It’s Been a While

 A very, very long while in fact. 

Hello to anybody who might see this. As the last of the Forever Foster crew remaining, it’s up to me to tidy things up here. So much has changed for us over the last several years, as it will have for everyone. 

After our last post, we moved to Melbourne for a year. It was cold, but I like to cuddle so didn’t mind too much. We moved back for Perth and have been here ever since. 

A little while after coming back, Fui had a urinary blockage, followed quickly by several more blockages. We did everything we could for the next year, but the chronic condition became too much for him and he crossed the bridge in May 2017.

Suey and I grew very close after we lost him, you’d even say inseparable. In February 2018 we got a new human brother. He is a gentle soul, and I like him. In May of that year Suey was diagnosed with an injection site carcinoma between her shoulders. She had surgery and at the time we thought she was clear. A year later it came back in her leg, and she crossed the bridge in June 2019. 

In December 2019 we started fostering again, for the first time since before my human sister was born. My family wanted to see if I could find a kitty that I got along with, as I was very lonely. We looked after a mum and her four kittens first. They were very sweet, but not a match. Next we took in a 14 week old kitten who had been trapped on a building site. She was semi-feral and very frightened at first, but we managed to break through to her with the help of roast chicken. She was still a pretty scared girl, but she really liked me and I didn’t mind her. We foster failed her in the knowledge that she would likely never be a lap cat, but knowing the most important thing was that I had a friend again. Her name is Rosie. She took great care of me when I was sick a few months later. While her play gets a bit much for me at times, I love cuddling with her.

I’ve also helped her to see that my people are pretty good to be around. About six months after we adopted her, Rosie sat next to my mum on the couch for the first time. Over the next few months, she found my mum’s lap. She is now super comfortable around my people and loves spending time with them. I would post a photo of her but can’t figure out how to do it. She is a white cat with black mask over one eye, black ear, black splotches on her torso and a tail that looks like she dipped it in an ink pot. Beautiful.

We fostered another mum with babies who unfortunately had to go back early as the mum got very sick, and then a litter of bottle babies for a short time. We have come to the realisation that fostering is not for us in this season of our lives. With me getting older and a bit crotchety, plus the two human children, it started to feel a bit too much. Hopefully it will be something that can be done again in the future. 

As for me, I am still here. I’ve come a long, long way from the kitten who was given a life expectancy of 4 months. Last month I celebrated my 12th birthday. My hearing and eyesight are not the best, and I still get very anxious at times, but I love my family and am doing well otherwise. They love me fiercely and feel thankful every day that I came to them. 

I don’t know if I will ever post again after this. But I couldn’t leave this blog without finishing the story of Fui and Suey. They were like two little suns that my mum’s world revolved around and we miss them desperately. Our lives were so much better for having known such beautiful souls. Their ashes are buried together in a community garden. There is a playground there where children play, and at the right time of year their garden bed is full of sunflowers. It seemed a fitting place for them. 

I won’t say goodbye, but I will say goodnight. Thank you for being a part of our story.