He'd not been eating for several days, just hanging around his water bowl. Not a good sign.
Poor old Fred just faded away. No fuss, no last requests; he simply wanted to die peacefully. He wished to die as I suspect all Cats wish to die, at home in the place he loved, and by the side of those who loved him.
So, goodbye Fred. I'll bury you alongside your old friend Monty, at Haddock's. I'll put a few Cat treats in with you, and maybe your broken black clockwork Mouse (that you never played with).
The local Mice/Voles will now rejoice, that nasty Cat next door will no longer spit flames when he sees you, and in future I will sleep without that furry scarf beneath my chin.
I'll miss you terribly. Your favourite perch in the Quince tree (above) will now remain empty. Life will never be the same again.
Cheerio old friend. xx
Sorry to hear that - he looks a lovely cat. I don't suppose he had diabetes?
ReplyDeleteI don't think so. I'm the only one with Diabetes.
DeleteI thought I was until my cat Kath became picky but drank a lot and then went downhill very quickly one weekend. When I took her to the vet they did a blood test and she had diabetes. I could have sent her down to Auckland to be stabilised and then she would have been on injections. I didn't think she would make it so she was "euthanized". It was good that Freddy went with everyone around him.
DeleteHe didn't seem in any discomfort, just faded away.
DeleteIt's nice that you bury Freddie and remember him. Some of our best friends are animals. And cats, they don't ask for much, but they keep the vermin away which is their 'job' and it seems that Freddie did it well. He looks quite a character up there in his tree. You'll be pleased he went peacefully and as you say in his favourite place. I buried one in the garden here and put a stone slab over him before replacing the earth. He was a tree climber too. I often look at the spot and think about him.
ReplyDeleteMonty, our late Lab', is buried like that. A simple circle of stones and a stone slab with his name. Fred will join him later today.
DeletePoor old Freddie. Nice way to go, old age in his sleep. Xx
ReplyDeleteWhen I left him last night, I had a feeling it would be the last time I'd see him alive. I spent some time with him, but I'm not sure if he was even aware of me. It was no surprise to find him dead this morning; just very sad.
DeleteNot just cats. Exactly the way my cat, my dog and my father wanted to go. They all got their wish. Condolences on the loss of your cat
ReplyDeleteIdeally it's what we'd all want. They are the lucky ones.
DeleteSad news. Pets bring us so much joy, don't they.
ReplyDeleteThere's no better way to die than in your sleep, in your own bed, in your own home.
My 18 year old cat did just this a couple of years ago.
Condolences to you.
Thank you Christina. It'll take some while to get used to him not being around.
DeleteSo sorry Cro. He was a lovely cat. RIP dear Freddie. X
ReplyDeleteHe really was a beautiful boy. A classic Tabby.
Deletelove you freddie...
ReplyDeleteby caja
Thank you caja.
DeleteMy first words out aloud this morning on opening your blog: OH NO!
ReplyDeleteWho'd have thought that one can shed a heartfelt tear over an animal I had never met. Maybe I see in Freddy some of my old companions. Or maybe he just spoke to me full stop.
He was such a beautiful cat, that photo capturing their grace so well.
I imagine he had an idyllic life in your idyllic setting - you forcing canine friendship onto him not withstanding:)
I am truly sorry, Cro. Make that gutted.
U
I'm sure he would have thought his life ideal. He had everything any Cat would need. I think he really did get to love Bok, although I'm not so sure it was reciprocal.
DeleteWhat sad news. Fourteen is not so old for a cat. He looks very wise as he gazes from his tree.
ReplyDeleteI don't really know much about Cat ages, but he'd slowed down a lot.
DeleteMost cats I have had have died at around 14.
DeleteI'd imagined it was about right,
DeleteSo sorry to hear about Freddie passing away. It's heartbreaking when they go, I've recently lost one of mine. I take comfort as I'm sure you do that we gave them a good home where they were well loved and cared for xx
DeleteI'm not taking it too well at the moment, but I know that will pass.
