Monday 20 May 2019

| A Full Day

Some days are quite busy and this was one of them.   The lady who cleans for me goes through the bungalow on Monday mornings.   That done I had to prepare all the papers for the accountant coming after lunch.  That was a good hour when at least the weight of filling in a whole load of tax forms was passed over to someone else.   As soon as she had gone Tess and I went to the Garden Centre to buy some plants for my tubs by the front door.   As I stepped out of the car the heavens opened and we had a downpour, so I looked round the plants in the rain.   Home again of course the sun came out and now, in the evening, it is really pleasant.   Sadly there was not enough rain to help my parched garden so I am hoping my gardener calls in tomorrow to water my evergreens just put in, which really do need water.

Those of us who love gardening (even if, like me, you have to ask someone else to do it these days) are in for a real treat this week as it is The Chelsea Flower Show and it has really good coverage on the television.   If only they would tell me what to do about the plague of my life 'Mares Tail'.

A dear friend, one of the four of us who lunch together on Sundays, sadly lost her beloved cat yesterday - run over and so badly injured that he had to be put to sleep.  W is well in her nineties and talked about her cat constantly - he was obviously a very large part of her life.   She will miss him terribly and wonders whether or not to get a replacement.   She is surrounded by her family but as with all of us as we age - do we get another faithfuly pet or not.   It is a dilemma.

24 comments:

JayCee said...

Oh no. So sorry to hear about your friend's loss. I do understand the dilemma. When my father in law lost his beloved Fred, he decided he could not replace him at such a late stage in his life but I think he always regretted that. Although he lived with a human companion for the rest of his days, he missed his faithful canine companion every day. We too are looking forward to this week's TV coverage of the Chelsea Show. My sister attends every year but it is a little too far for us to travel.

Gwil W said...

New cat. Definitely. And if it resembles the other one so much the better. Cats aren't dogs, are they?

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

The Chelsea Flower Show isn't really about weeds and watering, is it? It's rather like viewing the ballet; you see all the beauty but none of the hard work required to achieve it. Sorry to hear about your friend's cat, but from what I know of cat-lovers she'll end up by getting another - I hope so anyway.

Gwil W said...

I mean from a legal point of view running over a cat is a bit like running over a hedgehog and the driver is not liable. Unlike running over a dog which has to be reported to the police. When my brother was in the fire brigade they reversed away from an old lady's house and drove over her cat which they had just rescued from a tree.

justjill said...

Sorry to Gwil W but that made me laugh. I would suggest your friend gets an older cat from Cat Protection. Everyone wants a kitten. But an older cat one doesnt worry one so much about it having a long life in front of it barring fire engines of course.

Heather said...

Condolences to your friend on the loss of her cat. Such a horrid way to lose a much loved pet.
My favourite part of Chelsea is the Artisan Gardens. Looking forward to seeing this year's entries and hoping I haven't missed them as I've not seen every programme.
Hope you get more rain for your new shrubs, and happy gardening.

Ursula said...

Some time ago, my then boss, a formidable and most wonderful lady, used to say, in her occasional exasperated moments: "Oh, Ursula, it never pours but it rains".

As to Gwil's musings. Lest be said the better. And yes, dogs aren't cats. At ninety or so, no, nobody should take on another pet (they'll outlive you and then what?).

U

angryparsnip said...

I am so sorry for your friend loss. @justill had a very good idea or maybe foster a cat ?
I understand in the country people let their cats out (John's blog today) so many ways for the cats to be killed from wild animals to cars.
We have 2 cats that never go out unless on a lead. We have too many predators. In a city there are cars also but the lost of birds by cats is awful.
We will be building a safe cat outdoor area that they can go in and outside safely.
parsnip x

Anonymous said...

I think one should have pets until the end of life especially if one is living alone.
Apart from companionship they are dependent on people for food and exercise.
If one has something else to get up and in the case of a dog, go out for, it makes life worth living.
My father had a dog. When Dad died we gladly took on his pet even though we had none of our own,
because we knew how lonely he’d have been without one..
Sue

Beacee said...

