9 July 2009

Carnivals, Competitions and Cats

First things first, there's a carnival in Bosnia! The wonderful Fraught Mummy is hosting the British Mummy Bloggers carnival at Brits in Bosnia. There are some great blogs featured (and mine too)! What are you waiting for?

Also the lovely Amy at and 1 more means four is holding a competition. The prize is worth £300, it's a weekend away and entry to Alton Towers for a family of four. I've entered, have you?

Finally, if there's anyone still here and not over in Bosnia or at Amy's, I have some bad news.

Our cat went missing last night.

He was old and on his last legs anyway, but this isn't how it's supposed to end.

I got him from an animal shelter seven years ago. He was ten years old already, but gorgeous. A huge, black purring machine called Eric. He only had four teeth, clearly this hadn't stopped him eating.

He was always at the vets. First it was fighting injuries. How we laughed with our neighbours in the vet's waiting room when both our mogs were being patched up yet again! Then he has cystitis. This got worse, he had crystals in his bladder. These blocked his penis and made him very ill. After a few stays at the vets with kidney failure, blood poisoning with a catheter in, we decided he needed a penile amputation.

I can see you wincing from here guys!

It was a big operation and risky too. He came through it. Afterwards he had to learn to pee like a girl, he had very wet legs the first few times he went! We were very close. I'd read somewhere that is a human nurses a cat back to health they develop a bond. This was certainly true in our case. I'd wake up in the morning to see his face next to me on the pillow, framed by the lampshade he had to wear for weeks. I used to dust his face everyday too!

He had a couple more trips to the vet for blocked anal glands. Yum! He had a heart murmur too. He was so placid though. So long as he had his food he was happy. £30 per month for prescription food - bargain!

He developed arthritis a few years ago. We tried to get his weight down from 7.8kgs (twice the size of an average cat). Medication helped, but made him sick. When he vomited blood we moved him to Glucosamine - more expense. He's been fine with this.

Last year we noticed he was drinking a lot and peeing a lot too. He was diagnosed with diabetes. We decided not to treat him, but to keep an eye on him. He lost a lot of weight and I think this helped him all round.

Over the last few weeks he had gone downhill. He was moving stiffly and sleeping most of the day, usually by his water bowl. He would still come over for a pet and we would have to comb him as he'd pretty much stopped washing. We decided that the day he stopped scrounging under the highchairs we would know that he'd had enough.

The boys LOVED him. Presley was learning to be gentle with him, he would lay down next to him and pretend to be a cat. We would hear Cash giggling and see him with furry hands sat next to Eric.

Yesterday Eric started crying. This was not like him. He just wanted to be outside and didn't find any of the dropped fish fingers under the highchair. We decided to see how he was this morning and take him to the vets. We didn't want him to suffer.

Last night he disappeared.

I suspected he had crawled under a bush to die, but we couldn't find him. We didn't think it was possible for him to get out of the garden yet we searched everywhere around the roads. No sign of him anywhere. More importantly no crying could be heard. He used to get confused in the garden and sometimes couldn't find his way back indoors, what hope did he have of getting home if he had squeezed under the gate? No precious water, no beloved biscuits.

We searched and shouted and listened, but to no avail. This morning we put notes through all the neighbours' letterboxes. We've called the vets. We're still waiting for the phone to ring.

To say I'm devastated is an understatement. I could cope with him dying, but it's the not knowing that's so hard.


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19 comments:

  1. It is horrid when things like this happen. I do hope you find him. Take care
    Tattie

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  2. Oh you poor thing :(

    Everytime I've lost a pet or hear of a friend losing one I wonder why on earth we keep doing it to ourselves, but we do, don't we. The curse of being an animal lover. And of course the happiness furries bring far outweighs the sadness.

    This is so sad though - perhaps the poor little guy thought he was doing you a favour - sparing you that trip to the vet?
    I hope you find him though, so you grt to say a proper goodbye. Sounds like he was a great cat :)

    Big hugs xx

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  3. I do hope you find him, I am sure you will, when you least expect it. I know how it hurts when we lose our pets.

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  4. I hope he finds his way back to you, even if it for one last cuddle.

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  5. Oh no hun! I do hope you find him so you can at least say goodbye x

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  6. Oh how devestating. I hope you find him, if just to know. I know how much it hurts when an animal we are responsible for dies. xx

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  7. Oh, so sorry to hear about Eric....he sounds like he's had a great life with your family. Princess and Pookie, our two felines, we consider as our first two children!!

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  8. My heart really does go out to you, had to have my own beloved cat put to sleep because of liver failure and she had gone through lots of stuff before that had been with me for 14 years...as you are I was devestated, and its so much worse for you cause you have had no final cuddle...I desperetly hope he does come home to you even if it is only to be with you at the end...xx

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  9. Aww Sandy, that's horrible. I hope you find him soon.

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  10. So sorry. I hope you find him after all these incredible journeys you shared. You get so attached to pets - I did with my two dogs... its so hard when it comes to the end however it happens. Big hugs to you. x

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  11. Tattie, welcome and thanks x

    Leslieanne, thanks, we do get so attached. Having human children did relegate him from substitute child to family pet, but he was still loved. x

    Tawny, thanks, I hope so. x

    Dancinfairy, thanks, that would be lovely. x

    NM, thanks, it's so hard when you haven't said goodbye. x

    BiB, thanks, it's the not knowing that's hardest. x

    Jen, thanks, he did have a good life, but he was deteriorating. Love your cats' names! x

    Lorraine, thanks, it's so hard isn't it? You nurse them and they're part of the family. One more cuddle would be wonderful. x

    Rachel, thanks, me too! x

    TG, Thanks, you're right, you get so attached to them. That's it now, no more pets for us! x

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  12. Awwww no, that's too sad :( I really hope that he does turn up safe and sound.

    Hugs, Mel xxx

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  13. And PS my goodness two children born within a year of eachother, wow! My two are born 23 months apart and that was so much hard work for a while. Does pay off though once they become good playmates though I think :)

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  14. Hope he turns up safely,

    GG

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  15. Oh poor you, I hope he turns up soon. We have just got a kitten and I'm dreading letting him roam free for fear of something happening to him.
    Hope you're ok xx

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  16. Mel, hi and thanks. Yes it is hard work with the small age gap, much harder than I imagined. Lovely to hear that yours play well together, we're almost at that stage - I hope. x

    GG, thanks, but it's not looking good. x

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  17. Clarey, I'm not coping very well, you know how attached you get to cats! Fingers crossed yours isn't a roamer, you'll have to teach him the green cross code! x

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  18. Keep us updated sweetie, hope you find out soon xxx

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