Sorry, folks, but we lost another cat today.

Chico to cancer-he was 16 and this was pretty sudden.

He was up until the last couple of weeks like a baby panther-big,black, in fact very big-a Bombay cat, cross between Bengal & American Farm Cat.

Ironically, he was the original gentle giant-if there was a cat into whose mouth a mouse could run in and out unharmed, this was he.






I can't remember whether the Chico came from the first or second Chico Hamilton, as he never showed much inclination in playing Jazz or football for Chelsea, Aston Villa or Southend.

Anyway, back to the matter in hand-did any of you get caught up in the assumption that playground fights etc were always started by the big boy or girl & get clobbered as a result by teachers?

I had one narrow escape from it at primary school when the teasing from a little snotbag in the year below called Jimmy Harold got too much. His mother-who bore a strong resemblence to an amalgam of Cinderella's ugly sisters-was up the school, but I got off with a lecture-were others so lucky?

PS HIS looks weren't improved by the resultant broken nose-left hook again!


Steve

Buddhists would say that Chico is now in the intermediate state between physical lives.

Who knows in what form he might come back?

By all accounts (well, by Steve's anyway), he was a peaceful being who, although strong and powerful, was not one to use his strength to oppress the weak.

I therefore foresee karmic promotion for Chico.

So, let us mourn his passing but let us also prepare to celebrate his return to life among us.

Chico is happy now . . . and will soon be even happier.

Steve, the worst thing in this world is to lose a loved one. By no means is a loved one restructed to humans. Having the love of an animal is something special that only animal lovers will understand. Unconditional love is what you get from a pet.

I have been in this very same position many times Steve. As a breeder of German Shepherd's (although I have recently switched to Belgain Shepherds) I have had many an attachment to my kids,as we think of them.

On behalf of my wife and I, please accept our sympathy.

Mike.

There are a few humans, including relatives, who, if they were to pass to a higher plain would concern me not.
However, the passing of a much loved and devoted pet is hard to bear.
Accept my sympathies.
YOBBO

" . . . a breeder of German Shepherds (although I have recently switched to Belgian Shepherds)"

A wise move. The Belgian variety are altogether more manageable and far less likely to form a pack and invade Poland.

Thank you one & all, from Sarah, Me and the remaining cats! I forgot to mention that all our cats support useless Scottish football teams by tradition, so Hamilton Accies will doubtless observe a minute's silence tomorrow.

Mike's Belgian shepherds are gorgeous, by the way, I've seen photos! I wonder if they have ever shown any inclination towards writing detective or thrillers, or even tried surrealist painting!

Hello Lotta, if my two ever invaded Poland they would drive everyone mad with wanting to be stroked. I have never had a mean German Shepherd, in fact some of my dogs became Australian Champions. A good nature is something a dog needs in the show ring. I can't get my Belgains to do anything and I said to my wife that perhaps it is because I don't speak Flemish and I'm convinced they don't understand English. Or maybe don't want to!

Condolences on the loss of your beautiful Cat, mimi

MIMI

Thanks. A big beast like him leaves a big hole, even with 10 others left(and the lodger!).

We got Chico in Dec 1991 & our first girl cat,Mitzi, the month after. We lost Mitzi to a heart attack 2 years ago & she was always Chico's friend-looked on him as a big brother & used to rub her head under his chin a lot-so I expect Chico has resumed that in cat Heaven, apart from meeting up with our other ones. Those two used to take it in turns to be last in, especially on summer nights

Mitzi had an attitude that some on here might approve of-the only female cat I've ever known to spray AND mainly on electrical stuff! We once had 4 out of six kitchen sockets fizzing and crackling and out of use before we found plastic plug caps!

Better still was Mitz's attitude to our first computer,Amstrad PCW 1512. She'd had a couple of goes at it, so I got a tight-fitting long plastic sleeve. That went on religiously every night & the study was pitch black at night.

Imagine my surprise to discover that Mitz had penetrated. How she got under the sleeve, which was STILL on computer next morning, was beyond belief-as was the perfectly aimed stream of urine straight into the motherboard. £250 to replace with a new computer and retrieve what we could from hard drive was a cheap price to pay for Mitzi's bravado.

I don't think even Lotta could match that for taking your breath away!


Steve