I STILL FUCKING LOVE CATS

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I've been reunited with this little lady, while her owner was away for the weekend.

I'd been looking forward to a weekend on the sofa, with her purring away on my lap, the way things used to be. Sadly, it seems she hasn't quite forgiven me for locking her in the travel prison and letting her leave last year. She spent most of the weekend giving me the cold shoulder.

I don't mind admitting it was rather heartbreaking, although it does free me from missing her quite so much.

[Kankurette]

No pictures, but I have an announcement: after nearly two years' probation, I am now the official owner of Gary, having signed the forms and paid the fee and had the microchip transferred to my name. All I have to do now is get the bugger vaccinated.

[bgmnts]

Get a pic of Legend Gary up!

[Kankurette]

Here he is.

[steve98]

Afternoon Gary. Nice floorboards.

[bgmnts]

The white patten on his forehead looks like he's giving you the middle finger.

I like him.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

He looks just like Crispin Glover.

[Kankurette]

The white patten on his forehead looks like he's giving you the middle finger.

I like him.

Cannot unsee. And it is quite fitting that the little shit looks like he's flipping me off.

(I love him really)

[Dex Sawash]

The white patten on his forehead looks like he's giving you the middle finger.

I like him.

Creeping americanization

[Icehaven]

Spoilered, don't read if you're feeling sensitive about sad cat stuff.

Spoiler alert

I found a dead tabby cat on the way into work this morning. Poor little sod was in the gutter of a really busy road, and I ran across to him as soon as I saw him in case it had just happened and he was still alive, but he was rigor mortis. He had a phone number on his collar so I called and left a voicemail, although someone else might have already done so as he'd clearly been there at least a few hours and had probably been moved from the middle of the road, possibly by whoever hit him. This bloke came along and kindly moved him off the road onto the grass verge so at least he didn't get hit by anything else. I'm dreading any reply from his owner, it was absolutely horrible making the call and I can't even really remember what I said (well other than saying how sorry I was and trying to tell them exactly where he was). At least it didn't look like he suffered much. It's probably a good job I mostly work alone at the moment as I got into my office and burst into tears like a right soppy git.

[close]

[The Mollusk]

Ah jeez, I'm so sorry to hear you went through that. I would be fucking crying right there in the street, making that call must have been difficult. Of course it goes without saying that you did the right thing. I hope you're doing okay now!

[bgmnts]

Seeing that is always the worst. Even seeing a pigeon or hedgehog will fuck up my entire day.

Poor fucker. At least the owner will have some closure.

[Barry Admin]

Stuck these up in another thread: 





My neighbours keep saying "he's such a good boy", and passing comment on how he follows me everywhere :-D 

[The Mollusk]

He's such a stunner is that lad! How old is he now? I remember when you first got him but can't place exactly when. My two turn 7 next month which means switching from the 1+ years cat food to the 7+, bless their middle aged little hearts.

[Icehaven]

Ah jeez, I'm so sorry to hear you went through that. I would be fucking crying right there in the street, making that call must have been difficult. Of course it goes without saying that you did the right thing. I hope you're doing okay now!

I'm alright cheers but I'll be walking past where he is on my way home in a few hours and if he's still there I'm not sure whether to try ringing again as I know some people never check their voicemail, particularly if it's from an unknown number. I can't imagine if they're bothered enough to put a collar with their phone number on him that they wouldn't care enough to come and get him rather than just leave him there.

Edit: He was still there so I texted them instead and almost immediately got a reply thanking me for letting them know, so presumably they didn't listen to the voicemail. At least they definitely know now.

[Dex Sawash]

[flotemysost]

Here he is.

Yes Gary! What a suave looking chap.

Hugs to you icehaven, and yeah good on you for letting the owners know (twice). It's  really awful thing to witness, I can still remember seeing my neighbour's kitten get run over (fatally) and subsequently acting so shaken at school all day my teachers were convinced there'd been a death in the family or something, I mean I was about 10 but I'd probably be the same now.

Still trying to suss out the local cats in my area, there's an incredibly handsome British Blue who's always chattering up at the trees in the street. Love it when cats do that, even if it does mean they're basically imagining they've got some creature's neck between their jaws and are splintering it to fuck.

