Ed and Kathi-1997

Kathi is taking Ed to the Vet this morning. He’s always had a small growth in his ear and occasionally this is ‘earatating’. Apparently this is a common cat complaint and there isn’t much that can be done about it except cleaning regularly. You can’t trust the cat to clean his own ear; when he discovers that his tongue is not long enough he tends to use his paw and the claws soon make a mess. Infection sets in and you have a very sad cat on your hands. Ed has been very good with this ritual and will sit quietly while Kathi probes his ear with swabs. He knows now that his ear will feel better after she’s finished and despite the sad sack look on his face he hops down with renewed vigour. He won’t take this from just anybody; he did bite one young vet and when he clamps down on your arm you know he means business. As he gets older he seems to realize that, although he hates the visit to the doctor, it will soon be over and all he has to so is be patient and he can go home a new cat.

Both cats are showing their age and as winter approaches they tend to spend more time indoors sleeping. For the last couple of years Rose has had trouble keeping her food down. When she was young she would eat anything and everything on her or Ed’s plate. When people picked her up they would remark on how er…chubby she was and Kathi would insist that it was her thick fur that created the illusion. Now, she still eats as much but can’t keep it all down so she is slim and trim and happy

Ed and Rose-1989

Ed and Kathi-1991