My dear friends, it breaks my heart to be here again posting another Bridge thread so soon after the last one. I have to tell you all that our beloved Forest Cat is no longer with us.
I found Forest Cat almost ten years ago. We were driving along a road that leads down through the woods when I spotted him crouched at the side of the road. There are feral cats in the woods, but he obviously wasn't one of them. He was miles from any houses, miles from anything at all. We could only guess that someone had decided they didn't want him anymore and thought leaving him in the woods was the right thing to do.
Forest had no idea how to take care of himself. He was emaciated and dehydrated, his fur was matted with leaves and bits of thorny vines, he had fleas and ear mites. But he was neutered and had been vaccinated at least once before. He was gentle and sweet natured, he allowed me to pick him up and carry him to the car. Someone had obviously loved him at some point, I can't imagine how he ended up in the woods.
We brought him home and fed him. Once our vet had checked him over we slowly introduced him to the rest of the family and then let him start exploring the enclosure.
I don't know if he'd had any outdoor access in his previous home. He was happy to go out and wander around but always came back indoors to use the litter box. He stared at birds and butterflies as if he'd never seen anything like them before. He loved snow. He would go outside and sit there watching the flakes whirl around him until he was covered in it.
I don't know how old he was. He was an adult cat when we found him and so could have been anywhere over 12 years old. This past year he really seemed to be showing signs of age. He'd always been very healthy, but last year he had several gum infections and lost most of his teeth. His eye sight went as well and around Christmas time I noticed he was totally blind. He didn't go out in the snow anymore as he couldn't find his way back into the house. But he still ate well and enjoyed sitting on his favourite chair near the fire.
On Monday he ate a huge breakfast and dinner as always and had numerous treats throughout the day. Just as we were going to bed I noticed he was taking a long time to come out of his litter box. I called to him, he stepped out, wobbled and then fell. He wasn't able to stand up on his own and he seemed to be panicking. I wrapped him in a blanket and carried him upstairs. I could feel his heart pounding, but as he lay on our bed it gradually began to slow down and he started to relax. We stroked his wonderful soft fur and told him that everything was OK, he was free to leave us if he felt ready to go. He seemed quite comfortable and closed his eyes as we stroked him. And then he was gone.
Forest Cat, my sweet boy you were always the perfect gentleman. It seemed as if you waited until we were home and our day was done before you left us. I'm so glad that we found you and were able to give you the home you deserved. I've buried your body outside and it's snowing now. I feel like it's snowing for you.
I found Forest Cat almost ten years ago. We were driving along a road that leads down through the woods when I spotted him crouched at the side of the road. There are feral cats in the woods, but he obviously wasn't one of them. He was miles from any houses, miles from anything at all. We could only guess that someone had decided they didn't want him anymore and thought leaving him in the woods was the right thing to do.
Forest had no idea how to take care of himself. He was emaciated and dehydrated, his fur was matted with leaves and bits of thorny vines, he had fleas and ear mites. But he was neutered and had been vaccinated at least once before. He was gentle and sweet natured, he allowed me to pick him up and carry him to the car. Someone had obviously loved him at some point, I can't imagine how he ended up in the woods.
We brought him home and fed him. Once our vet had checked him over we slowly introduced him to the rest of the family and then let him start exploring the enclosure.
I don't know if he'd had any outdoor access in his previous home. He was happy to go out and wander around but always came back indoors to use the litter box. He stared at birds and butterflies as if he'd never seen anything like them before. He loved snow. He would go outside and sit there watching the flakes whirl around him until he was covered in it.
I don't know how old he was. He was an adult cat when we found him and so could have been anywhere over 12 years old. This past year he really seemed to be showing signs of age. He'd always been very healthy, but last year he had several gum infections and lost most of his teeth. His eye sight went as well and around Christmas time I noticed he was totally blind. He didn't go out in the snow anymore as he couldn't find his way back into the house. But he still ate well and enjoyed sitting on his favourite chair near the fire.
On Monday he ate a huge breakfast and dinner as always and had numerous treats throughout the day. Just as we were going to bed I noticed he was taking a long time to come out of his litter box. I called to him, he stepped out, wobbled and then fell. He wasn't able to stand up on his own and he seemed to be panicking. I wrapped him in a blanket and carried him upstairs. I could feel his heart pounding, but as he lay on our bed it gradually began to slow down and he started to relax. We stroked his wonderful soft fur and told him that everything was OK, he was free to leave us if he felt ready to go. He seemed quite comfortable and closed his eyes as we stroked him. And then he was gone.
Forest Cat, my sweet boy you were always the perfect gentleman. It seemed as if you waited until we were home and our day was done before you left us. I'm so glad that we found you and were able to give you the home you deserved. I've buried your body outside and it's snowing now. I feel like it's snowing for you.
My heart aches for you but Forest knew it was his time to leave and did so as gracefully as possible resting on your bed. He was a true gentleman in every sense of the word. RIP dear, sweet angel.
Forest Cat and you were destined to meet and I am sure he saved you too in many ways.
