Cat situation

My Cat is not well. He has heart failure. He’s on medication but is off his food. Just got to look after him. He’s lost weight, not in any pain. He sat on my chest for an hour this afternoon, purring, nuzzling my hand, but I can see he’s deteriorating. I think I might have to take him back to the vets tomorrow.

I’ve had him for 8 years as a rescue cat, so I don’t know his actual age. He’s so loving. I will miss him deeply when he goes.

Getting old

My old boy cat is getting thin. He is on medication for his heart, but that seems to be making him thinner. I don’t know his actual age because he was a rescue cat about 8 years ago. I didn’t find out his age then but he was fully grown. I’m having to accept he won’t be around for much longer. I’m giving him him lots of treats. He’s getting small meals but as often as he wants. I can’t make him eat but I can try and tempt him. At least he can sit in the sun if he wants.

Smudged nose

All my cats have black patches on their noses. Apparently the black in cats is actually a type of tabby (ginger) and sometimes in bright sunlight you can even see stripes where part of the coat has faded. Most of the cats I have had have been black and white, none of them were pedigree and a lot of them were cool characters. One particular cat was very intelligent. She came when I whistled or called, but would also jump across gaps when I called her and liked to ride on my shoulder. She was a stray when we got her and lived to a good age of around 19.

Want to get a pet with an independent personality? Think of adopting a rescue cat!

Love

He loves me I think, it might be cupboard love, because I feed him. But he likes having his cheeks rubbed and his ears stroked. He still doesn’t like being picked up and soon wriggles free. I think he must have been handled badly as a kitten. He was abandoned (we found out from the cat charity we support) so we have looked after him for about five years now. He started out living in our shed and gradually came into the house at night. Now he’s next to me, curled up on the arms of our armchairs, he likes sleeping between us. I think it makes him feel safer. But he still goes out most of the night, even when it’s cold and wet. I think he must be eleven or twelve now. Cats that live outside have shorter lives so I think we have added a few years on to his life. X

My old cat Jinx

A rescue cat. Another photo from forty years ago. This was our old cat. He was due to be put down because he wasn’t wanted so we took him in. He lived another year and died of old age and kidney problems. I did a painting of this photo on an old wooden cupboard door as I didn’t have the money to afford any canvases while I was on holiday from college. The painting was exhibited and sold to someone at Stoke Garden Festival I think? And I did love him, even though it was for a limited time.