT, and sometimes it looked like you were sweeping your bedding aside!
After you'd been with me a few weeks I started taming you. This process took longer than I expected, but you did enjoy exploring the box with your toys in! I tried to offer new toys now and then, to stop you being bored. Your favorites I think were your coocnut and your beloved cube!
Some days, you preferred staying in your cage. You loved it when I brought you tasty treats. Remember that time I gave you a cashew nut and you kicked it off the shelf? You glared at me until I gave in and gave you a walnut! You did love walnuts so much!!!! Another favorite treat of yours was the Applaws cat food. You'd wolf it down, then look at me like "what, no more?" You also enjoyed your porridge. I tried to vary it, but I think your favorite was when it had mealworms, banana and linseed in it. It looked and smelled gross, but you wolfed it down! You also enjoyed fresh veggies and fruit. Remember the time you tried red and green peppers for the first time? You sat on them first, then picked up the pieces, and inspected them! I'm afraid I can't remember which one you liked, and which you didn't, but the one you liked you gobbled up, and the one you didn't you threw to the side! It was so funny to watch!
When the weather got hot, you decided to sleep behind your wheel! That was so funny, to see your little face staring at me from behind your wheel!
You also loved your "underground cave" (the flowerpot!) in the Summer. I guess it was nice and cool in there. You could never decide whether to sleep in there or not though - you'd take your bedding in, then out, then in, then out!! I had tried putting a cup into the fridge for you, but it didn't stay cold for long, so I guess that's why you liked the flowerpot more, because it was always cool in there! You loved it so much that you wouldn't let me take it out again, when the cooler weather came!
Remember when I had to go to hospital for an operation? You went to stay with my friend for a couple of weeks, because I need to recover. You were such a good boy! The day you came home, you explored every inch of your cage again, and went to sit in your Sputnik, a place you liked to sit and watch the world go by!
You sometimes got mad if I moved certain toys, and others you completely ignored! You also loved posing for photos!
Oh, Sweep, remember the show we went to?! You were ever so good on the train, sleeping away. When we arrived at the show, I checked you were ok. You came SECOND out of the boys in the pet class. I was SO proud of you! You also behaved like a gentleman when you were held by Coco and Chesca! On the way home, you had a well deserved sleep! You popped out once on the train home, and sat staring at me through the lid of your carrier. A couple of children saw you too, and kept asking me to take you out, but I wanted to keep you safe so I kept you inside your carrier. When we got home, you slept for most of the evening, so you must have been very tired!
Then came the day I was told I was
finally moving. I was so happy at first, because I was going home, back to my hometown. But when they told me I couldn't bring you, I almost didn't move. I'd promised to take care of you, and that's exactly what I planned to do. Unfortunately, circumstances meant I
had to move, so I set about looking for someone who could look after you. For about a week or so you stayed with the people who helped me move, but you didn't like it there and I didn't like that they wouldn't look after you the way I'd told them. So I went and collected you, and together we went on a couple of trains to take you back to my friend in London - the place you stayed at when I'd had my operation. I knew you'd be well looked after there. You were as good as gold on the train and when I was on my way home I cried. I was sad that I couldn't keep you, but happy that you were now living somewhere where you'd be well loved, and safe.
You had a great life, in your new home. Oh Sweep, how I've missed you during the last year or so. I'm glad you had such a wonderful life, and plenty of fun and treats. You brought me so many smiles, and I know that others - your friends on HC for example, and the people you went t live with - loved you very very much.
Darling Sweep, I hope you're happy and safe at the Rainbow Bridge. I hope you get all the walnuts your little heart desires, and plenty of cubes to play in! I love and miss you, Sweep.
Love, The Pink Human Lady xxxx