Welcome to the Family… Artie!

The newest member of the Connor-Evans family is Artie a nine week old kitten!

And this is his story!

Since the 11th of August I have been following the plight of two little kittens who had been discovered by a volunteer of Liverpool based pet rescue charity Rescue Me Animal Sanctuary. Their facebook wall posts first alerted me of the ‘Country Road’ kittens and their story.

They had been picked up on Country Road, Liverpool as two little girls were trying to give them away. Heather saw the two kittens were very young and poorly. She managed to take them from the children. In her enquires she found out that the kittens were from a litter of five and the task then was to track down the other three kittens and the mother cat.

They managed to track the remainder of the litter but only took another kitten into their care. The owners decided to keep the other two!

Then on the 9th of September the rescue posted that the two kittens who had survived from the three, were ready for adoption! I in half jest commented that I wanted one!

I then posted the picture on David’s Facebook page joking that it was fated that we should get Arthur as we had just come back from Edinburgh and my favourite place to visit is Arthur’s Seat! Add that to the fact that Arthur is David’s middle name, then it must be destined?

David seemed nonplussed. All he said was that Arthur looked ‘mischievous!’ So I never argued the case further.

Then on Sunday, the 14th of September I read their latest post in which they stated that Arthur’s sister was reserved but he was still looking for a home. My mind was made up there and then! The following day, without really consulting David I made a call to the rescue about adopting Arthur. I was anxiously nervous all day, indeed all week really! I was not really thinking I would get a call back and then in the afternoon while at work my phone rang out in the small office! There was no number displayed so I answered and it was my ‘call back’ regarding Arthur! 😀

I arranged a house visit from one of their volunteers, it would be Heather who found Arthur along with his sister! So hurrying back home later that afternoon, all excited and stressed, David and I waited for 7pm and our visit! Unfortunately as is usually the case with us, things did not go according to plan! Heather was sick and could not come. So we arranged another visit for the next day.

So Tuesday came and again with sweaty palms we waited for our visit. Heather, though still not 100% came to visit and told us about Arthur and how he was into ‘everything,’ and the procedure of adopting.

I think David had some reservations but he never voiced them. I don’t think he wanted an energetic kitten, but all kittens are energetic!

Later that evening I got a text off Trisha who was Arthur’s foster carer. He was over on the Wirral! We arranged a 7pm viewing for Wednesday and I was so exited I could hardly sleep!

Wednesday could not come quick enough. In work I was willing the time when I could leave and then when the time came to make our way through the ‘Mersey tunnel,’ my nerves were at breaking point!

It was a trial to find the foster home, as a twenty minute drive turned into forty! But we finally found the street! With cat carrier in hand we nervously knocked on the door and was warmly welcomed into the home.

Arthur was asleep when we arrived but after introductions, he seemed to be receptive to us! We signed the relevant paperwork and handed over the adoption fee. Arthur was then placed into the carrier and was ‘ours’! I was so eager to take him home!

On arriving, we showed Arthur to our living room first. We showed him his new toys, played with him and fed him. We took him with us to our bedroom and he slept between David and I all night. He did have fits of crying but once he saw us lying down for the night he settled down too.

I have had kittens before and I know from experience that they usually want to start to explore come the turning off of the lamplight, but Arthur probably stressed from the move did not wake us until I woke up at 7am! I was amazed!

He has been with us now for two days and has settled in nicely. He has his mad fits of playing and then quiet times when he snuggles up with his dad or me. I love when he follows me from room to room to see what I am doing.

I know he is going to be a treasured member of the family. Even David is happy I pushed to get Artie, as he has been buying him scratching posts and cat boxes!

I have always said a house is not a home without a cat, and Artie certainly makes our ‘new’ house a home! 😀

I hate making hard decisions…

…but sometimes they just have to be made. I had postponed the inevitable for two weeks over Easter as when I broached the subject with David, he fell to pieces!

David has never really known what it is like to be a pet owner and animal lover. I have lived with animals all my life and though the end decision is difficult, it is one that every loving owner must face. You have to put aside your own heartache and the sadness and think of the animal. Are they in pain? Are they suffering?

I think Muzzy was!

RIP 6/2000 to 4/2014

She had been ailing for some time, had grown thin and her breathing had become erratic. As we don’t see Muzzy every day (my cats live with mum next door as they are too old to move into the new house), seeing Muzzy and her condition startled me! So today I knew I had to put my foot down and say ‘no’ to sentimentality! Enough was enough! ‘The cat comes first!’

We were booked in for 5pm at Adams Vets. We have been there many times before and they have always been kind and considerate. Today was no different.

David after work, drove us through a waterfall of his own tears. Mum and I went in and were given our own room to be with Muzzy before the vet came to see her. The vet was calm and listened to Muzzy’s heart. She said that there was fluid on the lungs and in her tummy, indicative of a failing heart! I had thought as much as we have seen it before in another one of our cats. His name was Jo and his death was horrific! It was something I did not want to see again!

The vet took Muzzy away for a catheter and when she came back, Muzzy was all wrapped up in a green blanket. I stroked Muzzy and kissed her head, whispering ‘she will be at peace soon.’ The vet injected the anaesthetic and in half a minute Muzzy’s head had slumped onto my arm and her chest had stopped rising. Mum was upset and I put on the ‘stiff upper lip’.

Home now and David is asleep on the couch, all the crying has spent his energy. I’ll probably have a cry later after a drink and a shower. I find that in these situations, it is always me that has to be the strong one and my emotions never come out as easily as they should.

I know Muzzy is at peace now, no more struggling for air. I think she has had a good innings with us. She was not a kitten when we got her. I was in another vets with a hamster in the summer of 2000 and someone brought Muzzy into the surgery saying ‘she was a stray and had been crying all day.’ I knew then that she would be part of my family. We asked the vet at the time if we could have her, and after a quick check up. I came home hamster-less but with a new addition to my ever growing cat family. Muzzy was with us for 14 years and I think she had a better life than if she was still a stray!

Love you lots Muzzy! xx