Some sad news from the home front

Regular readers of this blog may recall that I posted a couple of months ago about our cat Ziggy who went missing in April. After blitzing the neighbourhood with posters and flyers we had lots of calls from people who said they were familiar with him and would look out for him. It was lovely that people reached out when we were so anxious and everyone I spoke to said what a charming cat he was. Very sadly, we received confirmation last week that he had been found, long since passed away. As we suspected, he was not very far from home and had somehow got into an outhouse (locked and unused), probably through a hole in the roof. We are absolutely gutted. The person who found him was brave enough to come and tell us and to return him to us – many people would not have done – and so we at least have him home and have buried him in the garden, where he spent so much of his time.

I am surprised at how upset I have been. My kids are all older teens now, so they are able to put it in perspective. They also have more knowledge and experience and have lost a person or two. Part of me feels bad to be upset about a pet when so many have lost so much in the last year. A loved pet is part of the family, however, I think most pet owners will agree, and I miss him terribly. He was only about twelve so I just felt he would be with us for many more years yet. It has all come as a bit of a shock.

Of course, I keep asking myself if I could have done more – knocked on neghbours’ doors and asked if I can personally check their sheds, perhaps? It is easy to blame myself, but it doesn’t bring him back. Cats will be cats, and the old adage is true, curiosity is often their downfall.

So we mourn our beloved Ziggy, our sweet handsome boy, and are thankful that we had him for so many happy years.