When you have a lot of animals, it is inevitable that you lose a few, now and then.
This page is in the memory of some of my most special pets.
Blondbella Mercury 29th of May 2006-1st of December 2006
"Freddy", Richard's cat
Freddy had a much too short life. He was a very friendly, playful and outgoing kitten, one of these
that really gets close to you.
The last weekend of November Freddy started limping. We had seen nothing happen to him, and he went straight to the vet's on the Monday.
The vet x-rayed and found no break so assumed it was just a bad twist.
Over the next few days more vet visits followed as Freddy's leg swelled up and became very painful.
On Friday the 1st of December he was kept in for observation and treatment to reduce the swelling and pain -then the vet
suddenly called in the evening to say Freddy had died.
None of us could understand how a healthy kitten could die from a sore leg, so tests were made on the fluid inside the leg.
It turned out Freddy had a really bad infection which eventually hit his heart.
He'd probably had it for a while, the result of a small puncture wound probably gained in play with the
other cats, and when the wound healed the infection closed in. We never saw a wound, nor did the vet.
The bacteria are normally present in healthy cat mouths. A freak accident. Rest in peace Freddy.
CHARLIE July 2002-4/10 2006
ENDORA 4th April 1991-26th September 2006
What can I say? I could write page upon page about Endora. A lot of it (but far from all) is already
mentioned on Caspian's page HERE.
I have never had any pet longer than I had Dora. She was a year older than my oldest child.
She definitely had 9 lives -there were so many times when we thought her life had come to an end,
yet she always bounced back.
But at 15 years, 5 months and 22 days, Dora was very, very old for a Persian indeed -and
especially considering she was the last of her line, with all the other cats I've had from that line
dying much, much younger. I stopped breeding that line already in 1992.
It doesn't seem real that Dora is gone.
I hope she is rejoined with her beloved son Bellhop, and her good friend Tosca.
CHAMPION and FIFe EUROPEAN CHAMPION
CAKEBREAD'S BOOTLEG WHISKEY 70.20
23/9 1996 - 26/9 2005
Brown Tabby Exotic male
Sire: Croquanchat Cognac of Toybox 70.20a
Dam: Cakebread's Blackberry Brandy 70.15
Breeders: P & A.M. Bookbinder, USA
Whiskey was a US import who spent a few years in Sweden
where he gained his European title.
At the North of Britain Longhair and Semi Longhair Cat Club Championship Show in December 2001
he had a "red card day" where he won all of his classes (the largest one had
ten entries), was awarded a CC, Best of Breed, and was nominated for Best in Show.
He was been Best in Show Adult at the Ackworth show for 2 years running.
At the Supreme show 2002 Whiskey gained his first Grand Challenge Certificate.
Sadly he was infertile.
Whiskey. Photo by Alan Robinson
Blondbella Rupert 19/4 1999-1/8 2005
Died of PKD
Rupert was a so called "half pedigree" cat -his father was a rescued stray
who at 6 months of age mated one of our Exotic queenswhen our backs were turned!
Rupert was the brother of Goldilocks.
He went to live with a friend as a kitten and stayed with
her for 3 years. Sadly his owner then died suddenly. Rupert was collected by the RSPCA.
After a home check, he was allowed to come back home to live with us. He was a very happy and friendly
little cat, who started winning well at shows as a household pet.
Rupert was a Cream Tabby Shorthair.
Rupert at the 2002 Ackworth show, where he was Best in Show Household Pet.
Photo courtesy of Heather Collings.
Rupert was also Best in Show adult HP at the 2002 Yorkshire County Cat Club show.
PEPPER.
Champion Elrond's Daisy 10/10 1998 - 28/4 2005
Our wonderful Pepper died whilst pregnant.
Blondbella Tosca Tortie 13b6
13th July 1992 -19th of August 2004
Tosca is gone. It doesn't quite seem possible.
She has always been around, for more than 12 years.
Tosca was one of these cats with 9 lives.
She had a stroke already aged 1, after a bad reaction to a worming tablet bought from a pet shop.
(LESSON: ONLY buy wormers from your VET.)
She had a head tilt for the rest of her life, but managed just fine.
