Matitiayhu, named after a great Hebrew warrior, she was born just before the holiday of Chanukah. I had moved from upstate NY with my 3 beloved cats to Israel. I don't know why I came here. Honestly, it was just after 9/11. It was hunch, a feeling, maybe I could help. Be a shepherdess in the wilderness with my 3 cats who were so fine and the essence of chill and everything good in the world. But it never happened. The shepherdess and the helping. Well, maybe a little here and there for the cats here - and there are so many. But, in spite of appearances, am not a cat lady. I have feline allies and love nature - all of it and all creatures.
I was living in a war-torn place of contested land - Hebron - major historical place but filled with military and agro vibes, in spite of its essence. I managed to find an apartment on the 4th floor of a building, cheap rent and so myself and my 3 friends all piled into this dwelling. All of my cats grew up in the middle of the Catskill mountains. Free and healthy and loving their connections to trees and air. We'd trek the forests in Woodstock, all in a file, cats herded but very content. Scampering up this pine or that. So to put them all in an apartment was very stressful, but nobody really complained that much. I brought in plants, opened windows, put up safety nets and we resided.
Then came Mati. I was just walking down the road to get groceries and I noticed a bunch of small boys gathered around something. I came closer and saw that one of them was holding a tiny, grey and white fluffy kitten. I asked them where they found her and where her mother was. They answered that they just found her. I asked them if they could raise her and care for her. They said, we don't know. So I said, let's ask your mother. We went up to one of the boy's apartments, he opened the door with the kitten his in hands and I asked the woman in the kitchen, *would you be willing to raise this kitten in your home and give it proper care?* She became alarmed and said *Absolutely NOT?!* So down we went again to the road and I said to the kids, *let me take care of her for a few months and after that I will find her a proper home*. So I took her from them and you know, the bond was instantaneous. She just started purring away. A very beautiful kitten I now had on my hands and how to introduce her to the family.
I put her in the spare room, in a napsack, figured it would only be a few months. Nobody really minded the new addition. It was fine. I think my cats were more introverted at this point. But anyway, I digress. She developed an eye infection. I took her to Jerusalem for treatment. Back home again. I sized up the situation and her, and me and the rest of my cats and figured with everything going on, she totally needs to be named properly. Since she was born in Hebron, on the fence between Arabs and Jews, I named her Matiyahu, Mati for short and it fit like a glove. She literally blossomed into a very beautiful ragdoll mix. Went into heat at 4 months. Frisky she'd be whining to go out. We moved many times and finally landed in an abandoned farm in the South. All of my cats developed health conditions at this point. We'd been through wars, terrorism, fires - the gamut of trauma. Now her accident. I was able to get her to the hospital hours away with the help of a relative, she was in bad condition but survived - and later still wanted to go out! I couldn't put my foot down with her.
Then we moved again, and then again and wound up on a mountaintop. At this point, my 2 males Jesse and Jordan had passed. It was me, Chi and Mati. Basically I had no human contact. It was just me and them and the angels and God. Then I got sick with my heart and digestive system. Then Chi got very sick as well and she passed 5 years ago. Throughout I would be rushing everyone to vets - across dunes and in war time with missiles flying. That was our life. After Chi passed Mati took it hard. I am still grieving the loss but for Mati Chi was a surrogate mother. They would spat here and there but Mati looked up to Chi who was the queen of the castle and basically my surrogate mama too.
In all of her traveling outside, Mati didn't take into consideration the reactions of the strays who hover around this dwelling, waiting for handouts. And she was attacked twice. this resulted in her being infected not only with fleas but also, apparently microplasma which caused the anemia from which she suffered in the last year and from there the cascade of other health issues. I hitchiked to vets with her in the Sherpa carrier. Back and forth, with remedies and potions and medications and IV's. Sourcing cat litter was even an issue - but do-able. Eventually I had no recourse but to take her to the vet I really didn't trust at all for so many reasons, but suffice to say, he was lacking in bed-side manner but also in diagnostic skills. I gave him a 2 out of 10, but for blood tests I figured there was nothing to lose. We did the IDEXX and it was iffy. I emailed the good vet who is an hour away by taxi and he said it didn't look right. For some reason - it just didn't. Something out of range. I asked the first vet - what is this - how do we approach it, heal it? He said she was old, this was due to apparently a worn out kidney not producing red blood cells and we were sent home with vitamins, iron supplement in solution, and a very large bill.
The was September 2022. Every day since I've been monitoring her, in between going to doctors, hospitals for myself and just basically turning the world upside down and then some to find a remedy for her. Building up her system, detoxing, strengthening, giving her blood a chance to rejuvenate, keeping an eye on her hydration. She was becoming increasingly dehydrated, the amounts of Ringer's weren't doing much. I felt defeated in so many ways. She began eating less, I started praying more. Staying with her more. Seeing what I missed. Hitting the books, the internet, to research this whole complex situation. On every level. Finally I just caved. I couldn't do it by myself. I called the good vet and we just went in a taxi. The situation was deteriorating. I was feeling her pain, compounded with everything else that was/is going on in my world, including the need to move once again. Things were in the air. Undecided and unknown. I knew that the pain and suffering couldn't continue. The interesting part was everything aside from HCT and ALT were perfect. Her T4 - perfect. But her urine was very concentrated, her kidneys were very weak and the liver was trying to keep up but failing.
