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Post by crumbs on Jan 24, 2011 10:35:44 GMT
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xsarabee
Smutty Mayhemer
... a sorta fairytale with you...
Posts: 119
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Post by xsarabee on Jan 24, 2011 10:46:30 GMT
Oh no...  I'm so sad about this. I know what James and Sarah must be going through as I lost one of my cats in quite a similar way. I was ten years old at the time and the little white and gray cat - not much more than a kitten as it was 9 months old - was found on the road after a hit-and-run. My mother was in the hospital after a surgery and my father was at work far away so it befell on the nice lady from next door and myself to carry the poor cat, or what was left of him: bowels and all, from the road back to our garden. My brother came to bury him later that day. I was ten years old and the cat was the most important thing in the world to me. Whenever I hear a story about a cat having been run over by a car these memories come back to me. I only hope Fusker didn't suffer. My condolences to James and Sarah, it's never easy to lose a pet, someone you love. Cassius the Cat has been gone for 17 months now and we still don't have another cat though we've talked about it. The memory of the feline presence who lived with us for 17 long years is still very much alive... |
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xsarabee
Smutty Mayhemer
... a sorta fairytale with you...
Posts: 119
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Post by xsarabee on Jan 24, 2011 10:51:15 GMT
I felt I had to change my avatar picture too. It would have been too cruel in the circumstances to still keep there the picture of James holding Fusker in his arms...
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Post by From Afar on Jan 24, 2011 14:05:18 GMT
 RIP Fusker My heart felt condolences to James and Sarah, it is so sad when a loved pet who is part of the family passes, especially under such circumstances. *hugs*
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robin
Smutty Mayhemer
Stop the revolution! It's over!
Posts: 169
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Post by robin on Jan 24, 2011 14:56:34 GMT
Poor Fusker, I hope he didn't suffer... I was really sad when I heard about this, I too lost one of my pets last week
So sorry James and Sarah
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heymysock
Mayhemer
We've got bed cats.
Posts: 73
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Post by heymysock on Jan 24, 2011 15:22:18 GMT
How awful! I'm so sorry to hear about Fusker. My condolences to James and Sarah. We've got three cats right now. We had 4 until a year ago. My husband still gets teary-eyed when we talk about some sort of funny habit Del had or some silly thing she did. She was a constant presence in his life for 13 long years. They are truly members of the family and their loss hurts. |
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fallatyourfeet
Filthy Mayhemer
You'll never see the end of the road while you're travelling with me.
Posts: 779
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Post by fallatyourfeet on Jan 24, 2011 16:25:44 GMT
A purring cat on your lap is one of life's little pleasures. Our cat (Mr. Coal) likes to lay on my son's bed and listen to him read every night . Very sweet.
My condolences to James and his Missus.
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Post by aeromanda on Jan 24, 2011 16:57:30 GMT
James I am so so sorry for your loss.
I truly know what it is like as this past year I lost three cats and a dog. Two of the three cats died from complications of old age, one died after having a tumor paralyze her back legs, and our dog died from heart troubles. I loved them all and still miss them a lot!
Again, my deepest sympathies. RIP Fusker.
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Post by devil-may-care on Jan 24, 2011 20:43:44 GMT
Poor James and Sarah. And poor, poor Fusker. It is terrible to lose a pet. They are a member of the family. As a child, I lost my share of cats. We lived by a very busy road as well as a wooded area. My two now are house cats. I love them too much to let them outside. It only takes a few moments for these furry little creatures to grab hold of your heart forever. RIP Fusker. |
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Post by lymaze on Jan 24, 2011 20:51:57 GMT
I know you don't mean anything by it, but by saying you love your cat too much to let it outside suggests those of us who let ours out, don't. Mine would claw his way out through the door if I tried to keep him in and if anyone ever hurt him, I would find them and pull their arms off. And then their head. Sorry - just I have a friend who keeps harping on about how she can't let hers out because terrible things happen to them and it gets on my wick!  I shall go and lie down now and be quiet.   |
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Post by nobody on Jan 24, 2011 21:13:17 GMT
I did not think you could make a indoor/outdoor cat?
I thought it was just pot luck on what type of cat you got?