So sorry to hear of your friend's loss. It is heart-breaking. Perhaps she'd consider homing an older cat who has been bereaved?

The Weaver of Grass said...

You will be interested to learn that I have since found out that my old friend's cat was not run over. Her family found it under a bush in her garden. It had had a bleed behind its eyes and was in a sorry state - the vet thought it had most likely gone away to die - as many cats do. So at least its life didn't end with a horrible accident. The vet said the kindest thing was to gently put it to sleep.

Bonnie said...

It sounds like you have had quite a busy day. Sorry about your friend's loss. I am a big cat lover too and I agree with the ones that suggested she check out the older cats that need a home. Most animal agencies can suggest one that has the type of characteristics she likes in a cat and an older one would be much calmer than a kitten.

Joanne Noragon said...

How horrid for your friend. I hope she takes in another companion cat, especially if it will pass along to family if it outlasts her.

Poppy Q said...

Sorry for your friend, what a horrible way to lose a pet. I did read an article several years ago about a SPCA in the UK that would let seniors adopt a senior cat. Hopefully they could provide the cat with a loving home for a its whole life. Then should the person get sick or their circumstances change, the SPCA would take the cat back to rehome it.

Julie

Cro Magnon said...

I found a beautiful Tabby dead on the road last Sunday. I asked around, but couldn't find an owner. Always very sad finding an obviously well loved pet dead like that.

Librarian said...

A bus day indeed, but once more you managed to accomplish quite a few things.
Sorry to hear about your friend's cat. It would probably help her to take another cat in, preferably one that is elderly and won't have much chance of being adopted by younger people. That way, your friend would be doing a good deed and at the same time help herself. I know it did me a world of good after my cat died to adopt one from the shelter; it did not mean I forgot about my old cat but it made my days brighter again.

Sue in Suffolk said...

I hope your friend decides on another cat, they are good company but so independent too.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for visiting!

Frances said...

So sorry to hear about the cat's demise, but as your friend has got family around, I am sure that one of them could agree to take on a new cat if it outlives your pal!

Charles said...

Get a new cat. To be blunt cats do not really care too much about humans so the cat will be quite happy enough if kept fed and warm. Chelsea is ok I used to love it but now that I am retired and have my own garden I am less interested. It’s rather like Gardeners World, all the gardens are so perfect it has little connection with me. I prefer gardeners question time to be honest, at its best listened to in the garden.

I agree we are having lovely weather but no rain at all, I hope the bank holiday brings bad weather, but this tradition also seems to have fallen by the wayside!

Derek Faulkner said...

I can never understand why people keep cats and then let them out to wander across roads. I wouldn't dream of letting my dog outside the house to wander the street and other people's gardens and yet so many cat owners do - seems a weird lack of responsibility towards the animal to me. I have the same thoughts about Chelsea as Charles, above, but it was nice to see the Cambridges encouraging their children to enjoy the outdoors without panicking about H & S.

Karla Kuriger said...

We have an elderly cousin who had a cat. But with her poor vision, she could not see he had a terrible abscess on his face, and when we came to visit her, we had to take him to the vet, and he was too far gone to be helped and had to be euthanized. The vet said he had been in so much pain. But again, she didn't know. She is also indigent, and lives on the state at a state facility, so we had to pay for his vet care. She had only this cat to live for, and we felt horrid forbidding her to get another cat. But what is a family to do? I like the SPCA comment, that she could have a cat, and they would take it back once she couldn't care for it again. Having an animal to love especially when one is alone is so important. It makes me want to rethink our decision, and let her have another cat.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Friend's cat was not run over I find - it had had a stroke and had possibly gone under the bush to die - as cats do.

Rambler said...

The Cinnamon Trust offer older cats (and dogs), pets whose owners have been hospitalised or who have died. There is no charge and the pet can be brought to its new home. If the new owner also dies, The Cinnamon Trust will take it back and place it in a new home or foster home. I do hope your friend can rehome one of their older cats.