I'm glad you think he's so youthful looking, I see the grey hair in his ears that wasn't there before, but otherwise he's fit and well. Beau has had a hard time one way or another, I got him as a kitten (before I knew better) from an elderly woman who kept a number of physically disabled cats (three legs, blind, no tails etc) from whom she bred kittens, the income paid for the care of the disabled cats so she pootled along feeling she was doing good.
Beau was so beautiful (hence the name) with blue eyes that looked human. He couldn't speak until he was two years old and used to mouth a mew at me when he wanted something, like the Flora advert that was around at the time.
Then he went missing for a week, we found him eventually locked in the hut of a scaffold yard. Dehydrated and in a panic, he hasn't left my side since and suffers from separation anxiety when I go on holiday, he tends to overgroom on these occasions and has been known to hunger strike. (Our cat sitter Kathy is aware of his sensibilities
, and looks after him superbly; it was she who added the moniker of gentleman.)
After this he was being treated for mouth pain under a less than careful vet who failed to diagnose a broken tooth root. He was on Metacam for almost a year and we nearly lost Beau then because he wouldn't eat (pain) - until I finally sought a second opinion from our current and fab vet Neil
, who found the problem and had him sorted in a trice.
I worry about his kidneys because of the duration he was on metacam, but Neil is monitoring him and at his last check up two weeks ago, Beau was showing no sign of kidney disfunction, so I'm happy that he's well now. He is my best friend.