Farewell to a beloved feral

Having cared for Mooch, our resident stray feral cat for over four
years, I know how attached one can become to them. A wonderful man
here in Scarborough just outside of Toronto cares for dozens of them.
He's Robert Brydges, who has been tending to a colony of feral cats
for over ten years. He's fed them, had them neutered and spayed, and
they're thriving thanks to him and some helpers. A wonderful task. But
sometimes it's a sad one. Here's an e-mail he sent me about one of his
favourite cats, Bella.

"She used to sit on my leg and let me pat her. She would look up at
me and feel confident that she could trust me. She was a tiny grey
and black tabby with a pleasant face. She was an adventurer but she
was also gentle and serene. When I first saw her there all by herself
I smiled and said, "Hi Bella!" Then I got closer and saw the horrible
wounds. I think she probably would have survived after about $4,000.00
- $5,000.00 in medical bills. The one back leg definitely needed to
be amputated. The other leg would have required a lot of work… and
therapy. It was badly swollen! Who knew what other injuries she had
unless X-rays and blood tests were taken? The doctor couldn’t feel her
bladder but that didn’t mean it wasn’t intact. Her anus looked like
it was still functional.
It seems crazy to spend thousands of dollars on a feral cat… but she
was one of my favorites.I kept weighing her life with the fact that I
have to pay a mortgage and buy a new furnace. I just couldn’t make a
decision. I almost hoped that the doctor would tell me she needed to
be put down. I'm pretty sure that her injuries were solely confined to
both her back legs. I'm also pretty sure about what happened. She
crawled up into the engine of a parked school bus. When the engine
started one of her back legs was almost completely severed. The bone
was left protruding a good inch through the skin. The skin on her
other leg was stretched and pulled back. It looked deformed because
it was badly swollen. Somehow she had managed to drag herself about
200 feet over to the shelters through the fence.
"Oh Bells..." I cried.
I gently picked her up. She looked right into my eyes and trusted her
life to me. I made my way over the rocks. The whole time I kept
repeating,
"Oh Bells, Oh Bells, Oh Bells..."
I didn't have a carrier so I quietly laid her on my back seat. I got
in the car and drove away….
Sadly we put her down. When we finally decided to put her down the
doctor took us into the back room to see her one last time. She had
an intravenous in her foreleg and a towel covered her back half,
hiding the horrible wounds. I tried to keep a brave face so she would
think everything was going to be all right. I didn't want her to know
that she was about to die.
I reached out and touched her cheek. She flinched slightly at first
but then recognized me and relaxed her head onto my hand.
"Hey Bella," I said, "It's OK."
She looked at me and then relaxed again.
I bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
"I love you," I whispered...
The doctor put the needle into her intravenous and she was gone.
I took her body home and buried her in my garden. I outlined her
grave with some small stones and used a larger one for her headstone.
It simply reads, "Bella."

"Bobcat" wrote in message
...
The doctor put the needle into her intravenous and she was gone.
I took her body home and buried her in my garden. I outlined her
grave with some small stones and used a larger one for her headstone.
It simply reads, "Bella."


:*(

On Dec 8, 12:04*pm, "Kelly Greene" wrote:
"Bobcat" wrote in message

...
The doctor put the needle into her intravenous and she was gone.
I took her body home and buried her in my garden. *I outlined her
grave with some small stones and used a larger one for her headstone.
It simply reads, "Bella."

:*(

Me too. :*(

Bobcat wrote:
Having cared for Mooch, our resident stray feral cat for over four
years, I know how attached one can become to them. A wonderful man
here in Scarborough just outside of Toronto cares for dozens of them.
He's Robert Brydges, who has been tending to a colony of feral cats
for over ten years. He's fed them, had them neutered and spayed, and
they're thriving thanks to him and some helpers. A wonderful task. But
sometimes it's a sad one. Here's an e-mail he sent me about one of his
favourite cats, Bella.

