I am sad to report that we lost our dear @MildredCat recently. She had not been right for a while and was losing a lot of weight. It was probably some form of cancer and we did not want her to suffer. We adopted her a few years ago and she was about fifteen years old. She has joined several other cats buried around our garden where she liked to explore.
For some time now we have been fostering cats for a local charity whilst they wait to get new homes. They have been living in our spare room. First we had this boy who was quite young. He was not fat, but surprisingly heavy. The previous owners had got an expensive new couch and did not want to risk his scratching it. I would say they have their priorities wrong. A pet is for life. He went to a family with young children, but then came back again soon after as he had scratched a child and brought in a dead bird. That is what cats will do! He did eventually find a 'forever home'. I am not used to male cats and he did have distinct odour about him, but it was not too bad.
Next we had this pair who had lived together. The black and white female was very shy and would mostly hide under the bed or drawers. They went to an older lady.
Most recently we took on a mother and five kittens. She was found with them in a stable a few days after giving birth in late August. She was a pretty good mother and looked after them well. One was a fair bit smaller than the others, what we would call a 'runt'.
Within weeks the kittens had their eyes open and they started trying to explore. They did enjoy running up our legs, which could be painful. We put up various barriers around the landing so they could run around and I would often have them jumping on the bed in the morning chasing each other. They did love to play fight.
The runt was less active. She seemed to have some issues with her legs and could not walk properly. We wondered if she would grow out of it.
We had various dramas with them escaping downstairs. Mildred was not impressed and would hiss at them, but nobody got hurt.
They had their various inoculations and mother was snipped so she would not have more babies. The kittens will be done too as there are more than enough cats needing homes as it is.
Two boy/girl pairs of kittens went to new homes at around twelve weeks old. We have decided to keep the runt, who has been named Tromie. When we lost Mildred we decided to keep the mother too and she is called Pixie. The charity had a theme of naming cats after rivers and the River Pix runs near us. She still looks after Tromie and we thought they would stay friends. Tromie is still stuggling with walking and the vet thinks it could be a neurological issue. She is also still quite small for her age. We will try to give her the best life we can. She is quite playful and can be feisty. She would take on the others if they bullied her even when they were twice her size.
Taking on a pet is a responsibility and not to be taken on without serious thought. A cute kitten or puppy will soon grow up and may lose some appeal, but it is a life you have to care for. So many get abandoned or dumped on charities and that is shameful. All our cats have been from such charities as we want to give them a good home. We hope they appreciate that in their own way. I know they do not think anything like humans, and this article was interesting.
Pets are family.
So sad to hear about your cat!
Really enjoyed hearing about your fostering journey, sure they're all lucky to be with you for a little while and wish you all the best with Tromie!
Cheers. We have to accept we will outlive most pets. Fostering has been interesting, but we may take a break from it for a while. It's just hard when they need these temporary homes. It does make me angry how people treat animals. So much for the Brits being animal lovers :(
!PIZZA
Sorry to hear this @steevc. It sounds like you had her best quality of life as the priority.
Amazing work cat fostering all these years. You’re right, too many people take on pets without an idea of the long term commitments.
So sad.
It does make me angry how some people treat their animals. It ought to be treated as a crime. We just do what we can.
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Sorry to hear about your loss. I know it is hard. Our dog was a rescue dog and while she has her own issues, she is uniquely perfect for us. It is going to be hard when she passes on.
It's never easy to lose any friend and she was part of the family.
Oh, so sad Mildred is gone.
But wow, 15 years is long! I hope it RIP.
Hefty guy has almost same color as her.
I love those new born babies! So adorable!
We have had a few black and white cats here recently. The kittens were all variations of white and patches of grey, black or tabby. Pretty cute and fun to have around. It was a lot of work though.
!BEER
Yeah, that's it. A combination of work and fun😆. I think cats are easier to maintain than other pets like dogs. I'm glad you guys welcome, appreciate and treat these pets nicely.
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A lot less work than dogs, we have had both.
I've never had both at once. Do yours get on? The kittens were a fair bit of work. That was seven cats in the house at once. It's calmed down a bit now. Cats and dogs are very different, but each has their charms.
Cat died last year but as far as getting on, tolerating each other would be closer to the truth!
Cats tend not to be so social generally. I've heard that they can be stressed by others animals being around. Will see how it goes with out two.
<3
Hugs to you.
Congratulations on new family members!
Oh. No! Im sorry for u..
that is a ripe old age for a cat also so thats amazing
Much love :
Cheers. She was a lovely cat even if she had some annoying habits. Always sad to lose a member of the family.
That Tromie has stolen my heart! Thank you for giving her a home.
It's so terribly sad to lose a pet!!! I'm sorry.
She is cute. Thanks for your message.
Sorry :(
Cheers
I'm sorry about your little buddy. :-(
Cats may not think like humans but sometimes I just let go and think like a cat. I think we can understand each other better if we forget language and society and all the other stuff we fill our brains with.
Cheers. Regardless how they think pets are part of the family. Some people treat them as fashion accessories and that is just wrong.
agreed!
@steevc Sad to hear that MildredCat is no more. Th sliver lining is that she wont have to suffer from illness anymore.
Kudos for the work you are doing on fostering cats without homes. I love wildlife and try to do what I can for wildlife awareness and even financial support wherever possible through my posts.
I can, therefore, relate to the great work your are doing.
Heeeeeeeeeeere's Chloe!
It is horrible to have to have a pet put down, we had a ragdoll cat that was 18 years old before we had to have her put down, she was the best cat you could have.
It is so sad, but we don't want them to suffer either. It's a hard decision to make.
All you can think is that they have had a wonderful life, not afraid all the time as they would be if they wern't in a nice home, a safe environment, never goes hungry, loved. My parents just had their two dogs put down within a month of eachother. Not nice.
Damn I'm sorry. May she rest in peace. Cute pics.
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