She was found as a newborn kitten abandoned in a stable, presumably by a feral mother cat. She had one sibling dead already, and wasn't expected to survive. But she did, and we took her in.
She was incredibly mischievous, but also the most affectionate cat you ever saw. She'd sit on your cehst with her face right in yours, purring her head off. She loved fusses and cuddles.
And she'd dead. Seven months old.
She's been missing for more than a day, and a cat was seen by a neighbour lying dead or injured by the road. Either a car, or a fox muxt have got her. We can't find the body, either another fox took her or - more likely - one of the self-absorbed southeren fucks who live round here got rid of it because it might affect the house prices, darling.
And when we last saw her we were annoyed with her because she'd pissed on the bed, and was in season for the first time as well.
So, don't take your pets for granted - or indeed anyone special to you. Tell your significant other you love them every day. Life is short, people - and there are plenty of things out there ready to shorten it further.
Posted by TheWoozle (Member # 929) on :
I'm sorry, I know how you feel. She deserves to be remembered.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
That's horrible. You have my sympathy.
About three years ago, our second, middle-aged cat died of kidney failure. She was a completely indoor cat -- she was born indoors after her pregnant mother had been taken in by a family a few weeks earlier, and lived her entire life indoors. Relatively shy -- almost neurotic in a way because she was kind of skittish. We'd noticed that she had stopped eating as much, seemed to be very uncomfortable, acting more withdrawn than normal. We took her to the vet, who prescribed some daily injections that could possibly help. Unfortunately, it wasn't a quick shot -- it was an IV drip, so we had to hold her down on the table while the drip worked. But the medication didn't help for too long, and it was painful for her anyway... a few months later we had to put her down.
Losing a pet is one of the worst things to happen to any family. Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
I'm sorry, Lee. I know that when my dog's time finally comes, it's going to absolutely kill me. I'm really sorry, man.
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
Sorry to hear it. We recently lost dogs that way.
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
That's sad; I'm sorry, Lee. One of my cats died a few years ago from kidney failure; not nice .
Posted by akb1979 (Member # 557) on :
quote:Originally posted by Aban Rune: I'm sorry, Lee. I know that when my dog's time finally comes, it's going to absolutely kill me. I'm really sorry, man.
Ditto from me but I've got a cat.
We had another cat before Silky, her name was Scrabble, and she too died of kidney failure (seems to be a common thing with older cats) we put her down as she went blind, poor thing. I wasn't all that upset about her passing as I'd never established a real connection with her as she was around before I was born. It's a different story with Silky, she's my second "little sister" and I don't know what life would be like without her - yes I do: a little more lonely and boring.
Sitting on you with her face in yours, purring her head off? Sounds very familiar, though she tended to piss on the new carpet rather than the floor! Oh and climb the curtains! She was a devil when she was young, but so cute and adorable (bit like babies really).
You have my sympathies Lee, and those of my family. May Molly RIP.
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Thanks everyone. May she rest in peace, indeed - but I'd far sooner she was resting behind me on the bed, or on my lap. . .
There's always a chance the neighbour didn't see a cat at all, or it was a different cat. That she was scared by all the foxes around that night and ran off and got lost; or even went off with some tomcat for a heavy shagging session. That one morning, or when we come home in the evening, she'll be there, complaining bitterly.
But we know that isn't going to happen. The bloodstains on the road where she was spotted rule that out.
We're all a little bit heartbroken right now. I know one should have a sense of perspective, that she was just a cat, that she was almost living on borrowed time anyway given her origins and general recklessness. But the fact remains she was something a little bit special, a beautiful little thing full of affection.
We still have our other two cats. They're equally special in their own unique ways, and they obviously miss her too. Frazzle made me go out for a walk with him tonight, following her old scents. Right now he's sitting by my chair looking at me and making these questioning noises.
I guess we need closure. Finding the shithead who thought he could drive too fast down that road, and killing him would be nice. Tracking down that fox's lair and pouring some home-made napalm would also fit the bill. Instead we just get on with our lives, only now something is missing.
Sorry, I'm just blathering now. I've not had a lot of experience with death for someone in their 30's, so even the death of a pet (I've never lost one before, we always had to give them away as we m6ytttttttt - Frazzle just leapt on the keyboard! - moved from country to country) is affecting me quite a lot.
Posted by Griffworks (Member # 1014) on :
I know the feeling. Three years ago we lost one of our cats, named Sam. Sam was 14 years old and had stomach and vision problems for about three years, as well as arthiritis that continuously got worse as the years wore on. We finally took him to the Vet to haev him put to sleep.
Just prior to my return from an overseas deployment, one of our other cats, Warlock, died at our home. Warlock had been diagnosed as diabetic back in July of last year. He'd been pretty bad sick for some weeks prior and Wife kept taking him to the Vet, who kept altering his insalin dosage.
Anyhow, he kept losing weight and couldn't hold down any weight. Eventually passed away one night while my wife and Warlocks sister Witch sat with him. I hate that I wasn't there to say goodbye...
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
My sympathies, man.
(A piece of local news just flashed, about an elderly woman who fell in a ditch and suffocated while trying to drown three young kittens... she had a reputation in the neighbourhood for hating cats. Poetic justice.)
[ May 17, 2003, 12:03 PM: Message edited by: Cartmaniac ]
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
Oh I like that. I hope the kittens tripped her leg.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Poetic justice, indeed!
On a happier note, my family and I are going to adopt two new kittens this evening. Haven't picked them yet, though -- going to check them out. Been researching on the web from multiple sources to get advice on how to introduce new kittens to your older cats.
