Catster Diary of the Day

Received a great honour today.  Kim's catster page was chosen as Diary of the Day http://www.catster.com/?274943.

 

Of course, Penny has one too: http://www.catster.com/?274925

 

It is so nice to be given the honour and also nice the number of wonderful messages people have left me about the passing of my two loves.  It is nice to know that there are others out there who know exactly how we are feeling.

Lost Another One

Another sad day for us yesterday.

 

It started as a normal typical day.  We'd have a box set up next to the bed for Kim for about a month as a step to help her get up on the bed with her arthritis being bad.  She's had one for the lounge for a long time which she used every day but only just realised the one for the bed and how to use it on Sunday.  We were so proud.

 

So yesterday, Tuesday, she slept on the bed overnight as per usual.  She woke me about 5am, again a usual time, and I gave her breakfast.  After eating she came back in and got herself back up on the bed via the box and back into her position right next to my foot.

 

9am came and my friend Sarah came by to bring her washing.  With all the rain we have had she'd been unable to get anything dry for five days and with a family of five she was in need of some dry clothes.  I got up and left Kim on the bed. 

 

Again, because of the weather, our pilot light had gone out on our hot water system for the second time in five days.  Alan and I both went down to light it again (Alan came because he'd never done it before).  When we got back to the house, Kim was up and sitting near the back door.  We left it open for her for a while.  She didn't go out that much anymore and generally she just liked to get some fresh air.  She joined us in the computer room about 10 minutes later where she clawed the lounge chair cause she knows she's allowed to and then she got up on the back of it to look out the window. 

 

After my shower Alan and I went to the shops and came home with lunch.  Kim joined us for lunch, again as usual, sitting between us having a bit of cheese. After she was done, she retired for a bit of a nap on her blanket on the lounge.  Alan left for work and I did a few things around the house including folding up Sarah's laundry.  I sat down to do that at about 12.30 and saw Kim looking a bit funny but I gave her a rub and she seemed OK.  Now I know it was a sign.

 

I left about 12.55pm, took the washing to Sarah's and then on to work.  When I got home at 3.30pm, she wasn't on her blanket on the lounge.  Not usual as for the first time in days the sun was out.  I checked the bed which is where she normally goes when it is sunny but no sign of her there.  I then checked the floor between the bed and the window where she goes if she gets hot after being on the bed.  Again, she wasn't there.  The I checked behind the chair in the lounge room near the back door where there was sun.  Nup she wasn't there.  Then I knew there was something wrong.

 

I checked behind the lounge, only because she'd been there a couple of times in the last few weeks and sure enough, there she was.  Her eyes were open and I spoke to her.  She would have made a little meow noise and when she didn't, I knew she was gone.  I moved the lounge and put my hand on her.  She was still warm but not breathing.  She looked so peaceful.  Her little front paw was curled up underneath her leg, the way she did it and it really looked like that she was not well so she had a lie down, went to sleep and never woke up again. 

 

We found out later she had been sick on the bedroom floor, not that this was an irregular occurrence for her.

 

I rang the Pets at Peace people and they arranged to come and get her today at midday.  When Alan got home we moved her out from behind the lounge and lay her on the lounge in the third bedroom.  This was a favourite place of hers, particularly in summer as it is the coolest room in the house.  It was so sad to see her lifeless body just lying there, all so cold.  This morning of course she was stiff but still her fur was oh so soft. 

So here we are.  1 January 2006 two cats.  12 September 2006 no cats but I don't think for long.

No other cat can ever take the place of these two.  We were so lucky with them.  They never bit us, they never scratched us.  You could trust them 100% even when you kissed their tummies.

What I'll miss most about Kim is her overwhelming pleasure to see us, even if we'd only been out for 10 minutes.  She would meet us with this loving meow every time she saw us. 

At night, she needed kisses goodnight.  She just loved them.  Sometimes if you did it too quickly, she'd look up at you and ask for more.  As far as she was concerned, there were never enough kisses and cuddles to be had. The only thing she liked more than kisses and cuddles was fresh meat and was my cooking buddy every night.  Even when her tummy would tell her she'd had enough, she would say it was never enough.  Every night while we were eating dinner, her tummy would catch up with her and she'd lie on the floor or on her blanket on the lounge and you could just tell that she was so full she couldn't move.  A quick cat nap and then she'd be fine. 

