Winter 2010 – 7 Oct 2020.
We first saw Freddy when he appeared staring down from our roof (from a hole in the soffit we had opened up due to a leak) at Al cooking on the barbeque. The smell of the bbq was the obvious drawcard. This was some time in the winter of 2010 pre earthquakes and it took a while to coax him down but food was his vice so that is what we used. We thought with that gorgeous face he must be a girl so we decided to call him Mindy and it wasn’t until we took him to the vet that we found out he was a boy. We already had Sammy Davis Jr so we decided he would be Freddie (Freddy) Mercury . He was also known by the name fat Freddy as he loved his food. We guessed he must’ve been about 3 or 4 and belonged to someone so we checked around but no one came forward to claim him. So he joined our family and we now had 3 cats and they all ‘tolerated’ each other. We already knew Freddy loved being up high and over the years we have found him many elevated spots, once waking up to him on the pelmet high above our bed.
We moved out to Coalgate in March 2013 and the trio managed to survive 4 weeks locked in the caravan without any scraps. Once the ‘barn’ was enclosed then they had a bigger space and of course Freddy found the high spots. Freddy loved it out here he would spend hours hunting mice – he was a prolific hunter and brought many ‘presents’ home. Another of his names was ‘bathroom cat’ as he would usually be outside the bathroom door waiting for Al to finish his shower in the morning. He even got adept at opening the sliding door with his paw. He has been a constant companion and a delight and continuous entertainment to us over the years. If there was an empty box or bag then Freddy was there. Even a piece of paper on the floor was claimed by him as a spot to lie. He was never far away either lying on us, or within reach and if outside all you had to do was call Freddy and he would come running.
About 4 years ago fat Freddy was looking decidedly thin even though he was still eating well. So we were concerned and took him to the vet who did some blood tests and we discovered he had hyperthyroidism. The options were radiation treatment or daily medication for the rest of his life. It was thought that the radiation treatment would be too stressful so we opted for the meds and for the last 4 years every morning one of us would put on a ‘finger condom’ and administer the meds on the inside of his ear. His reward was always chicken or some other tasty morsel. He was always waiting by the fridge and even sometimes tried to get into the fridge. He did also moan every day and try to get away but only half heartedly as he wanted the chicken.
We noticed that Freddy was not his usual after our last trip to Blackball and was breathing more heavily then usual. We took him to the vet and tried various medications but nothing seemed to really help. We told him that he couldn’t go yet as our temporary accommodation at Blackball had been designed especially with him in mind – with a mezzanine and walkways for him to walk around the ceiling. But it wasn’t to be and last Thursday we had to say goodbye to our gorgeous boy. It’s just not the same without you here Freddy and we see and feel your presence everywhere. We are so grateful you found us 11 years ago and you have brought us great joy over the years. We will miss you our wee buddy.
