Category: Animals

“Replacing” a lost cat

~ Jennifer Barraclough ~ 2 Comments

It is impossible to “replace” an animal who has died, and for more than a month after losing Felix I felt no desire to get another cat. This was partly because there is other feline company in this house, for besides having our own dear Daisy, we receive frequent visits from two male cats who live nearby.  Another reason was that I dreaded the prospect of growing to love another and then, more likely than not, having to go through the agony of bereavement again in a few years’ time.

Then I began to feel differently. I started scanning websites about cats available for adoption, and felt very tempted when I found a young black and white male who not only looked just like my own Felix but also had the same name. However, many experts advise against seeking a carbon copy of the previous cat – there is a risk that the two animals will always be compared, usually to the newcomer’s disadvantage.

Many experts also advise against getting another cat “on the rebound” while still grieving for the one which was lost. However there are no rules and sometimes this is the best way of easing the pain, at the same time as giving an unwanted animal a new home. On a recent volunteer shift at the SPCA I met a woman whose cat had died only one week earlier. She had apparently been crying ever since, but after choosing a new kitten to adopt was transformed with joy.

Rather than permanently adopting another cat myself at this time, I have decided on a compromise. Last week I accepted an invitation to become a foster carer for a local cat charity, and am very much looking forward to picking up two kittens – not black and white, but tabby – from the vets tomorrow.

Feline personalities

~ Jennifer Barraclough ~ Leave a comment

All my cats have had different personalities. Some anxious and easily frightened, others unflappable. Some fond of interacting with people, others solitary and reserved. Some keen on hunting birds and rodents, others not interested. Some playful, others lazy. Different kittens in the same litter can display unique personality traits from birth.

Feline personality, like human personality, is determined partly by genetics and partly by environment. On the genetic side there are sex-specific traits, such as the male cat’s tendency to mark out a large territory and fight hard to defend it, though these and other differences are much reduced by desexing. Each pedigree breed is said to show characteristic features of personality, for example the Cat Fanciers’ Association describes the Russian Blue as “graceful, playful and quiet” and the Rag Doll as “docile, placid and affectionate”.  For domestic cats, there are possible links between personality and coat colour. Ginger cats have the reputation of being friendly and affectionate, black ones unlucky and mysterious, white ones aloof and enigmatic. There are many exceptions, and these associations may be based on myth and opinion rather than systematic research.

Felix was mainly black, with white on the paws, belly, chest, throat and face. He was therefore a good example of the “tuxedo” cat, sometimes called the “Jellicle” cat (Jellicle cats are black and white: T S Eliot). It is said that Newton, Shakespeare and Beethoven all kept cats of this type, and that they are highly intelligent, confident, sweet and affectionate, vocal, and rather lazy.

Felix’s personality did not fit this stereotype. He was an introverted cat, and not particularly intelligent, affectionate or vocal, but there was something very appealing about him. Unlike any other cats I have had, he was indifferent to most human beings but formed an exclusive bond with me. He pined when I went away on holiday, and could apparently be hard to handle on those occasions when I had to leave him in the veterinary hospital; one of the nurses told me “He’s a different cat when you’re here.”

I think the unusually strong attachment between us developed because he had come to me as a tiny kitten, after being separated from his mother far too soon. This shows that the feline personality is shaped by life experience as well as genetics. It can also change over time in response to circumstances. Few things are more rewarding than to see a cat (or any other animal) which has been neglected or abused, but then rescued and well cared for, being slowly transformed from a fearful or aggressive creature into one which is confident, loving and content.

 

Feline euthanasia – some personal reflections

~ Jennifer Barraclough ~ Leave a comment

Euthanasia for cats, or other companion animals, is a complex and sensitive topic. I am not a veterinary professional, but my views are informed by my experience as a cat owner, and as a former medical doctor who has worked with many dying humans in hospices and cancer wards.

In an ideal world, I believe that euthanasia should be reserved for animals who have incurable conditions and whose symptoms cannot be adequately controlled. In the real world the wishes and practical circumstances of the owners play a large part in the decision, but these are not always aligned with the best interests of the animals themselves.

I suspect that many animals get euthanised too soon, or when they do not need to be. The owners may not have the motivation or practical resources to continue caring for them when they are sick, or they may find the situation so upsetting that they just want it brought to an end. Sadly, some animals who get euthanised are not sick at all, only unwanted or homeless.

Conversely, other animals are left to suffer too long because their owners have moral or religious objections to euthanasia, or cannot face the prospect of witnessing the process or feeling responsible for killing their beloved pets.

I hope I did not delay too long before making the big decision for Felix. I had accepted that he was not going to recover from his illness, whatever the diagnosis, but did not consider that in itself an adequate reason to euthanise him. Two other cats of ours had been euthanised in the past, and although I have no doubt it was the right decision in both their cases, I found it an agonising experience. I hoped that Felix would die naturally like another of our cats, Floella, who slowly and peacefully faded away at the age of almost nineteen years.

It did not work out quite like that. One morning, after Felix had been going quietly downhill for a week or so without apparently suffering, he began to show signs of distress. I felt it would be cruel to let this situation continue and arranged for him to be euthanised the next day, when the vet would be available for a home visit, for Felix hated being taken to the surgery. Meanwhile I had a sedative analgesic prescribed for him. Soon after I gave him the first dose he fell asleep, and died a few hours later. I was very thankful that he did not need to be formally euthanised. If the medication which was needed to relieve his pain and distress hastened his death a little, I consider that a blessing.

