My wife's cat, Sooty, a completely black tomcat, went missing on Sunday August 6th. When he didn't come home we figured that he'd gone 'walkabout' to do his thang and would be back when he felt like it.

After about 10 days my wife asked me to print up some 'MISSING' posters and see about putting them up around our village. As we posted the 1st in our local sheltered accomodation, the warden/janitor told us that she'd seen a dead black cat in a nearby hedge. She took me to investigate and sure enough it was my wife's cat, collar and all.

It seems that Sooty chased something and crashed headlong into a chainlink fence, his head got trapped and in his struggle to get out he broke his neck. He will be sadly missed.

We feel your pain and wish you and your wife strenght with this tragic los.

W&M

Our thoughts are with you & your wife.

Most sorry about your cat. It is amazing how attached we get to the litte creatures. A few months ago I wouldn't have believed how much trouble they can get into. Occasionally I would see a cat on the side of the road and not think much of it but now I'm a bit less complacent about it. You can't protect them all the time and it's sad when something like that happens.

On a lighter note Miss Kitty caught her first mouse last night and she has been prancing around the house attacking anything that moves all morning.

take care,
-TJ

:b_crying:, :b_upset: :a_cry::m_heart:
i love animals..and it hurts when one dies ..especialy like this. hugs..to both you and your wife.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your wife's feline companion. I have two cats that let me live with them and they're like my kids.

sorry to hear that man, that's very sad :sad:

Stories like this brings all animal lovers out of their hidding,,,,,,

I cried for almost two months when my animal die and it was a guinea pig!  sorry about your pet..

Bryster,

I am so very sorry you lost your cat.  I hope Sooty didn't suffer.

I'm up to 17 cats now, and losing any one of them would kill me. 

I hope the pain you and your wife are feeling eases up before too long.

Hugs.

Ricky

My wife and I thank you for your kind comments and we are reminded of something that happend a week before he disappeared.

Sooty was in the habbit of reaching up and pawing my arm while I was sitting at the computer. This meant that he wanted to lay on my lap, usually when my wife had gone to bed.

But on this occasion Maggie was in our sitting room next door watching tv. I schooed him away muttering something about his 'mum' being next door, but a minute or so later he was back, meowing at me and pawing my arm.

I called out to my wife to call for the cat but she didn't reply. I suddenly realised that something was up with Maggie and rushed into the other room to see what was wrong.

Sure enough, Maggie, an epileptic for over 30 years, was having an epileptic siezure and the cat had tried to alert me to the fact. I couldn't believe that a cat would do this. I was amazedand we've talked about it ever since.

Again, thank you for your comments.

Very sad,..............sorry for your loss. (raises a glass,.........."To Sooty" !) I have always like the words of Abraham Lincoln at any passing, - " May our heavenly father assuage the anguish of your bereavement, leaving only the cherished memory of the loved and lost".

Chris please tell Maggie how sorry I am to hear of your loss. Is this the same cat I met when I visited a couple of years ago? It's very sad when they leave us.
Hugs,
Angela

Sorry for your loss Bryster. It´s never easy to loose a friend and family member.  :(

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about your loss  :(    What a heartbreak!

As a registered "Cat lover", I feel your pain.  I'd mourn worse over the loss of one of my cats than the loss of my JOB!

Its amazing how they creep into your life and under your skin..and soon, even those things that aggravate you become things that you admire.

condolences

BT

Heart breaking, I know how animals can become family and losing one is losing a family member.  Time will heal the loss.  You've got a lot of friends here.

Sorry to hear this. Lost one myself this year, and it's a real heartbreaker. 

Take care

Joe

This must be devastating for you and your wife.  Poor little critter.  Hold on to the fond memories.  His spirit will always be with you.  I'll bet even now you'll smile as you recall some of his antics and his (mostly, lol) unconditional love for you both.  :)  My heart goes out to you both.

Persevere,

Mark

Thank you all so much for your kind comments. Maggie has read every one (twice) and she is really touched by your compassion.  We have agreed to get a new cat at the end of September as we keep thinking Sooty is in every place he used to curl up in.  I'm not sure though if we're going to get a kitten or rescue one from the local animal shelter. Maybe you guys would like to give us your thoughts on the subject?

