Some of you may remember my post in Soap Box a short while ago about a cat belonging to a neighbour. The owner of the cat lost interest in her after the birth of a human child and although the cat (Pepper) had been part of her family for 7 years, she no longer seemed important.
I offered help and support when Pepper became poorly. I said I understood that she (the owner) was very busy with the new baby and if she needed me to take Pepper to vet appointments or anything else, I was happy to do it. I loaned her a medium size crate to keep the cat contained.
Yesterday, Pepper appeared in my house again. In the UK, it's quite normal for cats to be allowed to roam (if the area is suitable) and most cat households have a cat flap. So Pepper came in and she looked a lot better than she had last time I saw her - no sneezing, no runny eyes etc, but she was very thin and weak. We offered her some normal cat food and also some tuna but she didn't want to eat, only sleep, so we left her to sleep on our bed and that's where she stayed all night. I knew her time was near and I told her that it was OK for her to go to The Bridge if she felt she needed to. She wasn't in any discomfort - just weak and tired. She snuggled right up to be close to me and she headbutted my hand to make me stroke her.
I saw her use the litter tray this morning and again offered her some tasty food, but she declined. She went back to bed to sleep some more. She seemed to have made a concious decision to rest here with us rather than with her owner and we were fine with that. She stayed on the bed all morning and was there when I popped to the bathroom mid afternoon.
Then at about 4.30pm, some local children knocked on my door and said there was a cat laying on someones front garden just close by. I put my shoes on (and noticed that Pepper wasn't on the bed) and grabbed a towel and went with the children. Pepper was laying on her side in the rain on a neighbours grass. She was unconconcious but still breathing. I wrapped her in the towel and brought her home. I put her in a soft cat bed and sat with her for a few minutes and then she took her final breath.
I'm not hysterical with grief as I would be if Pepper had been one of my own cats but I'm sad and I'm angry. I'm sad because she was a lovely cat and she was cheeky and naughty and she used to make me laugh when I saw her. I'm sad because we're the ones who are grieving for her - and I'm angry that her owner cared so little about a cat who had been a member of her family for all those years. I'm sad that if those kids had not come knocking, Pepper would have died alone in the rain on a strangers lawn. I'm glad that I was with her, stroking her head when the time came for her to go.
Play hard at The Bridge Pepper Cat.
