My husband and i recently got married and moved in together, we though we'd like to add to our family and since we live next to a farm in the English countyside it would make a perfect home for a cat. So along we went to the local RSPCA and brought home 2 cats!! Rumpton and mouse were 2 and a half year old brother and sister cats who had been looked after wonderfully by their previous owner. That was 6 and a half months ago, but we can't remember life without them. Rumpton was a big ginger and white cat who was full of character and mischief, it took him a couple of months to settle in but in no time at all he had claimed ownership of one of the chairs in the lounge and in our bedroom! He would wake up when the alarm clock went off and if we didn't get up pretty quick he'd jump on the bed and sit on us purring until we got him his breakfast. He was always there to meet me when i got in from work and was just a joy to live with.
On wednesday last week i was off sick from work, Rumpton didn't come home for his breakfast but i wasn't too worried because the weather was nice and thought he'd be chasing birds as usual!! But at 10 am i got a call from a vet telling me the dreadful news that he had been hit by a car and taken there the night before, but by the time he got to the vets it was too late to do anything for him. It had happened on our street but we didn't know anything about it. I was just heart broken and couldn't believe it had happened, i even hoped it was the wrong cat and didn't really believe it until i saw his body. I had to keep looking at him in his box to make it real but even now i hear the cat flap go and think he has come home, or see flashes of ginger out of the window but it is alwyas next doors cat.
I have lost pets before but Rumpton was so special, he was my little boy, it hurts so much more than i can ever have imagined. The whole house feels so empty and i just feel so guilty. He was only 3 years old and i had only took care of him for 6 months and i let this happen to him. I hadn't even spent much time with him the last couple of days because i had been going to bed early as i was ill, but i wish i could hold him again and feed him his cat nip treats all day long. My other little cat Mouse seems to be ok, she looked lost and was more clingy for a couple of days but she is back to normal now. I feel bad for her because whenever i look at her i feel the loss of Rumpton even harder and so i don't show her as much love as she needs.
Thanks to all of those who wrote about not wanting to hoover, i still haven't done it but before i read those messages i was sure i was going mad. I also don't want to have a bath because the last time i saw Rumpton i was in the bath and he came in for a fuss, then sat outside the bathroom door for ages whilst i soaked (but don't worry i have had a shower!).
Thanks for reading my message, your messages have given me hope that i will eventually stop crying and feeling guilty, but i will always miss my special Rumpy cat.
J
