Yeah, it's never easy to say goodbye to a pet. Anyway, here's my clan. I don't quite know how I ended up with them all. They just kept accumulating somehow.
Biggles (19) I haven't got a pic of him on my PC, so I'll have to edit him in later. But Biggles is the OG of the group. We got him in 1999
, and despite a rocky couple of years, he's still with us. He had a kidney condition, which has affected his limbs, and sometimes he can be a bit wobbly on his feet. Last year, we thought it might be time to say goodbye, as he seemed desperately ill, but he recovered and has been ok since. I know the end isn't too far away, so it's important to make the most of what time he has left. I've never known a cat to love spicy food like he does. He goes crazy when I make chicken fajitas and, if left to his own devices, will finish off a left-over curry with no fucks given. The rest of the clan all sensibly avoid that shit, but then none of them are an OG.
Charlie (18) We were looking after him for a friend who was ill back in 2010, I think. The friend passed away, but we'd bonded with Charlie, so there was zero chance of him going back to the animal shelter. His first home was a couple who split up and, for whatever reason, gave him up, and he was picked out by a family friend who had him for a couple of years before she fell ill, and then we took him on. 8 years later, he's still here. He's a little bit slower, thanks to some arthritis, but he plods along regardless.
Loki & Freya (5) A pregnant stray cat gave birth to these two. For a short time, a near-by neighbour, whose house was near the back of our own house, looked after the three, turning a small tool storage room built onto the outside of their house into a temporary sleeping shelter for them. The door was always open, since it was isolated from the main house, so occasionally the mother would come to the side of our house, where a long fence ran alongside the our back garden, and I'd slide a bowl of food underneath. Eventually, her two little kittens, now eight weeks old, became curious and they made their way underneath the gap in the fence and have never left since.
LOKI
FREYA
Cocoa & Jasper (4) One year later, and the same stray cat that gave birth to Loki & Freya, had another two kittens. The side-story of the mother cat became a long, difficult saga. The short version is she's now fixed and rehoused on a farm. But, anyway, Cocoa and Jasper were born just under a year after Loki & Freya. They found their way under our fence and into our house. They never left. My journey to the dark side now complete. Six fucking cats. I wish I could explain it. But, they all kinda rock, so it's all good.
It was pretty early on that we discovered that Jasper had telekenetic powers and would often levitate his sister off the ground for his own amusement. His powers weakened as he got older, and the only evidence of his powers that we still have is this picture where, clearly, he's controlling Cocoa with the power of his mind. See the concentration in his eyes and the what-the-fuck-is-going-on expression in her eyes. I don't think I need to say anything more at this point.
