In Memory of TK
We lost one of our animals today. We had him euthanased, as he was not able to fight a respiratory infection because he had FIV (the cats version of HIV). Apparently it can be in their system for a long time, then when they get sick they get really sick. TK (The Kitten, originally) may not have been a productive farm animal but he had been in our family since he was about a month old in November 1997. We sort of adopted him from next door. Although he was very cute he had a fighting spirit in him and after he attacked an old lady up the street when he was about two years old (I found the note the lady wrote to us) we kept him in a cat run with a tower, a tunnel and a large flat area with access to inside a shed at night. While we lived in Sydney he lived in his run with the occasional respite inside. Of course when we came to the country he calmed down considerably and enjoyed the peaceful surrounds. However, in the last six months or so he has been going down hill, not venturing very far and not cleaning himself as well as he used to. The photograph was taken April 2008 after we had his ears trimmed due to cancers on the tips. Recently he had a few teeth problems and eye problems and then this week he developed respiratory problems and got very sick very fast.
Goodbye TK.