DeleteVery sad to hear about Fred. I enjoyed hearing about him and seeing the photos. He will be resting in peace.
ReplyDeleteKali anapafsi....which means good resting
He was a nice boy. Rather aloof and very demanding, but always an essential part of the furniture.
DeleteSo sad to hear this news. Freddie was part of your family x
ReplyDeleteI expect I'll keep calling him for a while. I did that with Monty.
DeleteOur thoughts are with you. Sad times when friends leave us. Rest peacefully Fred.
ReplyDeleteThanks Potty; just off to prepare his resting place.
DeleteI don't think the cat that isn't 'rather aloof and demanding' has ever been born Cro. That is what I love about them. RIP Freddie - a gentle fading away. Just how cats prefer it.
ReplyDeleteI think so too. I would never have subjected him to ineffective anti-ageing treatments, he died peacefully.
DeleteMy cats are not aloof and demanding so they have been born. My cats are loving, constant and caring companions. All sit on my lap, sometimes vying for a space all at the same time. They greet when I come home, know when it is bed time and sleep longer than me in the mornings and do not trouble me for food.
DeleteSending love to you ..so sad to hear this news. Beautiful tabby! My cats were all tabbies of one sort or another. Our last cat , Tai chi, he was called, was a beautiful semi long haired tabby. The only one of my cats to not have to be " put down". He died lying on the floor in the bedroom. He had been " skin and bone" for months but seemed happy and was eating well up to the last.
ReplyDeleteI've always loved Tabbies, to me they are proper Cats. I'm sure that Fred was happy to the last too.
DeleteIt is so sad. You gave him good life and he was there for you.RIP Freddie.
ReplyDeleteYes, he was a good old boy. I'll miss him wandering around.
DeleteSo sorry Cro. Such a sad day for you.
ReplyDeleteIt'll take me a while to get over the shock, although I was expecting it.
DeleteSo sorry. It is always so painful to lose our pets as they have such a special place in our hearts. He had a good life and it was a good thing that he faded at home without intervention. He will always be in your memories.
ReplyDeleteHe won't be forgotten. We always put flowers on their graves to remember their passing.
DeleteOh Cro, I’m so sorry to hear your sad news. We had three cats so I know how you feel. I always thought that it would be sad when they went but I never realised how much until it happened ..... I was devastated. Freddie had a wonderful life and he will be greatly missed. Sending love from the UK. XXXX
ReplyDeleteEven if you know they're fading, it's still a terrible shock to find them gone. He had a good innings.
DeleteI feel for you. I'm not a pet person but the large ginger tom I inherited many years ago died like that (of kidney failure) at the age of 16+. I still get a bit emotional when I think of him.
ReplyDeleteThey are family members, and their passing is painful. Stiff upper lip!
DeleteSo sad and a thing we all dread with our pets. Cats are just so wonderful but hard to read, you just never know if they are ill they hide it so well. Sure you will miss him but he had a wonderful life with you.
ReplyDeleteBriony
x
That is the one thing that reassures me; knowing that he had an almost perfect life.
DeleteI'm so sorry to read this, Cro. Take comfort that you gave him a good life and he obviously loved you. xxx
ReplyDeleteChurchill was right when he said "Cats look down on us, Dogs look up to us, and Pigs look upon us a equals". Freddie was certainly aloof, but I expect it was his way of saying he loved us.
DeleteMy cats are not aloof.
DeleteFred ignored us for most of the day. Only when he wanted food did he show interest in us.
DeleteI'm so sorry, tearing up over here, probably because I have an identical tabby. They are lovely cats. It's very hard to lose a member of your pet family. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteI've been a bit like that all day. Difficult to accept for the moment.
DeleteSo sorry to hear about your cat. You have a great photo of him there. He looks very contented.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure he was always happy.
