Some sad news...

It's taken me a week to find the brain-power to write tonight's blog post.  Or to write anything really.  However I know I need to write this before I can move on to more light-hearted Fangirl-Stitchy-ness.

A week ago I had to say goodbye to my fur-baby Skimbles.

I understand if you stop reading at that point.  I probably would.

Skimbles didn't come home last Thursday night (Thursday week I mean).  After two days of waiting, looking, and thinking he was gone for good, Skimbles appeared on the front porch Sunday morning.  I was ecstatic, very happy, and very thankful.  He looked a bit stiff and slow, but I figured that was due to being outside for two days and three nights, and that once he got inside and warmed up a bit and had something to eat, he'd be fine.

My helper cat - he helped with quilting, cross stitching,
blog-writing and playing Ticket To Ride

As the day wore on, he began to move a bit better, but still didn't look like himself.  He was hiding under the bed (well, he's probably a bit scared I thought), he was still sort of limping/dragging himself a bit (maybe he's pulled something) and he wasn't eating or using the kitty litter (well, he hasn't eaten so he doesn't need to 'go').  I'll take him to the vet in the morning, just to get him checked out I thought.  I moved the mattress off the spare bed onto the floor that night so that he could sleep next to me like he normally did - he wasn't up to climbing on the bed, and I'd missed my night-time cuddles.  I was very happy to wake up in the middle of the night to find him curdled up next to him.

Happier times...

Monday morning I rang the vet (after finding a vet - we'd only moved into the area about 6 weeks ago so I didn't have a local vet yet!) and booked an appointment.  I told the girls at work I was just taking him to get checked out, maybe get some antibiotics, I was sure he was going to be fine.

He wasn't.  

It turns out he had a tail-pull injury.  Apparently it's a relatively common injury in cats - it happens when their tail gets caught or pulled hard as they are moving in the opposite direction - for example they run out in front of a car and the car catches their tail.  Sometimes it just dislocates the tail, and sometimes it tears the nerves at the base of the tail.  These are the nerves that control the tail, the bladder and the bowel.  The reason Skimbles wasn't eating was he had a full bladder/bowel, and the reason he wasn't using the kitty litter was because he didn't have any control/function in that area.  You also can't repair the injury.

Just hanging out

And so, I had to say goodbye to my little boy.  I held him tight, told him I loved him, and stayed with him while he drifted off to sleep.  It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make.  And at the same time it was one of the easiest because I didn't want him to be in pain.  

I'm very glad that he came home Sunday morning, that we got to spend that last Sunday together, and that I moved the mattress onto the floor that night.

Hanging out with Eevee

Eevee and I are slowly adjusting.  She's been a lot more clinging and cuddly this week than she ever was before.  I still jump every time I hear a cat bell - the cat across the road has one on its collar that sounds like Skimbles' bell.  One day I'm going to frame his collar and photo, but not at the moment.

Skimbles' last photo

It's been a long week.