Harvey was a feral cat I first met in the winter of 2012. He was only with us for just over a year. At that time I wasn't a TCS member, so Harvey didn't get a thread in his memory. The events that happened just after he passed were so upsetting that I never got chance to grieve for Harvey properly at the time.
I decided that now I should take a moment to remember him and say my goodbyes.
When Harvey first came into our lives I was still new to caring for feral cats and TNR. There were lots of cats in the small village I lived in. When I asked people about them I was told that they were always here, living in the barns and abandoned buildings and surviving on whatever food people put out for them. For a whole six months I tried not to get involved, but then hungry cats started showing up at my door and realised I'd have to try to get some of them fixed before things got totally out of hand.
I didn't have a trap, but I managed to get a couple of the female cats spayed by luring them into a cat carrier. I put food out for the cats every night, so that was why Harvey found his way to my house.
I can remember the first time I saw him. I don't think I'd ever seen an animal with such awful injuries still alive, let alone walking around. It looked like something had tried to bite him in half. His fur was gone from just behind his shoulder blades to the base of his tail. His back was covered in open wounds, some of them quite clearly infected. I knew I had to do something soon, but he was too skittish to be caught in a carrier. I searched online for some help, read about TNR and managed to rent a proper trap from an animal shelter.
About a week after Harvey had first shown up I managed to trap him and get him to a vet.
Up until that time he had been known as "The Cat That's Been Bitten in Half". That changed to Halfy and then later Harvey.
Our vet thought his injuries had come from losing fights with other tom cats. He operated on him, cutting away the infected tissue and stitching up his wounds. He was neutered at the same time, given pain killers and antibiotics and a few days later came home with us.
In spite of being feral he seemed to know that we meant him no harm. I kept him confined to one room at first, but eventually he came out to meet our other rescued cats. He had the sweetest, most trusting personality of any cat I'd ever know. He soon became best friends with George, a feral born kitten I had taken in the year earlier. George was younger than Harvey, but he seemed like a big brother to him. He's comfort Harvey whenever he got back from a visit to the vet and wrestle with him once he'd healed up enough to be able to play. I first managed to pet Harvey by waiting until George was standing between me and him and petting them both at the same time.
The slightly astonished but blissed out look on his face when he realised how good petting felt was a picture.
Harvey was also really helpful when it came to socialising other feral cats. That summer I took in two litters of feral born kittens and Harvey took on the role of their guide and protector. I don't think I would have been able to get them used to people or get so many cats TNR'd that year if it hadn't been for him.
Considering how badly he'd been hurt it's probably not surprising that Harvey had health problems. He had Feline AIDS and suffered from chronic gum infections. He had his good days and his bad days. Sometimes he'd be very playful and active, other days it was a real struggle to get him to eat. George seemed to know exactly how he was feeling. On his bad days the two would snuggle together. Sometimes the only way I could get Harvey to eat anything was if George was given some too.
The following spring Harvey seemed to be going down hill. He caught one cold after another, each one leaving him frailer than the one before. Our vet suggested supplements and medication, but it was obvious that we were just delaying the inevitable. Maybe if he had been easier to handle we could have continued force feeding him, but for a feral cat being held down and syringe fed was too distressing. In spite of all the trips to the vet and all the medication I had to give him Harvey never once tried to bite or scratch me. All he'd do is struggle and make a soft moaning sound, begging to be put down.
Finally in March 2013 Harvey refused to eat on his own any more. He spent the day sitting in his basket in the sun. He didn't even have the strength to get to his litter box and had to be carried there and back every hour or so.
I realised that it was time to let him go.
A few days after that George went out and never came home again.
Was he looking for his friend? Did he understand what had happened to Harvey? The shock of losing both of my boys one after the other was awful. Losing a cat to an illness is heart breaking. Having a cat disappear and never knowing what became of them is far worse.
Harvey, I owe so much to you. You helped me save the lives of dozens of other cats. You made me realise how important it is to get male cats neutered as well as get female cats spayed. Up until that point I had thought that if tom cats wanted to roam around and fight each other they were simply following their instincts. I hadn't thought about how badly hurt they could get. I never imagined they might not want that kind of life. You didn't want it. All of your injuries were on your back, you had been trying to run away.
I'm sorry we only had 14 months together. I wish we had found each other sooner, before you got hurt and sick. I hope you were happy while you were with me.
I hope you and George found each other.
