pepper – T E Shepherd

Life without Pepper

Thomas — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 23:01:00 +0000

I was talking last night with one of my neighbours, Kathy, who has looked after Pepper on many occasion when I’ve been away for a weekend, or off on my foreign holidays for longer. She was of course very sad to hear of Pepper’s death – he was after all – a lovely, friendly, companiable cat.

Anyway, come July, after I get back from Venice, if I decide to get one or two kittens (I’ve heard that if you have two kittens they kind of look after each other and tear one another apart rather than your house), then she would be, how should I put this, delighted to help out looking after them when I go away. In fact her eyes positively lit up at the idea, and I got the impression that if I went away for too long she might even try and go off with them…

No pets could of course actually replace Pepper. He was a one of a kind. But it would be nice to provide a loving home to a pair of naughty fluffballs!!

Pepper has died, rest in piece

Thomas — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 13:22:00 +0000

I came downstairs this morning to discover that during the night, Pepper has died. He’s lying across the end of the sofa, comfortable like he always used to. But this morning he was cold and still.

I’ve just got in from digging a whole in the front garden, close to the bluebells, and burying him. There is a small square stone to mark his place.

Free to enjoy the next six months…

Thomas — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 18:16:00 +0000

Upon getting home from work today, Pepper was waiting for me, curled up on the sofa. Just as well as I wanted him. He was soon not to pleased when I shut all the doors and kept him because I had to take him to be ‘listened to’ by nice Mr Hart. It turns out that his heart rate is down to something approaching normal for at cat facing a trip to the vets, and his heart murmur is no worse. Together with my report that he seems to be a bit more spritely of late, Mr Hart doesn’t want to see him again for another six months.

So that’s good Pepper. Just keep taking those tablets!

Wherein Pepper decides game is what he wants for lunch…

Thomas — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:00 +0000

I was just outside in the front garden, shifting my compost bin (in readiness maybe for a blue recycle bin – to replace the box) and generally tidying up when my neighbours came back. We had a bit of a chat over the rake, so to speak, and as we were talking about the houses they had been off visiting and of trips to Ikea to furnish such places, a Sparrowhawk (or something similarly big) flew straight into the wall of next door, rebounded down to the ground and flew off, as Pepper leapt towards it. As the sparrowhawk flew off low, and up and over next-door-but-one’s wall, Pepper went to sit and look put out that he didn’t get it.

My friend, Pepper

Thomas — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 23:19:00 +0000

When I got home from work today (coincidentally after stopping off at the vet to pick up more food, and arranging with Kathy over the way to come in over the weekend whilst I am away), I discoverd Pepper, curled up and not in the best of moods on tthe top step of the stairs. Fearing that he might have been bitten again, even though he was not in obviously as much discomfort and pain as before, I phoned my vet. By the skin of my teeth I managed to get in to see my normal vet in vet’s hours rather than having to go for emergency hours. Poor Pepper has been in another fight, and been bitten and scratched.

He’s dosed up with anti-inflamatories and has another course of antibiotics, but what’s worse is that his heart murmur which apparently was a 3 back in August is now a 4 – and the vet thinks that part of his discomfort now might actually be do with his heart. He’s recommending the scan, and posible x-ray (which will be betwen £75 and £120 and then a likely £16 a month in treatment thereafter.

I now need to find out more about what what will happen if I do nothing compared to if I go for treatment, more importantly what Pepper’s quality of life will be in each case. I fear that there might be tough decisions ahead of me.

When I do have young kittens, I will definitely be getting them insured.

£70 the poorer, but he’s comfortable…

Thomas — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 21:51:00 +0000

Pepper was not a happy pusscat when I got in from work. He was lying on the sofa, seemingly blissfully asleep, but when approached, meowing, and defensive and deffinitely not comfortable. And of course by the time I was able to do anything about it, it was into the hours of the emergency vet. Aborting myself from wind band tonight, I drove him, after scooping up and into his travel carrier with oven-gloves, down to the 24-hour vet on Botley Road, Oxford.

It seems that his right shoulder is very swollen, and the skin, beneath his fur red. There are also what looks like tiny flecks of blood where you wouldn’t normally see it in the normal course of stroking him. The vet thinks that he’s either disolocated his shoulder, or (more likely) been bitten by another cat. She dosed him up on anti-inflamatories and pain-killers and I have take him to my vet tomorrow afternoon, evening, for a follow up.

Back home, he seems to be more comfortable now, and he will let me stroke him again. I just want him to be fully better again.