And Then There Were 7: RIP Ginger

Hello Friends,

It is with a heavy heart that we share the sad news regarding Ginger. Our sweet sisfur crossed the Rainbow Bridge on Tuesday, February 18. She had kidney disease. Even with prescription food she could not fight it any longer.

Ginger was one of the five cats mom brought home from Cleveland, Ohio. Mom's friend told her about them. They lady who had them was selling her house and moving into her boyfriend's house. He didn't want the cats, so she got rid of them. Mom said she would be getting rid of him if it were her.

Ginger, Panda, Puff, and Spunky were littermates. Batman was a year older than them and not related. Mom was going to take Ginger and Spunky only. They were a bonded pair and they had to go together. Then mom said they couldn't find a home for Puff, so she said she would take him. Then there were some red flags going on regarding the foster home that Panda and Batman were going to. So...that's how mom ended up with five adult cats!

Panda crossed the Rainbow Bridge in April 2013. Her kidneys gave out. Spunky passed in October 2017. He had cancer. Puff crossed last year. He also had cancer. And now Ginger has joined them. Batman passed in June 2018. He had saddle thrombosis and lost the use of his back legs. The Cleveland Crew are back together again.

Mom and her brother are having some hard times. If your parents pray, ask them to send a prayer for our household. They are determined they will do whatever it takes to keep the house. I can't go into the mess mom has gotten into, but she is doing the best she can to try to make it right.

We love you all!!

Purrs,

Angel Clarissa

 Ginger in her box.

Spunky and Ginger.

And then were 6: RIP Cash

Hi friends. It seems that we post only when one of my cats crosses the Rainbow Bridge.

It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that dear, sweet Cash has left us. Cash had been diagnosed with stage 3 kidney failure in January. He was doing well until the last week or so. Although he was interested in food, he wouldn't eat much. Besides his prescription kibble, he was also getting canned food. He ate like the Fancy Feast/Iams/Sheba pates as long as they were seafood. He reach a point from eating a full can, to only taking a couple of bites. I gave him the Friskies Lil' Soups, also seafood flavored. He would lap up the sauce/broth and leave the bits of fish behind. Over the past week he started leaving most of the broth behind.

Cash weighed around 14 lbs. when in his prime. His last weigh in yesterday had him at 6.5 lbs. Although he was alert and wanted all of the pets and cuddles he could get, he was restless. He took to pacing around the house. When he did rest, he would be hunched up with his front paws curled beneath him. I could tell he wasn't feeling well.

Yesterday is when I said goodbye. Cash passed peacefully at our vet's office. I was there to stroke his head and tell him how much he was loved. I'm sure his brother, Johnny (he passed in September 2017) was there to greet him. I told Cash to not let Johnny pick on him.

Johnny and Cash (I did not name them) came to me out of the blue. I was not looking for any kitties to adopt at that time. While in the vet's office (not my vet) with a friend, a young couple came in with those two handsome boys. The story they told the receptionist was that they had lost their apartment and the place where they were staying would not let them keep their cats. They wanted to surrender them to the vet's office. Unfortunately, the office could not take the cats in. They were told that the cats would have to go to a shelter. As the couple were getting ready to leave I told them I would take the cats. I explained that I had cats and I might have to re-home these two, but as long as they were with me they would have the best care. Of course I kept both of them.

They were such handsome tabby cats. They were 6 years old and were litter mates.I couldn't remember which one was Johnny and which one was Cash. One had some white on his throat so I said, "You're Johnny." That's how I could tell them apart. Johnny was the smaller of the two, yet he was the dominant one. They would participate in mutual "aggressive grooming" until Johnny would pin Cash down. He would bite Cash on the back of his neck until Cash "cried Uncle." Overall, they really did get along with each other and most of my other cats. Memphis, our Siamese, took a disliking to them right off the bat. I lost Memphis the same year I lost Johnny. 

I've lost so many over the past 4 years. Fred passed in 2016. Johnny, Spunky, Lily, and Memphis passed in 2017. Clarissa, Batman, and Fiona passed in 2018. Jazzpurr, Puff, Sable, and now Cash passed in 2019.

Cash was the only boy I had left. I now have 6 girls. Three are seniors and three are youngsters. 

