February 6, 2008It is one year ago today that we lost our beautiful, sweet Tiffany. We still miss her very much and think of her every day.
Each day I whisper to her "I Love You, Tiffy". I hope she knows how much she was loved and adored. Rest In Peace, darling girl. Wait with Romeo for me.
Love and kisses,
Flippy & Mia. xxxOur sweet Tiffany (aka Tiffy) passed away on Feb 6th, 2007, at 1:05pm.
Tiffy had Chronic Renal Failure for the past two years, and she had been very ill for the last six weeks. During her last few days she had not eaten or drank anything on her own. She had survived on assisted feeding by syringe. On her last night, her legs were weak, and by the morning she was very wobbly and nauseous and could not stand. The renal failure had reached a point where she could only have survived on constant IV and hospitalization. Even so, she would have held on for another day or a week at most.
We did not want Tiffy to have to go to hospital, again, for the 4th time in six weeks. The Vet came to the house and he helped her drift peacefully away while she was in bed with us, between the sheets, where she loved to be.
We will miss her terribly. We will miss her gorgeous face and sweet nature. We only had three and a half years with her, but we were blessed to have her in our lives.
LETTER TO OUR TIFFY
Dearest Darling Tiffy,
When you first came to us, we had no idea the impact you would make on our lives. At first we didn't know what to make of you. But soon we fell in love with you and we delighted in every moment you were with us.
Tiffy, you always made us laugh. The way you would play Hide & Seek, the way you would chase the Laser Pointer, and even the way you would sleep - like a Polar Bear - you were so funny - we were constantly laughing at your funny antics.
Tiffy, you taught us to be humble. You never had an "attitude" just because you were so beautiful. You taught us that beauty really is skin deep. Tiffy you were truly beautiful - on the inside.
Tiffy, you taught us to be patient. We have no idea what your life was like before you came to live with us. At first we thought we would have to find you another home because you were so aggressive and unhappy. But with our patience and love and your determination you turned your whole life around and became quite the sociable, sweet and loving cat.
Tiffy, you taught us to be tolerant. You had to adjust to your new home, to us, to the resident cats. You quickly learned to live with four other cats. You learned to jump and climb and to sit on the sofa and bed - nothing was out of reach for you any more, both literally and metaphorically. It was a true delight to see you discovering new things and doing "cat" things. The day you made friends with the cats and proceeded to sleep with them was a true moment of pleasure for us, as was the day that you decided to join us on the bed for the first time.
Tiffy, you made a big difference to our household, and now our house is empty without you. We thank you for everything you taught us - you were a gifted teacher.
Rest In Peace, sweet Squishy-Face. We love you very much, and will always remember you.
Until we see you again,
We love you, Tiffy, we always will.
Your two Mamas: Flippy & Mia. xxx
HOW WE GOT TIFFANY
Tiffany came to us on June 7, 2003. She was seven and a half years old at the time. She was a pure white Persian long-hair, and I mean fur that was six inches long! But the most amazing thing about Tiffy was her eyes - she had odd-color eyes - one blue and one gold. I never tired of looking at those incredible eyes. She was a stunning beauty.
Tiffany had been abandoned at the vet by her previous owners because they had a "baby on the way". (How inconvenient… their loss was my gain!) A friend of mine who worked next door to the Vet asked if I knew of anyone in Melbourne who would adopt the little Persian. How could I say no?
Tiffany's Vet advised us that she was deaf and maybe blind in one eye. As it turned out Tiffy was completely deaf, but not blind. She did however have Keratitis, which took a long time to diagnose, and needed constant treatment.
Tiffy had had her left fang removed and a few other teeth. This never, ever stopped her from eating what she wanted. Boy, she had an appetite!
Mia and I had never had a Persian cat before, so we did some research and learned that Tiffy would need daily grooming and cleaning around the eye area. Tiffy was not tolerant of either procedure. We did not force her to have daily grooming, but she did have to become used to me cleaning her face every day, sometimes twice a day. I would wet a face-washer with warm water, then place Tiffy up onto the bathroom cabinet, and proceed to gently, but firmly, clean the brown stains that would develop because of Tiffy's tear-ducts. Then I would give her a little kiss on the top of her head and let her get down. This process became a very familiar daily routine.
It's true that when Tiffy first came to live with us, we really did not know what to make of her. She was angry and annoyed - and in hindsight, she was probably in pain because she had had some teeth removed. At first, we had to keep Tiffany in a separate room until Romeo, Juliet, and Chloe could get used to her scent. However, Tiffy was obviously not used to living with other cats. The others would keep away from Tiffy's room, but Tiffy always wanted to leave her room and chase down the other cats. There were many screaming matches when Tiffy would sneak out and chase the other cats around the house, all the while screaming at them at the top of her lungs. Romeo and Chloe quickly learned to deal with it, but poor Juliet was terrified of all the commotion.
