h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My dear, sweet cat Poplap died today.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Poplapgesiggie_zps242a5c68.jpg

Poplap was born in this house, in July or August 1997. Her mom was our cat Kadoefie, then still a tiny little cat. My sister bought Kadoefie for my father, because my father’s cat Floors had disappeared a while earlier and my father missed that cat so much. Well, Kadoefie was a very small and lively, even jittery, cat.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/DoefieinDeur_zpsb4ef176c.jpg

Not long after we got her we were planning to go to the Kruger National Park for a holiday, and we left Kadoefie here in the care of friends. Right before we went we saw that Kadoefie wasn’t as ‘little’ as she looked… and sure enough when we returned she was pregnant. The father was a local street cat that took his chance while we were on holiday. Anyways Kadoefie gave birth … three kittens, whom we named Felix, Spook, and Poplap. Felix was all black:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/felieks_zps4d5a2668.jpg

Spook was white with black patches above his eyes and a few black blotches on his body:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/spwek1_zpsff1d06a9.jpg

And Poplap looked like Poplap. She was the sweetest little thing since her birth. She had a very short nose and a ‘screwed up’ little face. Poplap means something like ‘baby doll’ or ‘poppet’ in Afrikaans.

Kadoefie took surprisingly good care of her children. They grew into exceedingly cute kittens, Poplap especially. But what were we going to do with five cats? Katix, our original cat (born 1980), was still around, and then there were Kadoefie and her three children. Briefly we considered trying to give the kittens away, I even drew a poster, but then my mom decided they had a home, so we kept them all. Poplap got along very well with her brothers, but their mother Kadoefie, when they were grown up, had the habit of hissing at and fighting with them!

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/liefies_zps87d74120.jpg


Katix soon died, so then we had four. Felix lived just a few years and then was hit by a car. Spook lived a bit longer, but then just disappeared. I still wonder what happened, I still dream that he’s back miraculously. Kadoefie lived long, she made it to fourteen.

Poplap was ‘my’ cat from a very early age. She just became attached to me. My father and mother gave her a lot of attention but I think I might have given her more! She was a very relaxed and sweet-tempered cat. I was going through a rough period then … I only have a few very blurry pictures of her as a kitten. Here's one of her (and me!) when we were young:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/PoplapandMe1997_zpscd31d6aa.jpg


She rapidly grew into a very hefty specimen. It was funny, Kadoefie was such a small and slender cat, and all three her children grew to about twice her size! Felix was a very muscular and active cat, Spook was a bit mischievous, but Poplap was very placid. She hardly ever ran, she enjoyed just sauntering around the garden at her leisure, lying under this bush and then under that.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/popjap3_zpsadc9f0cb.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/poploer_zpsd13c92df.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/poplief_zps1b83b854.jpg

Over the years she changed her habits but little. When she was at her heftiest, she often lay on her back and then I would cuddle her belly!

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Poplap7_zpsef60ac68.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Poplappie_zps5bd5f6ab.jpg


But later she lost a bit of weight, and didn’t do that anymore. But she always enjoyed cuddles. She had a lovely voice, she would ‘chirrup’ to greet me. She also had a tiny kitten-like mew she would use to indicate she wanted something. But in fact she had a very powerful voice, the kitten-mewing was just for show! When she wanted to she could miau very loudly, and scream and yowl most fiercely when facing other cats. There were often other cats around, strays or neighbours’ cats, but Poplap could take on any of them.

When Kadoefie died, Poplap was the last cat we had left. She then became especially attached to me. Then my parents died, and then it was just Poplap and me in the house. We settled into a lifestyle together. Whenever I went out, especially when I went to art class, Poplap would be mewing for me when I returned. The fact that I returned to her, and not to an empty, dead house, made it bearable for me. I kept a chair just for her here at the computer; while I worked she would either sit on my lap, or lie on the chair next to me.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Poplap22_zps8933e78c.jpg

She would come sleep on my bed every night … actually, she would first creep in under the covers and lie there right in my arms while I was reading a book for a while; then she would get out, perhaps because she gets too hot, and lie on top of the bed next to me or in the crease of the blanket in between my legs. She would go outside into the garden from time to time, choosing a spot where she had a bit of sun and also a bit of shade. She would alternate between various cosy sleeping spots in the house.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Poplap1_zpsc249282b.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Poplap2_zps336f2a11.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Poplap12_zpsad2e7e4d.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Poplap1b_zpsf07a1231.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Poplap12_zpsad2e7e4d.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Poplaap2_zps62ab4ca4.jpg

She had little habits like mewing for me in the corridor, then I knew she wanted to drink some water directly from the tap in the bathroom in my parents’ old room.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Poplapdrinkwatie1_zps84de26c1.jpg

She enjoyed getting in the kitchen cupboard … she could open the door herself with a front paw, and then sat in there for a while in an old Tupperware container my mom used for rusks.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/PoplapandCupboard_zpscedfa9a4.jpg

When there was lightning and thunder, she would creep under the bed in the guest room. In her last days, she often wanted to drink while I was working here at the desk, so I kept a couple of cups of water for her here. She would jump on the desk, have a drink from the cup, and return to her chair to sleep further.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/PoplaponDesk_zpsef73a144.jpg

Poplap was a very easy and complication-free pet. In her whole life she hardly ever was sick. She only got a few problems over the last year or so. She had some difficulty urinating after which the vet diagnosed her with bladder problems, and I bought her special urinary tract health food. Then for long she did fine. She once had a little sore on her head which worsened; it might have started as an allergy but then she scratched it until it bled and it became a raw mess, so I bought her one of those plastic collars. I felt so sorry for her while she had to wear it!

