Tara

I had to say goodbye to my fur-baby Tara on Tuesday.

She was 17 and on Monday started to hide in the back bedroom under a pile of pillows, not eating or drinking, just sleeping.  I honestly thought I'd wake up to find her gone on Tuesday morning, but she woke me up instead with a huge mournful 'm-e-e-w'.  I booked an appointment at the kitty doc, but the earliest I could get was late afternoon.  I spent the whole day knowing that I wouldn't be bringing her home with me.  I was a wreck.

I know that it was the right decision and Tara had told me herself.  I lost my younger fur-baby, Martha, almost 2 months ago, and I seemed to take that harder.  I suppose its because poor Martha was poorly for a while before I had to let her go and it was a shock.  Losing Tara wasn't so much.

I've been out today and bought a planter and a Yukka plant to put her ashes in when I get her back.  I did the same with Martha.  So my two girls will still be close to me by my garden bench.

My Mam and I started to deep clean the house yesterday.  I've moved some things round in my living room, just so the place feels all new, to try and stave off the emptiness.  I've found myself putting music on all the time cos its just too quiet!

Mind I think they're haunting me.  Yesterday I'd washed my hands to make lunch and got a huge lump of cat hair down my throat.  No idea where it came from, but I had to gargle to get rid of it!!  And all because my Mam had said something about getting something for the house that I couldn't have had with the girls.  Very weird!!

I'm strangely OK.

Thank you to all who sent my lovely messages on the Graphicus Guild Group, and for the e-mails too.  And a big thanks to Jo and Carrie who had to listen to me 'snotting' down the phone on Tuesday, before and after.

Here are a few photos of my girls in their favourite places!  Tara was the silver grey Tabby and Martha was the 'Heinz 57'.  You can see on the first photo the indoor Yukka I had was all chewed on the ends of leaves by our Tarz.  That's why I've bought a Yukka today for her ashes.

And finally, the one and only photo I have of them together.  They didn't get on and Martha bullied Tara something rotten.  Tara's eyes are almost closed because she was so laid back she nearly fell off the windows sill a few times.  Martha's eyes always seemed to do the 'laser' thing.  Mind she was a little minx!

Tara's poorly paw

And how bad do I feel that I didn't notice sooner???

Tara has claws that seem to grow at the speed of light and cutting them is an absolute nightmare.  She is skinny and therefore VERY squirmy.  To cut her claws I need my Dad to hold her under her arms put her back paws on top of the cooker (don't worry the cooker has a cover!).  Then I have to try and cut them with her growling and hissing and squirming and biting.  Last time was particularly bad and although I thought I'd seen a long claw, I thought I'd gotten them all trimmed, but no.  There was a l-o-n-g claw and last night I finally got a look at her paw while she was asleep and it had curled round into the pad of her paw.

So took her to the kitty doc today and he trimmed all her claws and gave her and antibiotic injection and sprayed a local anesthetic on her paw and sorted that out too.  Gotta take her back on Thursday for another antibiotic injection.  She won't tolerate me giving her anything at home! 

Now I've got her home and she has just mewed since she got in.  It actually sounds like she's saying 'ow'.  Mind I bet it hurt bless her.

Raindrops on roses......

Well not exactly on roses.  I've been out in my garden in between rain showers and have taken some photos of the leaves with rain on them.  I just love the way some leaves and plants retain the rain water in wonderful droplets.

I suppose I should show you some whiskers on kittens to finish the theme off!

This Martha who was 16 when I had to let her go a couple of weeks ago.  She'd had a great life as an indoor kitty.

And this is Tara who is 17 and still going strong.  Although her and Martha didn't get on at all, she still looks for her and has even picked up some of her traits.  Very, very weird!!

Its started to bucket down here again. Oh the joy of the British summertime!!!!