Monday, April 20, 2009

Vale Timmy (199? – 20 April 2009)


Timmy was euthanized today, and thus passes a cat of CHARACTER into the ether. A curmudgeon of a beast, he could however be quite endearing in his eccentric way.

This morning when I fed the cats breakfast, all was well and Timmy showed no signs of abnormality. He gobbled his breakfast and then proceeded to go and menace Willy who had taken refuge under the bed. I gave Timmy a nudge with my foot to drive him away and as per usual he hissed at me and lashed out before skulking off. He was a cat that hated to be thwarted and showed it in no uncertain terms.

Anyway a few hours later, B rang me at work to say that Timmy was acting very strangely - drooling and falling over as if he was having a seizure or a stroke. He took Timmy to the vet (a nightmare at the best of times, but Timmy was subdued this time) who checked him out and advised that the cat had a very loud heart murmur. B decided not to prolong his life and had him put down.

It’s a bit of a shock and B is very upset about it, as Timmy was his mother’s cat.

Timmy appeared to be fighting fit despite his age which could be anywhere from 16 to 18 years, and looked like he’d go on forever.

It is however a relief that he’s now gone. The other two cats, Willy in particular, are overjoyed. Poor Willy has spent the last few years in terror of Timmy, so we might see more of him from now on as he has been spending most of his days elsewhere. In fact as I write this he's sitting on my knee purring. Now he won’t have to creep round looking fearful of attack. He’s a cheery cat, so it was a shame that Timmy caused this apprehension in his approach to home. They never reached an accommodation as Lizzie did with Timmy. Quite a number of visits to the vet by both male cats for abscess bursting and antibiotics attest to this.

The photo above is one I took a few weeks ago. Timmy was always a good photographic subject, sitting or lying (as above) motionless and staring solemnly at the camera.

So RIP Timmy old fellow - Can't say I’ll miss you a bit all that much, despite the space of absence this night, but it was nice knowing you all the same.

4 comments:

Ann ODyne said...

Maybe he was a crabby at because he was in pain?
I get very sad forbloggers pet deaths - Lorraine Crescents dog has had a drama and I cannot bear to read beyond the RSS feed line.
I suppose it wasnt a bad death for him, and we can be happy the bully is out of the other cats way.

Cat Heaven just got a Bad Boy.

peace and love,

Kay Cooke said...

I appreciate your sentiments and love that you were so honest about a bit of a terror with CHARACTER - you can see it in his face - great photo. I believe b&w cats are known for their fierceness?

Anne S said...

Thanks Kay,

Timmy actually was a grey and white cat. I think grey cats tend to be more aggressive than the average other colour cat.

I remember there used to be another grey cat in our neighbourhood called Mr Pussycat who was a demon and always fought with our brown cat of the time.

Ann,

I don't believe he was in pain - he just happened to be a cat who resented any interference. He's always been like that, even when B's mum had him.

jezblog said...

I am sorry for the loss of Timmy but sounds like its good news for the other guys.......

here is a funny cat pic I just posted to cheer up any one saddened by the passing of Timmy:

http://www.jezblog.com/index.php?showimage=830

Cheers Jez XXXXXX