Pteppic: seal point Siamese. August 1997-December 2011
It is with much sadness that we have learned that Pteppic, the world’s first – and only – Siamese walrus has been put to sleep. He, together with his lifelong companion Esk, went to live with my daughter in Norfolk about four years ago,and it’s a miracle he was still going, because He Nearly Died back in 2003 (although he didn’t like to talk about it). The vets never did work out what was wrong with him, and they didn’t expect him to pull through, never mind make the full recovery that he did.
He has been becoming more and more ill with IBS in recent years and in the end, the only proper thing to do was to let him go.
Pteppic was a sleek creature, a cat who always knew when you were feeling down, and would come to comfort you. He purred like a walrus, and if another cat was poorly, they got the Ptep treatment too; I well remember when Iggy had an appalling respiratory infection, and was on space blankets to try to keep him warm – the walrus came and curled his long body around Iggy and stayed with him all night. His nuturing nature also extended to kittens, and he was never happier than when there was a baby cat in the house for him to look after.
Ptep was the campest cat in the universe – the Noel Coward of the feline world. We felt he wore a virtual bottle green velvet smoking jacket, and drank very dry sherry. You could pour him from your arms to the floor, and when he was fully grown I had to stand on a stair to do it, because he grew into a huge, and hugely elegant, creature, with many limbs.
We missed him a lot when he left us, but he had a wonderful home with Clare, and she will miss him so much too. I hope she can take comfort from the fact that she did the last, best thing for him that she could, and we salute her strength.
I wanted to wish Pteppic “good hunting”, as I do every cat who leaves us behind, and she reminded me, quite rightly, that:
… there certainly won’t be any hunting. He’ll be on a soft, soft blanket that he so adores, with some tuna and someone to snuggle and shove with his snout. Ptep at his absolute happiest 🙂
December 14th, 2011 at 5:05 pm
I sympathize with you in your loss. Ptep sounds a lovely cat in every way, one of those rare and special cats. At least he had a good life and was appreciated and loved for himself and for his special character.
It is terribly sad when the one thing we have to do for our feline companions is the one thing we least want to do. There is comfort, though, in knowing that Ptep felt loved and cherished throughout his life and at its end.
December 14th, 2011 at 11:12 pm
//ac, I’m so sorry to read about Pteppic. You – and Clare – must be devastated; he was a wonderful creature.
I imagine he is rearranging the colours of Rainbow Ridge into something rather more stylish about now.
Valerie xxx
December 15th, 2011 at 11:26 am
Oh Mac, I am so sorry – Mark & me both empathise with how you must be feeling, and poor Clare too … we are thinking of you. Ptep sounds wonderful – isn’t it amazing how Siamese and Burmese both pour out of your arms … such lovely creatures.
all my lvoe to you
xxxxx
January 27th, 2012 at 11:49 pm
Don’t worry about him ppl 🙂 he is running wild with his other kitty friends in a field with out pain or worry…well with some worry that he will get his kitbites at dinner on timne 🙂