This is my favourite photo of her. I nicknamed her The Joker after taking it. She was a rescue cat who had had a litter of kittens and 3 different homes before she came to live with me. At first she wasn't really sure where she was living and was always wandering into other people's houses but after a while she settled down and became a permanent fixture on the bed/sofa/window basket/windowsill. I made a promise to her shortly after she came to live with me that she was now in her forever home and I would keep her safe and loved to the end.
A while back she had been diagnosed with feline Dementia and was gradually losing her sense of what it meant to be a cat. She was a bit like a goldfish in a bowl, forgetting that she had eaten 10 seconds ago etc. She became very needy and also forgot what the litter tray was for and that she needed to groom herself. I did resort to bathing her but that was causing us both stress and I was scared that she would go out and forget how to get home.
The vet and I agreed that her time had come and she was given the most dignified of endings - Tanya gave her a fleece blnaket and some Dreamies. So while Lily was happily playing with them she was given an injection to make her fall asleep and then when she was asleep a final injection to send her to heaven. No shaving of paws etc just a little cat gently falling asleep in my arms.
She was 2 when I rescued her and gave me 14 years of utter joy. My heart is in bits.
Slàinte Mhath xxx