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

She is a very small, kitten-like black cat who is something like 18 years old. We don't know exactly how old she is a she was rescued by a freid of mine from the roof of Waverly Station in edinburgh. I say rescued - He was working in the rail offices that look over the roof and had been feeding her bits and pieces for about a year when one day she walked in through the window, across his keyboard and fell asleep in his lap. He took her home and she was queen. Two years or so later she came to grace our family as my freind could no longer keep her.

She was a wild little thing when she arrived - she spent most of the time outside, bullying the local cats and dogs and ruling the area. She wouldn't cuddle and ran away if you approached her or even walked near her too loudly. But as she got older she got much softer and cuddlier and in all ways, finally becoming mistress of the home and family. Her word is law. She's never been ill - until recently -

Sooty has had a couple of eye bleeds and her kidneys and liver are playing. But yesterday I got a call from the cattery she is holidaying while the folks are in Greece. they told me of their suspicions that she had gone blind - a common complication for old cats who have kidney function problems. They asked if they could take her to the vet (OF COURSE!) So they got back to me today. She isn't totally blind - but can probably only see shados (bilateral dilation in both eyes with little reaction) and a retinal bleed which is more worrysome. She got a couple of shots and seems happy and relaxed and eating well and stuff. But I wonder how long she's going to last.

She's just a cat, but when you consider she's been part of our lives for something like 12 years without one day of sickness - she really isn't immortal is she?

I'm going to go see her on Saturday - I was planning to go check the folks place anyway (OH, OK, I'm having a party at theirs before they come back!)I promised the 'rents I wouldn't spring her from cat hotle before they come back - if only cos I can't stay with her to get her to take her pills But I need to go give her a cuddle - for my sake if nothing else...


Zantic

Give her a for me too.....

Have a for you aswell

On that note, when do you want invading?

Awww poor kitty I was only talking of something very simular the other day to a friend; our 'family' cat at my Dads is getting pretty old now On the matter of cats and blindness; we had a old rescue cat that lived up the street, back at my Dads, which gradually lost its eyesight, was a big, very* big ginger tom, Sadly he's died a few years back, but right till when he was taken ill at the end, he was the 'top cat' in the neighbourhood, despite having no sight at all in one eye, and very restricted in the ohter; he still managed to rule the roost up the road, and would still dive up a tree at lightening fast speed better than any other cats in the area seemed able

Thanks for that 2legs (it is 2Legs isn't it? the disguise is very good!) Gives me hope for her yet.

Toc - I'll e-mail seperately cos I need to check the weather forecast, but probably about 2ish.

zantic

Yes it is 2legs, but my mind has been taken over by Cliff Richard Et Al Oh there s certain hope, cats, and indeed other animals seem amazing at dealing with things like loosing their sight; when I was younger, we had a dog near where we lived, that had lost the use of its back legs, I'm not sure how; anyhow, they got like this thing with two wheels, that they attached to its back end as it were and the dog manged fine! though I think it might have missed being able to cock its leg up to pee on lamposts