On the morning of 7 April 2009, I woke up to find my new guinea pig, Courgette twisted in a funny position inside her hut, with a a big lump on her side. However, when I coaxed her out, she looked normal. I looked in her hut again, and there was a furry brown and white ball left behind. The fur ball turned out to be a perfectly formed baby guinea pig. Having a Tomate and a Courgette, the little baby was (logically) named Aubergine.
Little Aubergine had a quirky character that endeared her to all that met her. She would come towards you when you approached her, purr when you stroked her, and snuggle against you when you held her. She had a big appetite and an even bigger voice (nicknamed "the little mermaid" by the piggy-sitter). She learned tricks and solved puzzles in the blink of an eye. I'd joke that Aubergine was part dog, part guinea pig.
Guinea pigs instinctively hide their illnesses to avoid being ostracised by their herd; Aubergine was very much a guinea pig in this sense. By the time she started showing signs of discomfort, it was too late to saver her. The vet informed me that she had a hemorrhage in her lungs and a blood test showed that she had cancer. She was put to sleep in March 2012. Aubergine has been buried next to a château on Salève mountain and has a magnificent view of the Mont-Blanc.
Aubergine was a little guinea pig with a big, big heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment