Oliver at 15

Cats have been an integral part of our lives for forty years or so. Many have come and gone during that time. They have all brought joy to our lives. So many fond memories - much heartache over those who have gone. We have just two now. Oliver and Riley. Today is Oliver's 15th birthday and he has shared our lives for 14½ years since we rescued him at just 6 months old. He is a gentle, loving individual and begins to show his age...

Oliver's soulmate, Bertie, died last August, aged  a few days short of 15½. Oliver was inconsolable. They had been together for all of Oliver's life. I know he still misses him as we do. So, today is a special day and I hope, Oliver, that we will share many more birthdays. And try and excuse Riley for being so boisterous. He is only 3½....

Love you to bits....

The Grief of a Cat

How long does a cat grieve over the loss of a soulmate? A week? A month? Longer? Oliver and Bertie were constant companions for more than fourteen years. Oliver is now 14½ years old. His soulmate Bertie died 11 days ago. Oliver seems - lost. He still wanders the house and garden - alone. He looks for Bertie. His mood has changed. His demeanour is sorrowful. His eyes are sad. Mood changes - listless. How do you mend the broken heart of a beloved cat? It breaks my heart to see Oliver like this.

I miss Bertie so much, Oliver, as you do. I wish I could bring him back. But I can't. I know you are sad. So am I. I will comfort you as much as I can because I love you too.

And Riley is trying to be your new soulmate. I know he doesn't understand bereavement. But I think - deep down - he misses Bertie too. 

It's time to move on Oli....

Messages of Condolence

Thank you FB friends for all your messages of condolence. They really do help. You are all special people to me. You are the best reason to be on Facebook. Over 40 years of sharing our lives with cats Ros and I have said goodbye to many. Jemima, Jennie, Squidgy, Budda, Merry, Whisky...

Bertie, though, was very special. He suffered a RTA seven years ago when we thought we would lose him. 72 hours in intensive care, jaw broken in two places, a severe bang to the head, tail broken - had to be amputated. But he pulled through.

He had no fear. Shortly after this major incident he was seen atop roofs chasing seagulls. He was always so vocal. He had such a presence. He captured the hearts of everyone who knew him.

We found him in a pet-shop window, looking lost and forlorn. 10 weeks old, we took him away from that place. As a kitten he had very large ears, that he eventually 'grew into'. More than any cat I have known, he 'told' you what was going on. More than any he became my number one lap cat. Loved a cuddle, purred his head off, and let you know who was boss.

I retired 2½ years ago and Bertie became my constant companion during that time. I knew his every mood. Can a cat become a best friend? Bertie did. He would wake me in the morning with a dab on the nose. Every morning. Weekends included. No nonsense. 'Time to get up, Dad'. Oliver was his constant companion. Oliver is now - lost. He wanders around the house and garden, looking for Bertie. Have you ever seen tears in the eyes of a cat? I have. And they mirror my own. I have not experienced such profound grief before over the loss of a beloved pet. Bertie fills my waking hours. I loved you so much and I miss you. I will always miss you....

Riley - the cat who came to stay

For those of you who follow my blog (thank you) you will have read about our efforts to re-home a cat named Riley, who spent his days mooching around a Sussex village, abandoned, homeless, exposed to inclement weather, fed by a few - occasionally - but very much left to his own devices. My wife Ros and I first encountered Riley when we were holidaying in this remote village. He came to visit us frequently for food. We learned from various 'locals' of his predicament and made a promise that, if no-one would offer him a home - we would. And we did. 52 days ago to be exact. Before the weather here got really bad. Which it has. Occasional sub-zero temperatures already.

Introducing Riley at home has not been easy. We have two residents - Bertie, who is 14½ years old and Oliver who is 13½ years old. Our home is their castle. Intruders not allowed. So, here comes Riley...