[Jockice]

Lotte came in this morning after a night out, had some food (Sheba fine flakes chicken flavour) lay on the couch for about 30 seconds, puked the lot up and then insisted on going out again, Thanks for that mate.

[flotemysost]

Lotte came in this morning after a night out, had some food (Sheba fine flakes chicken flavour) lay on the couch for about 30 seconds, puked the lot up and then insisted on going out again, Thanks for that mate.

LEGEND LOTTE

[Brigadier Pompous]

Claudius demanding biscuits...

[Malcy]

Lotte came in this morning after a night out, had some food (Sheba fine flakes chicken flavour) lay on the couch for about 30 seconds, puked the lot up and then insisted on going out again, Thanks for that mate.

I got up this morning to find a massive hairball followed by a pool of gravy-vomit on my mantlepiece. I thought it was a shite at first.

Poor Salem has been very itchy recently. Felt like the vet was trying to punt their own flea prevention products and was saying they could give me stuff to treat my house etc. It's not fleas, even said that themselves. Going to try a couple of these sprays to see if it helps him but know he won't let me near him with something like that.

Anyone ever used any that work? He's going bald in places around his shoulder. and has scabs. I wouldn't be surprised if CUNT CAT has something to do with it. It's often after it attacks him that he gets itchy.

[Brigadier Pompous]

[holyzombiejesus]

Our little lad got put down today. At least 18 years old but I still feel pretty horrible about it. I can handle the sadness of him not being around any more, I just feel so upset that I wasn't a bit kinder to him. To be fair, he could be a massive pain in the arse. He never learned not to stand under your feet when you were walking down the stairs, he sometimes had allergic reactions which meant he lay on the bed or sofa gnawing at his fur which made a horrible wet guttural noise and in the last few months he'd shit and piss anywhere, particularly on rugs, bedding and sofas. As a result, especially towards the end, whilst I still loved him I didn't particularly like him and there was a definite lack of cuddles. That's really (deservedly) upsetting me now. We took our little boy for his first day at school on Friday and when we got back, one of us had forgotten to lock him out of the living room and there was shit and piss on the sofa. We were only out of the house for 10 minutes. I shooed him out of the house and he came back hardly able to walk. It was so horrible, seeing him stagger across the floor. My wife took him to the vets today and she said that the small tumour on his thyroid had spread and she could feel it on his bladder. She also said it felt like he'd broken his leg, possibly due to having such brittle bones and thought he may have fallen out of a tree. Even without the break, she said she'd have recommended putting him to sleep because of the tumour and the thyroid medicine not working. I so wish I could just have him here for a few weeks more and treat him gently and kindly and with patience rather than being appalled by his horrible noises and angry that he was shitting on my little boys bed. But I can't.
I'm trying to remember that he wasn't a person and the things I wish I'd done for him may not actually have mattered to him. He had food, water, somewhere to sleep and that's generally what matters for cats isn't it?  I dunno.

[mothman]

Sorry to hear that HZJ. You try to do the best for them but there is only so much you can do...

And we ourselves have had a week of it. Our youngest's cat crawled in on Monday morning barely able to walk. After a couple of vet visits they finally x-rayed and ultrasounded him. Looks like he was either kicked really hard or run over, more likely by an escooter than a car. Fractured pelvis, and ruptured diaphragm.

It's been horrible. We can't lose him. My daughter adores him, and she's never gotten over losing her previous cat (his mum) two years ago. We were looking at thousands and thousands of pounds in operations and aftercare with no guarantee they'd work.

So on Thursday we made the difficult decision to bring him home as is. Fortunately the pelvis fracture was minor so should heal with six weeks confined bed rest. The diaphragm rupture was minimal too so we were going to see how he got on - his breathing has remained fine throughout. But we didn't elect to have him operated on the next day.

And then, a miracle of sorts. On Friday morning the vet called to update us. And given how popular he'd been with the staff, and his importance as a support for our autistic daughter, they offered to fund his operation. We can't believe it. We're absolutely humbled by the kindness and generosity.

So, he's home. We got a puppy crate for him to live in. He's eating well (appetite was shot for a while) and peeing (there'd been some concerns about nerve damage to his lower half). He's well doped up on opiates (they gave us a handful of pre-prepared syringes) and is calm and affectionate. Operation scheduled middle of next week. We're not out of the woods but we know he has a chance and we've done - are doing - the best we can possibly do for him.