"She used to sit on my leg and let me pat her. She would look up at
me and feel confident that she could trust me. She was a tiny grey
and black tabby with a pleasant face. She was an adventurer but she
was also gentle and serene. When I first saw her there all by herself
I smiled and said, "Hi Bella!" Then I got closer and saw the horrible
wounds. I think she probably would have survived after about $4,000.00
- $5,000.00 in medical bills. The one back leg definitely needed to
be amputated. The other leg would have required a lot of work… and
therapy. It was badly swollen! Who knew what other injuries she had
unless X-rays and blood tests were taken? The doctor couldn’t feel her
bladder but that didn’t mean it wasn’t intact. Her anus looked like
it was still functional.
It seems crazy to spend thousands of dollars on a feral cat… but she
was one of my favorites.I kept weighing her life with the fact that I
have to pay a mortgage and buy a new furnace. I just couldn’t make a
decision. I almost hoped that the doctor would tell me she needed to
be put down. I'm pretty sure that her injuries were solely confined to
both her back legs. I'm also pretty sure about what happened. She
crawled up into the engine of a parked school bus. When the engine
started one of her back legs was almost completely severed. The bone
was left protruding a good inch through the skin. The skin on her
other leg was stretched and pulled back. It looked deformed because
it was badly swollen. Somehow she had managed to drag herself about
200 feet over to the shelters through the fence.
"Oh Bells..." I cried.
I gently picked her up. She looked right into my eyes and trusted her
life to me. I made my way over the rocks. The whole time I kept
repeating,
"Oh Bells, Oh Bells, Oh Bells..."
I didn't have a carrier so I quietly laid her on my back seat. I got
in the car and drove away….
Sadly we put her down. When we finally decided to put her down the
doctor took us into the back room to see her one last time. She had
an intravenous in her foreleg and a towel covered her back half,
hiding the horrible wounds. I tried to keep a brave face so she would
think everything was going to be all right. I didn't want her to know
that she was about to die.
I reached out and touched her cheek. She flinched slightly at first
but then recognized me and relaxed her head onto my hand.
"Hey Bella," I said, "It's OK."
She looked at me and then relaxed again.
I bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
"I love you," I whispered...
The doctor put the needle into her intravenous and she was gone.
I took her body home and buried her in my garden. I outlined her
grave with some small stones and used a larger one for her headstone.
It simply reads, "Bella."

My monitor has gone all misty, :-:

--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy, Bagheera & Shadow)
Cats leave pawprints on your heart
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk

Bobcat wrote:
Having cared for Mooch, our resident stray feral cat for over four
years, I know how attached one can become to them. A wonderful man
here in Scarborough just outside of Toronto cares for dozens of them.
He's Robert Brydges, who has been tending to a colony of feral cats
for over ten years. He's fed them, had them neutered and spayed, and
they're thriving thanks to him and some helpers. A wonderful task. But
sometimes it's a sad one. Here's an e-mail he sent me about one of his
favourite cats, Bella.

"She used to sit on my leg and let me pat her. She would look up at
me and feel confident that she could trust me. She was a tiny grey
and black tabby with a pleasant face. She was an adventurer but she
was also gentle and serene. When I first saw her there all by herself
I smiled and said, "Hi Bella!" Then I got closer and saw the horrible
wounds. I think she probably would have survived after about $4,000.00
- $5,000.00 in medical bills. The one back leg definitely needed to
be amputated. The other leg would have required a lot of work… and
therapy. It was badly swollen! Who knew what other injuries she had
unless X-rays and blood tests were taken? The doctor couldn’t feel her
bladder but that didn’t mean it wasn’t intact. Her anus looked like
it was still functional.
It seems crazy to spend thousands of dollars on a feral cat… but she
was one of my favorites.I kept weighing her life with the fact that I
have to pay a mortgage and buy a new furnace. I just couldn’t make a
decision. I almost hoped that the doctor would tell me she needed to
be put down. I'm pretty sure that her injuries were solely confined to
both her back legs. I'm also pretty sure about what happened. She
crawled up into the engine of a parked school bus. When the engine
started one of her back legs was almost completely severed. The bone
was left protruding a good inch through the skin. The skin on her
other leg was stretched and pulled back. It looked deformed because
it was badly swollen. Somehow she had managed to drag herself about
200 feet over to the shelters through the fence.
"Oh Bells..." I cried.
I gently picked her up. She looked right into my eyes and trusted her
life to me. I made my way over the rocks. The whole time I kept
repeating,
"Oh Bells, Oh Bells, Oh Bells..."
I didn't have a carrier so I quietly laid her on my back seat. I got
in the car and drove away….
Sadly we put her down. When we finally decided to put her down the
doctor took us into the back room to see her one last time. She had
an intravenous in her foreleg and a towel covered her back half,
hiding the horrible wounds. I tried to keep a brave face so she would
think everything was going to be all right. I didn't want her to know
that she was about to die.
I reached out and touched her cheek. She flinched slightly at first
but then recognized me and relaxed her head onto my hand.
"Hey Bella," I said, "It's OK."
She looked at me and then relaxed again.
I bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
"I love you," I whispered...
The doctor put the needle into her intravenous and she was gone.
I took her body home and buried her in my garden. I outlined her
grave with some small stones and used a larger one for her headstone.
It simply reads, "Bella."


"....Rise up slowly, Angel...."
It's hard to let you go.
Condolences to those who mourn. MLB

On 8 Dec, 15:41, Bobcat wrote:
Having cared for Mooch, our resident stray feral cat for over four
years, I know how attached one can become to them. A wonderful man
here in Scarborough just outside of Toronto cares for dozens of them.
He's Robert Brydges, who has been tending to a colony of feral cats
for over ten years. He's fed them, had them neutered and spayed, and
they're thriving thanks to him and some helpers. A wonderful task. But
sometimes it's a sad one. Here's an e-mail he sent me about one of his
favourite cats, Bella.

