Goodbye Tiger

I had half written a post about my blogaversary and 800th post giveaway today but something sad has happened.

He had a lovely face and very long whiskers!

Tiger was about 18 years old, give or take a year or two and he was a rescue cat from the PDSA.  He had recently developed a form of diabetes, and we were told that we would have to inject him twice a day.  Tiger would not have put up with that, he hated having his claws clipped.  He did not like being grabbed and held down.  Only the Vets seemed to get away with that.  We felt that as long he was not in any pain and was eating and drinking we would not go down the injection route.  Some may not agree with this but we felt to stick a sharp item in him at least twice a day and not be able to explain to him why was a bit cruel.  So we have been keeping a very close eye on him and was one of the reasons why we did not visit anyone over Christmas as we did not want to put him in a cattery, they probably would not have taken him anyway.

We noticed weight loss, especially when we were travelling back and forth to see my Dad.  He was eating well, Tuna being his favourite, but the last few days we have seen a rapid down turn and last night he was eating but could not stand for long or walk.  Could not get comfortable and was crying a bit.

One of the oldest cats in the area and none of the other cats ever bothered this old boy.

This morning when I got up he was worse.  Hubby had left at 7am to go to the NEC to see the motor show, the first time he has gone anywhere like that with two friends for years!  Excellent timing.
Tiger would not eat, kept falling over and was clearly distressed, so I rang the vet emergency line and Sophie and I were asked to take him in.
After a quick check up he was quietly put down at about 1.15pm. I asked Sophie to wait outside but she said no and wanted to stay.  This aspect is all part of being a pet owner but  it was a first for me at 42, so I was not sure how she would react, I had always been at school or college .when this ever happened with my parents pets.  I know have to tell hubby when he gets in as we did act quickly this morning and I have decided not to ring and tell him but wait until he gets in.  There is nothing he can do.
So it has been rather a bad day but it was for the best.  We have pictures and stories to look back on and we knew when we took Tiger on that he may not last long, it has been about three years.  At least it was in a  warm family home with comforts, and not stuck in a large cage where we first met him.

 He loved lying in the sun on the decking all afternoon!
We decided to make the last few months/weeks as comfortable as possible and he was purring a little and spirited even when the vet picked him up, and we made a fuss of him right up to the end. Toffy is sitting on one of the kitchen chairs next to me, he is going to wonder where Tiger is at dinner time but he will adjust.
So....I shall post my giveaway in a day or two time. 
xx