And he has lived with us now for 52 days. And he has put on about 2 kilos because he eats like a horse and has bloomed into a very handsome lad, who has a wonderful temperament and tries so hard to avoid spats with Bertie, who as alpha male still treats Riley as an 'intruder'. Oliver, on the other hand, thinks Riley is 'OK' and will sit with him in front of the fire and even touch noses. Bertie's aggressive attitude has mellowed - somewhat - but I still need to keep a watch on him. But things are getting better. For those of you who know animals, as we do, constant love and affection will win through, eventually! Things have mellowed, 'spats' are now infrequent, tolerance is improving, albeit with a level of reluctance - (Bertie?!!) and Christmas is coming.

Riley is now a permanent member of our family. The 'harsh' coat he had when he came to us has blossomed into a soft, silky texture. He has filled out, not only in size but in spirit. He will chase Oliver in play and screech to a halt if he meets Bertie.  They will spit at each other and then slink away. And there is plenty of room to do that. It IS getting better.

Our reward, for Ros and me, is to see a cat who had been abandoned to wander around a village without knowing any real affection, to have captured our hearts. He has become a gentle giant in more ways than one and he is about to enjoy his first Christmas with folk who love him to bits. So, Bertie and Oliver - it's all about sharing, particularly when it comes to Christmas dinner!

Good Friday for Riley

It's Good Friday for us. Riley is now home at Catnip Cottage. I could see that André was sad to see him go but he agrees that this is the best possible outcome for Riley. There was a little crying on the journey home, it must be bewildering for him. But he has now polished off a bowl of food and has settled down on the sofa next to Ros.

There was an initial spat with Bertie - to be expected, so we will keep them apart for a while. Oliver appears not to be bothered.

We will get there....

The wait is over

Relief. Immeasurable relief. Doesn't one always think the worst? The wait for Oliver's blood results was a long 30 hours. I tried to keep myself occupied but he was constantly in my thoughts and as the hours passed the dread increased.

So, when the call finally came from our veterinarian, the relief felt was palpable. All parameters in the geriatric feline blood profile were normal and this was a comprehensive screen including CBC, which counts not only the total number of white blood cells but also each individual type of white blood cell in the blood sample, the RBCs and Platelets. Abnormalities in any of these can cause malfunction of various organs and disease. The blood chemistry profile and thyroid hormones were all normal. Nothing remotely sinister to report.

What then might be causing the diarrhoea? Possible imbalance of gut flora? We now have Oliver on probiotics to try and sort this out. Mind you, as we have two cats (our other cat is Bertie) we have to put the probiotics on both bowls of food to ensure that Oliver gets his! (There is no harm in giving Bertie probiotics...)

Bertie

Just hope we can get his diarrhoea sorted out now as it must be debilitating for him. 

Preoccupied

I had to take one of our beloved cats to the veterinarians today. Oliver. Our wonderful Oliver. Now in his fourteenth year. A constant companion. A wonderful black and white cat that we homed from a rescue almost thirteen years ago. A gentle soul who loves to 'hide' beneath the jasmine, who 'chatters' at birds in the garden but has never harmed one. He wouldn't. He lies next to me now as I type this post. I will keep him safe as long as it takes.

Oliver has been losing weight. Two weeks ago he weighed just 3.69kg. Today, at the vets, he weighed 3.61kg. A loss of 80gms. "That's less than a sachet of food" I told myself. Our veterinarian, Matt, palpitated Oliver's abdomen, looking for a 'lump' that our other vet, Paul, reckoned he could feel two weeks ago. Matt was not convinced. But Oliver has been suffering with diarrhoea for two weeks, on and off, and I have noticed some blood in his motions....

We steered Matt away from a full CT scan. I didn't want Oliver subjected to the rigours of full anaesthesia. But we agreed to a full geriatric blood screen. Our lad had to have both sides of his neck shaved to obtain sufficient blood for the tests.

This is when, as an animal lover, as someone whose pet is helpless, who relies totally on you, this is when your bottom lip gives way. Ros and I have shared our lives with cats for forty years. We have experienced the heartache of losing treasured family members too often. That feeling of loss never changes.

I look at Oliver now as he lies beside me, on the table... and I well up. I cannot stop thinking about the 'phone call' I will get tomorrow from Matt with the blood test results. I don't want to hear anything sinister...

I just love Oliver too much.