Farewell Fudge and Welcome Kimba, aka "new and improved Fudge"

A few weeks ago we said a considered and sad farewell to our second fur-child, Fudge.  Fudge was 11years old, young for a burmese, but had been battling a rare (in cats) digestive condition for almost 2 years. She was suffering from a pancreatic enzyme insufficiency, which meant that she was unable to extract enough nutrition from her food.  She was perpetually hungry, and lost a great deal of weight, from a healthy 4.5kg in the top photo down as low as 2.3kg. 

Once she was diagnosed, and started on her treatment, she regained quite a bit of her body mass to 3kg, and was happy and active, if still ravenous!  However, she had some setbacks recently, and while she recovered from the first with a course of Flagyl, she was unable to bounce back a second time.  A week or so before her euthanasia, she stopped purring, and lay around not doing much, and the expression on her little face just said 'tired and sad'.  My children have grown up with Fudge, and were understandably upset at the prospect.  We discussed at length the fact that it was not fair to keep dragging her along as she was, and they could see that it was the right time to make the decision.

 We'd also heard that there was a large number of special cats in urgent need of re-homing after their breeder and owner had been forced to move interstate, and thought that if we could offer a kind and loving home to another animal in desperate need, it would both fill the void and make it easier (for us) to part with Fudge.
Unfortunately for us, the burmese cat we had hoped to adopt had been rehomed via the PetRescue site,  but we were told there was another cat, a little unwell, who may or may not be adoptable.  In a strange co-incidence, the foster carer called the same afternoon as Fudge's departure to say that she was improving and that we could adopt her.  In another uncanny co-incidence, the new cat was the same (quite uncommon) Chocolate Tortoiseshell colour burmese as our adored Fudge.  It was certainly meant to be.  And so, we have welcomed Kimba to our family, and she has made herself more than at home with her super affectionate nature, athletic exploits and kittenish curiousity - hence the "new and improved Fudge" tag.   That's Miss Kimba, also known as "Kimasarby Dream Catcher", in the lower photo, looking suitably adorable.

So, if you're looking at getting a family pet for Christmas, I do urge you to contact any of the several rescue organisations, such as Pet Rescue  to see if you can offer a happy home to an animal in need, instead of purchasing from a breeder or pet shop.  Many breeds of dogs and cats have their own Rescue organisations, and there are delightful bitzers and moggies as well, all waiting to lavish their love on you.

Soon, back to something more like craft, thanks for reading :)