It took a good six months for Tiffy to settle into her new home with new people and new cats. When she had settled enough to be let out of her room she started to explore the house. It was evident that in her previous home she had not been allowed to sit on sofas, chairs, benches, beds, etc. The first few times I caught Tiffy sitting on the sofa she cringed when she saw me. I would sit beside her, petting her, and reassuring her that she was allowed to sit on the sofa. At first, Tiffy would attempt to jump up onto high surfaces and frequently she would miss. She practiced jumping and climbing the 7-foot kitty condo, and very soon she learned. Nothing was out of reach for her anymore, and Tiffy soon learned that she could sit wherever she wanted. (Yes, even the kitchen bench!)
FUNNY THINGS TIFFY WOULD DO
Tiffy sometimes slept like a Polar Bear. She had a way of laying flat with her chin flush with the bed. I have not seen any other cats do this. I was finally able to capture it on film. Isn't she funny?
When Tiffy first came to live with us, she could not jump up on benches. However, after a few months she learned how to do just that! She enjoyed being up "high". She even discovered that high places had interesting things on them. For instance, food. Twice we came home to find a full loaf of sliced bread splayed out on the floor, plastic torn through, and each slice had been neatly nibbled. It was hilarious! Two other occasions she managed to open a bag that contained a loaf of Tsoureki (Greek Bread), and you could tell that she really had fun with it. It wasn't because she hadn't been fed - I think more likely it was a fun activity for her. We never chastised her. Instead, we bought a wooden bread box that we could keep bread and other temptations in and away from kitty claws and teeth.
Tiffy loved food - any kind of food! She wanted to try everything - pizza, McDonald's fries, cheese, and any kind of meat. Eating a sandwich around Tiffy was quite a challenge. Sometimes Mia and I would order pizza we would spread a tablecloth over the bed to have a picnic. To Tiffy this meant "Party!" She would sit on the tablecloth, staring at our food, all the while pretending not to be looking at it. Then, when she thought we were otherwise occupied, she would very slllloooowwwllllyyy extend her paw towards our plate and try to steal some food from it. A few times she was successful. We always had to be super-cautious with our food when Tiffy was around.
Tiffy's meows were loud. I mean very LOUD! Tiffy's meow was about three times louder than any other cat. She would creep up and stand beside me and let out a huge MEOW. I can't count the number of times she frightened me!
Tiffy loved to sit on Mia's office-chair. So to make it more comfortable we placed a cat bed on it. Tiffy would sit in this chair for hours and hours. She was SO funny sitting in it - she looked like she was in a boat. [giggling]
Tiffy was an indoor cat, but on nice days I would let her come outside with me while I was hanging out the washing. When it was time to get her inside I would stand in her line of vision and point to the back door. She knew what this meant and would immediately run to the house.
For about 20-30 minutes a day Tiffy liked to play with some of her favorite toys: the peacock feather and the cat-dancer. She loved to chase them, jumping wildly all about trying to get them. She looked so funny when she would slide on the wooden floor from one end of the room to the other, with her feet wildly trying to change direction. Everyone who saw her doing this thought that it was hilarious and would always suggest that we should send a video of Tiffy doing this to Funniest Home Videos.
Tiffy trying to catch a butterfly was quite a sight to see. She would creep up on it, go for it, then when it began to fly away Tiffy would launch into a mid-air twirl, like a ballerina!
CUTE THINGS ABOUT TIFFY
Tiffy's tail was always an amazing thing to see. It was super-fluffy but never straight - Tiffy would curl it towards her back.
Tiffy couldn't hear sounds, but this never stopped her from "hearing". She knew when I or anyone else entered the room because she could feel the vibrations through the floor.
Tiffy was a cat that would make full eye-contact when she wanted to "read" you. She would gaze right into your eyes, into your soul, with those beautiful blue/gold eyes.
Tiffy would curl up into a ball and would look like a cute "rug".
THINGS TIFFY LOVED TO DO
Tiffy loved to keep me company when I was working at my computer. She would sleep in a basket under my desk. She also loved to sleep on top of the computer monitor while I was working. It was too cute the way that her lip would droop over the edge.
Tiffy loved to sleep on Mia's arm in bed. She could stay like that for hours. Mia would have to move eventually but Tiffy was always patient - she would wait until Mia had re-settled, then she would settle herself down again on Mia's arm.
Tiffy would get really excited when she first started exploring the kitty condo. It was as if she could not believe that life could be so much fun!
