Goodbye, Tuah.

It has been a week since my beloved cat, Tuah, passed away. I am still grieving his loss. Tuah died last Friday1st of July at the ripe old age of almost 14 years which is equivalent to an astounding 98 years of human life! He had been with us ever since he was born, living together under the same roof..This may sound cliche but he was truly a part of the family. His sudden demise created an emptiness, a void, a vacuum which may sound a bit too dramatic to some people. It's hard to explain how an animal can have such a profound effect on a full grown adult human being!

This picture of Tuah was taken exactly a year ago

Despite his age, Tuah was in a fairly good health. Of course, he was no longer active like before but he was still strong and arrogant. He gave us not the slightest of indication that he would be leaving us so soon.

 It pains me to relate his sudden transformation from a healthy cat with a big appetite to one who lost a complete interest in food. It was so abrupt it was hard to believe. He only survived on plain water for the six days. It was his self induced starvation that eventually led to his death. We tried ways and means to coax and lure him into relenting just a bit, but to no avail. Even the vet's expertise to save him proved futile.

Tuah could still make it to my room on the night of June 28. He was already so thin and weak.

His deterioration before our very eyes was something which will haunt me for a long time. I am not ready to share his final moments just yet. Suffice to say that he was conscious till the very last gasp of breath. He was still responsive minutes before he died in front of my mother, xnuripilot and me.. That makes it even more difficult for me to let go.

Tuah,  gaunt and dishevelled  at 5.38p.m., one day before he died. He chose to be here, in my mother's bathroom. It was here that he finally succumbed to old age and died.

We buried him beneath the palm tree in front of the house surrounded by ixora and lantana. He loved to sit there in the wee hours of the morning, looking up occasionally at the birds flitting across the dawning sky.

Tuah's modest grave.

 Goodbye, Tuah. I miss you so much.