Just catching up and I feel like we are all in this little secret members club of who Chillminx helped

Well I say, what an absolute honour to be part of it. She must be smiling down at us all saying look at all these people confess to pms galore about help, then a little bit of chit chat thrown in. Or rather a lot of chit chat

I had a feeling it would be the ARC and Sally

Now remember if any of us win the lottery, we start a rescue in her honour.

If it wasn't for all her simple brilliant advice I wouldn't even thought I would have the skills to own a cat.

Re your last sentence you sure took the words right out of my mouth.

 

Just been reading the newspapers this morning whilst listening to this piece of music and envisaged this region being Rainbow Bridge and Stef and all her cats running around.

 

Beautiful!

 

I've not been here for some time, so very sad to hear the news, Chillminx was always here with advice during all the years I have been on Pet Forums, a kind soul, generous with her time and knowledge, the most knowledgeable cat person I have ever known, very respected and admired and I will miss her terribly, as will many others.

 

I repeatedly come across new posts on cat health where I'm thinking, Stef would know the answer to this. There is a prize which I think Cornell University (one of the world leading vet schools) gives to someone (anyone, pet owners for example), to recognise their ability to communicate information clearly and helpfully in such a way that cat welfare is increased. I wonder if we could nominate Stef for this posthumously. I feel she would never allow us to nominate her if she was still with us but it seems to me another fitting way to commemorate her memory. It is honestly no exaggeration to say you will not find this level of knowledge in one person easily online. You just won't - not in the generous, kind way she offered it anyway for no reward other than the desire to see cats happy and their often anxious and clueless owners better educated.

Oh Stef - I fear you are irreplaceable...

 

I think that is a lovely idea and I would be more than happy to support such a nomination.

 

@Douglas' Dad That's a lovely idea. No disrespect to PF members but when I used to see a post answered by Chilliminx I used to feel relieved as I knew they would get a good answer .

 

I’m in!!!

 

I love the idea too. However I think we need to find out more and certainly wait until after the funeral before broaching the subject with Stef's family.
No-one could deserve it more.

 

I was actually wondering if there was some sort of "service to animals" award we could nominate her for in tribute. This Book of Condolence thread (as I'm calling it) printed off would alone give testament to what a legend Stef was. Agree though it should be a more medium term thing, and of course with family permission.

 

Yes, that was my thought too and why I seperated out the disagreements earlier. I'm sure it would be some comfort to her family, possibly with a little editing.

 

@Douglas' Dad Such a great idea! We really have to do this.

 

Oh no, she will be sadly missed. She was so helpful when I first got Sev and Lily x

 

Bumping up in case anyone hasn’t heard the tragic news.

 

I've just heard the news and am very sad for this loss. I only joined the Forum last September and she has been amazing, she helped me so much with my cat and always replied to all my posts.

She was an Oracle of knowledge and will be greatly missed.

 

Chillminx touched the hearts of new and old members and friends here with her knowledge and kindness. A very rare lady. x

 

I am really missing Stef x

 

Me too!

 

And me.
I think we all are, she was such a calm, steady presence and so dependable.

 

My sincere condolences to Stef’s family and friends. I only found out last night about our sad loss of an amazing lady that I never had the privilege to know personally but was always there for everybody. Since joining this forum she was the ‘go to’ even before my own vet. No words can express the sad loss of a truly incredible and inspirational lady. Thank you Stef, for your time, patience and wealth of knowledge. Wish this world was filled with more people like you for your care and compassion towards our fur babies

 

B

 

I've been off the forums for a little while for one reason or another but chillminx was a guidling light for me amid Sandy's allergies. I found out today and I'm beyond sad. She was an amazing person and so kind, and wise, and wonderful. I will always remember you, Stef.

 

Bumping for @jenny armour

 

I don't often post but read regularly. Chillmox was always so helpful and her advice has shaped how I have raised my kittens. I hope her legacy lives on in the thousands(?) Of cats whose lives she has benefited on her over the years, either directly replied to someone asking for help or from people reading advice and old threads (I know I have).

Just my suggestion but I'd love to see this as a sticky thread. I feel Chillminx deserves that recognition and after following this thread find it heartbreaking that it'll go down the pages.

RIP stef x

 

Good idea.
We have plans to print off these pages and bind them for Stef's family with some minor editing.
Any volunteers?

 

I'm a proofreader by occupation and would be happy to edit for spelling and punctuation etc if you'd like me to do this. Have you thought how/where to get it printed and bound, and what type of binding etc?

No, I wouldn't know where to start! I'm hoping someone her has some ideas, also of cost so we can allocate some of the funds to it. Your proof reading and editng would be greatly appreciated though.

 

No, I wouldn't know where to start! I'm hoping someone her has some ideas, also of cost so we can allocate some of the funds to it. Your proof reading and editng would be greatly appreciated though.

Having a quick look online, the websites I checked seem to average around £25 for a good-quality hardback. It's a bit outside my realm of expertise as I mainly deal with paperback novels etc, so others might know better than me where to get something like this done. I'd be more than happy to do the editing, though - it's the least I can do for Stef.

 

Truly saddened and shocked to hear the news about Chillminx. I'm a new and infrequent visitor to this site but she was so much the heart of this forum, so dedicated, knowledgeable and kind.

I hope she would have enjoyed this:
"Duetto para dos Gatos" ["Duet for Two Cats"] by G.Rossini (1792-1868). Sung by Hyacinthe de Moulins and Régis Mengus of the French boys choir "Les Petits Chanteurs a la Croix de Bois".

A big thankyou and farewell from all the cats in the land, forever indebted.

 

I think we should print off all the advice she gave over the years on specific topics on cat welfare, feeding, health conditions and care. No need to print the whole thread but just the lengthy posts where she is dispensing her valuable advice, this would make a priceless volume for anyone who may wish to refer to it in the future as well as those of us who already have benefitted from her words of wisdom.

 

That's a great idea but how would we access it?

 

I think both an online version and printed version would be great. It can be done with the right IT skills. I think we need to contact the forum owners’ IT staff to see if they can extract all the posts. Then maybe each one of us with a special interest in a topic (eg IBD, FIC, CKD) can highlight the most important posts on that topic and we can catalogue it. I can start by preparing a list of categories which we can all add to as a start.

 

I certainly think it would be nice to have some kind of how to guides penned according to her advice. Either all together as a troubleshooting your cat manual or as individual pieces. Certainly on introductions and exclusion diets she was always the first person tagged. Whether online as webpages or on pamphlets, maybe we have artists in our midst who would illustrate?

 

So sad to hear of the passing of Stef. She supported me and my cat and her advice was so valuable to the quality of my cats life.

I had messenged her a few weeks back asking how she was as I know she was going through bad health but never did I realise it was so serious.

Sending the deepest of condolences to her family and loved ones. She will be missed so much xx

 

Re Stef's book of remembrance, what are we going to do for the cover? Does anyone have a nice photo of her, maybe with one of her cats? I'm almost done with the interior, but I don't do cover design, so wondering if there's any volunteers to create a cover file?

 

Is this the book of tributes? A photo of her with cats sounds perfect!