Cambridge 2000: dedication

Dedication

Two special cats (but they all are) died in 2000, and four others in 2002, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Murmur the cat on lawn Murmur (pronounced moor-moor, chosen to represent in human speech the trill he made when greeting you) was a London stray, probably born in 1988. In 1989 he was fortunate enough to be rescued tail first from a garbage bin and move up to Cambridge, after being treated by a vet (not for the last time). His first outdoor excursion was in the Trinity College Fellow's Garden, he was estatic just smelling all the greenery, this was as close as you could get to cat heaven. He was always an outdoor cat and loved to climb trees, the higher and more precarious the better, and he was completely oblivious to the small branches sagging under his weight. His greatest achievement in life was to catch a small rabbit, drag it some distance and then up several flights of stairs, all without harming it (much). When he got restless, he would announce that he was going to go on a walkabout, and then disappear for up to a day or two. Murmur never had a bad word to say, except to other cats. He died on 27 November 2000 after a long fight with nose cancer. (Photograph taken 27 April 2000.)
Misty the cat asleep Misty was a Cambridge cat, probably born around 1984. He was mostly an indoor cat and loved sitting in your lap, or even better dangling on your chest with his two front paws around either side of your neck, purring loudly. He had several owners but for the last year of his life he managed to find comfort and warmth and a full food bowl and for the last week he spent almost all his time in bed looking angelic and realising that the pillow was as good a place for him as for anyone else. He died on 9 December 2000 shortly after being diagnosed with liver cancer. (Photograph taken 19 February 2000.)
Misty the cat on lawn Winston was a rescue cat, probably born around 1990. He spent the last two years of his life mainly sleeping, eating and sleeping some more. In most light he looked black, with the exceptions being his green eyes and two or three white whiskers, but in good light, several shades of deep, rich brown became prominent. He spent most of his time indoors, although he did manage to catch the odd rat in the garden, some of which were dropped live indoors as he opened his mouth to explain how clever he was. He died on 15 November 2002 three days after being hit by a car. (Photograph taken 22 August 2002.)
Czarek the cat in tree Czarek was a Cambridge stray, probably born around 2001. He already appeared on the scene before Winston died, and indeed was originally mistaken for Winston, also being all black. He moved in three months after Winston died. He was a big cat and at his peak he weighed over 7.5 kg, but was almost all muscle, not fat, and he was an amazingly strong and fast cat, often running to get home. He tolerated no other cat, and was not very keen on anything else being on his property, usually growling when the doorbell rang. He was an extremely good hunter, mostly of rodents but also of birds, including at least one large pidgeon. He would often have a perfectly good dinner and then go out to hunt, and catch something within a minute or two. He would usually bring his catches home, and sometimes drop them in the house still alive but other times growl if you got anywhere near him because it was his prize. He died on 13 June 2007, less than three weeks after being diagnosed with chronic kidney failure, which made it increasingly painful for him to eat and even drink. At the end he was walking with difficulty and had given up eating, but on his last day he unbelievably caught his last rodent. A hunter to the end. (Photograph taken 25 January 2004.)
Kaj the cat next to fence Kaj (pronounced to rhyme with "eye") was a Cambridge stray, of unknown age. He started appearing in the garden (along with a few other cats) a few weeks before Czarek died, so around May 2007. Unlike other strays, Kaj never trusted humans and so never came into the house. Instead, he would eat all his meals in the garden and lived alternatively in one of two small huts left for him. His favourite pastime was to follow the sun around the garden sleeping in the grass. He was a very peaceful cat and seemingly never bothered or was bothered by other cats. When he arrived he was skinny like most strays, but by early 2008 he was looking like a well fed cat should look. In early March 2008 he disappeared for almost eight weeks. Perhaps he had decided to wander around Cambridge. He re-appeared in early May, but was noticeably thinner. Unfortunately he had also lost his appetite, and it seems he had caught some major infection, which killed him less than two weeks after he had come home. He died on 16 May 2008, never having trusted humans. (Photograph taken 25 February 2008.)
Ricky the cat on the lawn Ricky lived in several homes during his long life. He was born around 1991. He was the third stray to appear after Czarek died, and he did not even hesitate letting himself in the house and helping himself to food and a sleeping area. He was not a big cat but more than held his own against other cats, with his steely gaze. In early 2008 he developed sores in his mouth which made it difficult for him to eat. Various treatments were tried, and interferon gave him the best results, but in the end even that could not sort out his eating difficulties. He died on 23 July 2009. Right up to the end other cats would give him a wide berth, knowing that he was not one to tussle with. (Photograph taken 24 November 2007.)