Lost in Wisconsin

Saturday, June 04, 2005

My Cheeta

You'd never think it, but my pot bellied pig Cheeta has in many ways been my salvation. We got her on Oct. 5, 2002 when she was just 3 months old. 1 of my psychs. had recommended getting a pet. Tarzan is allergic to dog & cat hair, so being that I'd had a pbp before, I mentioned it. We had to do some research & he became more interested. When I saw an ad in the paper, we went to go see them. The coveted pigs were the gray & white ones, but when I saw Cheeta she caught my heart. Pigs normally squeal when you pick them up. When I picked Cheeta up, she was just fine. She was all black & her hair was so soft, she was perfectly adorable. So I put a baby blanket around her & held her as Tarzan dragged us home.
Well, lesson #1: the lady lied. She said Cheeta's parents (Faith Hill & Elvis) were 60-70 lbs. Not true because Cheeta is now nearing 120 lbs. I should have insisted on seeing the parents. Last April we took her to the vet & ever since then she hasn't been the same. They used an anesthesia on her that is a hallucogen for pigs.
lesson #2: take charge & find out EXACTLY what will be administered to your pet. Dont be afraid to stay with your pet during the entire procedure.
I wont go into details, but it was bad & she's had bad problems ever since. It got to the point where we were looking into giving her away. We were finally talking to 1 lady seriously & when she made a few snide remarks about Cheeta, there was no way I'd let her take Cheeta. It was within a day or so of that where I had a "lightbulb" moment. As one who has a mental disorder, who better than myself to watch out for the best interests of Cheeta, who also seems to have mental problems now? There'd be no giving her away. Ever.
Having a pig is different than a dog or cat. They don't lick their butts, don't bark and don't choke up hairballs. They're also the 4th smartest animal. She's helped me so much with my depression since I've had her, I havent had a serious episode (lasting months) of depression. Having a pig, I have to get up & feed her. She cant (wont) lay in bed with me so I cant sleep all day. (due to depression, not laziness) If I'm not out where she can see me she "mooooo's" for me. When I'm really sad, she will come & sit or lay by me.
This has somewhat of a downside though. When I am sad or crying, she sees this as a weakness. In the pig world, this is a sign that she can overthrow me in the herd & move up. The pecking order is: Tarzan, Myself, Cheeta. She wants it to me: Tarzan, Cheeta, Myself. And then eventually to be: Cheeta and then who cares what order the last 2 are in?? But it is an innate thing & something she'll constantly be dealing with. She doesn't really test him but always tests me.
I feel a special devotion toward her. Probably like someone does to their seeing eye dog or a donor. I think people see mental disorders as excuses & judge us, rather than seeing them as legitimate illnesses & address them as such. With this in mind, she helps me stay sane. Helps me stay alive & wanting to be part of this rat race.
So when I'm steaming her veggies or cutting up her cucumbers, how can that seem extreme after all she gives me?

posted by jane at 10:54 PM