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/SeerPoplap5_zpsfcf5b193.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/SeerPoplap6_zpsb7ae7b5f.jpg


It was a hassle especially to eat and drink with it on, but she managed, and the wound soon healed and I was so happy when at last I could take it off again! For a while, she was her lively self once more.

I could see she was getting old, and susceptible to minor complaints. She wasn’t moving as easily as always; she probably had a spot of arthritis. In her last couple of years, she wasn’t able to jump onto chairs and desks as easily as before; she had to drag herself up a bit using her front legs, but still she managed. She could still get up on the computer desk until yesterday. She once got a flea problem, after which I made a habit of brushing her regularly and inspecting her fur for evidence of fleas. She had the loveliest, shiny fur. She once got a bit of an infection in her ears as well, but that, too cleared up. Her teeth became a bit worn down and from time to time, her gums were a bit raw-looking. She became less active, not going out and challenging the stray cats as much as before. In her prime she could be extremely imposing … she would puff the hairs out on her tail until it looked three times as wide as normal! (For some reason, all of Kadoefie’s kids had proportionally short tails.) She could still give the neighbourhood strays a go until a year or so ago, at which point she stopped going out much, especially at night. She also barfed quite a few times, especially after eating dry food. I started to give her more of the moist canned food, which she also enjoyed more.

But over the last few months, I could see she was often not very happy. She would keep fidgeting where she sat or lay, as if she just couldn’t get comfortable. She didn’t purr as much as before. She never did have a loud purr, but she did purr when I cuddled her. She lost some weight … I could feel the bones of her spine and hips, while until then she was always well-padded.

A month or so ago she started having serious trouble urinating. She peed in the house a few times. She never does that … when she does, it’s usually because she couldn’t go outside on account of heavy rain (she and the other cats we had never liked the cat tray, instead just using the garden, which is ample enough). But this time it was something else. I saw her straining inside the house … she moved from one room to another and tried to do something in each. Nothing came out, except a few drops that I caught on a piece of paper. And they made a red stain … not a good sign. I took her to the vet on the 17th December, and he gave her antibiotics. She urinated again but still didn’t look very well. Around new year’s I took her to another vet (her regular vet was having a vacation) and he gave her more antibiotics and some cortisone as well. She just didn’t respond very well. She seemed to be getting weaker … she ate less and less. At this point she still enjoyed licking out my bowl after I had my porridge. But she didn’t seem to enjoy her own food any more. I tried many things, to keep her food fresher after opening the cans, and at last I only gave her the canned food, but she just ate less and less… she just didn’t show any interest in food any more. At the end she didn’t even want to lick out my porridge bowl, even when I put it right in front of her. She still drank, and I still have her cup of water on the desk here … but I watched her, and though she lapped at the water, she hardly got any of it in her.

Her motor controls also deteriorated and she started walking with a swaying motion, later staggering around. She could still get onto beds, chairs and the computer desk … but she fell off a chair once, and off the desk as well, as if her sense of balance was off. She stopped responding to me. She stopped chirruping to greet me, and she stopped purring when I stroked her. She still slept on my lap a bit, and she came to my room to sleep on my bed, but the last two nights she didn’t jump up on the bed, instead mewing loudly for me so I could pick her up and put her on the bed.

Over the last few days it just got worse and worse. I could clearly see she was suffering. Not eating, hardly drinking, just sitting or lying around … finally she couldn’t walk more than a few steps at a time, and appeared completely dazed.

My vet returned from his holiday today so I made an appointment for this afternoon. My psychologist, whom I saw this morning, also said I should. Well … I knew pretty certainly that if I took her, I wasn’t going to bring her back alive. And so it was. The vet looked at her and said there wasn’t a miracle that he could do for her … she was likely to deteriorate and had no appreciable quality of life left. It was likely her kidneys. I could have sent her for tests … but I don’t think she would even have survived until the results came back. She had at most a day or two left.

I could have let it run its course and let her die here at home … but there wasn’t really a point to that. She was only just barely ‘there’ any more, and she wasn’t happy in the slightest. So he gave her a lethal injection. I was holding her until the end. I asked for a blanket to cover her when I took her out to the car, so as not to upset the other people. I put her in the car and took the blanket back.

