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Ms Vicky: 1998-2014

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by Chuck., Oct 9, 2014.

  1. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

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    [Broken External Image]:Maine Coon Cat Forum

    Sometime Monday evening Ms Vicky passed away not so peacefully after 16.5 years.

    I like to tell the story of thumbing thru Time Magazine's special edition of 100 People of the 20th Century and Ms Vicky decided to make a statement by making a "bookmark" on Princess Diana's page....she lived up to that statement.

    I took cats into my home to foster for adoption, and Ms Vicky often made them feel at home. Even a couple of months ago she befriended a six-week predominately Siamese kitten pulled from a feral life at the airport car garage. Now she is just as sociable as her Godmother.

    Ms Vicky was named after a 50-something co-worker named Vicky, and nobody dared call her Ms Vicky - the wife of Tiny Tim. Her Mother was a white doll-faced Chinchilla Persian just like the Fancy Feast cat, but have no idea of her Father. Some have speculated he had Siamese blood, and Ms Vicky could be very vocal. I saw her as British royalty in her "Meow" was "Maa" (RP accent), a heavily shaded silver that would go well with a British Shorthair cat. When guests came into my home, Ms Vicky was the only one that greeted them instead of running for cover. Again, she was great with other cats - with one famous exception. She had brilliant emerald green eyes. Of all the cats I have had plus fosters, it would number at least 75, she was a close second to my favorite - Spencer I (SpencerTheLion.) But she was the most attractive and adoptable cat I have ever known by far. She was extreme friendly and attractive - SpencerTheLion agreed.

    One evening I played off the Jingle Cats album Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. When it got to the middle where the strings make the exclamation point done by kittens squealing, Spencer (both cats neutered) started to mate Ms Vicky! :D For a number of years when I heard this mischievous chatter I knew what Spencer was doing with Ms Vicky.

    I had a purebred odd-eyed white Turkish Angora with Ms Vicky for several years - this cat was not like Duchess in The Aristocats. In fact, I named her Mewdonna - in appearance and attitude she thought she was The Queen of Pop. I visited the home Mewdonna is happily living in as an only cat....she fought most cats at my home. I brought along Ms Vicky and things were OK most of the visit, but suddenly Ms Vicky uncharacteristically charged at Mewdonna and drove her under the bed - priceless.

    Older cats and dogs are susceptible to failing kidneys, but more so Maine Coons and Persians. I think Ms Vicky was suffering from kidney disease. If there is a takeaway from this, check your cat. Her fur hid her weight loss and by the time I realized it, it was the 11th hour. She also suffered from Upper Respiratory Infection. First a runny nose, then her right eye swollen shut. A friend helped with the cost of getting her to the vet. They hydrated Ms Vicky, and gave penicillin, antibiotics. She was stronger just before the vet visit and the prognosis was she would recover, but the next day she had a relapse, greatly weakened and as feared died the next evening, sadly passing with an apparent seizure. Maybe all the treatment was too much.

    She was the feline queen of hearts.
     
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  2. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Thanks for sharing. I will never forget the loss and sadness when we lost Nina.
    It's surprising how a little ball of fur can occupy such a large spot in our hearts.
     
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  3. NuttyKat

    NuttyKat Member

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    It really hurts when the fur balls move on. My cats have always had such crazy different personalities with something unique about each. My condolences on your loss of Ms. Vicky.
     
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  4. Onager

    Onager Junior Member

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    My condolences for your loss.
     
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  5. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    My condolences also. These fur balls become essential members of the family.

    We are also part of the foster corps for a local shelter, having fostered a large number of kittens (60+), and adopted two of them. We will soon be losing a female who was not a rescue, but who absolutely loved playing step-mother to those kittens. She has been suffering from lymphoma for several months, and we have not been able to push it sufficiently into remission. This morning, she was down to 5.0 pounds. While the desire to eat remains strong, not much of anything tastes good enough to eat more than one bite. But otherwise, she remains happy, active, and apparently comfortable.

    She is the Siamese pictured in this long-ago posting.
     
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  6. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Sincere Condolences....
    Thanks for sharing her with us!
     
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  7. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

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    Sorry for your loss. Pets are such a huge part of our everyday lives.

    DBCassidy
     
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  8. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    MAYA: 4/5/2005 - 10/22/2014

    Maya's struggle with lymphoma ended this morning, quietly, in the comfort and familiarity of home, on her own schedule.

    Despite severe weight loss, she remained active and happy until just the past few days. Sunday she couldn't jump up on our bed anymore. I had to move the litterbox from the garage to the central bathroom, closer and unimpeded by a cat door. Happiness came less frequently, for shorter times. Lap time meant less of her quirky ultra-happy-purr-mode-foot-sucking and more silent napping, with a towel now necessary. Walking became slightly unsteady. But she was still able to make her own way around the outside of the house to the deck late yesterday afternoon to soak up the day's brief sunburst, and still requested and enjoyed late evening laptime.

    Maya was a great foster sister to the first dozen rescue kittens we hosted. Then she graduated to foster mother. Despite never having had her own kittens, she excelled at and relished in the mother roll.

    She is survived by a step brother, a fellow Siamese. He was one of those rescued kittens she mothered, the one that didn't go back to the shelter for the standard adoption process.

    She was previously pictured in the Cat Thread, and appears in about half the pictures in my Bart Memorial album.
     
    #8 fuzzy1, Oct 22, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2014
  9. ftl

    ftl Explicator

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    That's so sad. But at least you were able to make her last days as comfortable as possible.
     
  10. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

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    Who said Siamese were unsociable?

    Thank you for sharing on Maya and the work you have done rehoming cats - it's a lot of work.
     
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