I had to make the decision and did. I buried her at 6am this morning under a cedar tree not too far from Chi. Mati was 18 and a quarter. She was the feistiest, smartest, most beautiful and most sensitive feline I've known. There will be no more after her. I never managed to find her another home, it was to me she was destined and I to her. I am grateful for her presence in my life. For being such a huge light in the world. May she rest in peace and soar with the highest angels. You're free.
I was living in a war-torn place of contested land - Hebron - major historical place but filled with military and agro vibes, in spite of its essence. I managed to find an apartment on the 4th floor of a building, cheap rent and so myself and my 3 friends all piled into this dwelling. All of my cats grew up in the middle of the Catskill mountains. Free and healthy and loving their connections to trees and air. We'd trek the forests in Woodstock, all in a file, cats herded but very content. Scampering up this pine or that. So to put them all in an apartment was very stressful, but nobody really complained that much. I brought in plants, opened windows, put up safety nets and we resided.
Then came Mati. I was just walking down the road to get groceries and I noticed a bunch of small boys gathered around something. I came closer and saw that one of them was holding a tiny, grey and white fluffy kitten. I asked them where they found her and where her mother was. They answered that they just found her. I asked them if they could raise her and care for her. They said, we don't know. So I said, let's ask your mother. We went up to one of the boy's apartments, he opened the door with the kitten his in hands and I asked the woman in the kitchen, *would you be willing to raise this kitten in your home and give it proper care?* She became alarmed and said *Absolutely NOT?!* So down we went again to the road and I said to the kids, *let me take care of her for a few months and after that I will find her a proper home*. So I took her from them and you know, the bond was instantaneous. She just started purring away. A very beautiful kitten I now had on my hands and how to introduce her to the family.
I put her in the spare room, in a napsack, figured it would only be a few months. Nobody really minded the new addition. It was fine. I think my cats were more introverted at this point. But anyway, I digress. She developed an eye infection. I took her to Jerusalem for treatment. Back home again. I sized up the situation and her, and me and the rest of my cats and figured with everything going on, she totally needs to be named properly. Since she was born in Hebron, on the fence between Arabs and Jews, I named her Matiyahu, Mati for short and it fit like a glove. She literally blossomed into a very beautiful ragdoll mix. Went into heat at 4 months. Frisky she'd be whining to go out. We moved many times and finally landed in an abandoned farm in the South. All of my cats developed health conditions at this point. We'd been through wars, terrorism, fires - the gamut of trauma. Now her accident. I was able to get her to the hospital hours away with the help of a relative, she was in bad condition but survived - and later still wanted to go out! I couldn't put my foot down with her.
Then we moved again, and then again and wound up on a mountaintop. At this point, my 2 males Jesse and Jordan had passed. It was me, Chi and Mati. Basically I had no human contact. It was just me and them and the angels and God. Then I got sick with my heart and digestive system. Then Chi got very sick as well and she passed 5 years ago. Throughout I would be rushing everyone to vets - across dunes and in war time with missiles flying. That was our life. After Chi passed Mati took it hard. I am still grieving the loss but for Mati Chi was a surrogate mother. They would spat here and there but Mati looked up to Chi who was the queen of the castle and basically my surrogate mama too.
In all of her traveling outside, Mati didn't take into consideration the reactions of the strays who hover around this dwelling, waiting for handouts. And she was attacked twice. this resulted in her being infected not only with fleas but also, apparently microplasma which caused the anemia from which she suffered in the last year and from there the cascade of other health issues. I hitchiked to vets with her in the Sherpa carrier. Back and forth, with remedies and potions and medications and IV's. Sourcing cat litter was even an issue - but do-able. Eventually I had no recourse but to take her to the vet I really didn't trust at all for so many reasons, but suffice to say, he was lacking in bed-side manner but also in diagnostic skills. I gave him a 2 out of 10, but for blood tests I figured there was nothing to lose. We did the IDEXX and it was iffy. I emailed the good vet who is an hour away by taxi and he said it didn't look right. For some reason - it just didn't. Something out of range. I asked the first vet - what is this - how do we approach it, heal it? He said she was old, this was due to apparently a worn out kidney not producing red blood cells and we were sent home with vitamins, iron supplement in solution, and a very large bill.
The was September 2022. Every day since I've been monitoring her, in between going to doctors, hospitals for myself and just basically turning the world upside down and then some to find a remedy for her. Building up her system, detoxing, strengthening, giving her blood a chance to rejuvenate, keeping an eye on her hydration. She was becoming increasingly dehydrated, the amounts of Ringer's weren't doing much. I felt defeated in so many ways. She began eating less, I started praying more. Staying with her more. Seeing what I missed. Hitting the books, the internet, to research this whole complex situation. On every level. Finally I just caved. I couldn't do it by myself. I called the good vet and we just went in a taxi. The situation was deteriorating. I was feeling her pain, compounded with everything else that was/is going on in my world, including the need to move once again. Things were in the air. Undecided and unknown. I knew that the pain and suffering couldn't continue. The interesting part was everything aside from HCT and ALT were perfect. Her T4 - perfect. But her urine was very concentrated, her kidneys were very weak and the liver was trying to keep up but failing.
I had to make the decision and did. I buried her at 6am this morning under a cedar tree not too far from Chi. Mati was 18 and a quarter. She was the feistiest, smartest, most beautiful and most sensitive feline I've known. There will be no more after her. I never managed to find her another home, it was to me she was destined and I to her. I am grateful for her presence in my life. For being such a huge light in the world. May she rest in peace and soar with the highest angels. You're free.
