stig ,our beloved unexpectedely passed on.

neil12345

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hi everyone, i have just joined this forum in hope of some support after the loss our beloved cat " stig "

stig died unexpectedly on the morning of 17th july 2008 after he had an anyeurism on his main artery burst, we had absolutely no idea that he had anything wrong with him as he seemed a pretty active 12-13 (estimmate) year old cat.
i work nights and usually when i come home stig would run up to me as i got out of the car, except this morning i simply heard a cry. i found him lying at the side of our driveway, he was just lying there with his legs to one side.
at first i thought hed been ran over but as i touched him he did not seem to flinch and there was no sign of any blood, i ran in the house and told my wife then we rushed him to the vets, as we drove my wife commented how blue his nose looked and his hind legs were cold, the vets checked over and said that he had nt been run over and there was no breaks then after a while she said hed probably had an anyeurism which had burst and stopped blood flowing to his rear, his temperature would no even register and she said that even in the best circumstances of this type of case an operation would probably only give him a 30% chance and often it can happen again soon afterwards.

this is where unfortunatley where we had to say our good byes, he was a brave boy, we miss him immensely already and so will missy, our other cat and stig's best friend.
im / we're trying not to wallow in our grief but to be honest i feel im a wreck, totally distraught, i cant belive our baby went so suddenly, i honestly though he woul live till a grand old age and die peacefully in his sleep at the bottom of our bed.

anyway thats the horrible bit, but stig deserves better than just that so i will tell you a little about him.

we have been at this house for about 8 years, and more or less since we moved in we noticed a cat that used to sleep in our garden, bizarrely even in the snow!? he obviously had no home so over time my wife tried to tame him, leaving food etc (behind my back as back then i was not a cat lover)
eventually he bacame less timid and eventually he came into the house, liked what he saw and set up camp!
he was a tom when we found him and was extremely protective of his new home, other cats would tread very carefully round here, but he was also incredebly clingy to us (especially my wife) and extremely well mannered and loving, we had him as a tom for about 3 years but as he became more secure in his new hame he started to wonder off for days and would come back with abcesses on his face etc so we decided he'd be safer if he was neutered.
this was his first trip to the vets and the vet told us that he was about 7 years old and was in very good health especially as hed been stray.
after hed been neutered he eventually stopped fighting other cats and became more homely until one of the neighbours had two kittens, he became obsessed by them and would sit for hours watching them and calling to them, figuring that he had a bit of fartherly insict in him we wondered if hed like a companion, then to cut the story short we chanced across a kitten, we did nt intend on having one but whe she was introtuced to stig he was besotted with her so we kept her, stig agreed she should be called missy!
stig basically raised her as she was way too young to be away from her mother and he used to play, fight, groom and sleep with her, they were like chalk and cheese personality wise but got on incredibly well. Missy is now 4 and spent alll her life with stig, i wonder how she will miss him?

stig had many nick names including , stiggy, stig puss and most unusually but most used, fussama lol
Stig was most loving, beautifull, content, heart warming, friendly and was a huge charachter not only to us but friends and family and neighbours too, he will be missed by all who's heart was touched by his paws, especially me, my wife and missy. im feel so sad ,i know it will pass in time but id do anything to have him back for just a moment.


Stig, rest well, we all miss you but will see you again one day. love neil, davinia and missy x x x

stig (on left) with missy...
 

laureen227

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sorry you had to lose Stig.
explain to Missy what happened. i had a somewhat unexpected loss 3.5 years ago, & my Pixel lost her littermate. from her point of view, Mouse left & never returned. i was fortunate that i had acquired a kitten in september, so Pixel wasn't left alone, but i still explained to her what had happened. altho i could still see signs of grief, she seemed to do better after the explanation.
for Stig, &
for you & your family.
 
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neil12345

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thank you for your kind words, missy has nt been too upset so far but she seems a little confused sometimes especially feeding times in the morning a night, i can tell she swaiting for him, to pounce in him as soon as he come throught the cat flap as seh used to, her ears prick with every sound in the house , i can see she hopes its him, it breaks my heart even more but we have bought her new toys and gave her lots of fuss and im gald weve got her as a little bit of stig will still be with us, in time i hope she will accepts a new companion but not yet.
 
