Satine: Eulogy for a Bunny

After almost six years of beloved companionship, our bunny Satine is dead. We had to put her down today. She was riddle with cancer - in just a few short weeks it invaded her kidneys, spleen, and lungs. She was a feisty, bitchy bunny - we loved that about her. We used to joke that "evil never dies." Unfortunately that is not true.

We adopted Satine (named for Nicole Kidman's character in "Moulin Rouge") from the SPCA right after the start of my senior year in college. I was having a hard time in my last year, living with a roommate who I DESPISED. Tim thought that a bunny would help. She had been adopted out and returned for not being cuddly enough. And she certainly wasn't a cuddler. She was independent and strong willed. I was never strong enough to hold her - she fought too much. It wasn't until the end, when she was weak and in pain when I could hold her in my arms. That was the major warning sign that something was very wrong.

She had a companion for a while, Cloud. Cloud died suddenly in his sleep after we had had him for a very short time - maybe a year. Satine had a hard time dealing with this. She soon became destructive. She easily learned how to leap out of her 3 foot high cage, and did so on a regular basis. When out, she would chew through communication lines - modem and phone cords. She was smart enough never to go for power cables that could shock her. She chewed and burrowed into everything and anything. It was because of this we decided to get her a new companion.

We took her to Bunny Luv, a wonderful rabbit rescue organization. Bunnies need to be "bonded" together. They are fiercely territorial, but once they "learn" to live together, they are life mates. Satine had to be matched with over 100 different rabbits before she found Gizmo. With each other rabbit, she attacked them viciously, going for the jugular. She is something of a legend at Bunny Luv because of it. But then she met Gizmo, and the beast was instantly tamed. She purred, she nuzzled, she was a new bunny. From that point on, they were inseparable. Gizmo even waited with her while she was getting her X-rays; Tim and I had to wait in the lobby.

Satine was a wonderful bunny. She wasn't your typical docile bunny. She was feisty, and rowdy, and that was what we loved about her. She is much loved, and much missed.

Satine and her first companion bunny, Cloud. Can you tell them apart? No one but Tim and I ever could. Here is a hint: She is larger, with longer ears and a ruff around her neck.

Ok, Satine is on the left.

You lookin' at me?


Satine's "head shot"


Satine and Gizmo getting to know each other at Bunny Luv


The happy couple


Satine had some great scam going. Somehow she convinced Gizmo to always groom her, while never having to reciprocate.


One of my favorite photos of Satine. She was as intrigued with my new cell phone as I was!


The bunnies napping


Awwww.....


Even though Satine was sick and in lots of pain, she still managed to eat


The last-ever photo of Satine. She spent a lot of time in that corner. I like to think Gizmo is trying to comfort her. He has spent most of his time in that corner since Satine died.