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

Freedom!!!!

Yes! Today was the day that we could officially let Tiger out of the house. We were told by Cats Protection to keep him in the house so that he understands that this is now his home. Now the other day he escaped again so under close supervision we let him sniff and wander around the garden. For an old boy he certainly scampered up the fences quick enough!!

So after Hubby had been to Asda to shop for our little end of holiday party we decided to let him out. Sophie was a little worried and to be honest so was I, we have become rather attached to this grumpy old tabby. He wandered up to where the trees had been taken out and suddenly a big black Labrador stuck his nose thought the fence. Tiger certainly shifted quick. This dog is visiting I think but we should be getting our fence up asap. He then disappeared over next doors fence and out of sight. After a few minutes Sophie and I could not resist looking over said fence because I was wandering if he could get back. Then I thought what am I doing? So I went indoors to clean the bathroom.

Then he came back and packed up on the bench outside and fell asleep! That was it, what was I so worried about?

He has discovered the window sill in our bedroom and I sneaked up on him with my camera.

He just about fitted on the windowsill and stretched out to nearly half the length of it.

I was, of course, spotted with my camera. Not long after this he moved because the had become too hot. I have to say that this is the second time of being on this sill because the first time he fell off and slid down the back of the head board and got stuck! We had to pull the bed out and I am ashamed to say end up with fluff and cobwebs on his head! This did not put him off.

Our party went well, so now I have to get down to some work for the day job plus my laptop tutorial but after I have been to the cinema to see this with my friend tomorrow...

Take care.

XX

Tiger Tiger....

We have been thinking about a certain topic for a couple of years now but wanted Sophie to be a little older and then the attic conversion got in the way.
All three of us had an idea of what we were looking for and decided after spending 2 weeks in Seaford and watching Sophie that now was the time before she went back to school and term started for me. Confused?
Let me introduce .....


TIGER which sometimes comes out TIGGER!
Sophie said that she would like a cat called Tigger, Hubby said that he would like a cat and I said that a tabby was my ideal choice. So you can imagine our excitment when we found this fella on the Cats Protection website.
My family have often given homes to cats and dogs and we wanted to give an older cat the same.


Tiger is 12 and lived with a 99 year old lady who sadly died, so he had been with the Cats protection for a couple of months. Kittens are more popular but we did not feel that that was right for us.


This chap is huge! His website picture made him look like and average sized cat but when we went to visit him I was surprised at his size. he is not over-weight, his feet are big. We tried to take a picture of his paw in the centre of my hand but his claws need looking at first, a bit long. For his age he is in very good condition, lovely coat, only one tooth removed, wet nose etc and house trained.


We brought him home and he just wandered around for about an hour, looked upstairs in all the rooms, found where his bed is etc. Then went up on one of the stairs to the attic and that was it. After Sophie went to bed we brought him down stairs, he wandered around then suddenly jumped on my lap and was there for the rest of the evening! Great, good progress



The first night we decided to put him in the kitchen with food, litter tray, bed etc. Ate food, used tray and there was not any howling or anything. Hubby had to go to Exeter and Tiger stayed on the curve of the stairs going up to the attic and would not move all day!

When hubby got home he stayed there but after dinner we decided to bring him down stairs to socialise a bit. Again he jumped up on my lap then on the arm of the chair to survey his new territory. Sophie would like him to do this although I think he would squash her but it is going to take time. I think that he is used to women but maybe not children or men. After a disappointed Sophie went to bed we brought him down again as he had shot upstairs when someone came to the door, this time I sat on the sofa with hubby and he came and laid down between us and stayed there. So I'm in, just got to get Hubby and Sophie in as well.

Sorry it is a bit blurred but it was taken quickly.

Last night we decided to have an early night but tiger had other ideas. Meowing, wandering around, as we thought he could roam and we just kept our fingers crossed. he came on the bed and started clawing the nice new duvet cover, on the floor again, walked up the bed and along my back, boy is he heavy!. Clawing,patting down my hubby trying to make him into a more comfortable bed at 3am in the morning. So the light was on, off and on again, it was like having a newborn in the house.

In the end we had to shut him out of our room just so that we could get to sleep.
This morning he is meowing, it has stopped now. I wonder where he has gone? Hold on, back in a mo......

ON the step again...
phew a long post. blogger would not up load etc but never mind.
Many thanks for visiting and please leave a comment to say what you think of Tiger (tigger).

We gave a donation to Cats Protection as they rely on this money as they do not charge for the cats like breeders do. I think we have made a good choice with this old boy and I am sure that there will be stories to come in the future.
Enjoy the day.