He appeared on the patio, earlier this month, just out of the blue..
I could instantly tell, that at some point, he had been somebody's pet. I have known many feral, and semi-feral cats, but this was a cat who had no fear of people, who came to ask for food and love..
Was he lost? Had he been dumped?
He was in poor condition, skinny, dirty, sniffles, battle wounds, swollen head.. It was clear, that he'd been on his own for quite a while, but not in this area, because I feed my established semi-feral colony twice a day, and had he been in the area, he would have come for the food sooner.
He ate, and he took over the cat hut (Fiarshúileach was very upset as it has been more or less his hut, since he took it over from Little Mami and family..)
Having found regular food, and comfortable shelter (I bring hot water bottles to the hut, every morning and evening), Beannaithe (whom I hadn't named yet, at that point) stayed..
I knew I'd have to get him to the vets, but I did not have a trap, and I definitely didn't have the funds..
One morning, he didn't come out of the hut for breakfast, so I knew that things had taken a turn for the worse.
I managed to lure him out of the hut, using food, and even managed to get him into a cat carrier! Total fluke!
I still didn't have the money to take him to the vets, but some lovely people in an Irish cat group on Facebook, promised to donate towards the fee - I also got a lift to the clinic (and back) as I had just left my own car in the garage for some repairs..
He was very good at the clinic, at Dunshaughlin Veterinary Hospital..
My phone snaps aren't great, but I wanted to share them all, just in case someone out there is still missing him.. He had been neutered, and his ears were in tact, so he must have had a home.. (Usually, when feral cats are trapped, neutered, and returned to their area, one of their ears is tipped, to show that the cat has been neutered - this will save rescues time, effort, and funds, and the cats won't need to be stressed with unnecessary trips to the vets, if they've already been neutered..)
He was given long lasting antibiotics, and as I hadn't been able to arrange a foster home for him, at this point, I had to bring him back to my feral hut..
Thank you to all who paid his vet bill ♥
It was after our trip to the vets, when I was contacted by North Dublin Cat Rescue - they offered to arrange a foster home for Beannaithe!
I knew I was always going to miss him, but I was so happy for him - with the shocking amount of unwanted cats and kittens out there, any cat who gets a home, is very lucky..
I blessed him with a name - Beannaithe - and took some more pictures as I knew that I'd never see him again, once the NDCR volunteer collected him..
I would have loved to give him so much more myself - cuddles, indoor shelter.. But I didn't know if he had anything contagious, and I couldn't put Cara and Cuddles at risk.. So, I only provided food and shelter, talked to him, and pet him gently, washing my hands before touching my own cats, just in case..
Those ears.. ♥♥♥♥♥ ... You can just see him sleeping in the hut..
Beautiful Beannaithe.. ♥
As I was still having car issues, NDCR volunteer T kindly came to collect Beannaithe.. This was my last photo of him.. (Obviously, I asked T for photo permission, should anyone wonder.)
I kept following Beannaithe via Facebook - there were public updates, and some private updates as well. (These last two pictures are from NDCR page, with permission of Beannaithe's foster mammy.)
He was loved, made a dog friend, and received more veterinary care.. ♥
However, he was not getting better, he lost weight, it turned out he had a tumour in the nose, and when his condition suddenly deteriorated, he had to be put to sleep, yesterday..
It's sad, and heartbreaking (I cried my eyes out, last night..), but I know that the last weeks of his life were as good as possible.. He had a home, he was loved, and F took good care of him..
I don't know what happened for him to lose the home he must have had, at some point, but if there is someone out there who might be missing him, I hope you see this.. Beannaithe was loved, and he didn't die alone ♥
Should anyone like to help North Dublin Cat Rescue, you will find their Paypal address on the "About" section of their Facebook page - or, if you live nearby, please consider volunteering ♥
