2002 sux

So far this year sux big time. I know this should be in the flame forum, but I don't care.
Sitting here just minding my own business, a knock at the door. One of the neighbours witnessed one of my cats being killed by a ****ing dog. I like dogs, but not when they roam & kill & bite. I think I know which dog it is, and next time I see a staffordshire terrier roaming the streets (we've got about 4 nearby that do so), a rope is going on it, the pound being called. Let the bloody owners sort it out, I don't care.
Blackhawk, don't think I'm putting you in the same category, I know the difference (how is your girl going btw). I wish there was some way of keeping the cats on our property (he was my wanderer and always had me worried, but absolutely nothing I could do).
If anyone is thinking of getting a Turkish Van (swimming cat), be warned, they do wander but believe me, they're worth the worry - way cool cats, I'm glad we had our boy for as long as we did. It just hasn't really sunk in yet.
On another note, I just hope when I go to two specialists next month that at least one of them will give me good news.
I hate 2002 already, I'd been hoping for a good year, just don't think it's going to happen.
Upset Michelle

Thanks everyone. I am still very upset (my animals are my babies), but I've gone into shock a bit. I've been outside working on the bike (cleaning, pottering) and kept expecting Kaspa to jump over the fence and start meowing at me - it will take time to get over the loss, I've been through it often enough before. He decided long ago that 4 was the number of cats we needed, and if one died, he brought another home - I'm wondering if Dude will find someone else to bring home now - I'd told Kaspa that he had to bring a female home, as we've got more than enough males here already (Henk & the four boys).

We've got an old cat living a couple of doors up from us, so I went to tell her owners/keepers to make sure their gates are shut when she's outside (she's 21, blind & virtually deaf). The neighbour came over later to give us a bag of plums & say hi (we've only lived here 7 or so years and I know pretty much all the animals, not the people lol). I'm also grateful that the neighbours whose house Kaspa was killed outside tracked us down to let us know.

So there have been good things to come out of it already, it's just the loss that will take time to heal. If I'd been ready to kill myself I'd have done it years ago.

Nicole, I've been showing your story to friends over here & they're way impressed with you, both for the article & the fact that you've done it. When Bruce found out CJRider was coming over, he was instantly "is that the one who wrote the article". ;) Henk's now trying to change tyres in time for his attempt at the 2006 ISDE, believe me, he needs the practice hahaha

Sorry for rambling, I'm just feeling lost, not really knowing what to do with myself, and the other three cats are following me around like little lost lambs. Jeff, I had to wait till I was 8 before my parents would allow me a cat - which I thought was unfair as my sister had her dog when she was born (actually he was the family dog, border-collie cross, lovely beast - would even eat raw onions if you gave them to him). (my parents are dog people, I was adopted into the wrong house, I wanted a cat, even though I loved Mittens too).

Okay, enough reminiscing girl, get out there & read about bikes & go for a ride tomorrow ;)
Anyone in Auckland keen for the bike park tomorrow morning? Henk will have no one to ride with & I'll just be going around the convict trail.
Michelle

Thanks for all the notes, I do appreciate it, it's really hard to talk about (actually, it's a bit easier to type about, talking I can't do at the moment).

Just to clarify, I do NOT hate dogs, nor do I blame them. I solely blame the owners. I realise that dogs will wander if they can figure out a way to do so. But when I see people "walking" their dogs, by hopping in the car, driving along the road so the dog has to run next to it or walking their dogs without a lead hoping that it won't spot a cat (why else would they say "oh ****, a cat"), those people have no right to have any sort of animal, and then you get the dogs in bad condition forever roaming the streets. As for the owners, it could be any of about 1000 houses and how could we prove it? The sighting of the dog was incomplete, the evidence buried.
Aimee, one of my favourite dogs is the staffy and if we ever get a dog, that will be on the short list, treated right they are cool beasts plus it'll be a puppy that grows up around cats.

I cry over the loss of any of my animals (except the fish, somehow I couldn't get attached to them ;))
As for our other cats, they're getting lots of cuddles but are a bit confused as to why Kaspa won't come home or why I'm over-protective of them at the moment.

Alan, my mother-in-law hates ALL animals, so we love going over & getting her neighbour's cat to come say hello ;) (we don't know any of the dogs around there, or we'd do the same with them hehehe).

The shock's slowly going, and am keeping busy which is helping. For once I'm sort of looking forward to going back to work next week. Have found a new hobby which we can do after work - geocaching. I'm trying to work out how we could incorporate that into the rides we organise without the need of a GPS, but have some months before the next one in any case.
I'll probably let you all know what happens next month (because I'm bad like that), but if I do need either op, I'm refusing to have it until at least April so I can go riding with CJ. ;)
Michelle