"She used to sit on my leg and let me pat her. *She would look up at
me and feel confident that she could trust me. *She was a tiny grey
and black tabby with a pleasant face. *She was an adventurer but she
was also gentle and serene. When I first saw her there all by herself
I smiled and said, "Hi Bella!" Then I got closer and saw the horrible
wounds. I think she probably would have survived after about $4,000.00
- $5,000.00 in medical bills. *The one back leg definitely needed to
be amputated. *The other leg would have required a lot of work… and
therapy. *It was badly swollen! Who knew what other injuries she had
unless X-rays and blood tests were taken? The doctor couldn’t feel her
bladder but that didn’t mean it wasn’t intact. *Her anus looked like
it was still functional.
It seems crazy to spend thousands of dollars on a feral cat… but she
was one of my favorites.I kept weighing her life with the fact that I
have to pay a mortgage and buy a new furnace. *I just couldn’t make a
decision. *I almost hoped that the doctor would tell me she needed to
be put down. I'm pretty sure that her injuries were solely confined to
both her back legs. *I'm also pretty sure about what happened. *She
crawled up into the engine of a parked school bus. *When the engine
started one of her back legs was almost completely severed. *The bone
was left protruding a good inch through the skin. *The skin on her
other leg was stretched and pulled back. *It looked deformed because
it was badly swollen. *Somehow she had managed to drag herself about
200 feet over to the shelters through the fence.
"Oh Bells..." I cried.
I gently picked her up. *She looked right into my eyes and trusted her
life to me. *I made my way over the rocks. *The whole time I kept
repeating,
"Oh Bells, Oh Bells, Oh Bells..."
I didn't have a carrier so I quietly laid her on my back seat. *I got
in the car and drove away….
Sadly we put her down. When we finally decided to put her down the
doctor took us into the back room to see her one last time. *She had
an intravenous in her foreleg and a towel covered her back half,
hiding the horrible wounds. *I tried to keep a brave face so she would
think everything was going to be all right. *I didn't want her to know
that she was about to die.
I reached out and touched her cheek. *She flinched slightly at first
but then recognized me and relaxed her head onto my hand.
"Hey Bella," I said, "It's OK."
She looked at me and then relaxed again.
I bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
"I love you," I whispered...
The doctor put the needle into her intravenous and she was gone.
I took her body home and buried her in my garden. *I outlined her
grave with some small stones and used a larger one for her headstone.
It simply reads, "Bella."

Poor little baby. It sounds like she was abandoned or stray, not truly
feral. She was a pet once, and was taught to trust people. I'm glad
Robert was there to make sure that she didn't suffer more than she had
to.

She'll be in my thoughts tonight.

Jeanette

On Dec 8, 10:41*am, Bobcat wrote:
Having cared for Mooch, our resident stray feral cat for over four
years, I know how attached one can become to them. A wonderful man
here in Scarborough just outside of Toronto cares for dozens of them.
He's Robert Brydges, who has been tending to a colony of feral cats
for over ten years. He's fed them, had them neutered and spayed, and
they're thriving thanks to him and some helpers. A wonderful task. But
sometimes it's a sad one. Here's an e-mail he sent me about one of his
favourite cats, Bella.

"She used to sit on my leg and let me pat her. *She would look up at
me and feel confident that she could trust me. *She was a tiny grey

Sometimes the Mother's last best gift is an end to pain. This fine man
helped his pal Bella on to the Rainbow Bridge or the Forever Trees or
to some adventure we cannot even imagine. She is not in pain and her
legs are fine now.

Good man, good job.

--
Will in New Haven

"Bobcat" wrote in message
...
Having cared for Mooch, our resident stray feral cat for over four
years, I know how attached one can become to them. A wonderful man
here in Scarborough just outside of Toronto cares for dozens of them.
He's Robert Brydges, who has been tending to a colony of feral cats
for over ten years. He's fed them, had them neutered and spayed, and
they're thriving thanks to him and some helpers. A wonderful task. But
sometimes it's a sad one. Here's an e-mail he sent me about one of his
favourite cats, Bella.

