Cu the Cat is no more.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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I just learned that Cu the Cat is no more. She and my new neighbour were walking along the street when a cab came around a corner at speed. Fortunately, my neighbour was able to dive out of the way, but Cu did not make it. My neighbour says she didn’t suffer. The cab returned, fearing that he had struck my neighbour, so I’m told he got an ear full. I hope he slows down in the neighbourhood from now on, for everyone walks on the street here. I’m tremendously relieved that my neighbour was not hit – such an awful welcome to the neighbourhood.

Cu was extremely friendly, thus my new neighbour going for a stroll with her. Her thing in life was to snuggle up and purr. Cu had been abandoned by another person in the neighbourhood (oddly enough, the same person who routinely borrows cats from me for days at a time). When I first came across Cu, she was very pregnant and nearly dead, lying on my fire escape. I took her in, expecting the worst, but after a couple of weeks she started moving about more and more, and by the time she had her litter, she was healthy enough to be a very attentive mom cat. Eventually she regained her health in full, weighing in at a wee six pounds, but she always remained strongly bonded to me, following me about and always running to me whenever I whispered her name, no matter how softly.

I don’t know why, but Cu’s favourite place to be was on my head. I guess when you are a tiny cat, it is as good a place as any. This made for some interesting times when she had her litter. When she looked about ready to give birth, I read up on the matter, and fully expected her to find some secluded, dark place to quietly make a nest. I went about the apartment stuffing blankets in appropriate places in anticipation. Then one night I woke up with a mewing cat in my hair. As quick as I peeled her off, she would crawl back on, forcing me to spend the night sitting up. Even after her litter arrived, again I could not keep her away. No matter where I moved the family, she would later bring them back to where ever I was sleeping that night, whether I was sleeping in bed or on the floor. Eventually I gave up and learned to live with a cat in my hair.

Pets each have their own disposition. Some are curious, some are independent, some are crazy. Cu was sweet. Just plain sweet. Nothing ever bothered her, and like I said, all she ever seemed to want to do was snuggle and purr. Her full grown sons would quiet down and come trotting over to her to her whenever she mewed, which she would do when they became too boisterous. Keeping a lid on things will be a challenge without her.

Each of her offspring has some looks and traits from her. I found homes for a couple of them, but the three remaining with me will remind me of how sweet Cu was. I have had calls from the people who adopted two of them, saying that they are the greatest things that have ever happened to them (much to the protests of their husbands). I guess you could say that one of the traits Cu passed on was her sweetness, for all her offspring are truly delightful in this respect. The ones remaining with me have been out of sorts since Cu’s death, and the one who observed the accident has been vomiting since then, but with any luck they will get back into their routine of tearing the apartment down and then curling up for a purr.

She was a such a sweet cat – a fine companion to me, and a loving mother to her litter. I’m glad I had the opportunity to provide her with a home for a time. I’ll miss her.

Cu and the kids, photo 1, Cu and the kids, photo 2

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Muffin,
I’m so sorry to hear about Cu. She definitely sounds like she was a wonderful cat. She actually sounds a lot like my black and white cat Monty. He loved to sleep on my head when he was a baby. Unfortunately, his big thing was to try to knead my head with his claws out. Luckily he’s outgrown that habit now. Anyway, my condolences.
-Lil

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Oh God, that second picture is too cute for words.

Sorry for your loss. I’m sure my kitties, and kitties belonging to other Dopers, are keeping Cu company now.

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:frowning:

Poor CU. She was very cute - she looks like Vampira Cat in that second picture - and those babies! You must have had so much fun when they were all together.

How could that neighbor have abandoned her? I will never understand some people.

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i’m sorry to hear about cu. beautiful pictures.

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Aww, Muffin!! What a terrible loss for you. Cu was a beautiful kittie, thank you for sharing her photos. Let her offspring comfort you with purrs and headbutts.

Damn cabdrivers! I do hope he slows down from now on.

I’m off to hug my four kitties right now…

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Very sorry to hear about Cu. Her babies look so much like her, I hope they’re like her in spirit, too.

-Tat

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What a pretty cat! Her markings are just like my sister’s cat.I still think, although my religions doesn’t address the matter, that we may see our pets again in Heaven. Martin Luther was quoted as saying it wouldn’t seem like Heaven if there were no dogs. So hopefully you will see Cu again. Where did her name come from?

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I avoided this thread, because from the thread I knew what it would say, and I hate even thinking about cats dying (mine never will, right?).

Cu was a pretty cat, Muffin, and it sounds like you have many great memories of her. Poor little thing! Poor you! I’m very sad for you.

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Thanks all for your thoughts. I appreciate it. It’s nice to hear of your kitties, and to learn that they give you as much joy as mine do for me.

Cu’s three offspring who remain with me are beginning to act normally again, and Yoda did not vomit yesterday. My new neighbour, Jenny, who was walking with them, is feeling better – she was pretty shook up by the close call to her and by what happened to Cu.

Baker: Cu’s name is from the Old English word for cow. When I first came across her, she was pregnant, but being such a tiny cat (three pounds just after having the litter and six pounds a few months later at her heaviest), she looked like a giant black and white tummy with wee legs, head and tail attached – a tiny cow.

missbunny: I don’t know why one of my neighbours, Wendy, abandoned Cu. A few months afer I took Cu in, she told me what she had done (previously I had no idea where Cu came from), and simply said that Cu was a mean cat. Seeing as Cu never was the sweetest and most gentle cat I have ever come across, I suspect that Wendy must have mistreated her. I also don’t know why Wendy keeps borrowing my cats for days on end. She says it is because she likes them. They don’t seem to mind it, so I doubt if she is doing any harm to them. She keeps promising to not take them, but she keeps breaking her promise. I think she is a nut. About a month ago she said she was going to get her own cat, and for the last couple of weeks a new cat in the neighbourhood has been hanging out at my place (slipping in through the cat door), so Wendy might be up to her old tricks again. She seems to think of animals as toys of limited novelty, rather than as fellow beings.

Turning to less sad matters, here are a couple of pics of her kids. Cu was perched on my head when I took the shots, so she is not in the frame. I’d say they rate cute factors of 9 or 10. I’m so very glad I still have some of them to remember her by. They are full grown now (a year and a half old), and hang out as a pack – all of them super friendly.

kitties in box and
kitties in helmet

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Condolences for your loss. How do you pronounce her name?

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I am so sorry, Muffin.

I too have lost beloved cats, and I feel your pain.

((((((Muffin)))))

Scotti

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I’m so sorry to hear about your Cu. What cute pictures you have of her!

My resident feline, Cloud, sends one of his classic deep comforting purrs your way. He also wants to be fed. There’s a REASON I usually call him Fat Cat. :slight_smile:

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I don’t know what the correct historicl pronunciation was. I pronounced her name with a a long u, as in cou or coo or goo, though with a hint of cow slipped in.