Liam and the World of Aging Pets

Liam is getting old.
All the rats are getting old.
But I knew from the very beginning that Liam probably wouldn't last as long as the other ratties. It's his lung condition. It's so bad, there is red stress seeping out of both eyes now on top of his nose. He keeps falling asleep in the weirdest places and in the strangest positions.

He almost gave me a heart attack last night because he fell asleep halfway in the foodbowl. I thought he as dead. Then he woke up with a start and I gave him a yogurt raisin, which he took gratefully.

It doesn't help that I'm already worrying about Vincent. His tumors aren't doing any better, really. They are not worse either, but last time Sam and I tried to purge him of his flesh skin tumor it hurt. So we're not doing it anymore, not if it hurts.

I hate seeing age get the best of my babies.
I know that Vincent is old, and it registers in my brain he is an old man. His aging has been gradual and nice.
But this is the first time I look at Liam and think, "You are getting old." It's very sudden, and it makes me sad. I don't know if I'm ready for it. But then again, who's ready for that kind of thing?

Audrey's baby, Alice, died on Sunday. She's from the same litter as Vincent.