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- Nov 6, 2006
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Since I was young, I've always loved animals, but had been unable to keep any pets due to strong parental objection.
Fate brought a beautiful little stray cat into my house one day when my parents had left for overseas for work. She sauntered in and made my place her home as if it was the most natural thing on earth to do. She had been strolling in and out of my garden for days now, and I think something must have clicked in her head and she decided to come explore my three-storey house from top to bottom
She was still a kitten when she came, but it soon became obvious that she was already pregnant. She became my cat friend and I named her Catsy (silly name, but it evolved from me calling her "Cat" when she appeared in my garden). She soon became a lil kitty momma at a tender age, giving birth at the vet's with much difficulty. Suddenly, I had FIVE cats in the house, Catsy and her brood: Sunday, Wukong, Socks and Powder. They were the cutest little beasts... but Wukong was my secret favourite since the second he was born. Something about him just reached out to me as I watched his momma lick the gunk off his fur...
Within two months of the kittens' birth, I lost Sunday, Socks and Powder to cat flu despite trips to the vet, medication and syringing water into their little mouths. So my family of five cats shrunk down to two... Catsy and her little son Wukong.
Wukong was still sick with the flu, but I refused to give up on him even though the vet said he probably won't make it as he was young. He was such a fighter, and always playful even when sneezing his little snout out. I spent nights in his room (he had to be separated from Catsy lest he make her sick again), setting my alarm to wake me up every hour to feed him honeyed water, and just checking that he was still alive. One morning I woke to find him sprawled on my chest fast asleep... he must have crawled up there for some warmth in the middle of the night.
He slowly recovered and we became very very close. showered all my love and attention on him, and he showered all his kittenish charm on us without holding back.
Naming him after the Monkey God- Sun Wukong, was a really good decision. He showed that he was strong, resilient, cheerful and playful to the point of being a complete brat. Over the months, he grew from a rambunctious kitten who slurped his food and climbed up my shoulder to sit there like a parrot into a handsome, serious youngster who learned very fast how to fetch his favourite mouse toy and drop it in front of me, how to sit on command even without treats (he accomplished this in TWO days), how to jump up onto the sofa when I tapped on it... and he did this all because my affection was the best treat for him.
And that's how we spent our days together till the end.
He and Catsy had been chased out of my house when my parents came back. They were absolutely livid that the cats were there and refused to compromise, so I sent them to live with my good friend and went to visit them almost every single day.
One evening I went over and saw that Wukong's belly looked distended and swollen. He wasn't in pain, but something was definitely wrong. Thinking it might be gas or indigestion, I brought him to the vet the next day.
It was FIP. Fluid was building up in his abdomen and would soon be pressing up against his vital organs, and there was nothing the vet could do for him, not even to lessen his discomfort. We had to make a quick decision. And that was the day my world crashed around my ears.
I brought Wukong back to my friend's home and made him as comfortable as possible. He was no longer as active, but would still insist on leaping up onto the sofa. He still went up onto the coffeetable to steal water from people's cups (my friend didn't like that, so me and my kitten would "quarrel" over it... he'd jump up, I'd go "No Wukong!!" and he'd go "Meeeeyowwwww"). But he was definitely listless and more sleepy than usual. He was also starting to look jaundiced, which meant his liver was starting to go.
On 31 May 2006, I had my friend invite the local zoo's vet (she works there) to come to her house and euthanize my baby boy. Even after he was unconscious, he refused to go without a hell of a fight... the vet was unable to feed the drugs into his veins somehow, but she finally managed... and in minutes, my little darling was gone. He was just 11 months old.
We buried him in a beautiful little park near my own house, where I could visit often. We placed him curled up in a boot box, with his favourite mouse toy and his favourite flavour of treats, and some flowers. He looked like he was just sleeping. But he was completely and irrevocably gone.
Baby boy, I still think it's unfair that you had to leave after fighting for your life once. Anyhow, I'll be reunited with you sooner or later, and we can go on quarrelling about whether you should be allowed to drink water from people's cups! I may be late, but I know you'll wait for me. Till we meet, your collar will hang on the wall in my office, and you'll always be in my heart.
Some pictures to remember him by.