I don't know exactly *why* we're getting more cats already -- I love 'em, of course, but they're also an expense, after all. My younger sister has been begging for a new kitten (singluar) for almost a year now, but I never expected my parents to cave, especially my dad -- until Christmas, that is, when he consented.
But now we're going to be getting TWO. The reason for that is that our two current cats are 10 and 17 years old, and so they could easily gang up on the new one (although they're both very gentle, if getting crochety for their age). So we figured that getting two would let the kittens play with each other.
We're not going to the SPCA; there's a woman who runs a relatively well-known shelter out of her home a few miles from us, and keeps the kittens together. So they'll already be familiar with living indoors to an extent, and they'll also be somewhat familiar with each other.
It's been 12 years since we had a new kitten in the house -- that was Chessie, the cat who died of kidney failure about 3 years ago. She's the tabby in this picture. Sassy (Sassafras) is the one on the left, now 10 years old, and Oreo is the fat one on the right, now 17 years old and still almost as alert as ever...
I'll post some pics from my dad's digital camera either tonight or tomorrow.
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
No offense but that pic looks like a mugshot of three 1700's chinese war criminals after a particulary demanding spree. 'Claw Forest' Eong in the middle, 'Broken Tail' Wen on the right and Cheng 'Smothering Belly' on the left.
"Point that thing elsewhere or you won't make it to the door, you spawn of bastard".
PS: I just saw "Hero".
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
The dubbed and mutilated Miramax version, or the original Chinese cut?
[ May 17, 2003, 03:44 PM: Message edited by: Cartmaniac ]
Posted by Charles Capps (Member # 9) on :
The picture reminds me of the nameless cat that has adopted my coworkers. Perhaps she now has a name.
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
Cartmaniac: "The dubbed and mutilated Marimax version, or the original Chinese cut?"
Undubbed, original voicework.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
quote:Originally posted by Charles Capps: The picture reminds me of the nameless cat that has adopted my coworkers. Perhaps she now has a name.
Charles, are you referring to the middle one, the brown tabby? We called her Chessie, which was short for Chesapeake (as in the Bay). Very sweet cat.
We did bring home two kittens last night -- both sisters from the same litter, about two months old. The woman running the shelter had about four litters plus a handful of other cats there, the kittens in large cages to keep them from creating havoc (there were twelve of them, after all). It's amazing how little regard so many people have for animals -- and equally amazing how far some people are willing to go to help them out. I only wish I had a enough money to help out somehow. Maybe once I get a full-time job and a career...
We've named the kittens Maia and Pandora. Maia is a grey tabby with white fur around a pink nose, and Pandora is a dark brownish-grey with a smudge of gold fur on the side of her forehead. She's also the mischievous one, which is why we named her Pandora.
We snapped a few digital pictures, which I will post later today.
Posted by Tora Regina (Member # 53) on :
Oh my god, I'm sorry, Lee. I know you're not religious or anything, but I believe animal souls are as precious as human souls and that they go to heaven. I'm sure Molly's being taken care of.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
I'm not especially a cat person, but I really liked Molly. She was cute and fun and seemed really sweet. My condolances.
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Thanks guys, I wondered if you'd read this or not having met the beast in question. . . 8)
The timing of all this was initially very unhelpful, but is now starting to look like a blessing. We're going on holiday on Wednesday for a fortnight, and this weekend were due to take all three cats down to my in-laws. We still did that, and now it's just me and Kate in the house, which feels even emptier than ever. But on the whole I'm glad we're going away, the house is too full of memories, we tend to associate it more with Molly than the other two.
I don't FEEL she's dead. I keep coming home expecting to see her there waiting, or turning up one morning. And it's getting me down, telling myself she was just a cat isn't foing a lot of good.
Probably the most depressing thread ever? Oh well, all the newbies I've been horrible to can read through my jumbled existential crisis and reflect that maybe I'm a bit human after all. 8)
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Wait, Lee -- you're human??? I've been here for two and a half years, and even I didn't know that! Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
I hope you all don't think I'm trying to hijack the thread here, especially about Lee's poor cat... I'm just putting it here because it's about cats.
Pictures as promised:
First is Pandora, the mischievious one:
And then Maia, the cuddly one: Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
How cute - a paw of yarn! Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
They both look lovely. 8)
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
Well, I'm off tomorrow on holiday, and it looks like there won't be a happy ending. Again, I'd like to thank everyone for lending a sympathetic ear to everything I've had to say. . .
Goodbye, Molly. We miss you. 8*(
Posted by Grokca (Member # 722) on :
Got to this thread late, didn't notice it a couple of days ago, I was hoping because it was two pages that we could have gotten a happy ending here. Sorry about your cat Lee.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
We just got our kitten last night. She's named Priscilla May, a name which I don't really like but oh well.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
I was feeling all sad about Lee's cat, but this is far more demanding of my attention.
Priscilla May? What? The? Fuck?
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
Well, the owners of the kitten's mother named her Priscilla May. Priscilla for some whacked reason and May because that's when she'd be ready to leave. My girlfriend and I just call her Poncho. Posted by Phoenix (Member # 966) on :
I agree, Priscilla May is a stupid name.
If it had been born a few months later would it have been Priscilla November?
Just change the name, it's only a kitten and won't notice.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Changing kittens' names isn't that difficult if you do it when they first arrive...
Our oldest cat was called "Kelly" by the previous people -- we called her Oreo because she's black and white.
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
My God! Molly looks just like my old cat! His name was Darwin, and he was great...he ended up living 18 years, until he got very sick and died in our living room on December 20, 1998. It was the day after President Clinton was impeached, but you know, when you have a sick cat that you've had all your life, you don't care about anything else.
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