General Chat

When they married, for very personal reasons, they decided not to have children.
They have always had siamese cats & when the 1st two died about 8 years ago they took a brother & sister from a rescue home. They had been ill treated & it took a couple of years to get their confidence & neither of them has ever ventured outside the house.
Last week the male cat developed a cough & snuffly nose so he went to the vets where he was given an antibiotic injection.Within a couple of days he became very ill & was taken back to the vet who said he was in organ failure & it was unlikely he would survive, but they would try.
The following day he died. My brother got back home to find that the female cat was bleeding & when they looked at her, she has 3 large tumours on her abdomen, so they will be losing her too within a very short time.
My brother & his wife are distraught. It was bad enough losing one, but both!!.
As he said, they were their substitute children.
To make matters worse, my brother checked the antibiotic on the internet and apparently there is a chance that cats will have the reaction my brother´s cat had, & die. The vet denies any knowledge of problems, but even if it was only a 1% chance, surely my brother should have been advised of the risk & given the opportunity to refuse the treatment.

http://www.rcvs.org.uk/complaints/

So sad for them.

a vet can only do their best they dont always get it 100 right


but still so heartbreaking for your family my heart goes out to them :-(

Very sad to read this ,.sometimes it can also happen to humans adverse reaction to medicines .wishing your brother & his wife all the best Take care Barbra x

Heartbreaking to lose precious pets at any time but when they are substitute children as well it's worse still. My best wishes to your brother and sister in law as they say goodbye to their cats. They should take comfort that they gave those cats the best time they could after their poor start in life and even now have done the best they could for them and will do for the female cat who is ill now.

Maybe in time they can consider taking in more unwanted cats who need homes and the love and kindness missed so far that your family can provide.

Have a look at Rainbow Bridge and pass the words to them, perhaps.

Lizx

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Thanks for that Liz.
I think they have pretty well decided not to get another cat as they are both in their 60s now & live in a very isolated part of Cornwall. They realise that in the near future they are going to have to move somewhere nearer to civilisation & to a property which is more manageable as my brother´s health is deteriorating.
They feel that it wouldn´t be fair on an animal to take it on & then perhaps be unable to care for it as they would want.
Loved "Rainbow Bridge".
Marion

Marion, there are often elderly cats needing a final home and also indoor cats which might be easier nearer busy roads and such but I can understand their reservations. There is also the Cinnamon Trust which has members who look after pets while their owners go into hospital for treatment and such so they are sort of foster carers which might be a way to help a cat for a couple of weeks and then hand it back. Knowing there is such an organisation might encourage them to get another cat knowing it would be cared for by the Trust should they be unable to continue the care later on.

It's early days yet and maybe later they will change their minds.
Best of luck to them, sounds as tho life is full of change for them right now. Hope all goes well in the future

Lizx

Thanks Liz.
I think they need a little time to sort themselves out first.
They haven´t had a holiday for 20 years because they wouldn´t put the cats in kennels, so we have asked them to come over to Menorca to stay with us for a couple of weeks.
Admittedly they live by the sea in a beautiful place, but everyone needs a change of scenery at times & they have never been able to go anywhere together that involved an overnight stay.
I know they sound a bit eccentric, but think they need to be catless for a while. If they had children, they would almost certainly have left home by now.

Oh it will be lovely for your brother and sister in law to visit you and have some nicer weather and a change of scene. They don't sound eccentric at all. My bro and s.i.l. never had kids but after they had been married some time and moved to a big house with 5 acres of land, they got a wolfhound, then another and then another as each one died so they were never without one, if you get me. They have had holidays abroad, when they were younger, like Thailand and Mexico and India etc but I don't think they go far now, sometimes to Ireland but they took the dogs, and if they do go away for a while they used to have a lad in the village they live in, move in to look after the house and dogs. Last year they got two new pups as their last older dog died so it's all systems go again, altho my brother is semi retired now and works from home a lot and my s.i.l. works part time in the local doctor's surgery so there is usually someone at home.

Lovely as they are, animals are a tie, and expensive to put into catteries and kennels so I don't blame your rellies for taking some time for themselves.

Have a lovely time with them

Lizx

Marion......so sorry to hear this, very sad:(

jude x