Category Archives: Cats

Posts about cats go in this category.

Rossie (2012-2024)

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We adopted Rossie and her siblings back in 2012. Her brother, Pretty Boy Floyd, died young — he had insurmountable urinary tract troubles.  His sisters, Rossie, Ruby Mae, and Delta have all done well. Rossie had always been the most reserved of the quartet. We worked with her for years, but she was always hiding. Eventually, we created the non-conflict room for her and two other cats, and she lived her life as she saw fit — sometimes basking in the window, and sometimes hiding under the curio cabinet. Every couple of months, she would approach me for each ear scritches and treats.

While I was out of town this week, the door to the non-conflict wing got left open. When I returned, I did not see Rossie anywhere in the room, so I presumed she must have gone into the main part of the house. I wasn’t particularly worried, but I do like to make sure I see her periodically to make sure she is okay. Once I verified she was not in the non-conflict wing, I started to search for her last evening. I found her quickly, deceased under the loveseat in the entry hall. I didn’t see any obvious trauma, so I can only speculate about what might have happened.

I never thought Rossie was particularly happy in the house, but she was loved, safe, and allowed to live as she saw fit. She was a good cat, but I believe she is now at peace. Here’s a kitten photo of her from November 2012:

And here’s a photo of Walter and her in the Non-Conflict Wing in February 2022:

Walter (Approximately 2012 – 2024)

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Walter was a gorgeous silver porch cat. I don’t remember when we began noticing him — at first we thought we had one gray cat on the porch until we saw all three at once, and then we realized we had three gray cats. Walter was mild-mannered and silver in color. After several years, he disappeared, and I went looking for him and found him taking refuge in a neighbor’s shed. I tucked him in a carrier and brought him home and put him in the non-conflict wing of the house, where he cried at the window for months. He had been neutered several years before and kept current on his vaccinations (crying loudly in the carrier the whole time on his vet visits). After several months in the non-conflict wing, he settled down and began to enjoy indoor life. He was the perfect gentleman, and he did enjoy being petted.

Nobody has to live in the non-conflict wing, and, eventually, Walter decided he wanted to live in the main part of the house. He had lived there happily for several years. He would frequently snuggle next to me when I was reading before bed, but when I turned the light out to go to sleep, he would leave for other parts of the house for the night.

Last month, he had his annual visit to Dr. Val, and other than having lost the sight in one eye to injury, he was given a clean bill of health. Lat week, I noticed he’d been losing weight and began to look pretty rough, so he earned another trip to see Dr. Val, and he was hospitalized with some troubling bloodwork. While he was a wonderful patient, his health did not respond to treatment, and on the third day, he took a turn for the worse, and we agreed euthanization would be the best treatment to prevent further suffering.

From his outside days back in 2018:

 

His Regal Highness back in May:

 

Walter was frequently a great comfort to me, and he will be missed.

Fat Cat: February 2011 – September 2023

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Fat Cat came into our lives on October 30, 2021. Her people were no longer able to keep her due to medical matters, and nobody had responded to requests to foster or adopt, so Alan and I drove to meet her. We knew we weren’t her ideal people, but she didn’t have any other options. She came home with us, and after about six months, she adjusted as best she could. She was always good with us, but she didn’t like living with other cats.

Fat Cat loved attention, but she didn’t like to be picked up. Today, I think I found out why. She was in a lot of pain. She had a bladder infection last month that responded to treatment. She hadn’t eaten for at least the last five days. It was time to return to her vet. An exam and an ultrasound revealed very bad news for her kidneys that wasn’t going to get better. The humane thing to do was to help Fat Cat cross the Rainbow Bridge. I will miss her gentle, affectionate soul.

Bella: October 1, 2016 – March 4, 2023

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a catI’ve been far too long since posting, and, sadly, it’s another bad news post. In late 2016, my parents adopted two cats and named them Misti and Bella. When my dad passed away in September 2022, my mom decided she wasn’t up to caring for pets, so I brought the cats home with me in November and helped rehome the dog with a friend of mine in New York.

Shortly after settling into our home, Misti decided she wanted to live upstairs, and Bella haunted my desk, driving me crazy by pushing papers off and walking across my keyboard (I can’t tell you how many empty folders she created on my desktop!). Bella was also very clingy — something she hadn’t been in Wisconsin. She also had a tendency to bury her head in my arm in an odd position. I’ve since learned that likely meant she had a headache.

I got home late Wednesday evening to discover her wedged between a litter box and a crate wall, cool to the touch and a little stiff, but her tail was flicking, and she cried out when I picked her up. I wrapped her in a blanket and held her through the night, convinced she would not be here in the morning, but she was, and she was even alert, responded to her name, and was holding her head up. I had cats to take to the vet for surgical procedures, so I took Bella with me. She was examined and labs were drawn. He kept her for the day. He ruled out easy things, could find no obvious trauma or heart problems on the x-rays, and concluded she’d suffered a seizure or a stroke. Given her slow recovery, we decided it was likely a stroke. She had regained her ability to sit and stand, was eating and drinking, and used the litter box this morning. By 4:30 this afternoon, she was exhibiting symptoms similar to what I came home to on Wednesday evening. At 5:40, upon veterinarian’s advice, I gave her a baby aspirin. By a little after six, her breathing was slow and deep. By 8, her breathing had slowed more and she was otherwise unresponsive. By 9 pm, she had passed.

Bella was a gentle, affectionate cat, and I’d love to have her exasperate me by pushing papers off my desk again. Rest in peace, dear girl.

Zelda Lives!

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You probably saw my last post about Zelda, and that we hadn’t seen her for several weeks and had finally concluded the worst. I am delighted to report we were WRONG. Zelda is alive and well even if she is more avoidant than before. This makes my heart sing, and … Continue reading →

Go in Peace, Zelda

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I have not seen Zelda for two months. My neighbor has not seen her for a month. Tuesday night my neighbor messaged me, “Unfortunately, I am beginning to believe Zelda ran out of lives. I am sad.” I am sad, too. Even though Zelda would not allow us to handle … Continue reading →