[RavSam]

Our pet cat "Bandu"
22.08.2020 - 08.08.2021
We had lots of cats previously like over 20+ but the demise of this one truly broke my heart. Was planning his birthday on 22nd Aug but the poor guy passed away due to poisioning. Either something bit him or he ate something laced with poison.

Not sure how I could have saved him and if yes, then when! Because the Symptoms appeared late today on Sunday! Like he refused to eat and doused himself in bucket of water. And passed soon after in about 6 hours.

Not in a city but at a village.

I'm inconsolable. Posting it here as a timeline of his memory.

[digitalnirvana]

Terribly sorry for your loss friend. Please do not be hard on yourself. Bandu is a lovely beautiful chap and I'm sure he knows how much you love him. I hope you get to meet him again someday.

[yesyeswe]

I'm really sorry for your loss man, I lost a pet(they are like a family to us) too this year and can understand your pain, it's always tough when the leave us but yours passed away way too soon. Hopefully he's in a better place.

[Thad E Ginathom]

So sad, especially after such a short life.

[RavSam]

Thanks guys! What's killing me is that I think I could have saved him had I known what to do. I was away from the house and hence only knew about his condition when he could barely move.

If the cat eats a poinsoned rat or gets bitten by something venomous I have no idea what to do and how quickly to do that (If anyone can enlighten me!). The to and fro journey would already waste 2+ hours.

I don't think I would ever keep a pet henceforth. I get too much mentally traumatised by such things. 20 years ago when a small stray kitty came to our house and got her throat slit by stray dogs just ONCE that she had been out made me depressed for years. I am not upto it.

Other cats had lived between 8 to 15 years and 2-3 that died young were taken away by other male cats, predators or were too sick when born. But I hadn't seen or been with them for this long.

I am sorry that I could have saved him but now there's nothing I can do except move on. Left a massive hole in my heart.

[Thad E Ginathom]

In Britain, cats can reach twenty years, even sometimes thirty, if they do not get any serious illness or get into road accidents. There is almost zero dog risk, because there are no feral/street dogs.

Here in India, I don't think I have managed more than five or six, and two is more like it. Two of my last batch of kittens (in both senses of the word: most recent and not again) died in their first months from dog attack, and their mother a couple of years later.

They were all loved. I am getting hardened to the experience. Probably, in reality, I am just suppressing the emotion, but hey, what to do.

[sagarpadaki]

Cats do get poisoned by eating food mixed with poison for rats, rodents. I lost one of my cats a few months ago to such poisoning. Like yours, it was all over in a matter of 36 hrs. There is nothing much we can do in such cases.

[RavSam]

Thank you so much guys! Your comments have reduced my guilt feeling a little. Otherwise I wasn't feeling well till now. Today I saw a lonely kitty in my apartment. Probably it has its mom around somewhere. It wasn't coming near and I don't wanna start this all over again.

The problem with pets is they don't usually live as long as you do and then all the attachment and everything gets too much to detach after their demise.

I have never ever hurt an animal ever in my life even as a kid. When I see kids pulling tails of pets I almost tear my hair apart. My sensitive mind won't let me sleep peacefully.

Thanks again for your support! I won't digress further now.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by RavSam

Thank you so much guys! Your comments have reduced my guilt feeling a little. Otherwise I wasn't feeling well till now. Today I saw a lonely kitty in my apartment. Probably it has its mom around somewhere. It wasn't coming near and I don't wanna start this all over again.

A few weeks/month ago, I said the same to another bhpian who had lost his <1 year old cat, I'd say it again. Go ahead, and try parenting another kitten/cat.

Yes, it's tough losing a pet. My passwords/screen backgrounds are of my lost pet(s), it's still hurts. But the pain gets relieved with a new member in the house.

And most important, you'll be doing a great favor to the kitten by taking care of it. On their own, local kittens do not have a great survival rate. It's one of the reasons in spite of (cats) having litters of 3+ and occurring every ~3 months, we are not overrun with cats.

So I'd suggest try feeding that local kitten when you can and see if you can bring him home eventually.

[RavSam]

Update. Guys! I bought that stray home. I waited for 2 days (yesterday and today) for anyone to pick him up including his mother if she were there but none did. Couldn't bear seeing him being under the cars during rains and dangerously lying over parked car tyres.

Taking him to my ancestral home. They are also happy. But yes, I do still miss Bandu.

Thankyou everyone!

[yesyeswe]

Originally Posted by RavSam

Taking him to my ancestral home. They are also happy. But yes, I do still miss Bandu.

Thankyou everyone!

Bandu must be proud of you brother and so are we, this is the best thing to do.

[Emvi]

Originally Posted by RavSam

I waited for 2 days (yesterday and today) for anyone to pick him up including his mother if she were there but none did. Couldn't bear seeing him being under the cars during rains and dangerously lying over parked car tyres.
Taking him to my ancestral home. They are also happy. But yes, I do still miss Bandu.

Just my opinion, how about naming him "Bandu"? You might find some solace in doing so.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Emvi

Just my opinion, how about naming him "Bandu"? You might find some solace in doing so.

+1 to that.

My parents have / had two Billa(s) and two Spookie(s) in their house; both cases are of one deceased, one alive and kicking cat & dog.

[amol4184]

The stray cat who made our house and garden as his own keeps getting into fights with other cats and injuring himself. Not a week goes by without scratches on his neck and face, often bleeding lightly.
Most recent being a deep wound on hind leg. Mom advised me to apply some turmeric powder on it. Which I did.

It's amazing to see how animals react to humans. This guy would only allow us to pet him on the head and under the neck and no where else. But when he was injured he allowed me to lift his leg and mend to him. This was the first time he allowed me to touch him anywhere else apart from head.
In fact his visits increased and he would call us out from the window.

Took about a week before his wound recovered and limping stopped.
After that incident he is now less aggressive and doesn't twitch. His trust on us has increased multi folds. Best feeling ever!

We also got cat food which we feed him in small quantities. He LOVES it.

[Akshay6988]

Originally Posted by RavSam

Update. Guys! I bought that stray home. I waited for 2 days (yesterday and today) for anyone to pick him up including his mother if she were there but none did. Couldn't bear seeing him being under the cars during rains and dangerously lying over parked car tyres.

Taking him to my ancestral home. They are also happy. But yes, I do still miss Bandu.

Thankyou everyone!

You sir are a good man, kudos to you for bringing that kitten home I have gone through something similar what you faced not so long ago. The only thing that helped me move on was to adopt another kitten. Life's been good since then.

Originally Posted by amol4184

His trust on us has increased multi folds. Best feeling ever!

We also got cat food which we feed him in small quantities. He LOVES it.

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Congratulations on becoming a cat's human. Make sure you keep changing the food type(wet and dry) n brands. Also try giving him different meals - fish, chicken or mutton. I did mistake of feeding my cats only whiskas wet food and they won't even go near chicken now
Do take precaution when petting him, don't let him bite you anywhere. As he's a stray, you might not know how badly it may affect. Even if you get bit somehow, wash the bitten area with soap thoroughly and consult doctor. Cheers for becoming a cat dad !