Tottie as a kitten Today I am feeling sad and the reason for this is that my long term feline companion died last night. This is the first time I have ever had a go at writing an obituary and I thought I would apply myself to the keyboard whilst the sense of loss is still sharp.
My cat “Tottie”, a blue cream, short haired moggy, was originally brought home (with one of her sisters) from the Cats Protection League in Hollywood, Birmingham in January 1999. She and her litter mates had been born on the premises and I picked my two up once they were allowed out.
Tottie was the name the kitten had been given by the league and I never changed it. I was always amused that I could go to the back door and shout for totty and a pussy would always show up! Juvenile I know, but hey, little things!
The cat was looking increasingly frail and last night I took her to the vets – he gave her an antibiotic injection and said bring her back in a fortnight. This morning my nine year old son came into our room and told us he thought Tots had died.
I went downstairs in my dressing gown and found her in one of the fabric sleeping pods. She looked peaceful but had clearly gone and was starting to get a little stiff!
I had to extricate Tots from the pod which wasn’t so easy bearing in mind that she was stiffening and her claws (which she hasn’t been able to retract for years now) were gripping the pod. A bit of tugging and tipping was required and it all felt decidedly undignified for the old girl - and, if I am honest, pretty depressing for me!
I put her in a bag ready to bury her (when the garden isn’t frozen solid) and then put her body where it would be safe from interference and would stay cold.
Having dealt with that, all before 7am, my daughter, five, and now up, wanted to see the cat. That meant I had to go back outside and unpack the cat and bring her back into the house for my daughter to say goodbye. For me, this was really hard!
The kids were upset and whilst I showed much less emotion, the fact is that I was pretty down too. That cat had been part of my life for longer than my wife or kids (and I had cared for Tots for her entire life). I watched the cat go from being a playful kitten, to maturing, to aging and finally to dying – 14 years of good company. She had a good innings and was ready to go, she died peacefully and without any obvious pain/suffering and for that I am grateful.
I’ll miss her being around though!
Her passing justified a few words and I feel a bit better for writing them! In a few days, life will have moved on but these words will remain and with them a record of Tottie's existence, her positive impact on the lives of the Baldwins and the affection I felt for her – gone but not forgotten!
My cat “Tottie”, a blue cream, short haired moggy, was originally brought home (with one of her sisters) from the Cats Protection League in Hollywood, Birmingham in January 1999. She and her litter mates had been born on the premises and I picked my two up once they were allowed out.
Tottie was the name the kitten had been given by the league and I never changed it. I was always amused that I could go to the back door and shout for totty and a pussy would always show up! Juvenile I know, but hey, little things!
The cat was looking increasingly frail and last night I took her to the vets – he gave her an antibiotic injection and said bring her back in a fortnight. This morning my nine year old son came into our room and told us he thought Tots had died.
I went downstairs in my dressing gown and found her in one of the fabric sleeping pods. She looked peaceful but had clearly gone and was starting to get a little stiff!
I had to extricate Tots from the pod which wasn’t so easy bearing in mind that she was stiffening and her claws (which she hasn’t been able to retract for years now) were gripping the pod. A bit of tugging and tipping was required and it all felt decidedly undignified for the old girl - and, if I am honest, pretty depressing for me!
I put her in a bag ready to bury her (when the garden isn’t frozen solid) and then put her body where it would be safe from interference and would stay cold.
Having dealt with that, all before 7am, my daughter, five, and now up, wanted to see the cat. That meant I had to go back outside and unpack the cat and bring her back into the house for my daughter to say goodbye. For me, this was really hard!
The kids were upset and whilst I showed much less emotion, the fact is that I was pretty down too. That cat had been part of my life for longer than my wife or kids (and I had cared for Tots for her entire life). I watched the cat go from being a playful kitten, to maturing, to aging and finally to dying – 14 years of good company. She had a good innings and was ready to go, she died peacefully and without any obvious pain/suffering and for that I am grateful.
I’ll miss her being around though!
Her passing justified a few words and I feel a bit better for writing them! In a few days, life will have moved on but these words will remain and with them a record of Tottie's existence, her positive impact on the lives of the Baldwins and the affection I felt for her – gone but not forgotten!
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