When I first spotted this stunning, blue-eyed cat in a neighbor’s yard, 2 things came to my mind: first, that “she” belonged to that neighbor, and secondly, being “tri-colored”, with black, brown & cream, this cat was a female. I found out that “she” was, in fact, a stray & started to feed “her”, giving her the name “Tinker Bell”. I was trying to find a home for “her” but was not very successful.
One day, I pointed “her” out to the groomer who came to tend to my friend’s cats & he said – “That’s a neutered male!” I was quite surprised – he explained that the cat was part Siamese, hence that particular coloring. I took the cat to the vet to double check & was told that yes, he WAS a male but he actually was NOT neutered. Apparently, he had undescended testicles and therefore looked neutered but wasn’t – so, snip, snip, snip!!!
I also changed this poor cat’s name to “Mister” Tinker Bell & told people who questioned his name, that he was a female impersonator! Mr. Tinker Bell, unlike other strays who didn’t go too far from their feeding stations, wandered around the entire neighborhood & he bullied many cats, not endearing himself to me with this behavior. One day, though, after having been feeding him for about 2 ½ years, a neighbor threatened to poison him.
Mr. Tinker Bell was not feral & it would have been easy for her to catch him – thus, I took him into my home, despite the fact that I really did not want additional cats. Much to my surprise, there was no bullying behavior at all & Mr. Tinker Bell settled in quite nicely, making special friends with Simba Puppy Rover, one of my other rescues. Mr. Tinker Bell loved to jump onto my lap & have his “rear end” face me, & he then wanted me to rub his back up to the base of his tail, which he’d stick up in the air!
A really funny thing that happened at home now was that for some unknown reason, my German Shepherd, who loves cats, was afraid of Mr. Tinker Bell!! All Mr. TB had to do, was stand in a doorway, & Lady would NOT venture past him!!! This remained the case for the entire time that Mr. Tinker Bell lived with us – it was truly comical to see! As he was part Siamese, Mr. TB had that habit of being a very vocal cat, meowing & meowing, for no apparent reason – sometimes, when he did this, I’d just start singing to him: “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” – that popular song from “Evita”!
Alas, one day, there WAS a very good reason for him to be crying. I came home from work to find Mr. TB, hiding under the bed, howling. His hind legs were paralyzed. I rushed him to the vet, where I was informed that he had what’s called a “saddle thrombosis” – a blood clot. He was admitted to the clinic where he stayed for a week, receiving pain meds, fluids, tests, etc,etc. Amazingly enough, he regained feeling in both legs & was able to eat his meals & use his litter box. He was discharged to me with a few different types of pills; however, I was told he had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy & that the prognosis was extremely poor.
He acted so “normal” at home, it was hard to believe there was anything seriously wrong with him. It was, though,only about 2 ½ weeks later, that he again became paralyzed & I knew what had to be done . No pet owner wants to have to make that decision and yet, our pets depend upon us to do what’s best for them, not for us.
We must not allow them to suffer, with pain & fear, with no hope of a happy & healthy day to day life. Mr. Tinker Bell added so much to my life, made me laugh so many times, and he was so handsome just to look at. So, strange as it may seem, I offer up a “thank you” to my cruel and mean-spirited neighbor who wanted to poison him – for due to her threats, Mr. Tinker Bell enjoyed many good years in a warm home, with cats to play with, a dog to intimidate, and an owner who will never, ever forget him.
With memories of laughter,
| Mr. Tinker Bell |
| 19, Jan 2004 |
| Geri |