Tiffy loved to spend time outside stalking birds, butterflies, and even shadows! When Tiffy was stalking birds she thought she was invisible. It was hilarious to see a fluffy, white, flourescent cat trying to creep up on birds. She could stay in the one position for half an hour or more, watching the birdie. Poor Tiffy never could never actually catch one.
Tiffy would love to play Hide & Seek. She would sit at the end of the hall, eyes huge and round, and the minute she saw us she would turn and run away at full speed! We would pretend to chase her and then pretend not to be able to find her. Then she would come back to the end of the hall, and repeat the procedure - anywhere between five and fifteen times.
Tiffy loved to chase the laser-pointer. She would go CRAZY for it. She would run in circles just chasing the red dot. We have polished wooden floors, and when Tiffy would run she often could not stop in time and so she would stop on her front paws but then the rest of her body would slide around to be facing the opposite direction. It was hilarious!
STORIES ABOUT TIFFY
Tiffy was a cat who could mesmerize people. Her long, white fur was pure white and brilliant. Her eyes were big and round. Her squishy face and little pink nose was riveting. When people looked at her they would be in total awe of her beauty and incredible long, fluffy fur.
Whenever I took Tiffy to the animal hospital, the people in the waiting room would always gravitate towards us and hover around her. People would exclaim "That is the most BEAUTIFUL cat I have ever seen!" A lady once asked if she could have one of Tiffy's kittens. I was sorry to tell her that Tiffy was spayed and would not be having any kittens of her own.
When Tiffy first came to us, grooming her was a real problem - she just wouldn’t tolerate being groomed. She had trouble grooming herself, and although she often tried, she very quickly gave up because the sheer volume and length of her fur was overwhelming. She couldn’t reach her skin through all the fur either, so I guess that was very frustrating for her.
By late November 2003, Tiffy’s fur had become very badly matted, and brushing her was still out of the question. I was at a loss with what to do about the situation, until a friend sent me pictures of her own white Persian cat (Holly) who is almost identical to Tiffy. She’d had Holly clipped! Yes, that’s right – No.2 with the clippers. Well, I thought that was a terrific idea. After all, Australian summer starts in December and the warm weather had already arrived. So I booked Tiffy in to be clipped on November 27th. On that morning I dropped off a grumpy, miserable kitty, with matted fur and a sad disposition.
The next morning I went to pick up our little grumpy kitty. I had asked that Tiffy be shaved to the skin so that we can get rid of the matted fur, and also because it would give Tiffy a chance to clean her skin. I had also asked that the fur on her face, paws, and tail be left alone. Well, you wouldn’t recognize the new and improved Tiffy - she was a whole new cat! I started calling her “Sausage” because she looked like a raw BBQ sausage with the pinkish tinge. [giggling]
But the biggest difference however, was when we brought Tiffy home. The almost instantaneous change in her disposition was remarkable! She started prancing around with a definite “spring” in her step. She started to become more affectionate, even curling up with me in bed under the blankets! She started to become a “lap cat” – you couldn't sit down without her jumping into your lap for cuddles! She never did like to be picked up, but she did enjoy scritches and she loved to be patted. She also started being more sociable – to people AND to the other cats. One day I had visitors and she curled up on one my guest’s lap and went to sleep! Tiffy had become a sweet and friendly kitty. Since then the summer grooming became routine. Tiffy always enjoyed having short fur, even if it was only for a short time.
Once, a snail bravely crawled up the outside of Tiffy's window. This was her favorite window, where she would sit for hours on end on the chair with her favorite pink blanky. Tiffy watched the snail for about half an hour while it slowly climbed up the window, and several times she even tried to catch it with her paw!
LETTER FROM RACHAEL
Tiffy, It was very special to me that I got the chance to meet a gentle and friendly, beautiful girl like you. You where easy to fall in love with. You will be missed, yet remembered, as you are still with us all, in your own magical way, rest peacefully little one.
LETTER FROM BARBARA
In Loving Memory
. . . I shall see beauty
but none to match your elegant grace.
I shall hear music
But none so sweet as the gentle song
With which you loved us.
I shall fill my days
But I shall not, cannot forget.
Sleep softly, dear friend . . .
While our bond remains forever unbroken.
With love, B.
MARCH 6th, 2007
It has been one month since Tiffy passed away. I still miss her as much as always. I'd like to thank everyone for their condolences. Mia and I miss our Tiffy terribly and we are lost without her. We loved and adored our Tiffy - we still do - and we are glad that we got to have her for the three and a half years so that she could be a real cat and be able to do "cat things". Three years was not enough - I wish we could have given her more.
Please hug your cats for me.
Purrs to all,
Flippy.
CLICK HERE to see more pictures of Tiffany
CLICK HERE to send an email to Flippy & Mia
CLICK HERE to make a donation to the catpage - In Memory of Romeo and Tiffany
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