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neil12345

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oops! picture a bit big! stig is on the left with missy, probable taken a couple of years back now, they were often to be found embraced together.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by neil12345

oops! picture a bit big! stig is on the left with missy, probable taken a couple of years back now, they were often to be found embraced together.
 

mrblanche

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Your Stig looks much like our Snoopy, the cat we had when we first got married. You may have to get another companion for Missy.
 

brokenheart

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It's okay to feel every bit as bad as you feel. That's grief. You loved him. It won't always feel as overwhelming as it does right now, but that takes time.

I'm sorry for your loss. I lost a cat to cancer last fall, and it just breaks your heart.
 

abbycats

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RIP Stig


I am so sorry about your loss. Stig is now a free spirit and will be watching over you and your family. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
 
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neil12345

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Originally Posted by zoeysmom

He looks like he was such a sweet, big boy. Rest in peace, Stig!
yes, he was,that describes him to a tee, missy adored him, she does nt seem to bad at the moment, she seems to look for him a little when she goes out, constantly seems to sniff the air as if trying to catch his scent, might just be me though thinking this, we ve brought her a few new toys and shes had plenty of love and playtime.
we plan to try and get her a new freind when we're ready, were a bit worried that she wont accept another cat as there was once a black cat that moved in with us, stig did nt really bother with it too much either way but poor missy hated it, shame as it was a lovely cat but we had to give it away to a friend.

i had a bad day yesterday, the mornings are not a good time for me, i feel a little better today, a few tears but will try to keep my spirits up for stig.
 

worriedmommy

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I am so sorry for your devastating loss.
I too had an unexpected loss of my boy, Marbles just last year. He was two months shy of turning two. His sister Snickers went into morning and stopped eating. After three days of her not eating (even with appetite stimulants) , I sat down and just cried and told her how much we loved Marbles and missed him and how we needed her to eat and stay healthy. She started to eat after that. I am telling you this cause if Missy has any issues with mourning, don't underestimate how much she can understand by just talking to her.
I am still dealing with the mourning of my loss so I feel for you deeply. The loss of a beloved one is never easy. I wish there where words to take away the pain.
 

callista

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Your description makes me feel like I had met your cat... he sounds wonderful. I wish it hadn't happened. 13 years is still a decently long time, though I'm sure it must feel awfully short to you.

Feline grief can be anywhere from unnoticeable to being a little more shy to crying, pacing, obvious grief... She will notice he is gone; she will probably feel insecure because that was a big part of her life and now it isn't there anymore. You will need each other, no doubt. Cats don't think like humans, but there are enough similarities that she probably knows how you feel.
 

tab

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what a truly beautiful boy he was. take comfort from the fact that you found him and were able to help him in his last moments. not knowing what happened to your precious boy would have been torture.

RIP sweet stig.
 

tara g

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I'm so very sorry to hear about Stig. My Sparky had the same thing happen to her nine years ago


RIP Stig
 

catsknowme

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Condolences on your loss of Stig. His story really touched my heart because I have a former feral, Scott, who seems to be very similar to your Stig - he happily played daddy to my feral kitten rescues,too.
The picture is so precious; what treasures your memories of Stig are! I know that they bring tears and sadness now, but I am sending those healing prayers and vibes so that your fond remembrances of your boy will brings smiles, too. Hugs to you all
 

babywukong

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I have no doubt that animals have an amazing ability to understand our words.

When Wukong was diagnosed with FIP and given a very very short time to live (less than a week), I explained to Cassie (his momma) that her son was sick, and that there was nothing the doctors could do for him, and that it was better that we let him go before he felt too much pain. As soon as I'd said that an expression crossed her face, or perhaps it was a mental link kind of thing but I felt, just for a second, a heart-wrenching pain as she looked at me. Behaviour-wise she really didn't have much of a change, she hardly looked for Wukong after he'd passed on. It was as if she never missed him or hardly noticed his absence, but that one moment of connection told me that she knew what was going on and why we must let our precious little boy go.

My condolences on your loss. I hope Missy will come to terms with her loss as well. Stig was a handsome, special boy and he's playing over the RB with other foster kitties.
 
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