Christopher Brodie stole our hearts..

[issiandarchie+68]

Mollycat: FJM: Booktigger and Kay: That's the last time I ask any of you lot for advice it's another fine mess you have got me into!! (Kidding of course)

2 of my Grandkids came around last night and made a fuss of CB. He was as good as gold bless him, such a sweet natured old gent. They shortened his name, so Mr Brodie it is then. Although they have a cheek. Among their menagerie of rescue animals:

2 Wee Yorkshire terriers: Wee Girl and Robert Mitchum
2 Mice: Agatha Christie and Miss Marple
2 Hamsters: Asda and Aldi
2 Iguanas: Sunshine and Rain
Need I go on?

Sorry, I digress. I woke this morning to a warm bodied Mr B cooried in between us, snuffling contentedly. My heart was filled with sadness at his predicament and then I opened my eyes, he yawned, stretched, reached out a paw.. and I was lost. He reminded me of the first night we had with my wee lady, Cody. He is so much better today. Coat and breath sweet and shiny, eaten all his supper, including half a bowl of Royal Canin dry and now his breakfast, plus plenty of water and a pat of butter. Weird that, Gandhi also used to love butter but it had to be Grahams, couldn't fob him off with anything else. He is a different cat from the sad little creature who came to us. I know he has major health problems with the accompanying human angst, don't know how much longer he will live, but I can't turf him out can I? We are resigned to keeping him. My dear hubby has just set off for the Shelter to make the arrangements. I'm half hoping he comes back with a cat companion...no...don't go there...

Issi

[Kay]

giving an old cat comfort and love in its final weeks, months or years, is surely a very rewarding thing to do - I intend to do that when I no longer have the other-cat-hating Penny, as I am knocking on a bit myself, and can't guarantee being around for the lifetime of a youngster

it seems to me too that it is the right thing for a mad cat lady in her twilight years to do, especially when it means getting a long stay oldie out of resuce, or off the streets

that rescue knew what it was doing, didn't it - he is a lucky boy, but so are the pair of you

[booktigger]

I'm so pleased to hear that, while there may be times you wonder why, just remember that feeling this morning you are all lucky, cats like that need a special kind of person. I'm going back to my oldies when something happens to Lucy, as I'll need a friendly cat

[fjm]

Now why is this not wholly unexpected...?! He sounds a lovely old gentleman, and one thoroughly deserving of the happy retirement home he will have with you.

[Ruth B]

Congratulations and commiserations, sometimes we just have to admit we aren't going to win this round.

We know oldies will give us heartache at some point, but the love they can give us before that is immeasurable.

[issiandarchie+68]

Aww.. thank you guys. You are a lovely bunch of people and it means a lot to me to hear your thoughts and good wishes. Mr B is sunning himself on the broad windowsill, watching the world go by. Do you know he looks quite the handsome chap, but after this .. definitely no more cats.....

Issi

[booktigger]

I think we need a pic

[Mollycat]

Advice is something you ask for when you already know the answer but wish you didn't. Glad you have seen sense. Shipping the poor boy around from pillar to post can't possibly be in his best interests. So are you now officially a failed foster?

Re his meds - I can see why the surgery and radioiodine options might be ruled out but out of interest have you given any thought to the diet control option? £33 for 24 small cans and £14 for 1.5kg dry and no pills to buy. We found it effective though it was only for 6 months.

[Goobbee]

I am very touched by your beautiful stories. Few people want to rescue older cats but they have so much to offer all of us, especially as we ourselves move into our senior years. There are many cat books out there but I have never seen one "In Praise of Senior Cat Rescue". It would be great if you all could pull together all your stories in a Kindle book for the world to see. I cried a few tears here. I've longed believed that if everyone in the world cared for a rescue cat there would be no more conflict! Maybe naive but they touch our souls so deeply. Thank you all for your caring about these beautiful animals. Our 3 rescue cats are now becoming seniors. We rescued them as kittens in nearby fields. The time goes so quickly.

[issiandarchie+68]

Goobbee, (what's the origin of this unusual name?) what a delightfully uplifting post. I don't know how often you are on this Forum but don't remember speaking before, so nice to meet you. A quick background to let you know how me and long suffering hubby arrived at this moment. We have known each other 52yrs and been married 50yrs in April this year. Over that time, we have loved and sadly lost a variety of 'rescue' pets, mostly cats, but until recent years it didn't seem difficult, visits to the Vet being rare to non existent. Then along came 2016 and it was ghastly, my wee black cat, Armand dying on a routine visit to the Vet to check out a cough, followed exactly 4 weeks to the day by my sweet little lady Cody, from sudden kidney disease. We were devastated. I had been a member of the forum from 2010, took a long break returning in 2016 seeking, and receiving comfort. We still had our big grey cat, Gandhi but he exhausted us, dear wee Cody having previously kept him grounded. Anyway, we downsized to a modern flat and Gandhi was able to venture into the woods behind us so his last couple of years, he was content, and we got some respite. At this point, both of us having entered our 70s (although we are often told we look and have the energy of 50yr olds(!?) people are kind.. and short sighted!) we decided 'no more pets' time for ourselves, to travel, indulge our hobbies.. sigh. Mollycat said she was glad I saw sense. What is that exactly? To quote hubby 'if you ever possessed one iota of the stuff, you would have hidden behind the sofa every time a waif and stray, especially Mr Brodie, tried to cross our threshold. We can't be responsible for every needy animal''. But then, sweetheart that he is, added 'Och… who needs to travel and catch Coronavirus anyway?'