DeleteSounds like you were his favorite human since he cuddled you at night... RIP Fred...You need a kitten.
ReplyDeleteHe was less affectionate in daylight!
DeleteI'm so sorry to read this, Cro. The fact that he had an almost ideal cat life must be a comfort to you, though. RIP Freddie.
ReplyDeleteI don't think any Cat could have had a better place to live. I'm sure he loved it here.
DeleteI am so sorry, Cro. You have always spoken lovingly of Freddie and I know he had a very good life.
ReplyDeleteI grew-up with Cats, and have always enjoyed their company. I think Fred understood that.
DeleteAhh, I am really sorry to read this. He was such a character. It's hard losing a pet.
ReplyDeleteA horrible experience. And, of course, having to deal with the aftermath, etc.
DeleteSad news Cro. I am sorry for the loss of your cat. He looks quite the character up in the tree branches.
ReplyDeleteHe was a handsome lad; a very typical Tabby.
DeleteMiserable times when an animal dies, poor Freddie and both of you as well. Commiserations.X
ReplyDeleteThank you Thelma. It's still all very fresh in our minds.
DeleteI read your blog every morning and so sorry I haven't commented till now. Condolences to you and your wife. I,too, have a tabby and understand how important they are in our family. RIP dear Fred.
ReplyDeleteI've always loved Tabbies, they have an elegance about them that other species often lack.
DeleteA cat is dead which is quite sad but you're all a bit exagerating with condolences, commiseration and all those fuss. You will survive. At your age you should know that death is a part of life.
DeleteWhat a nasty effing cow you are. Of course I would expect nothing less.
DeleteThis morning I thought to myself that just once, just this one time, Chloe will keep herself to herself. Or make a sympathetic noise. Alas no.
DeleteCro's readers "exaggerating (spelled with two gs)with condolences, commiseration and ... fuss"? Well, dear sweet Chloe, the purveyor of kindness and empathy at all times, that is what happens in life, in the MOMENT. Grieving for the fact that, as you put it so pedestrian, "that death is part of life". Precisely. And part of life is to grieve for the dead. Be it your mother, your father, your child, a cat, the end of a very short lived rainbow.
As to "14 is not really old for a cat". Oh Chloe. I am sure 27 was and isn't for the 27 old club (you know, the likes of James Dean et al). Or the child kissing a tree at age three, or a cat drowned at birth. Use your imagination.
Cows? Cows, on the whole, are wide eyed. Innocent. They chew - all day long. Try it some time.
U
Goodbye, dear Freddie. I hope you pass a ginger kitten going the other direction, and mention Cro's place to it.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if we'll have another one... but many people have said the same!
DeleteI just showed the photo of Freddie sitting on the pillow by your computer. We talked about how lovely he is and how lucky you are to be friends with such a great cat.
ReplyDeleteSo today post is a shocky to me. At Watson and thehamish loved cats so maybe they are playing together.
Loved his photo in the tree.
cheers, parsnip and badger
A very handsome lad indeed, with very beautiful markings.
DeleteI'm sad to read this Cro. He had a lovely life with you.
ReplyDeleteYes, we have to think of that as we remember him.
DeleteRun Free, Freddie. You loved and were loved.
ReplyDeleteA free spirit indeed.
DeleteI'm so very sorry. My thoughts are with you and the Lovely Lady M.
ReplyDeleteRun free, Freddie, over the Rainbow Bridge.
Thank you. That bridge has seen quite a lot of traffic recently. It needs to be closed.
DeleteThank you everyone (except Chloe, of course) for your kind thoughts. Yesterday was a horrible day, but your comments made it slightly easier.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry for your loss of Freddie Cro, losing one of the family is horrendous. My thoughts are with you both. RIP Freddie.
ReplyDeleteJo in Auckland.
I am so sorry to hear of Fred's passing. Such a lovely puss.He will be missed by all of you I'm sure.
ReplyDelete