Catch up as time flies by, Dark days

It has been a very dark 2023. 

Ou Kerel and Muis has crossed the rainbow bridge.

Ou Kerel having kidney failure in the beginning of 2023 and Muis losing so much weight due to HIV that is was kinder to say goodbye than to keep him fighting nausea and vomiting. Both have been with us a long time but Muis especially living to the summer of his 15year.

Muis was the last born and very small. Date of birth 14h00 on the 8th of May 2009. Mom did not have enough milk to feed the boys and they were raised by hand of a full time at work mom. He was so small we had to place a paving brick for him to climb onto, to get into his litter tray. He soon grew up strong and just as big as his brothers. 

He never spoke and then after his 10th birthday he walked into the house and mawed with a v6 mew, we just stared at him. After recovering from a very bad spell of not eating and the vet allowing him to come home for the weekend in Dec 2020, he raced off and ate all he could find, needless to say he remained with us for another 3 yrs. Giving the best hugg I have ever had. Muis would climb up to your neck, put his little arms around your shoulder and nuzzle into you, purring and hugging all the way.

I place photos of him as celebration of his life.

MUIS AK BABA

Muis and Jack 

old man Muis checking if babe Lucky is ok

Huggs

Ou Kerel

This special boys history is on the blog. He adored boxes and especially pizza box. We kept one at our back door for him as this was his beloved sun tanning spot. He would come to you if you whistled, something I have not seen a cat do before. 

He has taught us unconditional love without saying a word and live on in our hearts. Ou Kerels place can`t be filled as he had `big shoes` to fill. The protector of the yard with the scars to prove it. 

2022 a New year.

 The tribe are still the same as per last post.

Muis, now nick named Baba, has survived! December 2020 was nearly his last. Living with feline immune decease is not easy. But I am happy for every day he eats and more so for the way he climbs up my body to lay on my shoulder and hug me. 

He has lost a lot of weight and has good and bad days but mostly good. He also has started speaking to us....he will be 14 years old on the 8th of May this year. He has the deepest bass voice for such a little fellow.

The Tribe

So much has happened since my last post.

I will try to catch up as we go along.

Currently the Tribe is 4

Molly or more comenly called Molly Moo or Miss Molly the grey and white taby.

Ou Kerel the butler that arrived here broken and has only given us so much love and joy

Muis - proper taby, the last of the original 4 born in my dining room, Mom, was Missy.

and Jamica the wolds naughtiest and qutest combined - ginger taby a big heavy boy

How do you do

 He arrived as most do, but he was different. No fighting, just sitting quietly in the shadows, waiting for the rest to feed. He was a gentleman.

Few weeks went by. Then I started to smell him. He had had a few abscesses and they normally cleared. I still had not touched him, but he had progressed to his own bowel of food and the cats all accepted him. He was very wary of humans.

On cold night he slept outside our kitchen door. I could smell him and thought boy if you survive the night I need to get you to a vet a.s.a.p but how? To catch and handle this would be a huge mission.

 The next morning he was missing. My hart sank, where did he go and how can I help him.
Later I heard the dogs bark at the fence.
I traced him to our overgrown back yard and he was laying down near the fence not worrying about the dogs yaping.

I picked him up and he just hung there almost as if on the brink of deaths door. Dave and I took a fast trip to the vet.
Dr. took one look. Ou Kerels throat had almost been ripped out and gone septic. Being under the chin and not being able to handle him made it impossible to see.
Dr. injected him and said to my unbelief " I will call you"

 They cut a way the bad tissue and as there was no skin to close left the wound open and gaping. He was also castrated and I was like WHAT? Doc you worked on the wrong end of the cat!
Dr. did not think I was funny.
"He is a fighter, he said. If I did not do it, he would continue fighting."

Looking at the scared and battle worn head , I know Doc was right.
Remember this is not my cat, but a stray. I gave the Dr. a budget as funds are not limitless.
They kept him for 2 weeks, he was doing well. Once the septicemia cleared the operated again cut away dead tissue and sewed together what was left.
Still with a open hole in the neck and a mouth that would not close due to tight skin, he was healing and sent home.
Dave and his friend built a chicken coop for a better word of description. We knew if we let him out he would be gone and he still had a long way to go on recovery.
He chewed through the wire..... pushed the boards open and it was a constant battle to keep him in.

He was a roamer and very well mannered but wanted to break free. Evenings would be fine but day time was the worst.

Soon he was better and we could release him. He often takes a walk about and comes back in a day or two. But Dr. was wrong he still fights, but we think it is in self-defence as he is a gentleman.

Tigger has taken a knock to his ego with Ou Kerel arround.
Dave has fallen in love and ou Kerel follows him every where he goes. Just one whistle from Dave and Ou Kerel comes running.  His favourite is to sit on Daves tummy and go forehead to forehead, as if to look Dave in his eyes and say "you are mine"
Molly has found someone to replace Brock and loves Ou Kerel to his utter disgust. She cat kisses and loves him until he starts playing patty cakes with her.

and I am so happy that this gentle soul has found a home, food and love and he still disappears for days and comes home with battle wounds.

Ou Kerel

I am Ou Kerel............................................

Ou Kerel

the story of ou kerel to be told.
But where do I start?

Brock my Broccoli

Yes, the darkness went on.

Brock chewed his back foot so badly. No medicine worked the vet said no operation due to the sugar diabetes he had.
I cleaned 2x daily. Until he hated me and would run when he saw me. The foot would drip blood.
Yet he would still come and sit on my lap when the medicine was out of reach and put both front paws on my chest and just stare into my eyes.
I know he loved me, no cat has ever done that.

It got to the stage where every pet owner knows, it is kind to make the call.
I was the coward and said to Dave pls take him to the vet for the forever night night.
I did not want to know when the day would be. So every morning and night said goodbye and loved him.

I got home one day early, just to find Dave walking in to the house VERY upset with a empty cat basket. No words just crying from both of us.

It is hard, I miss my boy.