You mention books. Bizarrely, every Xmas and Birthday since retirement, I have been given books about 'man saves cat/cat saves man/ cat dies. I found them deeply upsetting and while I am grateful to still be remembered by friends and relatives at my age, I don't even bother opening them any more, simply donating them to local charity shop. I admit though, I do write and have had various articles published.

Oh dear, you have probably noticed by now I do like a blether with like minded people so before I send you totally to sleep, I had better sign off and go and play 1950's housewife by cooking the tea...for both man and cat!

Issi

[Mollycat]

Do I really have to explain myself? I am sticking up for Mr Christopher Brodie's point of view here, the poor love, not yours! Christopher Brodie cares not a jot for your broken hearts, for your ages, for your grand announcements. Christopher Brodie sees your kind hearts and feels your gentle hands, tastes the delicious food you put before him, and feels that you feel his pain and stress any time the nice vet has to do something undignified or uncomfortable to him. He feels, in short, your empathy for him. Mr Brodie cares not for the thoughts in your head but follows the feelings in your heart. And if love conquers all, then the heart is more powerful than the mind, and so Christopher Brodie is a Wise Cat.

The sense here is that Christopher Brodie (please don't be offended if I abbreviate to CB) - CB is getting on in years and his health isn't what it was. He is a happy chappie precisely because he has come home, to the last homecoming before the final homecoming. Now, he can relax and enjoy the lives he has left, and he has found just the perfect place and people for them. How would you feel if, in your 80s, with tablets to manage health conditions and making that noise we make going up the stairs and bending down to pick up the post in the morning, someone bundled you unceremoniously off to live in some strange house with some different husband who didn't know you or your likes and dislikes and had his own funny ideas about your wellbeing?

Every cat is sent to us for a reason. Every cat has a mission, a Life Lesson to teach us, support to give, to challenge us to grow or to ground us when we go off the rails, some crucial role to play in our lives. Your work is not yet done and CB has something to teach you as only a cat can teach - perhaps to love again more deeply than ever after all the pain, maybe something else. Embrace it, and him. We are not in control of this life, nor of the cats that share part of it with us.

[Goobbee]

Hello Issi - Goobbee is the name we gave to one our rescue cats and he certainly lives up to that name. We live on a hobby farm in central Ontario Canada. "Hobby" means we do not farm - we let Nature recover the land. Nine years ago we lost our beloved dog to bladder cancer. Her loss destroyed us. But the next day a stray calico cat wandered up our 600 ft driveway and literally threw herself at us. We were not cat people then but we quickly came to love her. We named her Gabbee and she still sleeps with us every night and wakes me up from nightmares by kissing me. The next year another stray came up our driveway. He is a very handsome tuxedo cat we named Goobbee. We go on long walks together through our forest. Then the next year a gorgeous orange tabbee came up in the summer and we adopted him and named him, you guessed it - Tiggee.
These 3 are our family and still live with us in our small house on the hill. They were each about one-year old at the time. Since then we have rescued 14 other cats on our property. We bring them in, fix them, tend to any medical issues and socialize them. Then we take them to local foster parents who have always found them good homes. Our own 3 cats will not allow any other cats in their home.
But last August we met our match with Allee. We found her in the forest but could not trap her. We set up a remote trail cam to record her movements at night. We fed her in the forest. By Sept. she was pregnant. She had her babies in a dirty culvert at the end of our drive. We would take her food 4 times a day but did not see her for a month. Then in early Oct. when the temperature dropped we were delighted to record her come into our shed and bring in her 3 babies one by one! Coyotes were howling that night very near. We got her enclosed in the shed with her babies. We then trapped her 3 beautiful kittens and after bringing them in the house for a few weeks we found forever homes for them.
Allee was different. It took a few weeks to trap her as she was very scared of us, even after 4 months of knowing us. Everyone said she was feral and should be fixed and released. No way! We finally trapped her and after 8 weeks of socializing she is the sweetest kindest little girl anyone could ever want. But our 3 cats would not let her stay. We tried and tried to introduce her to them but they were very mean.
So today, with great sadness and tears we took Allee to a foster parent who will make sure she is No 1 in her new forever home. My wife and I are still devastated as we truly love her. We are both 70 ourselves and find our life in these gifts from God. They keep us on our farm, safe from harm where we belong and have taught us to enjoy our life here - if we cannot find contentment here then we wouldn't find it out there! So true. Allee deserves her own family but we feel that we failed her. We gave her "Cat Mother of the Year" award. We gained her trust - not an easy task with a stray cat and today she just looked at us and asked "why?"
While all our rescues have been young and adopt out easily, it is important for people to also understand that senior cats have a great deal to offer us seniors as well. As our own 3 cats age we see how important they have become to our daily lives. Our dog was 18 when she passed away. On her gravestone cover we engraved, " To Anka - who taught us the REAL meaning of life". We love them so much and they love us.