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My boy cat, Penny passed away in March at the age of 20. When we first adopted him, the paperwork said, "long haired female," and because he was a beautiful copper color, "she" got the name Penny. Years later, a new vet informed us that he was in fact a neutered male! I'm talking 8 or 9 years later, so Penny had been my "Pretty little princess" and "sweet girl" for long, long time. He was pretty healthy right up until the last month of his life. I was devastated when he passed. I'm still mourning the loss.
Last August a little black kitten showed up on our deck. It was obviously feral, wouldn't allow us to get anywhere near him. I put food and shelter out for him and he found a place to sleep and got a fat little belly. In the winter, a beautiful tuxedo cat showed up on our deck (we're in the country where people just dump cats off when they no longer want them) and she was very friendly, so I started feeding her, too. She seemed to really help the little feral cat feel more comfortable and finally I was able to pet the feral cat. I named him Hoots because he had big, green eyes like an owl and he would sit on a table outside and peer in at me. Over the past several months, I've been able to bring both cats in the house and I got very attached to Hoots in particular. He allowed me to brush him and snuggle him, but he still refused to stay in the house full-time. He'd try to rip the screens out of the windows and pulled down the curtains! He was still a little on the feral-crazy side. We had our routine... I'd sit on a bench and he'd hop up onto my lap and demand head rubs. He never did get the hang of controlling his tongue and it would stick out like a sassypants.
On Saturday I couldn't find Hoots anywhere, which was very uncommon. I searched and searched for the little guy. Finally found him lying in the ditch. We believe he was hit by a car, which I know is a risk when a cat is outside. I swear, I WANTED him to stay in the house. He just wasn't at that point yet. And now I'm devastated yet again. Today's my 48th birthday and I've spent it heartbroken and bawling. I swore I wouldn't go through this again after Penny's passing. But here I am. I had assumed Hoots would become acclimated to being in the house and he'd have a long, happy life. But I was wrong. And it feels really bad. I just needed to talk about it. I'm sorry if I caused anyone else distress. I am truly heartbroken over this.
I am so, so sorry for your loss of yet another friend. And even sadder it is on your birthday.
The fact that you had cultured a relationship with Hoots just goes to show that your heart is very large, and that is not a bad thing. You are a wonderful human being to be capable of feeling all that love. Please don't let that stop you from getting close to another animal.
There are plenty more out there that need the love and attention someone with a heart like yours can offer them.
Just know that Hoot had the best life possible for the situation he was born into, because he met you.
This is not your fault. He was loved, and that is the most important thing in the universe.
Last edited by TerraDown; 06-26-2016 at 11:00 AM..
I'm sorry for your loss, as well, Stymie. I hope you're doing better today.
It's amazing how much it hurts to lose our pets. I'm just truly heartbroken all the way through. I spent so much time worrying about Hoots' safety. Every single day I worried for him. And in the end, it didn't save him. I feel tremendously sad over this.
Please except my condolences. You did the best you could. IMO, the best way to heal that hole in your heart is to open it up to another who needs your love. There are so many more cats who need loving homes.
I'm sorry this happened. Know that you gave him a much better life.
We can love cats we have barely touched. I had a feral female spayed a few years ago (via live trap), ear tipped, and returned her to the neighborhood. I got to touch her in the carrier when she was groggy, but would only get glimpses from a distance after that.
I have not seen "Bella" in more than a year, and know she most likely is no longer alive. It's heartbreaking, but I hope I improved her short life in some way.
When your heart has healed, I hope you consider adoption.
Thank you so much, everyone. Thank you for the kindness and for sharing your own stories with me. I really appreciate it.
The passing of little Hoots has really hit me hard. I guess it's probably because I'm still missing Penny so much and Hoots was a clown-cat and filled us all with so much happiness. I had an inflatable pool that he loved to run and slide across when it was upside down. I've never seen a cat so playful before. He truly had me laughing out loud with his antics. It felt like he showed up to help make things better after Penny passed. And now he's gone and it feels wrong. But I realize life is not fair and bad things happen all the time.
We have the other kitty here... her name is Shaky Boots because she shakes her back leg and "dances" around. My son loves her, but he's going back to Charleston,SC this week and cannot have pets in his place. I really have decided that I need a break from having a pet. I'm hoping to find a perfect forever home for Shaky Boots soon. She deserves a place where she can be loved and taken care of. She doesn't feel like "my" cat, if that makes sense. Hoots felt like he was mine, but Shaky feels like she belongs to someone else. I just need to find that "someone else" and hope that's it's a perfect match.
We have the other kitty here... her name is Shaky Boots because she shakes her back leg and "dances" around. My son loves her, but he's going back to Charleston,SC this week and cannot have pets in his place. I really have decided that I need a break from having a pet. I'm hoping to find a perfect forever home for Shaky Boots soon. She deserves a place where she can be loved and taken care of. She doesn't feel like "my" cat, if that makes sense. Hoots felt like he was mine, but Shaky feels like she belongs to someone else. I just need to find that "someone else" and hope that's it's a perfect match.
Please reconsider keeping Shaky Boots. Perhaps there's a reason why she is in your hands now--she obviously needs a home.
Bonds take time to form. Spend time talking to her and using wand toys to play with her. That will help you bond. She'll soon feel like your cat, and maybe the next time your son visits she'll prefer you instead.
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