While on the computer this morning, I caught a flash of something on my driveway. I thought it was a squirrel. And then I looked. There was a handsome, gray tabby cat strolling down my driveway. It was a lighter tabby that Johnny and Cash were. However, I want to believe that this was a sign from Cash that he was okay.

Hug your furbabies tonight and tell them how much they are loved.

Clarissa's mom,

Malinda.

And there were 7: RIP Sable

Dearest Friends,

It is with a heavy heart that I must share the sad news of Sable's passing. Sable crossed the Bridge on Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Mom held him through the entire procedure.

Sable joined our family on October 18, 2001 as a "free kitten." Two little girls were trying to find a home for him (his siblings had found homes.) Although mom wasn't looking for another kitty, she felt like she needed to take him. It was getting close to Halloween and Sable was solid black; those two things can end up badly. Mom got a box from the store and put Sable in it. She placed the box on the passenger seat and by the time she walked around the car to get into the driver's seat, Sable was already out of the box and sitting on the dashboard!

Although Sable was a "mama's boy," he would nap with her dad in the afternoon. He would sleep with mom at night and wake her up with his his meowing and poking her with a paw. Over the past year he had started sleeping on mom's head. Seriously. She would get in bed, get comfortable as a side sleeper, and Sable would curl up on her head/face. She always had her blanket over her head when Sable would do this.

Mom knew Sable's health was failing. His kidneys were going bad, his coat wasn't as shiny as it used to be, and he slept more and more. Mom found Sable in the kitchen late in the afternoon on June 4. He was facing the wall between the washing machine and the garbage can. Sable was meowing, but it was a different sound than his normal meow. He would take a few steps forward and bump the wall, the back up and do it again. His hind quarters were slumped and his feet were sliding when he walked.

Mom called the vet's office and told the she thought it might be time to say farewell to Sable. She and her brother went to the vet's office. Sable struggled when mom was wrapping him a bath towel. He eventually worked himself out and pooped on the floor of the SUV. While waiting for the vet to come into the exam room mom noticed that Sable's eyes were 100% dilated. Dr. S. watched Sable attempt to walk (the slipping of his back feet continued). When he sat down, she moved her hand in front of his eyes. There was no reaction. Sable was now blind. That explained the distressed meows and the walking into the wall. It was time to say goodbye.

Sable's loss has hit mom every bit as hard as mine did. She had raised both of use from kittenhood.

Ann from Zoolatry sent mom this beautiful memorial. Please feel free to share it if you want.

August 2001 - June 4, 2019

With much love,

Angel Clarissa

In Memorium: Mac, Dusty, Jazpurr, Chuck, and George, and Tuna

Over the past few months several of our furiends have crossed the Rainbow Bridge. We wanted to take a moment to honor them.

Dusty, Jazpurr, and Mac lived in Tennessee. They were brothers from different mothers. Dusty was a handsome gray mancat. He crossed the Bridge last fall. Jazpurr was a good looking white & gray mancat. He predeceased Dusty. Unfortunately we don't know when Jazpurr crossed over. Mac, their ginger tabby brother, crossed the Bridge yesterday. His mom said his health was failing when Dusty crossed. Dusty, Jazpurr and Mac had long, lives. All lived well into their late teens. Mom got to meet their purrents when they visited Louisville.

 Mac, Jazpurr, & Dust LaBresh

Two of our friends who live in North Carolina crossed the Bridge within a couple of weeks of each other. They were also brothers from different mothers. Their mom used to live in Louisville. George was the color of smoke. Not exactly black but not exactly gray. He was found as a kitten in the parking lot of the apartment building where Aunty Krista was living. Mom remembers George as a little kitten. Chuck was an orange and white tabby. He was also a found kitten. Aunty Krista had moved into a house by then (still in Louisville) and Chuck's mom would come through the yard with her kittens in tow. It's been so long ago that mom doesn't remember if the other kittens were caught and re-homed. George was 21 years old. Chuck was 19. They leave behind their brother Fritz.-

Chuck and George Biggs

Lastly, you may have heard of The Amazing Acro-Cats (with The Rock Cats) and maybe your purrents had an opportunity to see them perform. Mom was fortunate enough to have seen them twice. After a battle with an aggressive form of cancer, Tuna crossed the Bridge last week. She was their star performer and leader of The Rock Cats. She would ring a desk bell and perform other tricks (along with other cats, rats, a chicken and a groundhog). Tuna was also leader of The Rock Cats band and played cowbell.