The receptionists had been very kind … for a Christmas present they’d given me a big box, a Urinary Tract Health kit, with special food and a shiny fish-shaped bowl. I knew she was never going to be able to make use of any of it, so the box never got opened … so I told them I’d return it to them along with the recently bought and unopened cans of food that I still have.

Back home I buried Poplap in the garden close to where her mother, and Katix, and another cat of ours, Petoors, were buried. I dug a nice and deep hole for her, and afterwards I put a small cairn of stones on top.

I’m going to miss my cat so much.

This one of the last photos I took of her, just a few days ago:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Poplaponsteps_zpsa9401b95.jpg

Here, in her hefty old days, she's doing a Monorail Cat impression:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/MonorailCatImpression_zps83ab19ea.jpg

Here she's waiting to lick out my porridge bowl ... just a few weeks ago:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Lappigheidjie_zps1bfab231.jpg

Willem

That is a beautiful tribute for your beautiful cat Poplap.

Before I read it I was remembering how she liked to lick your porridge bowl, go into the kitchen cupboard, sometimes try to drink you painting water and give you a numb bum when you were on the computer. And her lovely chirrup.

I am very sad tonight to hear that she has died for her and for you.

Poplap it was lovely to know you, even though I didn't get to give you real life strokes and cuddles, you felt real to me through Willem

You were a loving and loyal companion to Willem and will be sorely missed.

I'm so sad that you lost your beautiful friend.

We've been there, saying good-bye to our animal friends. It's a terribly hard thing to do, I know.

Best wishes and condolences from me. All I can say is, I think the fact that you have a place to bury your cat friends, and can visit the spot, is a wonderful thing.

Rest in peace, Poplap. May you find joy over the Rainbow Bridge.

Dear Willem,

This is so very sad. Poplap has left you with some wonderful memories, perhaps you could plant up a special garden in her honour, so she will always be around you.

She lived to a grand old age... and most of that was with your help

Rest in Peace, Poplap

Go chase the s


lil xx

Dear Willem

I am so very sorry to hear this. You showed us how very special Poplap was to you. And how gracious you were right to the very end.

No cat could have had a finer life, nor a finer more caring, loving owner than you.

Lanzababy

I was sorry to read the news, too, but your post is a wonderful tribute to her

Sorry for your loss friend. She was a great companion, and thank you for sharing all the lovely pictures you took of her.

It is nice to know her resting place will be close by. She had a great owner too.

Rest in peace, Poplap.

Oh Willem,

I'm so sorry to hear this - she looks a lot like my George and probably not far away from *his* habits too.

What a beautiful tribute to a much loved cat.



Mags

Thanks for the messages everyone! There was something I forgot to say about Poplap to show how gentle she was. As you know I also love birds, and for long we had a place here where we fed them. We would throw porridge leftovers and bird seed out for them so they can come eat. Poplap never caught or chased them, she just lay there under a bush and watched them as they ate!

Only later did we stop feeding the birds because the stray cats (which Poplap being old stopped chasing away) started lying there and catching them.

Willem, I a so very sorry to hear your news. At lest you gave her a dignified end and so much love. No cat could ask for more.

Your beautiful tribute must have taken a great deal of effort but I hope it helped. I do urge you to do as was done for your Dad and get another. I am sure there will be cats in need of your love and kindness.

You have many good memories so cherish those, and the photos.

Take care of yourself,

Websailor

I know that our vet has kittens for adoption. Maybe you should keep the spare catfood and call your vet to see whether he has any kitties for adoption. I wouldn't start feeding birdies though until your little cat grows big enough to chase the strays and maybe not then because as much as I love cats they are usually pretty effective predators not like gentle Poplap.

Oh Willem. I can barely type through my tears

My friend you are such an eloquent writer and we all feel your sad loss. My heart is broken for you but it sounds like Poplap couldn't have chosen a better companion herself!

I didn't load your journal yesterday, seeing the title in my message centre was hard enough, because I was in a fragile mood having had a scare with Ian's Mum. Today I clicked and read but didn't make it to the end of your journal before the tears cascaded. I will take a look at your photos when I've recovered a bit. I need a now.



GB

Hi again! GB, please do look at the photos when you get time, I'm sure you would like them.

I won't be feeding kittens the food Poplap ate since that was special food for her urinary tract problems! I went to the vets today to give it back. The vet asked me to go to the DBV and get a cat there since they have many animals that otherwise will be put to sleep. I don't know if I will do that soon ... I will need to get over a lot of stuff regarding Poplap first.

I know the feeling. I'd say, take your time.

But it's good to know that there are cats out there waiting to make a home with you.

Somebody once wrote, 'Cats somehow seem to know when you're a cat short.' I've found that to be true.

I agree, I don't think you can just replace one cat with another. Especially when Poplap had such a special place in your life. One day a cat may find its way to you, but I wouldn't try to make this happen until you're absolutely ready for this to occur.


Lanzababy