I found my dear Spike at the local Cat Protection Rescue Centre in 2002. His foster carer said he was about 3 years old. I named him Spike, from “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.” “His two front ‘bitey teeth’ were really prominent so I decided he could pass as a ‘cat vampire’! He couldn’t meow (he’d open his mouth and there’d just be a squeaky noise), but boy could he purr!”  Before Spike and I met, his life hadn’t always been good.

As a homeless black cat, he was found limping along the road, with his front paw jammed up in his collar, and no-one realized how severe his injury was at the time. Initially the Vet’s thought they would have to amputate his leg. After some treatment though, the leg was able to be saved. Although it didn’t worry him, he was left with a big scar in his armpit.

He was a funny guy, always possessive of me. If he turned around and ‘caught’ me patting one of our other cats, Milo or Nutmeg, he’d come and push in, pushing them out of the way; as if to say “Pat ME”.

“Spike was the meet and greet kitteh of the house. No matter what time I got home, he wouldalways be just walking down the stairs, on his way to meet me as I opened the front door.” Spike always slept next to me, while Milo and Nutmeg chose other beds. He loved having his tummy tickled and when I’d go to stop, he’d hang onto my hand, ever so gently, to encourage me to keep tickling.

During the day, Spike loved to cuddle up with Milo and Nutmeg.  They loved practicing “play fights”. “But most of all Spike LOVED his food ! The week before I lost him, he was his usualbouncy self, then literally within two days he started getting lethargic and was clearly losing weight.”

“He was still eating alright, which I thought was a good sign, but on the third day he seemed less keen. I couldn’t persuade him to eat anything at all. I “HAD” to go to work, but was able to leave at lunchtime to take him to the vet.”

“The Vet lady was very kind and suggested they run a blood test and find out what might be wrong with him. Obviously I was veryworried, but nothing could have prepared me for what came next. She explained to me that Spike was critically ill, with ‘early onset’ CRF (renal failure.)”

I was devastated, heartbroken and shocked. Although it broke my heart, I knew the right thing to do was to let Spike cross over the Rainbow Bridge. I held him in my arms while she did what needed to be done. And he slipped away…. It was June 7th, 2010

“She actually showed me the blood test results and explained the percentages to me. Spike’s counts were three times higher than normal. She gently told me that although we could prolong Spike’s life, for a little while, if we put him on fluids, he would not be able to recover from his illness.”

Poor Milo and Nutmeg had no idea why Spike was no longer with us. I took the decision that the only way I could cope was to offer a home to another unwanted cat, in Spike’s memory. So one week later, I brought home Felix, who was described as a ten year old Golden Oldie.

I particularly wanted a cat who kept missing out on being adopted. Apart from his vast age (!), he was also black and white, and for some reason in the U.K., these color cats are very unpopular. I now have three kittehs again.    Written by @PepiSmartDog, for @Catgirl321