And next up, and not without a tear in my eye and lump in my throat, it's Pumpkin!
I should say straight away that my dear little pumpkin is no longer with me, but is making an appearance anyway!!
I was at work one day, and this mass or ginger mess was brought in by the RSPCA inspector as a stray. He weighed in at an emaciated 1.7kg, was bald on both sides of his chest (we though possible recent pleural effusion), matted all over, ear mites, bent feet and terrible teeth. We kept him for the 7 days, but the RSPCA said there was no chance to home him, so his fate after 7-days was PTS. A few days later I was in cat ward fussing and cooing over him, and another nurse came in. At this point, I'd said nothing, but when she said 'he's manky, who's gonna want him?' I looked into his face, and replied 'me'. And there it was. The RS inspector was so pleased (even he'd fallen a little for Pumpkin) and arranged site tests and pre-anaesthetics to check liver and kidney (which we not the best, but certainly not the worst!)
So, into the carrier he went, and he officially became our first 'oldie'
We guestimated Pumpkin to be about 20yrs.
At home, all the other cats just plain ignored him (they probably thought if they tried to swat or play with him, he'll fall over) so he set about finding a bed (which he did quickly), and I got a couple of little baby-grows to keep him warm. We started on necessary meds and completely clipped all the mats out (apart from his head, he was almost bald). We got rid of his ear mites, and consciously got all the thick tartar off his teeth (he was in no state for an anaesthetic, and he sat good as gold!). He had a hearty appetite, climbing up to 2.5kg in the time I had him. We'd already begun his long recovery & retirement programme.
He still managed to get up to all sorts, and slept every night in between me and my boyfriend, in what Vic called 'the pumpkin patch'! I remember being in the garden with Pumpkin following me around, and the brain-damaged pigeon wandered out of his hutch (yes, even he has his own posh house!) Out of the corner of my eye, I saw this ginger ninja run like the clappers and pounce on poor pidge! The shock on that poor pigeon's face! All Vic could hear from inside the house was me outside saying 'Pumpkin, that's bad, get off the pigeon'!!
He really was a treasure, a special, special boy, and my oldie soulcat. I still miss him terribly, and of all the three oldies we've now had, he was the one who we thought would only last a few months. He lived 7 happy months with us, outlasting the two oldies we got after him, Agatha and Maggie Moo.
So, I've put a couple of pics on when we got him, and a couple towards the end of his retirement. Sadly, I woke one morning to find him in between Vic and I, struggling to breathe and barely hanging on to life. I snuggled and kissed him, and told him what I always had from the time I met him 'love ya, love ya, love ya pumpers', and helped him go to sleep at home.
As hard as it is losing any of my animals, I try very hard to think: 'OK, it hurts like crazy, but just look at the life/retirement they have with us, compared to what the alternative was'. Sometimes it works, and I manage to be strong!!
So, here's my special boy, Pumpkin (Also known as Pumpers)
And next up... Ned!