She was the best mother EVER. She loved having kittens.
Tosca was the mother of:
PREMIER BLONDBELLA NAPOLEON 13B2
PREMIER BLONDBELLA CIMI 13B1
CHAMPION BLONDBELLA BALLERINA 70.21
and was also the mother of Coco with one CC, and Blondbella Pixie 13b1 who went Best in Show
Kitten, all breeds, at Bingley in 1996.
THE ABOVE SONS/DAUGHTERS WITH 3 DIFFERENT SIRES.
Apart from these show winners, Tosca was also the mother of Vanilla, who is very important without being a show cat.
No cat can EVER match her temperament.
A ONE IN A MILLION CAT.
Comet is gone. One year and one day old. Photo by Photocat.
Blondbella Choc Ice 2003-06-14 to 2004-06-15.
It happened so quickly. I suspected from the first moment what was
wrong, and sadly I was right.
Comet had FIP. It started as dry FIP, then turned in to wet.
There was nothing we could do.
3 weeks after this photo was taken, he was gone.
Of course, FIP is NOT the dreaded contagious disease that some still think it is!
It is something that every breeder will
experience sooner or later, no matter how careful you are.
It is not something to hide or be ashamed of -it happens.
It can happen to anyone.
It broke my heart when it happened to Comet.
Read more on FIP here:
http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/health/FIP.html
Excellent article by Dr Susan Little, a must for everyone to read.
No animal lives forever, and at almost 13 years of age and with failing kidneys, it was inevitable that Caspian would one day leave.
Yet somehow I never imagined I would have to put his picture on this page.
I imagined he would always be around.
In many ways he is, as he will always live in my memory,
and also in the memories of all that knew him.
He was truly a cat in a million. The King of all cats.
Losing Caspian was harder than losing any other pet, ever.
ADHUILO CASPIAN 29th of Nov.1989-17th of Sept.2002
CHAMPION BLONDBELLA BALLERINA "KICKIE"
My first homebred Exotic Champion.
1996-2002
Kickie died very suddenly and unexpectedly in March 2002, when she was 7 weeks pregnant. She collapsed and no effort of our vet managed to revive her, and so she died. A post mortem revealed the rare contition of a strangulated uterine horn, which has no known cause.
We miss our Kickie.
Caspian and Kickie photos by Alan Robinson.
Blondbella Goldilocks
Half Exotic, half moggy
Left her devoted owner Melanie (then aged 6) in April 2001.
So sadly missed.
SCARLET 981120 -991120
Here aged 9 weeks when
she was the size of a guinea pig!
Scarlet (GRANASIL SICILIANA -sired by Granasil
Chocolate Soldier, out of Granasil Black Rose -breeder Jean Grant)
very sadly arrived complete with distemper, sustained brain damage, developed epilepsy -and had to be put to sleep on her very first birthday.
A terrible waste which could have been prevented.
For a lot of very useful canine epilepsy information, visit the Canine Epilepsy.com website.
BELLHOP 920620-990905
My very special pet Colourpoint -Blondie's great grandson
JENNA
880217-990424
Came to us aged 9 when nobody else wanted her.
Considered "too old to re-home" until Lyn Anderson of Yorkshire Golden Retriever Rescue
stepped in. Thanks Lyn.
When Jenna arrived she was in poor condition and disobedient.
4 months later she passed the KC Good Citizen Dog Test (aged 9 ½),
and was Best veteran out of 7 at an Exemption show.
Pack leader, ruled the other dogs kindly but firmly.
After Jenna met an animal communicator in 1998 she was able to
communicate with us -it had to be experienced to be believed, and could not be explained away.
Blondie 1988-1997
(Adkrilo Tasmine)
My first pedigree cat and so special mother of Caspian.
Blondie with her daughter Bella (1989-1992)
Jesper 1984-1995 and Leo 1988-1997
(Oxundas Undeniable Urban and Yeo Legend)
Two very different dogs despite similar breeding, yet best of friends.
Jesper was born in Sweden and moved to England with me.
Jesper and Leo proudly looking after a puppy friend in 1992.
Hamish 1989-1994 Chance 1994-1996
