FELINE F(R)IENDS
In my home, the cats once again outnumber the humans. All of my feline miscreants were originally unwanted strays and it gives me great pleasure to be able to give a safe haven for these needy moggies.
FRODO: is a large tabby tomcat with white socks who rather unexpectedly came to live with me in late November 2003. He was originally given the name 'Zwabber' (which means to swagger) by the cat charity who took this friendly old stray in because he was so weak, emaciated and flea-infested that he could not walk properly. Although he'd been seriously fattened up and recovered well, he was being seriously victimised by another tomcat at the shelter where he was living. So I was asked whether I'd be interested in taking him in as a new 'friend' for Jenny, who had been lonely ever since Apie, her 'brother', had died. This sweet old moggie also, unfortunately, brought with a fungal infection that he kindly passed on to the rest of us. Finding inspiration after a trip to the cinema, he was thus rechristened Frodo, Lord of the Ringworm! After caring for a diabetic cat for 11 years, I didn't think that I'd ever have to pick up a syringe again, but it turned out that Frodo too had diabetes. Even my vet didn't believe that lightning could strike in the same place twice!!
JENNY: is an incredibly good natured and affectionate cat. This gorgeous moggie, now aged approximately 11 years old, has even modelled for a Dutch brand of feline products!! The above photo comes from her one and only modelling session. Unfortunately, she is under the impression that she is a chinchilla, using the cat trays for sand baths irrespective of their contents. Actually, she's not much use at being a 'real' cat. When staying with friends last year, she was bitten not only by their pet rabbit, but also by a mouse! Jenny recently developed a malignant tumour in her tail, the greatest part of which had to be amputated in December 2003. Consequently, she is now affectionately also known as 'Stumpie'.
MORMEL: was a small slender young white and black cat that I found wandering the streets in late April 2004 and whom no-one ever claimed. He was a wonderful adventurous little monster who had a very short, but eventful life. Within the seven and a half months he spent with me, he managed to get up on to my roof and subsequently went flying without a parachute. Daft creature ended up on the street with a seriously broken leg, which had to be put back together again with a lot of pins & screws by an orthopaedic surgeon at an exorbitant cost. He recovered fantastically well from this op - spending six weeks in a kennel - and within no time was getting up to all kinds of mischief. However, in November he suddenly became rather quiet and apathetic and had a high temperature. Pumped full of antibiotics he perked up a bit, but my very worst fears were confirmed when his abdomen started to swell. Tests suggested that it could be nothing other than Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). Before he deteriorated any further, I took one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make and had him euthanised. He died peacefully in my arms at home on 8th December 2004, barely 1.5 years old.
APIE: A wonderful, sweet old tom, who finally used up all of his nine lives, 15th September 2003. He lived with me for 12 years, but he was probably about 17 when he shuffled off his mortal coil (with a little help from the vet). Ironically, after being a diabetic for neary 11 years, it was not even the diabetes - or his hyperthyroidism - that finished him off, but an aggressive tumor somewhere in his abdomen. Apie is dearly missed. Indeed, he was always my muse. If it were not for the inordinate amount of time and money I spent on him at the vets, I probably would never have hit on the idea of studying human-animal relations at all!
MITJA: Died rather unexpectedly from suspected cardiomyopathy on 8th February 2001, approximately aged 12, following an op to remove a recurring fibrosarcoma tumor. Mitja was quite literally a handsome devil, who terrorised humans and other cats alike. He craved attention every minute of the day and had to be stroked and cuddled continually. He was a real monster, but is still deeply missed!
