I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to do this, but it has been so very hard
Tabs first turned up at our house in 2007. Initially we just used to see him in the garden, and then gradually he used to pop into the kitchen for snacks before eventually being trapped after getting into a fight and only being able to get about on 3 legs. I remember posting about when he joined us, and the wonderful support which I received then.
The first time I ever saw Tabs
Tabs before treatment
We got his leg problem which was due to an abscess and various infections fixed, and got him neutered, microchipped and a dental done.
Tabs after a few months care
After all the horrible things that I had had done to him, he decided that he adored his daddy Jim, and that I was definitely only second best. He was however, a wonderful little cat with people, and everyone at the vets loved him, especially the receptionists and nurses, because he always used to purr for them, even when they had to inject him.
Tabs loving his daddy
It took him a little longer to settle in with the rest of the furry gang, because to begin with he wanted to take over as top cat, and that was never going to happen while Tatty was around. Suki was never a big fan of his, but at least the others got used to his ways. It was funny though, because after we lost Tatty in 2010, we thought that Tabs would try to take top position again, but it seemed like by that time he wasn’t too fussed about it, and he was happy just to let things be.
Tabs In The Garden
We never knew where Tabs had come from, but we learned that wherever it was he had been hit. You could tell if you picked up a newspaper, magazine or book, or even if you lifted your forearm too quickly, Tabs would run away, and when he looked back over his shoulder at you, you could see the look of fear in his eyes. It didn’t take us too long to learn that if you ever wanted to pick up such things, you had to move really slowly, and our pet sitters always had to understand this. Over time he got to trust us, but you still had to be very careful, so that it just became second nature.
On one of his annual checkups at the vets, I asked about his tail, because he had never seemed to be able to hold it upright, and the vet confirmed that it looked like it had been broken at some time and had subsequently healed. He still had feeling in the end of it, so as long as he wasn’t bothered by it – and he wasn’t, it had to stay that way.
Tabs in the garden
After a year or 2, Tabs looked at what Sweepy was doing, and decided that maybe sitting on my lap wasn’t such a bad thing after all, and when I used to sit down in the evenings it was a race to see who could get to my lap first. If Tabs won, Sweepy would lie at the side of my leg, and if Sweepy won, Tabs would have to sit on the arm of the sofa on my other side. When little Jericho joined us, the competition got even greater, and I would have one on my lap and one on each side, although in this picture Sweepy is behind my head.
Earlier this year, Tabs started to suffer with sore gums again and shortly after was found to possibly have cancer of the bladder. We visited the vet so many times, as we alternated between the treatments for the two conditions, because the treatments weren’t compatible, and only one could be given at a time.
Throughout all that he was going through, Tabs still wanted to be with us, and when we took Furdie out for his walks, he, Rory and Sweepy would come with us.
I can’t believe how little time it seemed to take at yet another appointment before the vet eventually said that even if we swapped to the treatment for the other problem, he thought that we would be back again within a day or two and that it wasn’t fair on Tabs any more. Jim agreed with the vet immediately, though it took me a little longer, but eventually we both agreed that we had to let our baby go. I will never forget your face and how you purred.
You were so special and brought us so much joy.
I love you and miss you so very much.
Tabs, my star
Tabs close up
Tabs tongue
Two days after we lost Tabs, there was a rainbow, I was so convinced that it was Tabs’ Rainbow. I realized after that Tommy still hadn’t sent us one, but I was just so convinced that it had come from Tabs.
Tabs’ Rainbow
