Cosy,s ninth life

Cosy's ninth life

6.7.00. I went to the vet with Cosy this evening. She had not
eaten
anything since last Sunday in spite of the injections of Retarbolin
in
mid-June and some antibiotics for the mouth infection. The vet said
she
did not think she would eat again and would die of starvation. I
refused to have her put to sleep but took her home to sit with her
until
the end.

The vet said, "She might die within four days or live three more
weeks". The vet reckoned she had about a week to live but said, "I
don't
know. I am not God". I have got to look at Cosy each day to check
that
flies have not laid any eggs on her fur. If they have I must cut
the
small piece of fur off with scissors and throw it away. And keep
plenty
of fresh, cool water nearby. The vet gave her a vitamin injection
and
did not charge for this service today.

At 7.30 pm Cosy drank some water out of the red bowl. I have saved
some
of the ice from the defrosting of the fridge, as I think soft water
may
be better for her. At 10 pm Cosy walked round the room and settled
down
under the chair next to my bed. Cosy is very peaceful and gives
no
trouble. This evening I looked to see if there were any eggs from
flies
on her, but could find none. I stroked her fur very gently. She
no
longer appreciates having her ears tickled or the bridge of her
nose
touched. This she used to particularly enjoy. She would bend her
head
over for each ear to be tickled and close her eyes when I touched
the
bridge of her nose. She was always a very gentle cat and never made
any
attempt to snap.

7.7.00. When I got out of bed at 8.30 am Cosy came to meet me. She
is
still walking round the room. She approached the garden door
indicating
that she wanted to go out. I had intended not to let her outside
because of the flies in the garden. She does not have the strength
to
brush them off. But I relented and let her just outside. She did
not
walk away so after a minute, I picked her up and took her indoors.
I
held her for a few moments and stroked the fur on her back. I gave
her
a bowl of fresh water and she took a few sips. She walked round
the
front room and the bedroom before settling down under the chair next
to
my bed. I offered her a cushion and one of my old cardigans to lie
on
but she seems to prefer a firm surface. She will not lie on my bed
if
placed there but attempts to jump off. One of her habits is to
jump
into the wash basin or bath and sip the water running from the tap.
She
has been doing this for the last two years but I think she no longer
has
the strength for this. When she goes into the bathroom, I pick her
up
now and put her near the running tap in the bath, so she can still
sip
the water. Cosy passed water this morning or during the night.
The
newspaper in her tray next to the lavatory was wet.

I remember the times when Cosy made me laugh. I had bought a
device
which was supposed to trap fleas in my old flat. It had a light and
a
sticky base. But instead of trapping fleas it trapped a cat. My
cat,
Cosy. She ran about frantically in the front room with the flea
trap
attached to her foot until I removed it.
had taken her to the vet because she was not eating. She had an
injection for a mouth injection and I carried hr home by bus in a
cardboard box. A few blocks from home she made a hole in the bottom
of
the box and jumped out, ran into a garden and hid under a motor-bike.
A
kind young man from the top floor of the house came home and helped
me
retrieve her.But she jumped out of hands again, ran across the road
so
fast that I could not catch up with her. Luckily she continued
along
past three houses to my house where she ran into the back garden,
where
I knew she was safe. I had not seen her run so fast for a long time
and
it made me think she was recovering her health. She came indoors
later
and ate a large bowl of boiled chicken.

I wish she was still well and still eating. But even though she
is
dying, she is behaving very well.

At 4 pm this afternoon she went to the tray in the bathroom and
passed
water. This has seemed to relieve her and she has settled down by
bookcase in my bedroom, having first tried the spot under the
computer
table. She does not want to lay on a cushion or in any raised
position,
but prefers the quite hard floor, covered with red carpet. She
has
moved round the flat several times, spending abut an hour in each
spot,
for example , by the television, under the arm-chair in the
sitting-room, near the bookcase behind the door in the sitting room
or
under the chair near my bed. Or in the corridor by the cupboard,
or
near the water-bowls and food, laid down in a faint hope that she
might
eat. When she used the tray to wee, I told her what a good
pussy-cat
she was. My Cosy, Cosy custard, my pussy-wu -wu. A nice pussy wu A
nice
pussy wu!

6 pm Luckily it is very quiet this evening, and Cosy and I can
relax.
We sat in the front room. Cosy lay near the book case.

11.30 pm Cosy has just walked from the front room near the bookcase
next
to the table into the bedroom under the small table near the door. I
am
glad that she can still walk. Then Cosy moved to just behind the
computer.
By 12.30 am she moved again, stretched out at full length to the
right
of the computer chair. Very quiet, seemed to be asleep. I went to bed
at
1 am, but got up several times. I did not see Cosy move again, but
she
did move again when I was not looking. I found Cosy sprawled over
the
rung of the computer chair with her mouth slightly open at 3.30 am.
I
could feel no heart beat or sign of life. At 3.35 am the front
limbs
twitched, which I think was simply an electrical reaction of the
nerves,
not a sign of remaining life..I lifted her and put her in the
cardboard
box which I left open. At 3.36 am there was no further twitching and
she
was quite still and so assumed dead. She died at 3.30 am. I shall
phone
the vet and arrange for a cremation tomorrow.
By the morning the body was cold and stiff, the mouth had closed and
the
eye-balls sunk deeply in. That day I took her in the cardboard box
to
the vet for cremation. I opened the box in the vet's surgery and
said
"Good-bye Cosy." The ashes will take three weeks to be returned.
My
friends, S. and A. sent me a nice card "Thinking of you and Cosy"
which
came this morning.
Copy right Joan Hughes 9.7.00 1264 words