Sunday, November 25, 2018

Cats I Have Known and Loved - Feline Friday Special Edition

Sarah from Sarah did it posted a wonderful entry about the cats that have made her life better   She invited others to do the same.   So here I go.

I have always been a cat lover.  I had a very large tabby cat named Puss when I was growing up.  Sorry, I have no photos of him.  I don't think I even owned a camera at that time.  But I loved him just the same.

When my kids were young we got a white cat from a friend's litter.  My daughter named her Snowflake.  We just called her Flakey.  She was a terrific cat.  Unfortunately she passed away when she was only 13.  It was very traumatic.


We decided to get another cat and Rascal came into our lives.

Rascal

We got her at an animal shelter.  It was love at first sight for my DD.  It took us a long time to name her.  She could be very naughty at times, so we called her Rascal.  Rascal gave birth to three kittens before we could get her spayed.  She lived to a ripe old age of 18.

And that's how Tobicat and Daisy Mae came into our lives.  They were two of Rascal's kittens.  The third kitten went to live with my sister.

Tobicat


Daisy Mae

These kittens were a wonderful addition to our household.  They were well-behaved and comical.  Tobicat had some major health issues.  He was an outdoor cat.  When he got sick the vet feared that he had been poisoned.  We think he drank antifreeze from the driveway.  His kidneys were destroyed, but we kept him alive for many years by injecting him with a saline solution under his skin.  He lived to be 17 years old.  

Daisy Mae was a quiet, gentle cat.  When she was only a couple of months old, the neighbour's dog chased her to the top of the telephone pole in front of our house.  She jumped down and miraculously didn't injure herself.  Perhaps cats do have nine lives.   She lived to be 19 years old.

The next kitten we got was Mimi.

Mimi

My mother found her on the road in cottage country and brought her to us. She was so tiny when we got her.  She fit in the palm of my hand.   Eventhough I loved all our cats, Mimi became my favourite.  I used to have her contribute to my blog posts.  She was a very smart cat.

While Rascal, Tobicat, Daisy Mae and Mimi were still alive my son begged me to adopt a couple of cats who were going to be put down.  The couple who owned them didn't want them anry longer.  They had been kept in a closet and had never even been given names.  What could I do?  So I took them in and named them Felix and Oscar - the odd couple.

Felix and Oscar

And odd they were.  And frightened.  Felix hid in the basement for several months, coming out only to use the litter box or get some food or a drink of water.   But as he got over his fear he began to stay by my side every minute of the day.  He slept on my bed at night.

Felix

We never found out how old they were.  But they had been neutered and (ouch) declawed.  They were also the biggest cats I had ever seen.

But they all got along nicely.  Little Mimi and her big brothers.  After all the trouble with Tobicat and his kidneys I decided any cats we had from then on would have to be indoor cats.

Looking and longing to go outside.

Oscar had a seizure one very hot summer's day and passed away.   We missed him terribly. He was such a funny cat.

Oscar

For a short time my DD adopted a couple of white cats from the animal shelter .  They lived with us until she moved into her own home.  Their names are Patty and Shroeder.  Patty is a white cat with blue eyes.  And as is often the case, that combination  produces a cat who is deaf.  Patty still lives with her.  Here is a photo of little William when he was very young with Patty next to him.

William and Patty

Shroeder proved to be too much work for DD.  He kept wanting to go outside.  And he didn't like William too much either.  So my son took him to live at his house.  Shroeder was very happy about that.

Shroeder

We have had other cats who lived with us from time to time. Some when their owners were away or ill.  I loved them all.  I am grateful for all the felines who have graced my life.  They make everything okay.  Now I only have Felix.  And he is getting old.  I may have to adopt a little calico from the cat rescue place.  That would make my life complete.

I am linking to Sarah did it.


2 comments:

Barb said...

You have had a long line of cats, that one with the baby on the quilt with the cat...so sweet.

KaHolly said...

I love cats, too. This was a delightful post to scroll through! I took the passing of my last feline partner so badly, I have not been able to invite another to share my life. My snowbird lifestyle is my excuse!