It is never easy, in fact I would be crying to! I lost one of my cats years ago from health problems and there wasn't a thing that I could do to save mecca, and I was just by with myself in tears. I still can't bare now to look at her pictures. To hard to.

Believe me, i know only too well the pain that comes with losing a beloved pet....hence my tribute page to WHISPER on my website. It's the last page on the list called 'God bless WHISPER' and there's a song that plays automatically on there i added as i felt the words were very apt.
They will never be forgotten though and will remain in our hearts and minds forever.

Actually this prompted me to scan the pic I have, just in case it does get lost so I have another copy. Deano was about 4 when he died and was hit by a car, Sophie went missing soon after and I assume the same happened but we will never know. One of our neighbours found Deano as he knew we had been looking for him, he asked me if I wanted to see him as he was in a bad way but I couldn't. I was so upset. So he buried him for us. Sophie went missing about three weeks after and I was devastated.

I couldn't have another cat for many years until we got Ella and Effie last year.

Anyway here they are, just after we got Sophie and Deano had FINALLY stopped hissing at her. he used to pretend he didn't like her for a while but this proves he did!!

Attached Images

Deano and Sophie.jpg (100.1 KB, 5 views)

Ahh bless...they are adorable and im so sorry for your loss also.
No-one can take our memories away though. xxxx

Very true, They were quite different as out door cats tho. In some ways I guess they become feral and less reliant on us than Ella and Effie. I could never ever take the risk of letting these two out as I know the same would happen. Sometimes I feel bad but I make sure we play with them a lot and they have lots of toys to try and replicate the hunting they would do. although I don't miss the "gifts" Deano and Sophie used to bring in.

I would love another ginger male cat tho...

Yes they are very independent when they're outdoor cats. But as you say, so long as they have the toys to either replicate the hunting or just for their exercise then i believe they are better off indoors. I would like to have some sort of caged run in the garden just so he could get some fresh air sometimes but they dont come cheap. Yes i saw one of your earlier posts about wanting a ginger cat....are you actively looking?...or will you wait a bit?

Sort of. I drag my other half to the pet shop weekly ha ha!! But we have resisted. I would go to get a rescue cat but as soon as you say "indoor cat" they look at you like you are a murderer. I would love to rehome an older cat that needs love and wish that cats got on with one another but I know it would terrify my OH if our girls started hissing and wailing at a new one.

We only have a front garden and it is not secure enough to have a cat run. Ella and Effie have got out by mistake before but then cried to come back in, they didn't like it. They sometiems make a run for it but they make a run for it into the kitchen whenever that door is open (they are not allowed in the kitchen). Looking at the prices of mogs tho, they are so expensive, I don't mind spending money on them onc ethey are mine but that initial outlay gets to me. I don't want a pedigree and would have no problem with giving someone money then but it's just people who are not proper breeders that are letting their cats drop kittens every five minutes for extra income and they don;t actually care about them. I can argue that spending the money means nothing for the joy they bring but I think OH has other ideas.

Also our two are such lovely temprements that i worry that if we got another cat that was a loner or didn't like to be handled, it would be upsetting. Ella and Effie are such a joy, i would probably have a hard time replicating another with that personality.

My OH was never a cat person but now looks at websites and cooos and aaah's. he was always a dog person before but if we win the lottery, he wants more cats!!! He loves them.

They do get a lot of exercise, we have the "belt" game. I tie a dressing gown belt to my jeans and run around the house and up and down two flights of stairs and they run after it trying to catch it.

Also we have the "stick" game, I throw a stick and Ella gets it and brings it back. Effie spoils the game tho, she gets the stick and then drops it - much to Ella's disgust ! Ella knows the game and doesn;t like it that Effie doesn't play by the rules!

Of course they chase one another round like mad still so there is still plenty going on!!

Yes people are charging rediculous prices even for moggies, ive only ever had moggies, as a cat is a cat as far as im concerned. Im not a believer that you have to pay out loads to buy a cat and that then makes you a good owner....surely the money could be spent on the cat when you get it?
As for giving them excerise when indoors...no matter how many toys FREEDOM has, his favourite seems to be playing fetch with a scrunched up piece of paper ....how cheap is that? He brings it back to me and i just chuck it again. Also i had a long shoe lace that i used to drag around and he'd chase after that...but his paper fetching seems to please him the most and tire him out, so it's the best of both worlds there. All i am waiting on at the moment is a cat tree/ scratch post...as he is indoors it is better for his claws and my furniture...

Yeah we want to get a cat tree, Effie uses a scratch post, Ella doesn't However we bought a door mat which is that sort straw stuff that is by our street door and they claw on that. It doesn't make a
mess as bits don't come off but they love it and as it is a door mat, we aren't really worried about it. They don't claw anything else to be honest!

The belt of the back of jeans keeps them happy for hours, I normally wear it when I am putting laundry away, it's long enough that they can't get under my feet and I loop it through the loop of my jeans and they chase around after it! It's their favourite. Balls, laces, and all the other stuff - not bothered!!