I had a ring made with the ashes of Ed the Floof, my fabulous fluffy cat. He was sweet, friendly, fluffy and just the most affable little soul in the world. We rescue the special (kidney, heart, age-related, semi-feral, etc) cats that no one else wants from the rescue homes. I think we currently have our 19th rescue cat!! A large part of the reason we could do it was because Ed helped us so much - he socialised them, sat with them when they were poorly and always found a way to be as snuggly as possible with all of them (sometimes he was over-friendly and got told off!) He was our friend for 10 years - and that is the best way to describe him. If you were sad he’d appear and let you cry on his fur and lick and snuggle you until you were ok. He was curious about everything and had absolutely no interest in self-preservation - he would spend a lot of time too close to candles and fires! He got progressively deafer and used to knock things off every surface going; he had a particular interest in attacking glasses. When we were ill he would spend all his time with us - honestly he spent as much of his time with us whenever he could. I think we only spent a few nights apart because a holiday wasn’t a holiday without Ed. He was called all sorts - Edna, the Ed-nurse (because he was so good when we were ill), Eddle, Fluffy potato and sometimes Princess Fluffypants or Queen Edmerelda!! He was the first on your lap when you sat down and then that was it until he moved. I used to start my nighttime routine with him staggering up me while I was lying in bed. He’d settle on my chest and demand head snuggles - he loved being brushed on his face and chin and could take any amount of it. Then when it was time to sleep, he’d move next to me and I’d go to sleep with my hand on him. In the morning he’d be there again on my chest staring at me! He was joy and peace bundled up into a fluffy fabulous creature. People often commented on how beautiful he was (which he definitely was - the eyes and the fur were amazing) but it was all about the character for us and that’s what we’re missing so much. When we got him he was about 8 and when we said goodbye he was 18. He was rescued from the street by Celia Hammond rescue charity. He was lucky to have survived and I think other rescues might not have gone to the lengths they did to save his life. But they did and it was at a time where we were ready to adopt a new cat. From the moment he arrived he was perfect for us and vice versa. He had FIV so we were very careful with every illness or infection - he just couldn’t fight them off. He later developed arthritis, diabetes, a permanent life-threatening ear infection which meant his ear canals were removed and he became fully deaf. But eventually the FIV did too much damage and his body had done what it could. He was always happy to see us - he would chirrup when he saw us - and we were always happy to see him. We’re both teachers and this is our first summer break without him in a decade - it’s going to be hard. He outlived all expectations, thrived in the love and security of our home, and became my fluffy best friend. We were always together. Saying goodbye to him continues to be incredibly difficult. This beautiful ring (the blue colour is the same as is his eyes) means he will be with me every day. I can’t tell you what it means to me. Here’s to Ed the Floof.
-Katie
