Farewell Fei Por

Fei Por came to us one day in 2007 and had never left since. She had two litters while she was here. Her first was a white kitten we christened Arbie after a cartoon character. He was fluffy and had blue eyes. One day, he just disappeared.

Her second litter had three kittens, Frosty, Patches and Milo. Milo was ran over by a vehicle. Frosty went out and never returned. We had Fei Por and Patches neutered. One day, Wuan found Patches dead just outside the house.

One cat and three kittens
(clockwise) Fei Por with Milo, Frosty and Patches.

It took Fei Por a long time to overcome the grief of losing her kittens. She would call out to them and sniff around the nooks and crannies that they liked to play in. We grieved along with her as we were very fond of the kittens too.

A few months after that, on one of our trips to Ipoh, Wuan was enamoured by a little white kitten that licked her fingers at the vet’s where Fei Por was boarded. Fei Por licked him all over when Wuan put them together. With that tacit approval, we adopted him. Wuan named him Cheeky for his fondness of nipping at our fingers and toes.

Fei Por looked after him like he is one of her own. She groomed him and watched over him all the time. They played together and napped together. In his adulthood, they would groom each other. They were really that close.

Fei Por and Cheeky best of buddies
Fei Por and Cheeky

Fei Por did not like to stay indoors. We let her live outside. In the afternoons, Cheeky would be by the door playing with Fei Por who would be sitting just outside. The few times that she came in, we could see the joy in Cheeky’s antics.

Late last year, Wuan noticed that Fei Por was getting on with age. She let her in the house. Fei Por was perfectly contented and never asked to be let out like she did previously. She spent most of her time sleeping, mostly on the floor of the en suite bathroom.

Our cat Fei Por
Fei Por

Fei Por was not well after we took her back from boarding for the duration we were in Ipoh during the Chinese New Year holidays. She puked a few times but we thought it was just a minor ailment she caught from the other cats or stress she experienced at the boarding place.

She became restless on Thursday and kept climbing onto the window. I asked Wuan to let her out. Unfortunately, it rained very heavily that day. I got worried and kept calling out to her but she did not return. She came back early the next morning as Wuan was getting ready for work. Wuan was in the kitchen when Cheeky went to her and got her to follow him. He lead her to the main door.

Fei Por was crouched outside. Her fur was all bedraggled. She looked tired. We planned to take her to the vet when Wuan got back from work that evening. However, Wuan was tied up in the office and got back very late. We finally managed to take her to the vet on Saturday.

Although the vet said that she was in a very bad shape and may not pull through, we were hopeful that she would. When the vet called at 1.43pm just now to say that she had died, I was devastated. I wept balefully at the loss. When I called Wuan to inform her of the sad new, I could not hold back my emotions and bawled again. I have never been this sad for a long time, not since my mother passed away.

Rest in peace, Fei Por. I am sorry we could not be by your side when you breathed your last. You are family. You will always hold that special place in our hearts. Enjoy your time at the Rainbow Bridge. We shall come for you when our time here is up and we shall cross that bridge together.

RAINBOW BRIDGE

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together….

Author unknown

Fei Por To Go On A Slimming Diet

Fei Por the fat cat showing her tummy
Fei Por showing her tummy.
Photo by Wuan.

I went through more of the photos that Wuan took of Fei Por recently. The one above is incriminating. Fei Por needs to go on a slimming diet immediately. I do not want her to die of heart attack before her time. She should be around five years old (36 in cats years) now and has many more years ahead. I am going to get Wuan to cut down on her meal portions. It is for her own good. Putting her on a diet is one thing but how do you get a lazy cat to exercise?

Should We Rename Her Pork Chop?

Fei Por the fat cat
Fei Por aka Pork Chop.
Photo by Wuan.

When Fei Por first came and made our home hers three years ago, she was already rotund, hence the name. Her idea of exercise was to walk from the basket where she slept and napped to her feeding bowl a mere meter away, and going out of the compound to do her business. In the three years that she has been with us, she had at least three litters of kittens but none survived. That was when we decided to spay her.

Occasionally, she would chase away female cats that dared to stray into her territory; male cats she allowed to come into the garden. That was how she got fleas on her and consequently the sore from licking the spot where the fleas made their home on her. That was also about all she did. Wuan even had to get a mouse trap to catch the rats that have been terrorising the garden. Fei Por just could not be bothered with the rodents scampering all over the place.

We have kept her in the house the past month because she is wearing a cone collar. We do not want her to get caught at the gate while squeezing through the grilles. The sore on her buttocks has healed. We will let her out after the scabs have fallen off, which is any time soon. Hopefully, she will not get anymore flea infestations after this.

She has balloned up even more since staying inside. She still gets the same amount of food. We attribute the obesity to her extremely sedentary lifestyle. She eats and sleeps only. The toys that get Cheeky excited do not work on her. She would just look at them nonchalantly. She would not move to allow me to pass even when she was blocking my way. That is how lazy she is.

If she continues putting on weight like this, she is going to resemble Totoro soon. We are not sure if she can go out through the grilles or not now. She already had problems going through the last few months. She definitely has to go on a diet after we let her out. It would be a tragedy the day we have to cut the grilles to release her should her belly gets stuck in between.