I lost my boy on Saturday night. My sweet boy, Fred. Former stray, strayed for not sure how long until an old lady took pity on him and got him taken into care with abscesses. He always had a baldy bit right in between his shoulder blades.
He was a Maine coon / foreign long hair cross but nobody realised until he was living with us. He had looooooong fur (and I wish he had taken better care of it himself!), his back legs looked like he was wearing fluffy pantaloons! He always insisted on sitting outside in the dirt, even in the rain. I remember pulling slugs out of his fur (gross! 🤢) but he was happy there. He was always given the choice of coming in the house, but Fred did what Fred wanted.
He was taken back to rescue twice because he wasn't affectionate, had a heart murmur, and feeding issues relating to missing teeth (I dread to think how he ended up with lots of broken / missing teeth). We gave him the chance and patience and I think lockdown helped him because there was always someone in the home. He would swipe at us if we were walking past, scared we were going to kick him. It was more than 2 years before he stopped this behaviour.
I don't think he ever let go of that stray part and he was always dirty, never let us brush him. I remember the battle with the brush 😅 took two of us! Never a lap cat, though he would tolerate us sometimes. It was more than 6 months before he would purr for us.
I was in the middle of my degree when I first got him and when I came home for Christmas (gone three months) in 2021 he was so pleased to see me and wouldn't leave me alone for the rest of the evening.
He was ill for so long and I knew he wouldn't be with us forever but I am so broken by his departure. Mum washed him in the morning because he was so dirty, and he didn't leave his warm dry towel in the shower cubicle without us for the rest of the day, and we knew it was time to go. He had cried out for us over the course of the day because he was just so frail and unwell. Saying goodbye to him was so hard.
I miss my boy so much. I don't know what to do now. I know we made the right choice but I wish it wasn't the end. Daddy loves you baby, daddy loves you so much.