Wukong sleeping... he loved to sleep close to his humans...
My handsome boy...
Fate brought a beautiful little stray cat into my house one day when my parents had left for overseas for work. She sauntered in and made my place her home as if it was the most natural thing on earth to do. She had been strolling in and out of my garden for days now, and I think something must have clicked in her head and she decided to come explore my three-storey house from top to bottom
She was still a kitten when she came, but it soon became obvious that she was already pregnant. She became my cat friend and I named her Catsy (silly name, but it evolved from me calling her "Cat" when she appeared in my garden). She soon became a lil kitty momma at a tender age, giving birth at the vet's with much difficulty. Suddenly, I had FIVE cats in the house, Catsy and her brood: Sunday, Wukong, Socks and Powder. They were the cutest little beasts... but Wukong was my secret favourite since the second he was born. Something about him just reached out to me as I watched his momma lick the gunk off his fur...
Within two months of the kittens' birth, I lost Sunday, Socks and Powder to cat flu despite trips to the vet, medication and syringing water into their little mouths. So my family of five cats shrunk down to two... Catsy and her little son Wukong.
Wukong was still sick with the flu, but I refused to give up on him even though the vet said he probably won't make it as he was young. He was such a fighter, and always playful even when sneezing his little snout out. I spent nights in his room (he had to be separated from Catsy lest he make her sick again), setting my alarm to wake me up every hour to feed him honeyed water, and just checking that he was still alive. One morning I woke to find him sprawled on my chest fast asleep... he must have crawled up there for some warmth in the middle of the night.
He slowly recovered and we became very very close. showered all my love and attention on him, and he showered all his kittenish charm on us without holding back.
Naming him after the Monkey God- Sun Wukong, was a really good decision. He showed that he was strong, resilient, cheerful and playful to the point of being a complete brat. Over the months, he grew from a rambunctious kitten who slurped his food and climbed up my shoulder to sit there like a parrot into a handsome, serious youngster who learned very fast how to fetch his favourite mouse toy and drop it in front of me, how to sit on command even without treats (he accomplished this in TWO days), how to jump up onto the sofa when I tapped on it... and he did this all because my affection was the best treat for him.
And that's how we spent our days together till the end.
He and Catsy had been chased out of my house when my parents came back. They were absolutely livid that the cats were there and refused to compromise, so I sent them to live with my good friend and went to visit them almost every single day.
One evening I went over and saw that Wukong's belly looked distended and swollen. He wasn't in pain, but something was definitely wrong. Thinking it might be gas or indigestion, I brought him to the vet the next day.
It was FIP. Fluid was building up in his abdomen and would soon be pressing up against his vital organs, and there was nothing the vet could do for him, not even to lessen his discomfort. We had to make a quick decision. And that was the day my world crashed around my ears.
I brought Wukong back to my friend's home and made him as comfortable as possible. He was no longer as active, but would still insist on leaping up onto the sofa. He still went up onto the coffeetable to steal water from people's cups (my friend didn't like that, so me and my kitten would "quarrel" over it... he'd jump up, I'd go "No Wukong!!" and he'd go "Meeeeyowwwww"). But he was definitely listless and more sleepy than usual. He was also starting to look jaundiced, which meant his liver was starting to go.
On 31 May 2006, I had my friend invite the local zoo's vet (she works there) to come to her house and euthanize my baby boy. Even after he was unconscious, he refused to go without a hell of a fight... the vet was unable to feed the drugs into his veins somehow, but she finally managed... and in minutes, my little darling was gone. He was just 11 months old.
We buried him in a beautiful little park near my own house, where I could visit often. We placed him curled up in a boot box, with his favourite mouse toy and his favourite flavour of treats, and some flowers. He looked like he was just sleeping. But he was completely and irrevocably gone.
Baby boy, I still think it's unfair that you had to leave after fighting for your life once. Anyhow, I'll be reunited with you sooner or later, and we can go on quarrelling about whether you should be allowed to drink water from people's cups! I may be late, but I know you'll wait for me. Till we meet, your collar will hang on the wall in my office, and you'll always be in my heart.
Some pictures to remember him by.
Wukong sleeping... he loved to sleep close to his humans...
My handsome boy...
