Goodbye Dear Dopey.....

I shall never, ever get used to the death of a much loved pet.

This morning we said goodbye to our beloved Dopey.

Our beautiful Dopey.

He was the third cat to arrive when we moved into our new home, he followed Daffy and Dilly by a few months, obviously lured by the idea of food on tap! One morning he was there, in the garden, wary but not wild, fearful but not feral, and after a week or two of backing away when we approached, he decided that being an inside cat was pretty good!

And he made our house his home.


He had a strange addiction to the garage! Wherever he was in the house, if he heard us opening the door from the kitchen to the garage, he would arrive! He would spend hours lying on top of either car, or on cold days if we had driven somewhere, he curled up on the bonnet to enjoy the warmth from the engine. I was terrified that he would be run over or be locked in and die from lack of nourishment.

Sleeping was a hobby of his!

He followed the sun from place to place and as winter approached he would insist on sitting on Rob's chair. There was a scuffle every time Rob got up to go anywhere, and within seconds Dopey was curled up on the cushion, eyes closed, pretending that he wasn't there at all. While Rob occupied the chair, Dopey sat on the coffee table and stared at him, waiting for his chance to invade.

The sleeping bag lay on the floor for 3 months while he used it!

He also suddenly moved on from a particular sleeping spot. For months he would lie in the same place, day in, day out, and then suddenly move on to another place for months. And then move on again when he felt like it.

Dopey and Basil.

He was quiet, unassuming, gentle and affectionate. And we loved him.

Showing Kindle how to sleep!

This morning we took him to the vet as he had a tumour on his shoulder that was growing and looking painful. In fact, over the Easter weekend it split and was bleeding, but with the hassle of the car, I am afraid we left it until this morning. And I think we both knew deep down that it was not a simple problem.

I cannot add to these words.

He tested positive for Feline AIDS.

We had a choice. Keep him for as long as possible to watch him grow sicker and weaker, suffer with more tumours and possibly go off to die alone. Or to be with him and let him leave us peacefully and painlessly.

We chose the latter. He is now in the garden with Clyde, Daffy and Dilly.

Why do I feel like a murderer.