Dinnah : 1988 (approx) - 08-09-2011

Dinnah was a special little angora cat. When I moved here she was already out in the streets, ducking cars, other wild feral cats, and our very large coyote population. Yes, she had owners, but she was always out, rain, snow below 0, no matter - she was always starving and thin. She was quite skittish then and pretty afraid of almost anyone.

Over the next 14 years or so I watched her and got her food and water, shelter when she needed it, she began to trust me. She would show up when a blizzard, and -20 winds and come into my porch and hide out get warm and sleep. More and more she appeared over the years. Then another cat appeared from up hill, known to me as well, a well-cared for male tom. He came and was all upset and I walked him back up and got informed his man had died and the man's nephew tossed the cat out and was going to sell. He said the nephew tried to grab the cat and turn him over to be put down. I was just beyond words, so I walked back with him following me. He would walk up and come back a lot, until he decided it was ok not to look for his man any more.

Dinnah and he did not like each other at first. He refused to come in and stay in as he appointed himself my guard cat. I made him a cat house and got it into the pines faced into my cellar window so I could see him, open a window and let him in to get warm and back out. After some spats he decided Dinnah was his to protect after all. He was only 15 or so in 2004 and she was a good 17 at least by then to my knowledge. I named him Tigger and he took the name and responded, and never left my yard; he was my shadow as was Dinnah. 

She, however, still attempted to go home, only to be kicked aside and not allowed in, and would walk back over dejected and hurt so she finally stopped.

Tigger got ill in 2007 and passed in weeks, but he was an old tom and his kidneys shut down. He died with us here and Dinnah sitting outside crying and wondering what had happened. She lost her protector, and it did not take her long to walk into my cellar and refuse to leave, she knew she was too old to handle it out there.

I saw her blossom and want love and attention and not once did she use her big paws with huge claws on anything.  She was a true lady. She eventually made her way up to my kitchen landing and hung out chatting via a gate to my many cats as I had 5 and a Pom at the time. She finally got the idea they all had no issues with any animals and she became less timid and ventured in to hang out. Any can opened got her attention, that's how she got her name Dinnah, after the song, as she appeared promptly faster then my own.

I lost my two male cats and my Pom in 2009 and 2010 and I had the 3 ladies on my own who are now 16, 15 and 9 left. No one objected to her sleeping on the sofa or being about, but her cellar area with her windows and chair and all  was hers, and that's where she loved to be but as time went on over the last 6 months she came up more and more. I saw her thin out and not have energy to do as much; humid air bothered her as well. My vet checked her several times and said she is an amazing geriatric cat over 20 who is in decent health for her age. She had had rabies and distemper but I had no idea when any one ever took her to a vet. She had been neutered at some point. She allowed nail clipping, fur combing and clipping if need and just was one happy lady.

On Memorial Day weekend she had a minor stroke, but made quite a come back and other than a little issue on her left back leg she was able to eat, walk, climb and carry on. But as the summer passed so did her body fat and her kidneys were shutting down.

Thursday September 8^th, I found her unable to walk get up and go to the litter tray. I got her up here put her on pads and stayed near. She wanted food and water and I hand fed her but she was so mortified to wet herself.  I kept changing the pads and cleaning her. I had called the vet to allow her to go as now it was the right thing to do.

I left the room to go into kitchen and some how she dragged herself up behind me to lie down near me so I moved all her pads to where I was. That was just stunning to me that she wished to be near me.  I gave her tuna and water and sat with her until it was time to go to the vets.

At the vets she still was chatting away and just being her wonderful self full of personality. The vet made her last minutes very calm and easy and pain free. Dinnah was some where around 23, an amazing age for any cat, especially one left out and abused for so long.

I brought her home and we buried her next to Tigger where she rightly belonged.

Rose Varga, USA

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