Rufus

Way back in 1999, just after I got back from Nepal, I went to the West Riding Pet Cat Club show in Leeds. Part of the show was a rescue corner, and I fell in love with a very handsome ginger lad of 3 1/2. I went home, got my wire basket and took him home that day. (they already knew me hence no home check etc.)

It must have all been a bit of a shock to him, but he started settling in.

He settled in, and by the time Errol arrived a year later was happy to snooze with him and Billy.

I never took many photos of him, but as you can see he was a very handsome lad in his prime.

And a few photos made him look wicked!

When I lost George, Rufus was finally really settled. He would have been much better going as an only cat. Max and Minnie arrived, and he was somewhat aloof. However at 10 years old he was in his prime.

In late 2010 he started going missing from time to time, but it seemed he would always come back. He worried me like made when he vanished the day in December it started to snow heavily, but again eventually returned. He vanished again seemingly for good and I went leafleting to no avail. Eventually the local cat rescue rung – he was with them and well. They found me through his microchip. However it became clear he wasn’t well (he had been taken there as he was ill) and he was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid. I finished cat-proofing my back garden as he was on medication twice a day, and all went well at first.

Then in July he started losing weight again, and this time it was very bad news – he had liver tumours. The vets put him on steroid injections and he stabilised and was fairly well until early December, when he suddenly went downhill and I had him put to sleep on Monday 12th. These are the last two photos I took of him, in Barbara’s cattery on the 2nd December. His ashes are in a Wymss Ware marmalade lidded jar which is a delight to have in my display cabinet, and given his colour a marmalade jar seems so appropriate!