Dan (the Man) is 18. He has heart disease and kidney disease. His vet wants to put him to sleep but we have refused because, although he is fading away before our eyes, he is not in any pain or distress and spends most of his days sleeping in the warm in a corner of the sofa. When he wakes he still even goes out for a stroll around the yard. But he's getting thinner and frailer the whole time and we have only days left with him now, we know it. If it comes to it, we will not let him suffer.
He adopted us 13 years ago. He "lived" in a nearby street and, every time we walked past, he trotted up to us, begging. We laughed as we loved him because we thought he had a home. Then, eventually, he found his way to our house through the back yards, and came in stealing food (we had two other fur babies at the time). We went to "his" house and asked about him. No, they said, he's not our cat: we're a bunch of students renting the place, he was here when we moved in. We feed him because we feel sorry for him but...we're moving out in a week!
So our two cats became three. The vet checked him for a microchip. Yes he had one, but no, the person who registered the chip never responded to any attempt to contact her; eventually, after a year or so, the chip was re-registered to me. We live very near a big, public open space, and to this day I believe Dan was deliberately abandoned there.
He is (or was) a very big boy. But he's also a complete softy. He fit right in with Sooty and Charlie (both long gone, sadly) and we have pictures of all three of them sleeping on our bed in a big furry bundle. He is the best-natured cat I have ever known. He's long-haired which, for an outdoor cat, means endless clumps and knots - but, although he doesn't like it, he always tolerated being brushed and trimmed (can't do it now: he is just a bag of bones and brushing him pains him). He never, ever scratches anyone, and his bite is never more than a gentle warning nip.
We are going to miss him.
He adopted us 13 years ago. He "lived" in a nearby street and, every time we walked past, he trotted up to us, begging. We laughed as we loved him because we thought he had a home. Then, eventually, he found his way to our house through the back yards, and came in stealing food (we had two other fur babies at the time). We went to "his" house and asked about him. No, they said, he's not our cat: we're a bunch of students renting the place, he was here when we moved in. We feed him because we feel sorry for him but...we're moving out in a week!
So our two cats became three. The vet checked him for a microchip. Yes he had one, but no, the person who registered the chip never responded to any attempt to contact her; eventually, after a year or so, the chip was re-registered to me. We live very near a big, public open space, and to this day I believe Dan was deliberately abandoned there.
He is (or was) a very big boy. But he's also a complete softy. He fit right in with Sooty and Charlie (both long gone, sadly) and we have pictures of all three of them sleeping on our bed in a big furry bundle. He is the best-natured cat I have ever known. He's long-haired which, for an outdoor cat, means endless clumps and knots - but, although he doesn't like it, he always tolerated being brushed and trimmed (can't do it now: he is just a bag of bones and brushing him pains him). He never, ever scratches anyone, and his bite is never more than a gentle warning nip.
We are going to miss him.