Yesterdays' Roads

[CCoburn]

Yesterdays' Roads


Went out for a drive earlier and on my way back I recognized the area as the place where I got this awesome black kitten back in 2003. The streets to the right were all named after trees and I saw Elm Street and Maple Street, but what I really was looking for was Oak Street, so as it happened, by the time I realized where I was I had already gone by Oak Street. I thought, should I turn around and go back? No, I'll be back this way again eventually and I can drive down Oak Street again and go home that way another time - no big deal.

So this kitten was listed in the classifieds to be ready in about three weeks I think it was, so I called and gave my information and said that I would really like to have this kitten when he's ready.

The Dodge Stratus that I mentioned in the other thread was the car that I drove there after the wait to collect the little fella - his belly was stuffed full of cat treats when I got him.

He was a wonderful cat with the best of temperament, and I had him for 13 years until one day he got bit on the face by another female I had. The bite got infected, and unlike my particular scenarios, it only got worse.

I did like that cat very much, and I tried to take him to the best vets to see if they could save him, but to no avail.

In the end he was very unwell and unstable on his feet and I spent as much time with him as I could. He was unable to jump on the bed as he often did, so I would help him up.

I could feel that he was dying so I laid him down beside me and at some point I heard him take his final breath.

Sadly, recovery wasn't meant to be for whatever reason, so I don't think it could have ended any better way.


Spida Chillin' on the Basement Stairs

[Nerb]

R.I.P. little black kitty. They are such good friends sometimes.

Reminded me of "Duke". A black and white cat that I had with me for about 15 years.

The thread about "Cat Bites" relates to a problem he had that tormented us for years. He was scratched in the tear duct by the big ginger tom I mentioned that had taken up residence in my old place. He ended up having 7 operations to try and sort the problem but unfortunately the infection had tracked the duct too deep to really get to.

To cut a long story short, after his last operation he was just plain tired and recovery took a long time. One day he disappeared. I thought he had died but the idea of not knowing where he was was excruciating to say the least. I went looking for him and miracle of miracles, I found him tangled up in a load of shrub cuttings laying in a pile in the garden. I was sure he was dead BUT when I picked him up...NO!

I took him inside and Loved him like my own last breath. He was wobbly and weak but after about another fortnight of life he ended his days lying on my bed in the sun.

He was my brother. He was my friend. He was beautiful.

Sorry for your loss and thanks for sharing your story. Prrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[argentus]

I'm sorry and also glad for you CCoburn.   I've lived with lots of cats over the years and all them have left their mark and been unique, just like the people in my life.    Some people are put off by the perceived aloofness of cats, but I think they are still more wild than dogs, less domesticated, such that when they choose to live with you, they are giving up so much more.   I believe that all animals who touch you and are lay upon or near you are choosing to share their energies.   Most of us probably cannot sense that interaction, but they can.   Cats will choose to reach out and sleep touching your toe, if that is all you will allow them.   

I don't think I want to go through that pain again, after decades of living with, loving and losing cats.   All of ours have been feral cats.   The last one, Rascal, died in my arms at Christmas.   He was 16, and that's a fine old age for a feral cat.    Still, I know in my heart that God or nature or whatever the great IS is, will again provide a wild, sweet, helpless critter at our back door, and the cycle will begin again.   

I hope you can take comfort in the fact that you gave your little guy a great life that he almost certainly wouldn't have gotten otherwise.   I'm just guessing that you might've had a few things yet to process, or perhaps you wouldn't have wandered back to Oak Street.   It has been six or seven  years since your little guy passed, but maybe you are wondering if he will manifest again in a new kitten.   Hey, it's the way the world works.   Don't be surprised if you see an advert for kittens.   

All best mate.

[xpert11]

CCoburn, I am sorry for the loss of your beloved furry family member. Our pets often straddle different aspects of our lives and are the last representatives of past eras.

[CCoburn]

I have a black cat now that looks a lot like the one that died, and I have quite a few pictures here, there, and some on Imgur. Some were taken by a friend and sometimes it's not easy to tell which cat is which. I told a friend last night about my post and she seems to think that the picture with the tulips is Jaxsin, and she said that she took that picture. The name of the cat that died is Spida. Maybe I'll have a look on my HD at some point. I'm certain I have some pictures of Spida on there.

Anyway, there's actually a deeper story here. I adopted a female black kitten about a year after Spida and the trailer that she came from was not very clean. It was obvious also that they were not caring for the kitten because her eyes were all gunked up and the goop was very hard and caked on. I took the kitten anyway, and she continued to have persistent eye problems after that required daily cleanings.

This theory didn't surface for quite some time, but this cat ended up having kittens and one died after only seven years and the other after only ten years. There was also another different female cat that also died after only two years. All these cats died under mysterious conditions, and I eventually concluded that there must have been something infectious or contagious about the original female having been nurtured in such poor conditions.

That original female died maybe around 2018 or so, and I was left with two cats at that point and they have been fine and perfectly healthy ever since.

What an ordeal it was just because they couldn't properly care for that kitten, or least that's my theory after all was said and done.

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Updated picture again. I'm sure this one's right and it's the only one I have on Imgur - third time's a charm.