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Post by andypanty on Jan 24, 2011 22:00:44 GMT
If you get them as kittens and they've never known the outside then it's easier to make them indoor cats. My five are/were all indoor cats, mainly because I've always lived on busy roads. Mine are really happy furries and never try to escape at all. But that's just me - as long as people look after their cats I think it's up to them whether they're indoor or outdoor ones.
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Post by devil-may-care on Jan 24, 2011 22:06:24 GMT
No, I didn't mean that those who let their cats out don't love them any less than I do mine. I would be an absolute nervous wreck if I let my boys outside. I don't trust the drivers in my neighborhood, nor the barbarians people who live around here. Too many animals have been lured to their deaths by sadistic teenagers and half-wit adults. Not too long ago, 3 teenagers pushed a firecracker up a cat's bottom and lit it. Fortunately the cat survived and was nursed back to health. The 3 boys should have much worse done to them and in public.
Wild animals and disease are things I worry about as well.
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Post by nobody on Jan 24, 2011 22:25:39 GMT
Would you believe my cat did not die on us, she moved out.  We got her from a rescue centre and she was most deferentially a out door cat. When we went away we would have to hide the cat box , then grab her and put her in the box asap, then all you could see was this box moving around on the car seat when we took her to the cattery. ;D |
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Post by violetrose on Jan 25, 2011 0:21:12 GMT
I'm so sorry about Fusker. Truly awful and tragic circumstances. Those furballs take such a big piece of your heart with them when they go, and I'm so sorry it had to happen this way. My heartfelt sympathies, James and Sarah. <3333
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Post by xjsarah on Jan 25, 2011 1:03:45 GMT
Earlier tonight, I was rereading one of the articles in May on Motors. According to the index at the back of the book, it appeared in Top Gear Magazine in December 2004, and in the first part James talks about acquiring Fusker around that time. I thought I'd reproduce it here, in case anyone hasn't seen it before. This month, I have acquired a cat. He’s a black and white tom, eight weeks old, and I have named him Fusker in memory of the late Bob Cook, father of my childhood friend Robert Cook. He was a man who hated cats.
In fact he would refer to any cat as ‘a little fusker’ and it’s only now I realise that he was probably just sparing Mrs Cook’s blushes. But it’s too late. He answers to Fusker, I love him, and he loves me.
But don’t worry, I’m not going to turn into one of those pathetic pussy-whipped blokes who says “Ha ha it was ever so funny the other day with Fusker he climbed onto my desk and jumped onto the computer keybolrddgdfgk lsdkfj l sdf k sdfsldfkjjjjjjj and I said look Fusker there’s a mouse and he chased it ha ha ha and I lost everything!”
In any case, I seem to have come by the world’s least intelligent moggie. Traditionally they like radiators and patches of warmth on the tiled floor where the sunlight slants through a window, but the other day – it was ever so funny – I opened the fridge to get another beer and found I’d shut him in it! And he was purring!
In the end, even the most ardent cat fancier would have to admit that they just aren’t very bright. They have become the stuff of superstition, various cultures have attributed mystical powers to them, and the ancient Egyptians went as far as to turn a cat into a deity. My own experience, however, suggests that the cat understands only two things – the peerless pleasure of a fresh dollop of Whiskas, and the pain of being trodden on following a mistimed lunge at an approaching booted foot.RIP, Fusker. |
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Post by xjsarah on Jan 25, 2011 1:59:51 GMT
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Post by chariset on Jan 25, 2011 2:56:25 GMT
You can tell a lot about a man from his hobbies. Women like musicians because mastering a musical instrument says "I have the patience and discipline to acquire a complex skill." It's a little relational shorthand.
A man who has a well-petted, well-loved cat says "I know how to gain and keep the affections of a somewhat fickle, independent creature who likes soft things and has claws." I don't think I need to spell out why women find that appealing!
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Post by jacqui on Jan 25, 2011 8:07:21 GMT
Aww XJ both your posts have reduced me to Where's my cat I need a cuddle |
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Post by brycegold on Jan 25, 2011 9:35:01 GMT
This is all so sad, poor James. To lose any pet is bad enough but to be hit by a car is just too awful to contemplate.
