Words from Big Boy’s foster carer:
“I’ve had cats all my life.
Some might say that cats are my life.
The relationship between a human and their cat is very special. But every now and then a ‘different’ cat comes into your world. A cat who you’re sure was human in a past life and if only they could talk would have the most amazing stories.
On 7th April I picked up Big Boy… just a foster I said, give him a bit of love until he’s ready to go to a new home… just a foster… just a foster… just a foster! But this was a ‘different’ cat!
Big Boy bit me… quite a bit and never for any reason.
Big Boy didn’t love my cats… he quite happily told them where to go on a regular basis.
Big Boy didn’t like to use the litter tray if it was even slightly soiled… my bedroom floor was far nicer! In fact even my bed in the middle of the night once!
But he loved me… Big Boy wasn’t going anywhere… as much as I kept saying he’s just a foster… he wasn’t going anywhere!
He developed a cough… it was gradual. The odd sniff and a bit of a wheeze. But on 21 June I woke up and Big Boy was in respiratory failure. I was meant to go to work at the crack of dawn that day. But I couldn’t pull myself out of bed… thank god… Big Boy would have died on my floor alone.
I’ve never experienced anything like it and was close to giving him CPR. I made the distress call to my best friend who was at my house and had us to the emergency vet within 15 minutes!
Big Boy pulled through and a course of antibiotics and antiimflamatories followed.
All was good and then 9 days later he was in respiratory distress again. Back to the emergency vet and a diagnosis of asthma. Amazingly I had a cat previously with feline asthma so I wasn’t fazed giving him the puffer.
Eating well and back to chasing my cats around I thought we had cracked it.
Then, 9 days later, on Wednesday I came home from work and Big Boy didn’t come for his dinner. I found him a bit lethargic and a little breathless on my bed. I monitored him through the night but in the morning he was no better.
Back to the vets but I think I just knew this time…
Last night Big Boy went to sleep for the final time.
It doesn’t seem fair… I doubt he’d had the best life. Cats don’t usually bite for no reason unless they have been through something us cat lovers would prefer not to think about!
I will miss you Big Boy. I hated your name, you had the worst smelling poo and you got fur everywhere… but boy I loved you!
Sleep well x”