I will miss her helpfulness, her loving, her sweet little meows in the middle of the night when she'd pretend she's not trying to wake me but being ever so pleased when I was awake but most of all, I will miss her beautiful little face.

Although losing her is hard it isn't as bad as when Pen left us.  I think it is because she went so peacefully.  That last half hour with Pen at the vet was the worst thing in the world. The seizures were bad and she didn't even know where she was.  Kim went peacefully in her own home. She was alone but I think she was happier it happened here than at the vet.

Rest in peace my baby. You've earned it for all the love you gave us.  Give your sister a big kiss from us and we will see you again one day.

Just Goes to Show You Can Never Please Everybody

Last year someone in Alan's soccer team asked if we could do a website.  I've got some basic HTML experience and thought it would be great to get some more.

 

After many, many, many, many hours spent on design and layout, the website was launched:

 

http://www.geocities.com/rydedistrictpanthersaa10/

 

Alan took over the administration of the site, doing the updates weekly, writing match reports, getting profiles filled out and updated by everyone etc. 

 

This year, as a bit of fun, Alan suggested a fantasy league.  Every week people pick a fantasy team (from the team of players) and based on their performance every week, you gained points. A number of people agreed and it started.  It was all a bit of fun, well so we thought.

 

Today, for no apparent reason, a bunch of whingers had, well a whinge, about the point system, in the guestbook.  However, these pathetic and small minded individuals decided to do their complaining anonymously.

 

Not only that, some other small minded person going by the name of DJ PANFA (who we have now worked out isn't even someone playing in the team) decided to offer some suggestions like removing the tribute to our own little panther, Penny, who died this year. 

 

All up Alan spends about 8 hours a week writing the match report and making it humorous for all to read, updating tables and scores from the other games and of course spending hours working out who deserved fantasy league points.  And what does he get??? A barrage of complaints from people who don't even have the guts to put their name on it.

 

So tonight, feeling as low as he can get, he made the decision to remove the website from the internet, all 68 pages of it. 68 pages of wasted time and effort for which there is no appreciation. 

 

Those who don't understand

After the death of our Penny, we sent an email out to those who know us, advising them of our loss. 

 

I hear through someone that another person who received the email had made a smart-alecky remark about that email.  Apparently we were being too over dramatic and that those who didn't know, would have thought we'd lost a child.

Well, firstly, it was only sent to people who know us.

 

Secondly, if you couldn't see that the announcement was written on wallpaper of our cat, then you were bloody stupid.

 

Thirdly, for us baren couples, she was our child.  Heaven forbid we would treat our animals as one of our family. 

 

I try not to let what people say about me affect me but it is hard to just brush aside.

 

Penny was our daughter, our family, and those who don't get it are obviously never going to.

 

We consider ourselves lucky to have called her our family and she will forever be a part of us.

Friends

Just wanted to say a big "hi" to my friend Christie and thanks for looking.

 

I know, I'm just talking about the cat, but I won't be forever.  I'm sure I can find other things to put in here.

 

 

Ashes

This may be somewhat controversial but we wanted to keep our baby close to us and had her cremated and her ashes placed in an urn and returned to us.  It's a beautiful, like her, and handcrafted. It has a little name plate with, obviously, her name on it. 

 

Other pet lovers are shocked that we would do that.  I'm shocked at other pet lovers who told me that they couldn't bare being in the room when their animal was put down.  I had to be there. I wanted Penny to know that she wasn't alone and we cared for her.  We know the last thing she saw before her final sleep was us and I hope that that was comforting for her.  She was so far gone though, I don't think she even knew who we were, but I'm glad I was there for her ... we held her little paw as she fell asleep.

 

The urn now has pride of place in our glassed cabinet where she will be with us always, our beautiful girl.

Pet Shop

Can I just say, that going to a pet shop two days after your cat has died, is not a great thing. I started bawling in the middle of the shop, as I looked at all the beautiful kittens.  The staff and shoppers must have thought I was a lunatic.