Another aspect of this topic to consider is the impact of euthanasia upon the staff who carry it out. They have to develop a certain emotional detachment in order to be able to do it at all, but it must still affect them at some level. I suspect this is one of the reasons why the suicide rate for veterinary surgeons is so high compared with that of the general population, and also higher than that of other healthcare professionals.

Only a minority of human patients with terminal illness say they would want euthanasia provided that their symptoms can be controlled, and with good palliative care they usually can be. Maybe the same is true for animals.

Farewell to Felix

~ Jennifer Barraclough ~ 4 Comments

My beloved cat Felix died last week. This post is wriiten in his memory, with some reflections on love, loss and the euthanasia of companion animals.

I have had many cats in my life and loved them all but Felix was somehow special. He came to me as one of four kittens needing foster care when they were just a few weeks old. Most people would probably have seen him as just another ordinary black and white cat but for me, for some inexplicable reason, it was love at first sight  and I knew at once I wanted to adopt him permanently. The close bond between us was maintained throughout his life, though he was a self-contained cat who did not relate easily to most other humans or felines. He became a skilled rat-catcher.

Felix was nearly fourteen years old when he died – not a great age for a cat, and yet he did well to live as long as he did considering all the health challenges he experienced: separation from his mother at a very young age,  a near-fatal attack by a feral tom cat when he was a few weeks old, a bladder blockage and a separate bowel blockage. His final illness lasted several months, during which he manifested a puzzling range of different symptoms, and temporarily improved on courses of antibiotics and steroids. No definite diagnosis was ever made but it gradually became clear that he was not likely to recover.

When the vet first suggested euthanasia I said no, feeling that neither Felix nor I was ready for such a serious step. Another course of steroids brought a little improvement over the following week but then he declined again. Some cats hide away outside when they are near the end of life but Felix stayed at home and continued responding to my touch, walking from room to room, trying to eat a little, grooming his paws, and using his litter tray. He was clearly fading away but did not appear distressed, until the day came when I knew it was time to make the heart-breaking decision. I arranged for him to be euthanized at home next morning and meanwhile the kind vet gave me three vials of a sedative painkiller, Temgesic, to calm him until then.

After the first dose was given at 4 p.m. Felix fell into a peaceful sleep, and stayed asleep all evening in my office. At 10 p.m. I left him to get ready for bed, then lay down to read a book until his next dose was due. About 10.30 p.m. I remember feeling a strange wave of cold. When I went down to give to Felix his medication at 11 p.m. I found that he had died.  I was overcome with grief yet thankful that the euthanasia did not have to be carried out after all.

Next day we had a small ceremony for Felix, a dear friend sang “Ave Maria” for him, and we buried him in the grave which we had prepared in the corner under the plum tree where he used to lie. I continued crying for days, and still miss him so much, but it is getting easier and I am thankful for the time we spent together, the memories and photos. I would like to believe we will meet again in an afterlife but I don’t know if I do.

It is not always easy to tell when an animal is suffering and sometimes I wonder if I should have agreed to “put him out of his misery” earlier – but I sensed that, until the last day, he did not want to die. There is much debate about euthanasia for humans at present and there are certainly complex “pros and cons” around the topic. During my medical career I worked in a hospice for several years and it was my impression that only a minority of the patients there would have chosen euthanasia if it was offered – is the same true of sick animals? We cannot know. Sometimes there is no doubt that euthanasia is the best thing for the animal concerned. In other cases, rightly or wrongly, it is carried out more for the benefit of owners who either want to avoid the trouble and expense of caring for a sick pet, or who can no longer bear their emotional pain while watching nature take its course.

Cat Ward

~ Jennifer Barraclough ~ Leave a comment

Today I drove out to Mangere for my regular volunteer session on the Cat Ward at Auckland SPCA. It’s early summer in New Zealand and the kitten season is in full swing. Pregnant mothers, mothers with newborn kittens, and litters of orphan kittens are continually being admitted. Of course there are older cats there too. Some have been picked up as strays, some surrendered by owners who can no longer care for them, and others are victims of cruelty or neglect.

All the cats are beautiful, with their different sizes and colours and personalities. A few are highly vocal, constantly clamouring for attention, freedom or food. Some are labelled ‘Timid’ and hide away under their blankets. Many others just sit still, waiting with patient dignity for what will happen next.

Volunteers work alongside the veterinary nurses, helping with practical tasks such as cleaning cages, feeding bowls and litter trays; serving meals; stocking up supplies of rags and newspaper; taking rubbish out; and sometimes spending time with sick puppies in the room next door.

We are not encouraged to have too much physical contact with the cats, because of the risk of spreading infection, nor do we know where they came from or where they will go. It’s probably better not to get too involved with them individually, because not all will be lucky enough to live happy ever after, though a good number will eventually be adopted by one of the many visitors who come to the Animal Village.

There are always vacancies for new volunteers, to do a variety of jobs: direct care of cats, dogs or rabbits, reception, administration, laundry, driving, fostering and fund-raising. Maybe this Christmas season you might consider helping at your own local animal rescue centre, giving them some money, becoming a foster parent or offering a dog or cat a ‘forever home’.