Horrible, Terrible, No-Good, Very Bad Evening...

Yeah...yesterday after 5pm really sucked...
First of all, let me just say that I'm an OVERLY sensitive person when it comes to animals. I remember once in high school, I was on my way to school..and the girl in front of me ran over a cat - and didn't stop...I screamed...and went back to find it, but didn't have any luck. I then cried through my entire first period class and got sent to the counselor. I sometimes freak out and get all emotional whenever I see a stray dog or cat....I truly have to talk myself out of being so neurotic (it doesn't always work) and I NEVER EVER EVER EVER watch Animal Planet. Nope.
So anyway, the day went fine - I was driving home, traffic was light, I was in a good mood. Then I'm driving down my street and notice a person in standing in the road...I park in front of my house and get out of my car, only to realize that the person in the road is a woman crying hysterically and wringing her hands...over what looks like a dead cat in the middle of the street. It was my neighbor a couple of houses down, and the cat was a fat sassy orange kitty that I liked to pet whenever I take walks because he always flopped over and was so lovable.
I rushed over to her and asked what happened and through her sobbing, she tells me that she had just come home and found him like that...
I bit back my tears and reached down and felt him, he was still warm - and not breathing...but he also didn't look like he'd been hit by a car...he looked like he'd just laid down in the street and gone to sleep.
The poor woman was a WRECK, and I felt him all over and showed her that he hadn't been damaged in any way. She explained that he's diabetic and could have had a seizure...
Another neighbor brought a towel and a cardboard box, I carefully wrapped up the sweet orange kitty, and laid him gently in the box. She was so distraught, I know she couldn't have done it herself. We carried the box over to her garage. She kept asking if he was breathing and thinking maybe he was just in a coma....I kept feeling for a heartbeat, but I had to explain to her that I was positive he was gone.
For some ODD reason, I was able to keep myself very calm, other than being a bit teary-eyed.
She called her husband and told him he needed to come home. While me and another neighbor closed up the box and waited there with her until her husband showed up.
I've never actually met this woman, but it didn't seem like a good time for introductions, ya know?
I headed home - opened the door, saw all my kitties greeting me at the door - and completely FELL APART. I was sobbing on the couch, completely overwhelmed with emotion. I think it was just seeing her reaction and how heartbroken she was, and feeling so helpless and not being able to help really...oh it was just awful.
Poor hubster got a bit freaked out when I called him to tell him what happened and I started bawling all over again...I think I scared him.
I finally calmed down and resolved to get her a card and some flowers the next day...hubster came home with dinner...and I was in the bedroom talking with him about it all..when we heard a loud knock on our front door.
I get up and answer it, and my landlord (male) is standing on my doorstep with tears streaming down his face. shocked, I ask him what's wrong...and he says that one of his dogs is missing.
*Hey God, do you think you could refrain from slamming me with TWO animal tragedy's in a matter of hours? I don't think my fragile animal loving side can handle it..mmmmkay?
So he goes on to tell me that it's the big fluffy white husky dog that I love SO MUCH - and says that one of his employees accidentally let him loose, and he'd been missing for hours. He'd driven everywhere and had no luck finding him. He thought perhaps he might try to come back to his old home, so he asked if we could leave our gate open for him, just in case. Of course, I said yes - and I was just so sad because that is the coolest dog, and I could see how upset my landlord was...poor, poor man - he took those dogs EVERYWHERE with him, loved those dogs to peices.

SO - I didn't get much sleep because I kept thinking about the poor woman and the cat, and then every little noise I heard, I'd get up to check the backyard for the dog....

I got some major eye circles going on today...all I can say is that last night sucked - nothing even happened to ME really, but I'm still emotional about it all.