Another Fur Baby for Rainbow Bridge RIP Bramble

Oooo I'm so so sorry rip beautiful bramble heartbroken that's terrible news

Oh I’m so so sorry 😢 to hear the very sad news lotsofcats of your gorgeous Bramble 😢nothing I say will ease your pain 💔but we are sending you lots of love ❤️ and thinking about you at this very sad time 💔lots of love xx

Thank you all for your kind messages. I knew it was coming very soon, but it still caught me out how suddenly she changed. As you all know, my cats go out all day in a cat pen. Bramble would lie on blankets on the floor near the door, or in the upended cardboard box by the door. she wouldn't go anywhere else so I made it as comfortable and dry as possible. On Monday my neighbour phoned me in work and said one of your cats (Bramble) was crying continually. I told her hubby wouldn't be able to hear her from the front of the house, but I said I'd tell him to get her in, which he did. She seemed ok then. Tuesday she climbed the ladder in the pen and stayed cuddled up to the other 3 cats all day, which is very unusual. After the weekend we noticed her back legs were getting weak. On Tuesday evening when I got her in from the pen she didn't want any food, although she had some chicken off my daughter's dinner later on. I was downstairs during the night and she wanted lots of cuddles and kept going back and fore the 2 water bowls and on 2 occasions she fell asleep with her head in the bowl. She was struggling to walk. Another time she was sat on the rug in front of me, stared at me and gave me a little miaow - I took that as a sign. I knew then I would take her to the vet in the morning. I cuddled her the rest of the night. She didn't want food in the morning or even a Lick-e-Lix. At one point I thought she had gone in the night and also in the car on the way to the vet.

Before we took her to the vets Toffee came in the house and he gave Bramble a kiss. Hubby said Kobi took a look at the cat carrier when he got back and then he was very quiet - he knew. The other cats are all very quiet too. Bramble was the alpha cat. Although Kali is the oldest one in the pen, we think Blackberry (little Miss Bossy-boots) will be the alpha cat now.

Thank you chantel. It is usually Bramble on my lap in the evenings - last night it was Kali, followed by Blackberry, and then along came Willow and she squeezed on as well.

Thank you tonib. It was sad going to the vet, we couldn't go until 9.45. My daughter phoned her boss and he let her have some time off work to come with me. The vet was lovely, a woman vet I hadn't met before. And yes, I had to go to work afterwards. Hubby had to take me as my car is in the garage having a new clutch fitted. Another unusual thing Bramble did on Tuesday evening was that she sat on my husband's lap and she has never done that before. He's not one to have a cat on his lap (although Kai Ruki took to doing it when he was poorly) and he said no Bramble, and tried to stop her getting on his lap - Bramble was having none of it and I was really surprised to see her curled up on his lap asleep. I think she was saying goodbye to us all.

Me too scallywag.