My Daughter's Gift To Me, Amber, Cinny & Gypsy Rose Options

[Ann H]

My daughter gave Clair and I her toy poodle Gypsy Rose, and two of her furkitties Amber and Cinny. I have them at my house most of the time anyway since my daughter works so much of the time. Our daughter often times has to work many doubles.

Amber of course is the fur kitty who got sick when I used a carpet cleaner. She was hospitalized and almost died but is doing well now. Cinny is Amber's kitten he was 5 in Oct. I posted a picture some time back of him with Snookie. They loved each other and often layed together.

Our daughter Paula still has 2 other dogs both very large. They have made Gypsy's life very unpleasant, one is a lab mix, and the other one is a beagle mix. She has 4 other furcats so she was getting overrun with animals and could not give them the medical care they needed. Shots, wormings, flea treatments and stuff like that.

While Snookie was still ill our daughter's black Bombay furkitty got cancer, spread throughout his body. He used to weigh around 17 pounds but now only weighs 12. He did weigh less than that, he was down to 6 pounds when he first got sick but gained some back. Midi has to go to the vet every month for a vetalog shot. They did not expect him to live beyond September. So we were going through grief over him along with Chili Bean and Snookie. We are all so happy he is still with us but are fearful he could go anytime.

Anyway I do not believe I will be able to call myself Mama to Gypsy Rose, Cinny also known as Cin song, and Amber since I have been called Grammy to them all their lives. But I am going to try anyway. I love them as my own and am so thrilled to now call them my babies!!!

They will become indoor cats because I am to afraid for their safty outside and I know they can be trained to stay inside. They may not like it but they will get used to it, besides when they have been over in the past they know I will not let them out.
Ann
This picture is of Amber with her arm around Cinny when he was a tiny baby.

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[Susie]

Hi Ann,
First of all, your new additions to the family are beautiful. I know they will be well taken care of. I also hope they help you heal in your recent losses. Secondly, I just wanted to say, that what you wrote about indoor vs outdoor cats, did not hurt my feelings. It did hit a nerve, however, only because of my own guilt with my recent loss of Clay. I know you dont have a mean bone in your body, and only wish to comfort people, but you make a good point, and I respect that. Anyway, my Clay came to us at 1 yr old, an indoor cat. He had lived in town, and going out wasnt an option. Plus he was very scared when we got him. We live in the country, on a private dirt road, and far from any traffic. We have lived here for 9 yrs. Growing up I always had indoor cats as I lived on a busy road but my husband always had outdoor cats as they lived in a quiet neighborhood. So while I was always used to indoor cats, he was used to having outdoor cats. Anyway, "his way" kind of won out, and in the 9 yrs we lived here, we always had cats that came and went, without incident, but always they were in at night and we would call them in if they were gone for very long. Our 2 older cats died, one at 19 yrs old, and the other with cancer at 11. Then we got Sophie. She liked to go out, and we let her go out. There were a couple times, she got a bird, and I said that was it, that I felt so bad for the killing of the bird, that she would have to stay in. But then between the husband complaining, and the cat crying, I gave in to both their begging, and let her go back out. Then we got Clay. At first he was quite scared, and didnt want to go out. Then we put him on a leash, and for a long time had him use that, because he was just so unpredictable. I did feel guilty when he would want to run with Sophie (not on a leash) and climb a tree behind her, and would come to the end of his leash and choke for a moment. But then he got so he would walk with us, like a dog would, down our road without the leash. I wished that this is how things remained, that we just let him out for walks with us, but then he started to go out alone as well. And even though I didnt like it much, I allowed it. How I hate myself for that now. For not standing up to my husband and saying no, for being lazy and letting Clay out without going out with him. I am having a huge problem overcoming the guilt. I am grieving, but I am also beating myself up over this. Hind sight is always 20/20 and while I would never intentionly let Clay out into harms way, I did not protect him as I should have, and his life was taken by a wild animal near the edge of the woods in our back yard. If only I had it to do over again, I would do it so differently. I know he loved being out, but I feel like I didnt protect him. I feel he paid the price for my carelessness or laziness or what have you, and that was too high a price. We no longer allow Sophie out alone. We go out with her. And our new cat we just adopted is staying in. My husband plans to build an enclosed outside pen for them come spring. For 9 yrs we have had cats here, and without incident. I still dont understand why now, and why Clay. He was so young. Maybe he wasnt "street smart" like my other cats, or just was in the wrong place at the wrong time, who knows. At any rate, its a tremendous loss, one I couldve prevented, and the guilt I feel is overwhelming. Yes, Clay loved going out, but it was at such a high price. I just needed to talk about my feelings of guilt I guess, and I also wanted to say I sure hope Tom comes home. Its awful not knowing where they are. Anyway, thanks for listening. Susie (Clay's Mom)