We have a bunch (who knows how many - 7? 10?) of cats. They are all wild, couldn't catch one if I wanted. This little girl was given to me because I wanted a friendly cat... and the woman who was a breeder, was downsizing her operations. The cat was a "Pixie Bob", a 20 year old breed started by breeding a bobcat and a domestic cat. She looked like a small bobcat and got lots of attention for that from visitors.. As far as friendly, be careful what you wish for! She was always underfoot whenever we were outside. I loved it.
It is hard to get someone to trust you with a cat when you will be keeping it outside. We have been warned against alpacas and Kittens, so those are not an option. I don't want to spend a lot of money (ie $90 at the pound -and again usually the pound won't let you take a cat if you will be keeping it in the barn) so she will be difficult to replace. She will be missed!
We are not sure how she died. Mike thinks she may have eaten a poisoned mouse... She started declining about a week ago. Getting more uncomfortable and less mobile daily. We hoped she would snap back - find another life. But no such luck. Her last day was Sunday, and she didn't move all day long.. not even a whisker, but she still purred when you pet her. I wished I could just put her out of her misery, then a friend suggested that sometimes animals die from dehydration. As she hadn't moved all day, I knew she was dehydrated. So I took a syringe and water and poured a little down her throat. Then she spasmed and died. (I am wondering if I drowned her).
Anyhow. Perhaps this is a little tribute to Tiger Lily. Now I'm hoping I find a photo to share with you. (OK, the picture I found is not her, but she looked just like that.. except she was missing an eye!)
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Another death on the ranch this week was to our colony of bees, which we finally got! but they all died. Read about that on the bee blog. (http://aardwolfbees.blogspot.com/)
I am really sorry to hear about the loss of your cat.
ReplyDeleteOH hey, hadn't seen the bit about you trying to give her water. Surely that wasn't the cause of her demise, since she was so clearly on her way. But I'm sure that made the whole event much harder. So sorry about that. And the bees. Rough week, huh? Gonna go read about them now.
ReplyDeleteAWWWWwww... I'm really sorry to hear your kitty passed away. Hang in there, it's hard to let a good friend/pet pass.
ReplyDelete- Steve P
Phyllis; The very sad demise of your cat,Tiger Lily, has really troubled me.
ReplyDeleteNot knowing the cause of her death is
unsettling, considering that she may have contracted something from one of the wild barn cats. The fact that one of
your other barn cats turned up dead over there recently and with no marks on it could indicate Feline Leukemia.
No way to know without testing.
Carol