I am an animal person and tend to prefer to avoid the rat race. At present we ( my hubby & I) have 6 cats. One has major medical issues and I count each day as a gift. Our oldest is an 8 year old tuxedo we bottle raised from before his eyes opened (abandoned by a feral momma because he was hypoglycemic). Next is our sweet 7 � year old calico with severe asthma, a severe seizure disorder (controlled), restrictive cardiomyopathy, and a bum bladder. Number 3 is a 7 year old cat tossed (probably out a car window judging from the leg damage) we rescued from a local park as a 9 month old kitten. Our fourth came to us a week after the third - he was a 9 month old member of the feral colony we look after that live in the woods behind our home who lost an argument with a car and was blessed from that argument with a shattered hip (it took us 2 weeks to catch him as he drug a useless leg around - I am blessed with a wonderful vet who took him in after hours and stabilized him till they could surgically repair the hip, you'd never guess to look at him). Our last 2 were kittens from a litter of 4 born to an 8 - 9 month momma. When her health began to fail she brought me the kittens then laid down under a nearby bush, I guess to die. We would have none of that so all 5 went to my vet (did I mention that I have a wonderful vet with a good sense of humor?). We saved all 5 - momma went back to the colony, we adopted out 2 kittens (1 came back), 1 got too close to the road and was killed, so we have the remaining 2 who are 3 years old.
At this time I also have foster / rescue kitties, some who were abandoned by their former humans (just appeared in our yard and after months of posting them locally we can't find their owners) - 1 with a smashed face but we have had that addressed at the vet school.
Over the years we have washed the path to Rainbow Bridge many times with tears. We lost my childhood cat at age 18 to cancer (she passed in her sleep), a second cat (our 1st after we married) to cancer and gangrene so we had to release her, her companion who grieved to death in spite of all we tried died 6 months later, and the fourth was the kitten killed by a car. We have lost far too many of the feral colony to cars, to panic because of a dog set on them, our beautiful Alpha male was chewed up by the same dog and died 8 days later due to septic blood poisoning, and countless others who simply disappeared. We have finally caught and had spayed/neutered all but 1 15 year old female and 1 1 year old male.
We are older (but not ancient) and I work as a teacher, hubby works too. We live in a small city in a predominantly rural part of our state.
I guess I cry for the gentler creatures (those who only kill to defend themselves or their young or for food) and I still cry for the 1st cat I lost even though it was in 1980 as well as those who followed her, and I also remember how wonderful each one was and how blessed I was to have been able to share their lives.
I guess it really has been a rich, full life so far and hope you enjoy visiting my little corner of the universe.
