On my mind...a bit of sadness but it will pass...

Last night my cat Lina died peacefully at the vet’s. It was a tough decision but one that had to be made...she was near death and there was no chance she could get better. I am so fortunate to have the loveliest vet; Cecelia is a wonderful and caring person.

1998: Lina in front, Finbar behind, lolling on the dining room chairs

Paolina Melody Coulthard was born sometime in late 1997. Early in 1998 a dear little black cat which I had named Moses got run over and killed on the street outside our house. We missed not having a cat so eventually towards the middle of the year, as a family, we decided to look for another cat. A vet practice at Eaton’s Hill advertised some rescued kittens and one was a male, so we set off to see if we could buy him. We were shown the cage where he was. There were 2 kittens in the cage and the smaller one was licking the male’s ears and head. We were told that it was a female and both had been rescued together. I felt I couldn’t separate them as there was obviously a bond...so impetuously I said, ‘I’ll take both’!  My husband at the time and one daughter were very cross with me...but my other daughter was my ally. Might I add here that I was the breadwinner, my husband didn’t work but I have to admit that my job was only as a relief teacher but I felt it was something I had to do i.e. rescue both!

My daughters named her.  The male, I named Finbar Ambrose and he was the loveliest gentlest cat imaginable. It became obvious that Lina was not a cuddly cat but we accepted that...you didn’t pick her up but you could pat her and tickle her ears and she would respond with the loudest purr! Lina was also a good ‘smooger’, especially around our legs or our hands. She was also a bit of a ‘guts’; we nicknamed her, ’Lina the Cleaner’ as she would lick out all the food bowls. Despite our best efforts she grew rather rotund.

Taken in 2009; she still liked to let the 'arms' hang down!

Due to the marriage breakdown, Lina, Finbar and I were parted for 4 years. Finbar went missing in the 3^rd of those years, never to be found. During the ‘settlement’ I regained custody of Lina and she came to live with us. She loved our garden as it was bigger that that at our former home. She loved the cane lounge on the side veranda, covering it with her cat fur, she loved her food and she loved to run to me, when I was hanging washing on the line, for a smooge or she would sit beside me on the bench seat enjoying the winter sun. When I was working, she and Eduardo would run down to the front garden to greet me when I got home from work.

Lina’s health started to suffer this year...problems with the kidneys have been identified. While we were away she lost a lot of weight...she regained a little when we came home but sadly started  ‘going backwards’ in the last fortnight. She had a ‘mass’ in her abdomen...sadly she was too weak to even consider intervention...I said my good-byes, Cecelia pushed in the needle attached to the canula, ‘Leenie’ put her head on her paws and then her heart stopped....I stroked her fur and gave her one last kiss.

Vale, Lina