Ang: Yup! Thats' the one!

BTW: I'm glad I stayed here after all. I couldn't imagine another site where so many guys think this kind of thread is 'normal'....:laugh:

BTW2: After having a really crappy month -  I won the RDNA Weekly Draw !!!!!!$25 of downloads!

You could always get a kitten from the rescue shelter, kill two bird with one stone so to speak.

Oh my! I'm so sorry for your loss, I feel for you as if they were my own. I have 3 cats MIA as of today and hope they come home, but don't believe it'll happen (coyotes, foxes,owls,etc).

My vote is to get one from the shelter, kitten or older...actually, older cats realize what they're missing in a home, but kittens always have so much energy, wait get two! That way they can play with each other and not stray very far from home. I had two that became soul mates and they never went very far out of sight of me when outdoors, and were inseparable when inside. You just need to make room for two in your lap when petting time comes along....=)

I would like to offer my condolences and sympathies even if belated. I know.

So sorry about your loss! I lost a cat too a year ago to some freak accident, know your pain.

Now I have two cats of a year old and guess what, some assh...(sorry)  put a couple of days ago overnight a carton box with 5 kittens and a liter milk in my backyard. Had he also put the mothercat I would have taken them, but these kitties are maybe 2 weeks old! I must handfed them, they cry all the time for their mommy who is somewhere probably looking for her young. How can anybody be so cruel!! You could have one or more if we would live a little closer!

Please try your local shelter or take 1-2 kittens from your area. There are so many animals in need waiting for a good home! Anyway, my sincerest sympathy to you and your wife.

Creations: Maggie oood and arred over your post and picture. Thank you so much. She was dying to know where you live, but then we realised that Isreal is a bit far to collect your kittens.

To everone who posted here:  Many thanks for your kind thoughts. We will be getting another feline house-guest in September after we have been on holiday. We'll let you know how we get on.

For amusing pics of cats and other home creatures please visit my website.

I can highly recommend rescue animals - both of my dogs have been from rescue centres, Shane (alas no longer with us) and Jazzy - the gentlest of creatures, as are both my daughter's cats, Missy and Jet.  Missy is as soft as butter and Jet is a black ball of green-eyed hissing - and only Samantha is brave enough to pick her up, hissing and all.

Jet is all "don't touch me" and Missy is all "oooh, stroke me, stroke me, tickle my tummy!"  and my Jazzy is always asking for his tummy to be scratched and stroked, preferably for ever.  If you stop he pushes at your hand with his head.

I would hate to think of such wonderful creatures left behind in a rescue centre.  (Found a couple of good pics, one of Jazzy and one of Jet.  Also have some pics of the feral cats we adopted in Oman)

I don't know if it may help next time - doesn't sound like it from what you describe, but nowadays we always get the easy release collars for the cats - so that if they get trapped it won't be the collar that does it.

Fran: Now you've gone and done it. Your pic looks exactly like Sooty! Maggie is getting all broody-like.

And no, Sooty wasn't trapped by his collar as far as I could tell. It had an elasticated section anyway so he could easily have pulled it off.

Felix just looked like a Felix, and posed a lot, Babe was the smallest and for a while walked oddly as she must have fallen awkwardly - but she recovered before we left Oman, Snooty was thus named because she/he was a lot more wary than the others, and Tigger was just so stripy.

Felix had no fear of us at all, and Tigger became tamer and would do the pushing your hand with his head trick when he wanted stroking.  In this pic, Tigger is licking the Tuna off his face.  Tuna was actually cheaper out there than cat food!

Ian said today that they are all still there (as a mate of his is still working out there) and his mate still feeds them now and then (which is only right, as he started it all when he fed the pregnant Mum!).  Nice to know.

Bryster,

"It had an elasticated section anyway so he could easily have pulled it off." 

Ah, those are the ones I meant, but we also got the quick release ones with the sort of spring open catch too - I thought it didn't sound like that had been the problem, I'm glad about that at least.