"She used to sit on my leg and let me pat her. She would look up at
me and feel confident that she could trust me. She was a tiny grey
and black tabby with a pleasant face. She was an adventurer but she
was also gentle and serene. When I first saw her there all by herself
I smiled and said, "Hi Bella!" Then I got closer and saw the horrible
wounds. I think she probably would have survived after about $4,000.00
- $5,000.00 in medical bills. The one back leg definitely needed to
be amputated. The other leg would have required a lot of work… and
therapy. It was badly swollen! Who knew what other injuries she had
unless X-rays and blood tests were taken? The doctor couldn’t feel her
bladder but that didn’t mean it wasn’t intact. Her anus looked like
it was still functional.
It seems crazy to spend thousands of dollars on a feral cat… but she
was one of my favorites.I kept weighing her life with the fact that I
have to pay a mortgage and buy a new furnace. I just couldn’t make a
decision. I almost hoped that the doctor would tell me she needed to
be put down. I'm pretty sure that her injuries were solely confined to
both her back legs. I'm also pretty sure about what happened. She
crawled up into the engine of a parked school bus. When the engine
started one of her back legs was almost completely severed. The bone
was left protruding a good inch through the skin. The skin on her
other leg was stretched and pulled back. It looked deformed because
it was badly swollen. Somehow she had managed to drag herself about
200 feet over to the shelters through the fence.
"Oh Bells..." I cried.
I gently picked her up. She looked right into my eyes and trusted her
life to me. I made my way over the rocks. The whole time I kept
repeating,
"Oh Bells, Oh Bells, Oh Bells..."
I didn't have a carrier so I quietly laid her on my back seat. I got
in the car and drove away….
Sadly we put her down. When we finally decided to put her down the
doctor took us into the back room to see her one last time. She had
an intravenous in her foreleg and a towel covered her back half,
hiding the horrible wounds. I tried to keep a brave face so she would
think everything was going to be all right. I didn't want her to know
that she was about to die.
I reached out and touched her cheek. She flinched slightly at first
but then recognized me and relaxed her head onto my hand.
"Hey Bella," I said, "It's OK."
She looked at me and then relaxed again.
I bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
"I love you," I whispered...
The doctor put the needle into her intravenous and she was gone.
I took her body home and buried her in my garden. I outlined her
grave with some small stones and used a larger one for her headstone.
It simply reads, "Bella."
----------------

That made me cry.

Tweed

I am so sorry for the loss of Bella.
Love in sadness
Kyla
who also feeds strays.

"Bobcat"
Having cared for Mooch, our resident stray feral cat for over four
years, I know how attached one can become to them. A wonderful man
here in Scarborough just outside of Toronto cares for dozens of them.
He's Robert Brydges, who has been tending to a colony of feral cats
for over ten years. He's fed them, had them neutered and spayed, and
they're thriving thanks to him and some helpers. A wonderful task. But
sometimes it's a sad one. Here's an e-mail he sent me about one of his
favourite cats, Bella.

"She used to sit on my leg and let me pat her. She would look up at
me and feel confident that she could trust me. She was a tiny grey
and black tabby with a pleasant face. She was an adventurer but she
was also gentle and serene. When I first saw her there all by herself
I smiled and said, "Hi Bella!" Then I got closer and saw the horrible
wounds. I think she probably would have survived after about $4,000.00
- $5,000.00 in medical bills. The one back leg definitely needed to
be amputated. The other leg would have required a lot of work… and
therapy. It was badly swollen! Who knew what other injuries she had
unless X-rays and blood tests were taken? The doctor couldn’t feel her
bladder but that didn’t mean it wasn’t intact. Her anus looked like
it was still functional.
It seems crazy to spend thousands of dollars on a feral cat… but she
was one of my favorites.I kept weighing her life with the fact that I
have to pay a mortgage and buy a new furnace. I just couldn’t make a
decision. I almost hoped that the doctor would tell me she needed to
be put down. I'm pretty sure that her injuries were solely confined to
both her back legs. I'm also pretty sure about what happened. She
crawled up into the engine of a parked school bus. When the engine
started one of her back legs was almost completely severed. The bone
was left protruding a good inch through the skin. The skin on her
other leg was stretched and pulled back. It looked deformed because
it was badly swollen. Somehow she had managed to drag herself about
200 feet over to the shelters through the fence.
"Oh Bells..." I cried.
I gently picked her up. She looked right into my eyes and trusted her
life to me. I made my way over the rocks. The whole time I kept
repeating,
"Oh Bells, Oh Bells, Oh Bells..."
I didn't have a carrier so I quietly laid her on my back seat. I got
in the car and drove away….
Sadly we put her down. When we finally decided to put her down the
doctor took us into the back room to see her one last time. She had
an intravenous in her foreleg and a towel covered her back half,
hiding the horrible wounds. I tried to keep a brave face so she would
think everything was going to be all right. I didn't want her to know
that she was about to die.
I reached out and touched her cheek. She flinched slightly at first
but then recognized me and relaxed her head onto my hand.
"Hey Bella," I said, "It's OK."
She looked at me and then relaxed again.
I bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
"I love you," I whispered...
The doctor put the needle into her intravenous and she was gone.
I took her body home and buried her in my garden. I outlined her
grave with some small stones and used a larger one for her headstone.
It simply reads, "Bella."

What a sad story! He was very good to have been with Bella to the
end.