Betty Boo
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Betty came after BooBoo was killed in a RTA outside Phil's home. Betty was adopted from Chichester RSPCA in March 1994.
I was visiting Chichester RSPCA Adoption centre and it was my birthday. Looking around the cat centre there was this beautiful, soft, almost floating ' Queen of Cats'. I said to my friend Phil who was with me if she comes down that ramp to the front of the chalet run she will be coming home with me......of course she did and so she did come home! She had been abandoned by her previous owners. I assume they had presumably fed her from the fridge on ham....as this was her habit on first arriving home with me.
I was living at my friends's house at the time as I was 'in between houses', havign sold mine I was looking for the right place. I took her in the back room and sat down with her on my lap. As I did she proceeded to lick my arm like I had never had a bath in my life! I felt she was saying thank you!
Phil never really made her that welcome as, unfortunately Betty and Luka, (Phil's own cat) didn't get on. I recall one morning when I came down to make tea that she was sitting outside on the neighbour's shed roof! Phil had locked her out all night! Have never forgiven him for that.
When we moved into my new home in Shoreham-by-Sea in March 1995 I had Yogi, Betty, and Chloe and all three cats got on pretty well with each other. I have always kept my cats in for about a month after moving as that gives them time to re-adjust to a new place, sort out territories, get settled into a routine and realise that all the packing boxes are gone so they can relax again!
Shortly after moving there in the Summer months I noticed that her tail had become very very thin but at the time didn't realise what this meant. Shortly after this she was, one evening sitting on the ironing board, which was always one of her favourite perches, her breathign was fast and laboured. I knew somethign was dreadfully wrong. It was around midnight and I rushed her to the Vet Hospital in Brighton. They took her in and did tests and even an ECG! which showed her heart was having great problems. They wanted to keep her in overnight and give her fluids and medication and monittor. The outlook they said was not good. I was so upset, I really don't knowhow I drove home. I never slept. I literally prayed all night for her to be well and to come through this. The next mornign at 8 a.m. I was on teh phone, she had come trhough the night and if after the mornings medication and further tests proved ok I could pick her up at lunchtime. I was so thrilled to have her back. She was to be on medication as she had a heart condition. She would have half a heart tablet every other day and a tablet for her lungs daily. One of teh major worries that night had been that her lungs. She thrived again after this and her tail which had been so thin flourished and became the big bushy 'racoon' style of old. I always checked her tail after this as that was the early warning system that would tell me when Betty was off colour or unwell. She was a cat that i could truly never worry about when it came to going outside for she was happy staying very close to home and at Linden would only ever go into next door's garden down the bottom of that one, over into the garden there and then back round the houses to the front and down the drive into our garden and home. Even with other cats traversing further afield she had no inclination to do that. When I moved to Cumbria and again to Manchester she did exactly the same and would never venture far. No sleepless nights with her, leastways not when it came to being outdoors. She always came home when called too!
When we moved here it was heavenly for her for now she did venture not that far but she would go further away from the house than before and would languish in the garden under some bush in the shade or in full sun rolling over showing how happy she was and relaxed.
Eventually she did start to show ill health signs again but not from the heart problem . This time it was kidneys. She had been diagnosed with very tiny kidneys so it was not a surprise that this shoud be the case. I had heard that cats can have kidney transplants and they are very successful but given ehr age was advised that this would not be an option. So we started with new medication, the heart ones were now no longer needed, her heart had improved in strength with teh five years of meds she had been given. She was very good with tablets and I never had a bother with her especially as these tablets were that much bigger. Someoen should tellt eh pharmaceuticals that cats ahve tiny mouths and tablets they produce are often very difficult to get in a cats mouth and for them to swallow. She was aged 12 years approximately and I had already been told by a previous vet that she would not live long, probably around 12!
Betty continued to thrive and enjoy her life and was a warm loving and affectionate girl. She loved being held like in your arms with her back and facing you so you could stroke her tummy. Whilst doing so she was stretch a paw out to your fcae and gently pat it, all the time purring so loudly.
I found a new vet that I took Betty to when she started to show signs that her health was deteriorating was told what signs to watch for so that I would know when it was time. She was still thoroughly enjoying her life, eating well and going into the garden, so her quality of life was there and I wuld not take that away while she enjoyed herself.
Her last three days she began to hide behind my chair and although she ate it was little. Still using the litter tray and still takinn great pleasure ina cuddle and stroking her tummy. It was half past nine at night when she collapsed without any other warning. Her passing was a great loss to me, for I lvoed her dearly and still to this day miss her and can see her about the house. Yet I was able to cope better with hers for I had known that she really did have the best of lives and was cared for and loved after a sad beginning. At just over 19 years old she had defied the person who had said she would have a short life. I was happy that hers had been long and fulfilled
She was a gentle,very loving cat. Not so to her 'subject' as she was a true 'Queen' holding that tail aloft and floating passed all and sundry with that imaginary little wave. She reigned supreme as matriarch with all comers!