Tail of 3 Tails - Coming to Grips with Loss, Clinging to Hope, and Opening Our Hearts to Rescue Organisations

Last week, the unimaginable happened, our little Mitten's was taken from us - almost exactly a year after we lost our other baby, Chai. They were both naughty as heck and lovable as anything. They both raided the trash and did silly (and very naughty things like stealing peoples sausages when they weren't looking, but they were both extremely loving, affectionate, and playful and fulfilled the role of the "children's cat."

Our girls, Lexi and Squeek are both older..

Lexi does come for affection, it's very much on her terms. Sometimes she'll even climb into bed with the boys at night, but other that that, she steers clear of them. She cuddles with me most of the time.

Squeek is definitely Amie's baby. Although she's come out of her shell substantially, she's not a cuddly cat and is terrified of the boys. She's skittish and we have to give her a wide birth when it's food time otherwise she abandons her food and whatever other cats are around munch her share.

Lexi and Squeek's story begins when I was living with my mom, post-divorce.

Squeek was adopted from the SPCA by my mom almost 9 years ago, but she still looks like a kitten. She's a sleek huntress and only seems to bond with one human. She was adopted along with her brother Bubbles, who died during 2020 of feline leukemia. It is the most horrific way to see an animal die.

Bubbles passed away a month after Levi died. He was also around 9 years old and passed on from cat leukemia. Losing two cats so close together in such a terrible way was shattering.

Levi was Matthew's cat, or at least was our family cat, who we had since before I was even pregnant with Matthew. HE was also one of two, but his sister Gucci, simply disappeared one day. We suspect she was poisoned by our neighbor or taken to the SPCA by her. She was a real bitch and used to drunkenly swear at Matthew over the wall when he was just 3 years old, playing in the garden. Gucci liked to poop in front of her door. A behavior I secretly admired. Levi grew up with Matthew and was the sweetest most doff cat in the world. He would try to jump onto counters and completely miss, almost knocking himself out by going head first, and then landing in his food and water bowls making a hell of a mess. I miss that so much. He was a real homebody, full of love, and adored Matthew.

After losing Bubbles and Levi, our home felt incredibly empty, and we adopted Lexi. I almost didn't take her on because rehoming older cats is just more difficult, and considering Squeek's temperament, I was worried she'd run away. Lexi was only 4 months old, but that is still quite a difference from the usual 10 to 12 weeks that I adopt kitties at (sometimes even younger if the situation dictates). She completely won me over though, by rolling over in the sun and exposing her belly for rubs when I went to go visit her previous home. She has the most amazing mix of genetics between Siamese (clearly seen in her blue eyes, talkativeness, chocolate paws, and tail tip), her tabby colouring and then her wild cat genetics which explains her murderous (hunting) behaviour.

Surprisingly, Squeek took Lexi under her wing almost instantly. I think her maternal instincts kicked in and she treated Lexi like her own daughter. It was beautiful to watch. She taught Lexi how to climb trees, hunt birds, and do girl-cat stuff (which included stealing our neighbour's budgies right out of their cage and savagely murdering them). They still have a very close bond.

Matthew and I then moved out and set up our new home with @zakludick, @aimeludick, and @merenludick. Our home was perfect, but to me, incomplete without a cat. So we adopted Chai. Chai was ridiculously naughty, loving, and playful. Perfect for the kids. He was also the last gift the children received from their mother, who passed away in the February of the following year.

Between the time of Chai's adoption and his incredibly untimely death, My mom moved to the UK and we took Lexi and Squeek into our home. They both adapted incredibly well for "older" cats.

So I started this blog, Tail of Three tails, which has grown and shrunk over the time I started.

It's been such a beautiful blessing to be able to share my precious furbabies with you.

When Chai passed away, we were completely shattered. IT also signified the beginning of a series of incredibly difficult hardships and trauma for our family.

One of @zakludick's colleagues said that although you can never replace the cat you lost, you can fill the cat shaped hole in your heart, so when Meren and Aime's aunt told us she had a kitten for us, we melted.

Mittens, who we thought was a girl, turned out to be a boy and had much gender confusion of which he was pretty oblivious to. The SPCA even forgot one of his balls and I had to take him back a second time.

Honestly, it took us all a lot of time to truly let him into our hearts as we were still reeling from the loss of Chai, but once he started raiding the bins and being insistently affectionate, he wormed his way in and became a beloved part of this family.

And then we lost him. Another baby at just over a year old. I spoke about it in therapy yesterday, and I am paranoid that it is a sign of another avalanche of tragedy, but I think that's just trauma and paranoia speaking.

I am constantly waiting for him to jump through the window, and looking at the spot where his food bowls used to be is just heartbreaking. I even miss him sleeping on the stairs or in the passage, which caused me to trip over him several times.

I just cannot comprehend how it is fair on us... or the furbabies we lost.

Meow Meow from next door has been looking for Mittens for the last few days - perched on our wall, looking very sad that he cannot find his playmate.

I don't know if it's right or not, but I have been looking at cat shelters across the peninsula.

I need to fill that cat-shaped hole. I don't know how else to ease the pain.

In my search, I discovered the most incredible organization: Foster Furry Rescue. It was recommended to me by a friend. Unlike any of the other organizations, their adoption fee of R1100 includes the feline leukemia vaccine, which is phenomenal. We also don;t have to do any of the driving up and down for sterilizations, microchipping or vaccines. The cat's come "ready."

So the process is that they come and do a home inspection, and then we can go and visit their cattery, which is currently overflowing with cats who have been abandoned. Sometimes owners die, sometimes people find themselves in a position where they are unable to care for their cats. They are by far not the only organization who has reached capacity - unable to take on more fosters.

Everyone wants to adopt kittens, which leaves any cat over a year old with almost a zero chance of finding a furever home.

I have decide that I would like to give one of these kitties a second chance. We will need some time to grieve, and to come up with the adoption fee, but here are some of the gorgeous kitties they have that are looking for new homes.

The idea is to find a fat, lazy one, that gets along with kids, doesn't wander and just cares about food and sleep. But just look at these gorgeous cats.

Somehow, I have found great comfort in my search, even if we're not ready just yet.

This organization is absolutely incredible and I would love to support them and the work they do. If I could, I'd come home with all the babies, but for now, until we live on a farm or smallholding, just one will do <3