Tuna Martin

Fly free sweethearts. We know you all were loved and will be remember by those who knew you.

Purrs,

Clarissa

And then there were 14...

Our hearts are heavy with the news we must bring. We said goodbye to Fred today. As you know, he had kidney disease and has been on sub-q fluids for a little over a month. He rallied when he first started on them, and the B-12 shot probably helped, too. But that was not to last. Fred practically stopped eating. All he wanted was mom's almond milk.

On top of the kidney issues, Fred developed a very bad respiratory infection. Mom took him to see the vet this morning. She dropped him off and had planned to pick him up when she left work later today. She even took his bag of fluid so he could get it while he was there.

The vet called mom later in the morning and she said Fred's prognosis was not good. His kidneys were small and had shrank. His chest was congested as was his sinuses. She told mom she could prescribe an antibiotic for Fred, but his immune system was so compromised that even if it cleared up, something else would make him sick. Mom said she didn't want to put Fred through more knowing he really wasn't going to get any better. Mom left work and went to the vet's office so she could be with him when he crossed the Bridge.

Clarissa's mom here:  Frederick Jerome DeWinter was one of the gentlest, sweetest cats I've known. He didn't have a mean bone in his body. He loved everyone. He got along with all of the other cats in my household. It broke my heart to let him go today, but I don't regret the decision. His passing was very peaceful. I chose to have his body cremated and will pick up his ashes when they are returned to the vet's office.

It has been a very hard and difficult day for me. I also lost a friend who I only knew through a cat message board and then Facebook. Sue's health had been declining over the past years and she had moved into an assisted living facility earlier this year. She entered the hospital late last week and went into "comfort care" on Sunday. She passed during the night. I found out this morning.

Life is fragile. Cuddle your fur family. Tell your friends and family that you love them.

On behalf of Clarissa & Co. and me:  We love you and appreciate all you do.

Fred in his prime.

2006 - August 16, 2016.

Zoe's Story

Happy Halloween Week! This is mom's favorite holiday and thank Cod that she doesn't try to put us in costumes!

We told you about Zoe, our friend in South Africa, who crossed the Bridge. Her human mom, Sheila, told our mom Zoe's story and we would like to share it with you:

Zoe came to me at 4 days old.  She was with her mom and three siblings.  I was going to foster them until they were old enough to be re-homed.  There were two Calico girls and two black and white boys – Mom was a  Torti.   Sadly one of the little boys died.  The kittens quickly grew and were very playful and eventually met all of my own cats.   One that was especially loving towards them was Moppett a Calico long hair who I had already rescued.

One of my German Shepherds also took the kitts under her wing and used to wash them and let them sleep cuddled up to her.

A friend of mine wanted the little Calico long haired girl  and another friend took the mom and remaining boy.   That left Zoe, so I decided “what was one more” and she stayed.   Right from the start she always slept on my head a night and would “make biscuits” in my hair.

For some reason or other she was always a scaredy cat and whenever anyone visited she would disappear.  The only people that she trusted and loved was me and my husband.  When my daughters visited they would always go into the bedroom and spend some time with her making friends.

When I decided to keep her, I had just lost my 19 year old tortie, Ziggy and I wanted a “Z” name in honour of Ziggy, and so she became Zoe.   Moppett was the mother figure in my bunch of 6 and they would all congregate around her on the bed and sleep together during the day.   Zoe fitted in very well.

When we decided to move from Johannesburg to George, in the Southern Cape, all of the cats flew down together and went into kennels, the 3 dogs travelled with my by car.   They all settled in very well.

It was while we lived in George that Zoe had her one and only adventure outside of the house.   Something frightened her and she ran outside.   I knew she would be terrified but there was no sign of her.   She was hiding somewhere in the garden.   I stayed up until the early hours of the morning with the front door wide open and a dim light shining to try to entice her back inside.   At about 2 o clock she crept back inside.   WOW!  the relief I felt, it’s impossible to describe.   She NEVER ventured outside again.