It took five years for me to get here, but now I'm at the point where I can tell you Goodbye.
I decided that now I should take a moment to remember him and say my goodbyes.
When Harvey first came into our lives I was still new to caring for feral cats and TNR. There were lots of cats in the small village I lived in. When I asked people about them I was told that they were always here, living in the barns and abandoned buildings and surviving on whatever food people put out for them. For a whole six months I tried not to get involved, but then hungry cats started showing up at my door and realised I'd have to try to get some of them fixed before things got totally out of hand.
I didn't have a trap, but I managed to get a couple of the female cats spayed by luring them into a cat carrier. I put food out for the cats every night, so that was why Harvey found his way to my house.
I can remember the first time I saw him. I don't think I'd ever seen an animal with such awful injuries still alive, let alone walking around. It looked like something had tried to bite him in half. His fur was gone from just behind his shoulder blades to the base of his tail. His back was covered in open wounds, some of them quite clearly infected. I knew I had to do something soon, but he was too skittish to be caught in a carrier. I searched online for some help, read about TNR and managed to rent a proper trap from an animal shelter.
About a week after Harvey had first shown up I managed to trap him and get him to a vet.
Up until that time he had been known as "The Cat That's Been Bitten in Half". That changed to Halfy and then later Harvey.
Our vet thought his injuries had come from losing fights with other tom cats. He operated on him, cutting away the infected tissue and stitching up his wounds. He was neutered at the same time, given pain killers and antibiotics and a few days later came home with us.
In spite of being feral he seemed to know that we meant him no harm. I kept him confined to one room at first, but eventually he came out to meet our other rescued cats. He had the sweetest, most trusting personality of any cat I'd ever know. He soon became best friends with George, a feral born kitten I had taken in the year earlier. George was younger than Harvey, but he seemed like a big brother to him. He's comfort Harvey whenever he got back from a visit to the vet and wrestle with him once he'd healed up enough to be able to play. I first managed to pet Harvey by waiting until George was standing between me and him and petting them both at the same time.
The slightly astonished but blissed out look on his face when he realised how good petting felt was a picture.
Harvey was also really helpful when it came to socialising other feral cats. That summer I took in two litters of feral born kittens and Harvey took on the role of their guide and protector. I don't think I would have been able to get them used to people or get so many cats TNR'd that year if it hadn't been for him.
Considering how badly he'd been hurt it's probably not surprising that Harvey had health problems. He had Feline AIDS and suffered from chronic gum infections. He had his good days and his bad days. Sometimes he'd be very playful and active, other days it was a real struggle to get him to eat. George seemed to know exactly how he was feeling. On his bad days the two would snuggle together. Sometimes the only way I could get Harvey to eat anything was if George was given some too.
The following spring Harvey seemed to be going down hill. He caught one cold after another, each one leaving him frailer than the one before. Our vet suggested supplements and medication, but it was obvious that we were just delaying the inevitable. Maybe if he had been easier to handle we could have continued force feeding him, but for a feral cat being held down and syringe fed was too distressing. In spite of all the trips to the vet and all the medication I had to give him Harvey never once tried to bite or scratch me. All he'd do is struggle and make a soft moaning sound, begging to be put down.
Finally in March 2013 Harvey refused to eat on his own any more. He spent the day sitting in his basket in the sun. He didn't even have the strength to get to his litter box and had to be carried there and back every hour or so.
I realised that it was time to let him go.
A few days after that George went out and never came home again.
Was he looking for his friend? Did he understand what had happened to Harvey? The shock of losing both of my boys one after the other was awful. Losing a cat to an illness is heart breaking. Having a cat disappear and never knowing what became of them is far worse.
Harvey, I owe so much to you. You helped me save the lives of dozens of other cats. You made me realise how important it is to get male cats neutered as well as get female cats spayed. Up until that point I had thought that if tom cats wanted to roam around and fight each other they were simply following their instincts. I hadn't thought about how badly hurt they could get. I never imagined they might not want that kind of life. You didn't want it. All of your injuries were on your back, you had been trying to run away.
I'm sorry we only had 14 months together. I wish we had found each other sooner, before you got hurt and sick. I hope you were happy while you were with me.
I hope you and George found each other.
It took five years for me to get here, but now I'm at the point where I can tell you Goodbye.
Your tribute to him brought tears to my eyes and warmed my heart. Treasure his memories for ever and ever. 
