On Tuesday morning (this is Thursday morning, I just couldn't write this sooner), Bobby crossed over to Rainbow Bridge. My little black panther was age 17 years. Came to me at age 4 months. He had renal disease, his kidneys were all but gone they were so small, and he became dehydrated from the constant diarrhea. He'd lost more weight since his last vet visit in July.
Bobby was The Charmer, he loved to snuggle up with humans, dogs, cats. If a dog growled at him to maintain personal space, he ignored that. Bobby has slept on the bed with me most every night since he came to live with me at age 4 months. It has been strange to only have dogs on the bed. (The other 2 cats rarely come on my bed.) Bobby was FIV+, but as all my cats are indoor only, and as he never met a being he didn't love (human, cat, dog) this was never an issue. He loved to look out the window with his cousin, Tuppence. Their mothers were sisters and had litters a day apart. When you work a Trap - Neuter - Return at a managed colony, you get this sort of information. In the photo of the 2 of them you can see how thin Bobby had become.
Between the 2 of them, I had reached the point that most of my floors were covered with dog pee pads. Crystal was vomiting, peeing and pooping, Bobby had explosive diarrhea. It took me half an hour in the morning to clean up from overnight, and then I could start my normal morning routine of filling water bowls, topping up kibble dishes, and scooping litter boxes. By the 3rd day of this I realized this was beyond hope, and had made the decision for both of them. I just could not take them in together. (Back in 2012, I did take in 2 dogs at once, it was incredibly hard, and I just wasn't up to it.) The last 2 mornings, without either of the very sick cats here, have been a breeze. I've taken care of my "cat chores" while the dogs are outside for their first pee of the day, 10 minutes and done. Back to normal; but without 2 of my long term fur babies.
For the past 8 years or more, I have gone to sleep with stereophonic purrs. Crystal would sleep on the pillow on my right, Bobby on the pillow on my left. Once the cat was asleep the purring would stop. If I woke during the night, one gentle stroke would rev up the purring machine again. The 2 remaining cats, Tuppence age 17 and Mandy age 16, rarely come up on my bed. Having lost 1 cat and 2 dogs in 2022, my bed now seems enormous, with 'only' 3 dogs sharing it with me. They are small dogs, the largest is under 13 pounds. Tuppence is larger!
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Bobby was The Charmer, he loved to snuggle up with humans, dogs, cats. If a dog growled at him to maintain personal space, he ignored that. Bobby has slept on the bed with me most every night since he came to live with me at age 4 months. It has been strange to only have dogs on the bed. (The other 2 cats rarely come on my bed.) Bobby was FIV+, but as all my cats are indoor only, and as he never met a being he didn't love (human, cat, dog) this was never an issue. He loved to look out the window with his cousin, Tuppence. Their mothers were sisters and had litters a day apart. When you work a Trap - Neuter - Return at a managed colony, you get this sort of information. In the photo of the 2 of them you can see how thin Bobby had become.
Between the 2 of them, I had reached the point that most of my floors were covered with dog pee pads. Crystal was vomiting, peeing and pooping, Bobby had explosive diarrhea. It took me half an hour in the morning to clean up from overnight, and then I could start my normal morning routine of filling water bowls, topping up kibble dishes, and scooping litter boxes. By the 3rd day of this I realized this was beyond hope, and had made the decision for both of them. I just could not take them in together. (Back in 2012, I did take in 2 dogs at once, it was incredibly hard, and I just wasn't up to it.) The last 2 mornings, without either of the very sick cats here, have been a breeze. I've taken care of my "cat chores" while the dogs are outside for their first pee of the day, 10 minutes and done. Back to normal; but without 2 of my long term fur babies.
For the past 8 years or more, I have gone to sleep with stereophonic purrs. Crystal would sleep on the pillow on my right, Bobby on the pillow on my left. Once the cat was asleep the purring would stop. If I woke during the night, one gentle stroke would rev up the purring machine again. The 2 remaining cats, Tuppence age 17 and Mandy age 16, rarely come up on my bed. Having lost 1 cat and 2 dogs in 2022, my bed now seems enormous, with 'only' 3 dogs sharing it with me. They are small dogs, the largest is under 13 pounds. Tuppence is larger!
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I think that too! Nature abhors a vacuum, and so do cats! they will eventually fill that empty space.....