It was whilst we lived in George that my only tom became ill – Gandalf.   He was a black smoke Maine Coon, such a lovely boy and although he spent a long time on a drip – sadly he didn’t make it.  He was such a loss.   Soon after he passed we decided to move to Cape Town and so all of the cats, once again went into a cattery whilst we moved.  Once we had settled into the house it was time for the cats to arrive -  I was so happy!   They all spent time “sniffing out” the new place and all except Chui (my Bengal) were all happily settled in, Chui of course had to spend hours and hours trying to escape the confines of the garden.  But after her adventures in George (another story) she soon became satisfied with her new garden and house.

Zoe was a great hunter and often, in the early hours of the morning we would hear her dreadful call to tell us she had something new to show us.   She always took her new “capture” into the bathroom.   It could be a mole, a frog, a lizard…. and sometimes a baby snake.   She would stand over her prey either in the bath or in the shower – very proud!  Meanwhile we had to get up and dispose of her new find – somewhere or other.

As the rest of my bunch slowly grew smaller, due mainly to old age illnesses, Zoe eventually became the only one left – my baby!  As I said earlier she was a very nervous cat and when my husband became ill and I had to have carer’s in the house to help look after him – I think it all became too much for Zoe, who was already in the early stages of kidney failure.  I think the stress of different people coming and going exacerbated the illness and 6 weeks after my husband passed on, Zoe went to join him. She stopped eating and although I syringe fed her she got thinner and thinner and less and less active.   The last night she wouldn’t sleep with me in bed she was hiding – a sure sign that she had no long.  I had to let her go.  It was devastating for me – for the first time in my life I had no cat.  Unfortunately it is not possible for me take on another cat, even an older one, because  I have a very “prey driven” GSD and I just would not take the risk of taking in another cat with him.

And so, at 16 yrs and 2 months,  my lovely Zoe is gone and I am heartbroken – as I have been every time that one of my furbabies leaves - they take a piece of my heart with them.

Fly high baby Zoe and join all of the others up there waiting for me.

Thank you, Sheila, for sharing Zoe's life with us.

 

Easy Like Sunday

Today's easy picture doesn't look a whole lot different than last week's! Lets face it. We LOVE to take it easy on Mom's bed!

Daisy is laying on the top left and Jazzpurr is laying on the pillows. Mom was surprised to see the two tortie girls in close proximity. From there we have Puff stretched out, then Fred and Batman. Spunky also decided to stretch out, as did his sister, Ginger. Mom would love to see all 15 of us on the bed, but that will never happen. Some of us don't get along very well together.

It was a year ago yesterday when brother, Bandit, crossed the Bridge. We won't forget ever forget that morning. He seemed to be fine when we went to bed and he was gone when Mom got up the next morning. Bandit was never a lap cat, and he rarely slept on the bed with mom (although he would sleep on the bed with the rest of us.) He had a sweet disposition and loved to be scratched and petted when he was laying on the top level of the cat tree. Bandit got along with all of us, but he was shy around people he didn't know. We know we will see you again one day, Bandit.

Bandit Bigtoes

February 2005 - December 27, 2013

Throwback Thursday

Mom was looking at some photos she has stored at Photobucket and she found this one of our angel brother, Bandit Bigtoes:

Bandit unexpectedly crossed the Rainbow Bridge on December 27, 2013. It was quite a shock to us and our mom. We miss him and his sweet personality a lot. But we know he is watching over us and we just know he comes to visit us, too. And yes, he is sleeping on a vinyl table cloth. Silly boy.

Bandit is now an angel

It is with heavy hearts that we must tell you that our brofur, Bandit Bigtoes, crossed the Bridge on Friday morning. He seemed to be perfectly fine on Thursday and when mom went to bed that night Bandit was sleeping on the foot of her bed.  This was about 1:00am. Bandit jumped off the bed before mom ever got in it, but that wasn't unusual. Bandit rarely slept with mom, although he loved to sleep on her bed when she wasn't in it.

When mom got up on Friday morning, she found Bandit laying in the hallway, exactly between her bedroom and our uncle's bedroom. Mom knew as soon as she saw him that he was gone. She gently picked him up and wrapped him in a towel. She let us say our goodbyes to him before she contacted our vet's office. Mom took his body there and they will make arrangements for his cremation. Mom should be able to pick up his ashes at the end of next week.

