My Feline Family - December 2004

In August, I had to send Pepsi, one of my oldest cats at 13, across The Bridge to 

join the others who are all waiting for me... He was suffering from complete kidney failure and began to have seizures, so I made 

the hardest, but kindest decision and held him as Beth helped him slip away.

It wasn't long before Beth found me a cat who needed a sympathetic home... Smokey was 6 and 

had begun to suffer from Feline Epilepsy; he had a face that even the hardest hearted would have had trouble turning away from.  

So I brought him home to join the rest of the Feline Fiends as soon as Beth had stabilised his condition.  He settled well,

though I don't think he was as happy as he might be.  Just before Christmas he suffered an horrendous fit and spent two days

in the Vets.  He came home in time for Christmas, but I don't yet know whether he will ever fully recover.  Meanwhile, I spend 

a lot of time cuddling and grooming him, in the hope he will remember me and will begin to relax a little more.

And here are the rest of of the gang - Beginning with our Matriarch...

Cola will be 14 in March; she has been with us since she was rescued from my husband's 

place of work after her feral mother abandoned her.  The men who caught her had to wear long gauntlets to hold her - my husband 

still thinks she's a grumpy little thing, but me 'n' the dogs know better!  In fact, she thinks she's half Bernese and half human!!

Meringue was born by caesarean after his mother died, and was raised by one 

of the vet nurses.  He has one blue eye and one amber, and is only partially deaf.  He loves anything that breathes and is always the 

first cat to welcome newcomers.

This is Dr Pepper, his mother was very young, & was taken in by the vets to give birth.  Pepper was raised 

by the Practise secretary and is a whiz on the computer!  

Blueberry is another cat that owes his life to our vets.  His mother was only 6 months old, 

far too young to have kittens. He's a very singular cat and has me wound round his soft little paw, ever since we lost him at 7 months 

old.  He was missing for a week, and then we happened to hear a cat crying while we were walking the dogs; upon investigation, he was 

discovered right up the top of a whippy young birch tree, over hanging a river in spate!  My husband did a very reckless thing, and 

managed to rescue him - only to be bitten for his trouble - Blue loves to give 'love' bites and I have several deep scars to prove it!

This is Tamarind, she is the only cat that we bought!  She is a Bengal, Abyssinian variant, 

and a real character.  We tend to only see her in the winter, and even then she won't stay indoors at night!  She has a home in our old 

greenhouse but likes to curl up with either Meringue or Maggie (my Newfy girl) during the winter daytime.  In the summer, the most I

ever see of her is a streak dashing across the garden - rather like a rabbit on steroids!

Last to join the pack before Smokey, was Oreo, whose story you can read here - it's not completed

yet, but I'm so pleased to say, that a year on from his wound healing, he is a happy, healthy, self contained little cat, who has managed to

appropriate the best bed in the house without upsetting anyone!

I hope, given time, to give each cat his/her own page... so check back occasionally to see if I've actually managed anything yet!

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