Sunday 26 July 2009

Sad day for me

I have included a pic of 3 mail art postcards, I have finally framed up. I found these frames at a car boot stall, they may be old Ikea ones I think and they were just what Id wanted.
So the first 3 are framed up and Ive another 6 to do yet, to match.
I swapped mail art postcards with overseas colleagues, afew years ago, and they had sat in a box, which is such a shame.
I lifted the stamps off and stuck them near to each card and also wrote in pencil who had sent the card and from where they were.

I realised that I hadnt put a title on the pics of Challenge 2 that I am doing, following Shelagh Folgate's Challenge instructions ... dummy.. soz.

Its a sad day for me, because I finally made the decision to have my much loved old Siamese cat put to sleep. I 'rescued' Shuggie, whom I named after the tarty lady in The Colour Purple, from a small night shift work unit, where she'd arrived one night, and was being fed by big daft blokes.
I thought she was pregnant but actually she was so well fed she looked as if she was about to drop kittens! They took in chicken, tuna, fresh fish and beef for her to eat along with their own sandwhiches and she obliged them by eating whatever they gave her in exchange for hugs and cuddles.

I adored her from first sight but did infact home her on to a lady living alone. A week later she came back to me, because she hadnt taken to this woman and told her so, vocally all the time and the Siamese has a distinctive meow...more of a yowl and it drove this lady to distraction.
So 'Shuggie' stayed with me from then on and was adored, and completely contented and rarely ever yowled again. She became my shadow and completely altered my preconceptions of what I thought of as 'designer cats'.

She took to my dogs who also adored her, despite her reguarly tugging at their ears if they got too close to her from time to time lol She tolerated all the rescue cats as they came and went and was indeed a Duchess. She became pals with the cats that stayed with me and snuggled with them at every opportunity and they all seemed to enjoy her company.
Ive had her for about 17 years and she was about 2 years old when she found the night shift workforce guys.
No one had reported her lost in the area and she wasn't micro chipped.
About 3 years after I had rescued her, I established who had once owned her quite by accident, they had assumed she had been cat napped by lorry drivers who parked up near there small holding, so didnt bother reporting her lost or advertising for her whereabouts.
I was able to show them her pics and they were thrilled to know she was with me and happy for me to keep her.........little knowing that by then, I'd have murdered to keep her!
She had had kittens the previous year and was indeed about 2 years old. She had got out one night in a storm and crossed through 2 large fields and then found the blokes working who on seeing her bedraggled no doubt, made her a bed and fed for her for a month or two then felt she was probably pregnant thought they shoulkd really have her rescued and homed on.

I resolved not to keep her alive on a cocktail of tablets because she was such a dignified old dame and shes been on borrowed time this past 18 months, but the time had come. I could see she was weary and I had to make one final act of devotion for her.
Its not easy is it that.

You know I hope someone will care enough about me, when I reach that point, to allow me to go as peacefully. Or I hope I have the faculty and ability to make that decision for myself.

Think I need a cupper, sorry if I've upset anyone, but its helped having it said somewhere, you know?

1 comment:

  1. I'm sorry about Shuggie. That's one of the sad responsibilities we have as companions to our furballs. My old girl (Siamese) lived to be 23 years and 8 months old, and had been the companion of my life since I had been 20 at the time. It was devastating to have her euthanized, but it was the right thing to do when she suddenly failed that last day of her life. Siams are such special creatures, and really become a one-person cat. They may LIKE other people, but they LOVE their person. I thought I could never love another cat like I did her, but like kids, you love them just as much but as their own little selves. My second girl is 14, and is another love of my life.

    It always helps to talk about it, especially to other pet lovers who understand.

    -Perry-

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