RIP Fusker
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Jester
Smutty Mayhemer
Its good to have a hobby :)
Posts: 302
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Post by Jester on Jan 25, 2011 10:33:16 GMT
.. my heart just sank!! So so sorry james.. what to say, what to say..?? *hugs* its the memories of our beloved cats........ that make us smile and laugh out loud... you know the ones i mean ;D Fusker will live on ~ in our Hearts!  |
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Post by dit on Jan 25, 2011 10:43:38 GMT
You can tell a lot about a man from his hobbies. Women like musicians because mastering a musical instrument says "I have the patience and discipline to acquire a complex skill." It's a little relational shorthand. A man who has a well-petted, well-loved cat says "I know how to gain and keep the affections of a somewhat fickle, independent creature who likes soft things and has claws." I don't think I need to spell out why women find that appealing! Brilliantly put, chariset! |
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Post by From Afar on Jan 25, 2011 13:35:24 GMT
Thank you XJS for the text reproduction - I'd never seen that before.
Having now read everyone's dedications I am missing my cat terribly :-( she died on Christmas Day 2006 but I still miss her lots. She looked a lot like Fusker actually and was called Daisy. Our other cat left home about 2 years ago... still missing in action.....
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Post by jacqui on Jan 25, 2011 13:43:18 GMT
There was a cat on the news recently that had been missing in action for a year ;D I'm going to stop visiting this thread now its upsets me |
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Post by From Afar on Jan 25, 2011 13:45:44 GMT
I'm going to stop visiting this thread now its upsets me Ditto *reaches for yet another tissue* |
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Hops
Filthy Mayhemer
Posts: 902
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Post by Hops on Jan 25, 2011 16:30:06 GMT
just read this - poor James & Woman |
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Post by TheDaisy on Jan 25, 2011 17:41:13 GMT
I'm so sad to hear this. Poor Fusker - maybe he was trying to have a fight with a car......cars generally do tend to win that sort of fight though.
There are many people, I know, who would sit there and say "Oh it's just a cat," but they're wrong. I remember bawling for days when my first cat died, aged 13 (as was I - he'd been bought when I was only two weeks old, and we grew up together). All pets can, and do, become a part of the family.
James and Sarah - if you're reading this, I'm sorry for your loss.
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Post by Mayfayre on Jan 25, 2011 18:25:42 GMT
I'm so sad to hear this. Poor Fusker - maybe he was trying to have a fight with a car......cars generally do tend to win that sort of fight though. Knowing the sort of cat Fusker was, that thought had occurred to me too. |
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Post by othercheryl on Jan 25, 2011 19:14:20 GMT
My heart really goes out to James and Sarah and I send my deepest condolences.
When I read this the other day, I was too stunned to respond. 2011 has not been a good year for cats. Five of my friends have recently had to have beloved cats PTS. Hearing about Fusker was just the thing to send me into torrents of tears.
No...there is no such thing as 'just a cat'. Anybody who tells you to just get over it should be told to go drink a big cup of shut the eff up. I still feel melancholy about cats of ours that have passed on, but more often than that, I smile and feel blessed to have loved them. But it takes time to get to that point.
I hope James and Sarah do decide to adopt again when the time is right, but this time, they keep the cat in the house. Cats may be smart, but they're easily spooked and distracted and living with them is like living with a perpetual toddler with little to no impulse control. It's a big, dangerous world out there. Cars and cats should only meet for visits to the vet.
It's funny...a few of you have mentioned having cats that must roam. I've got several rehabilitated roamers who won't get near a door. I hope that means we're doing something right, or at the very least the food is good, the staff is friendly and the service tolerable.
Godspeed, Fusker - you've got a lot of friends at the Bridge.
James and Sarah, if you're reading this, I'm so very sorry and you're in my thoughts.
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jasmine
Smutty Mayhemer
It's Ok, This Was Your Test, Your Game...
Posts: 113
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Post by jasmine on Jan 25, 2011 19:33:50 GMT
Poor Cat. My dog died the day before New Years Eve. He was 9 and I am still tearful over it now. It's so awful when a pet dies - they really are family
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RIP 
I love a man who can handle a gun 