None of us expected this at all. It is a shock for the entire family. Bandit was only 8 years old, which seems young to us. We will never know for sure what took our brofur, but mom suspects that he went into cardiac arrest. Whatever happened, it was very quick.

Fly free, sweet Bandit. You will be in our hearts forever.

Bandit Bigtoes

February 2005 - December 27, 2013

We are back!!!

Clarissa here!  I am so sorry we have been absent from our blog. Mom has been busy and she has not let us have much computer time. First off, we hope everyone is enjoying their summer and staying cool where it is hot and staying dry where it is raining. It has rained a lot here lately. Mom said she is tired of it. Of course, she is already tired of the hot weather too!

Second, we are sorry to tell our friends that our cousin, King Alfred Hitchcock the Great (aka Squishy) crossed the Bridge on June 28.  Squishy was rapidly losing weight and went to the vet on June 25. An x-ray showed two masses in his body. The largest one was growing around his intestines and spleen. The smaller one was near his heart. He was scheduled for an ultrasound on June 27, but after talking with the vet, his mom decided not to have the procedure done. Anty Torchy brought Squishy home.

Our mom had arrived in North Carolina on Wednesday. She had planned her trip to visit Anty Torchy and Squishy, Wick, and Gracie a couple of months ago. Mom and Anty Torchy talked a lot about Squishy and his quality of life. He did not appear to be in pain, but he had no interest in food. He was still trying to be social, but mom said just looking at his face she could tell he was not a happy boy. Anty Torchy made the decision late that afternoon that it was time to help Squishy cross the Bridge.

Mom went to the vet's office with Anty Torchy and Squishy the next afternoon. She said it was just as hard for her to say goodbye to Squishy as it was when she said goodbye to Panda. There were lots of tears, but it was the right thing to do. Squishy peacefully crossed the Bridge in his mom's arms while our mom held one of his paws.

Right after he crossed, the sky opened up and it stormed like crazy. But after the storm passed, mom and Anty Torchy saw the most beautiful rainbow ever. They both said that Squishy was letting them know that he was okay.

Rest in Peace sweet Squishy. We never met you, but mom said you were one of the sweetest kitties she's ever met and your were made of LOVE.

Squishy lived with Anty Torchy for two years. She thought he was around four years old. The vet said he was more likely between eight to ten years old.

One more Thank You

Jan, from Jan's Funny Farm, made this lovely graphic and posted it on The Cat's Blogosphere. Thank you so much, Jan.

Another big THANK YOU

We wanted to share a wonderful graphic that Alasandra, The Cats & Dogs made for Panda. It is beautiful. Thank you so much for doing this!

2004-April 20, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Sabeen Marie

Sabeen Marie was our friend from the Meowmail Forum. We know she was a senior kitty, but we don't know exactly how old she was. She had that awful cancer stuff, a tumor beneath her tongue. Her mama and the vet decided the kindest thing they could do would be to let her go. She has joined her sisfur, French Toast, at the Bridge.

UPDATE: Fred came home last night and the first thing he did was eat! The fluids have plump him up and he looks more like he did when he first joined our family. He ate a little bit several times last night. He also sang opera. Fred has never been a loud kitty, but last night he wouldn't shut up!!!! Mom took him back to the vet this morning for round two of the sub-q fluid. He also got his appetite stimulant pill (or half of one - he gets 1/2 pill twice a day). Mom was able to take him back home so he wouldn't have to stay at the vet's office all day. Thank you all for your prayers and purrs.

Mancat Monday: Remembering Colin Feral

We weren't blogging over the weekend, so we totally missed the Remembrance Weekend started by Kashim & Othello and Salome at Three Tabby Cats in Vienna. We are going to remember our Angel brother, Colin Feral.

Colin was a stray that mom took in. He joined the family in June 2005. He had to live in our bathroom for a week until mom could get him fixed and vaccinated. About a month after joining us, he left us for his Bridge journey. Colin had lymphoma, which wasn't discovered until the end of his life. He was approximately three years old.

Colin was everything but feral. Mom thinks he may have been dumped. He was extremely friendly and loving from day one. You can see the sweetness in his face.

He loved to lay in the bathroom sink. Bubbles courtesy of Photoshop!

Colin crossed the Bridge on July 16, 2005.