Pages in topic:   < [1 2]
Off topic: Farewell, Monsieur Émile!
Thread poster: Viktoria Gimbe
Kevin Lossner
Kevin Lossner  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 16:40
German to English
+ ...
A cat with good qualities Oct 21, 2009

ViktoriaG wrote:
... how do you want to find a cat that has so many good qualities?


Some of these qualities are in the genes, some are acquired by the love given to them. You never know where you'll find a wonderful companion. My ex lost a wonderful cat a while ago and ended up adopting a creature that ate out of trash cans at McDonald's and crossed the autobahn to get there every day until it was captured and taken to the animal shelter. There it was fierce and untouchable, but somehow they connected (surely something in common), and when he was brought home, the cat proved to be gentle, grateful and as fine a pet as one could hope for. There is another cat for you, and when you are ready, you will find it.

Your Monsieur Émile looks exactly like my first farm cat Woodchuck, the best mouser I've ever known and one of the best cat spirits as well. What became of him I don't know - our adopting a German Shepherd and having a baby a few months later was a bit too much for him, and he moved on, but he remains a part of my life.


 
Patricia Lane
Patricia Lane  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 17:40
French to English
+ ...
it is the reverse :) Oct 21, 2009

Viktoria, maybe it is a bit risky to have such a detailed specs list for a new cat or cats..Somehow, that can set you up for disappointments sometimes. Also, cats choose their master or mistress (and have just one!), rarely the other way around!

 
Özden Arıkan
Özden Arıkan  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 17:40
Member
English to Turkish
+ ...
No, you are definitely not guilty of anything Oct 21, 2009

Viktoria wrote:
I am trying to go easy on myself, and it is very hard. I know I am not guilty of anything, and I know Monsieur Émile was not holding me at fault either.

In my story, we wouldn't let the vet put him to sleep unless or before he suffered miserably. Had it come to that, we would have done the same thing. If death is inevitable -with FIV, it would be- and the animal suffers too much, there's no point at making it miserable.

Viktoria, you did your best for Monsieur Émile and I've no doubt he knew and appreciated it.


 
Andrea Riffo
Andrea Riffo  Identity Verified
Chile
Local time: 13:40
English to Spanish
+ ...
. Oct 21, 2009

ViktoriaG wrote:

I did a bit of research on my cat's condition before he was put to sleep. I now have names for the guilty: diabetes mellitus, which caused hepatic lipidosis, which in turn caused diabetic ketoacidosis. The last of the three diseases, which basically build upon each other, comes with painful symptoms: headache (brain swelling), abdominal pain, etc.



Hepatic lipidosis is a b*tch of a disease I'm dealing with it right now -for the 2nd time- with my Strider, since his CRF started acting up again and he all but stopped eating for a few days. I've been force-feeding him for a week now, at timed intervals, so that he stops losing weight and recovers (his vet says it's just a crisis, and that once it's over he should be perfectly fine again).

Like others have said, please go easy on yourself. It's so easy to see how much you love Monsieur Emile, and you did the best you could. You'll miss him for a long time, I gather, and that's ok; he should be missed: he was family and you love him. Don't let (other) people make you fel weird for caring so much about him. Mourn him. And then, hopefully, when you feel a little better, you'll feel ready to give another kitten a place in your home and your heart. Kevin and Patricia are right: when the time is right, you will find him/her... or maybe he/she will find you (I'm Strider's foundling, and not the other way around... HE picked ME off the street)

A big hug

Andrea


 
Viktoria Gimbe
Viktoria Gimbe  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 12:40
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Choosing a cat Oct 21, 2009

Patricia Lane wrote:

Viktoria, maybe it is a bit risky to have such a detailed specs list for a new cat or cats..Somehow, that can set you up for disappointments sometimes. Also, cats choose their master or mistress (and have just one!), rarely the other way around!

I agree with you, and I am well aware that I could be expecting too much from another cat. That is why I keep saying to all who suggest getting another cat that I am not quite there yet. The time hasn't come--I first have to accept that Monsieur Émile is gone, which may take some time. For now, I am only looking at vague possibilities. I thought of abyssinians because they have such a well rounded personality that I am sure that even though none of them may turn out to be exactly like Monsieur Émile, they would easily fill the void left by him. Plus, the thing with abyssinians is that they love company and they rarely pick out just one individual in the nest--they love every living being if socialized early on.

Frankly, if I had my way, I would help another nursing stray cat with her kittens. Sadly, there is only a very savage cat visiting my yard at the moment and it doesn't want to settle under my deck. Even if it did, the chances are slim that it is female, and even slimmer that it has kittens any time soon. Then again, it may be that this cat being very savage, it is keeping other cats away from my yard (my yard used to be a mating ground and a boxing ring for cats--a very mean cat, after leaving some nasty scars on its fellows, scared them all away). Stray cats come and go. I was so lucky that one of them decided one day to move into my yard!

All this to say that one of the reasons I am putting off looking for a new cat for the time being is that I don't want to fool myself into trying to get a cat like Monsieur Émile. However, I want a lively, smart and affectionate one (or two), so it doesn't keep making me think of how much better Monsieur Émile was.

Andrea, you are so lucky to have caught that nasty disease while it was still treatable. In Monsieur Émile's case, treating it would have been pointless, as treating the diabetic ketoacidosis was more urgent. You know how harsh the treatment for hepatic lipidosis is--imagine what it would have taken to get rid of the ketoacidosis! If I had it, I would rather die! Take good care of Strider!

Kevin, you are right again--cats are very complex beings (I keep being frowned at for comparing them to children, but I know what I am talking about). I have always asked my husband why Monsieur Émile turned out so cool--he has been telling me that we were lucky that it was him and not another one, but that he probably wouldn't have turned out to be like he did had he been with another family.

Funny you say Monsieur Émile looked like Woodchuck, who was a good mouser. My Monsieur Émile wouldn't hurt a fly. He preferred playing with bugs rather than eating them. He was too playful a fellow to waste a toy by eating it! Once, I kept a baby mouse for a few hours (got inside the house through the dryer vent)--he jumped around, followed the mouse everywhere, but as soon as the mouse would turn around, he would stand up on his hind legs and do the orchestra conductor. We never discouraged his using his teeth, and he would bite us a lot for play, but even there, he never bit hard enough to hurt us. The few times we got a scutigera (check these bugs out--ugly but fascinating), we secretly hoped he would catch them as we didn't want to deal with them, and we had to conclude in the end how ridiculous it was to have a cat AND large bugs in the same house. He just wouldn't do his job!


 
Pages in topic:   < [1 2]


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Fernanda Rocha[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Farewell, Monsieur Émile!






Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »
Anycount & Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000

Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.

More info »