[Pink Gregory]

Fucking hell Mothman that's the best news this thread's ever heard.  Hope the little guy gets better.

(about the operation I mean)

[The Mollusk]

That's incredible, what a supremely compassionate gesture from the vets. I'm very happy for you.

Immense condolences to holyzombiejesus. It's only natural to think these things in hindsight, what could have been done better, and the guilt that comes with those thoughts. However in the grand scheme of things you're right: your cat still had relatively everything he could have needed throughout his life right until the end. Food and shelter when his strength and independence dwindled at the final stretch of his time with you is such an important thing, despite your frustrations with him I'm sure he still felt safe and content with his surroundings. I mean nothing says comfort better than shitting wherever you see fit, right? :)

I hope you're able to pull through the experience soon. Really sorry for your loss.

[bgmnts]

Our little lad got put down today. At least 18 years old but I still feel pretty horrible about it. I can handle the sadness of him not being around any more, I just feel so upset that I wasn't a bit kinder to him. To be fair, he could be a massive pain in the arse. He never learned not to stand under your feet when you were walking down the stairs, he sometimes had allergic reactions which meant he lay on the bed or sofa gnawing at his fur which made a horrible wet guttural noise and in the last few months he'd shit and piss anywhere, particularly on rugs, bedding and sofas. As a result, especially towards the end, whilst I still loved him I didn't particularly like him and there was a definite lack of cuddles. That's really (deservedly) upsetting me now. We took our little boy for his first day at school on Friday and when we got back, one of us had forgotten to lock him out of the living room and there was shit and piss on the sofa. We were only out of the house for 10 minutes. I shooed him out of the house and he came back hardly able to walk. It was so horrible, seeing him stagger across the floor. My wife took him to the vets today and she said that the small tumour on his thyroid had spread and she could feel it on his bladder. She also said it felt like he'd broken his leg, possibly due to having such brittle bones and thought he may have fallen out of a tree. Even without the break, she said she'd have recommended putting him to sleep because of the tumour and the thyroid medicine not working. I so wish I could just have him here for a few weeks more and treat him gently and kindly and with patience rather than being appalled by his horrible noises and angry that he was shitting on my little boys bed. But I can't.
I'm trying to remember that he wasn't a person and the things I wish I'd done for him may not actually have mattered to him. He had food, water, somewhere to sleep and that's generally what matters for cats isn't it?  I dunno.

I mean he lasted 18 years which is an incredible effort, so you must have been pretty kind to him.

Condolences though.

[Brian Freeze]

I'm crying twice here.

HJZ we are going through something quite similar here,  you have my utmost sympathy.

Mothman - wow!

[flotemysost]

Sorry for your loss holyzombiejesus, can't imagine how tough that must be, but the care you gave him definitely will have been appreciated.

And amazing news mothman, what incredible humanity. Hope he's doing OK.

I do worry that e-scooters whizzing all over the pavements could easily injure a dog or cat (obviously there's been some human injuries and fatalities documented already). The street I live on is currently one-way and lots of the cats here seem to have taken to flopping about all over the road because there's currently so little traffic, which is a bit of a worry - despite their reputation for aloofness/skittishness cats can actually be incredibly trusting, often to their own detriment.

[holyzombiejesus]

Thanks all and good luck Mothman.

I still keep expecting him to walk through the door. Neighbouring cats keep using the cat flap and every time it goes it's heartbreaking, so going to try and work out how to lock it. Want to get a kitten pronto but wife is against it. Might just have a ring round the shelters on Tuesday and show her some photos. Poor little guy, so desperately wish I'd cuddled him more, especially towards the end. Whether that would have given him a happier life is debatable though. I might make a list of the nice things I did for him as at the moment I can't stop feeling like a vile cruel man. Keep finding cushions and blankets I've placed round the house in his sleeping corners and that made me feel like I did do some nice stuff for him. I'm sure the 'calming' plug-in diffuser thingy we bought was irritating my eyes too so at least that's gone now. He was a right scabby old thing 'cause he was allergic to flea bites (even though we gave him vet-prescribed drops every month) and that put me off stroking him too but I'd give anything to bury my face in his fur right now.