Way back in 2006 a little kitty came into our lives.
I had been looking for a black cat and someone from Castleford that I knew, said she had one black kitten left. We arranged to meet, I did think it odd that it had to be at a service station, but gave the benefit of the doubt and went anyway.
They turned up and had this massive cardboard box, with a little palm size kitten, not black and no blanket or anything. I made the decision that kitten was coming with us anyways.
When we got Spook back home, we noticed she was absolutely riddled with fleas, but because of her size coupled with the fact we were pretty sure she was younger than what they said she was, we weren’t able to give her anything for the fleas. There was nothing for it, we had to bathe her. I counted my fingers before and after each session, it was tough but worth it, we won!!
We also had a border collie called Bonnie, and Spook got along with her straight away, they played together and lay together. Bonnie hardly ever stayed still, she was an endless ball of energy. Then in 2008 we inherited another kitten when Macy Grey entered our lives. I met her at my cousins house and we immediately bonded, so a couple of weeks later when my cousin said her toddler kept trying to eat the cat litter, and would we have Macy, it was a no brainer. Spook and Macy got along fine, they slept together and again played together.
Both of the girls were indoor cats as where we lived in Coundon someone was killing peoples pets, I wasn’t even going to entertain the chance of losing them. We lived there for a few years before moving to Ferryhill and sadly moved onto a really busy main road, again too risky. They’ve always been indoor girls and have had a very fulfilled life.
Spook was an odd cat in the respect she wasnt keen on being cuddled, petted or stroked, she would growl at you and bite if you weren’t quick to move. She would also hide behind the wall and get your ankles 😂
In 2010 we moved down to Norfolk and I was finally able to get Spook spayed (my ex wouldn’t let me), she became a totally different cat almost overnight, it was amazing. Cuddles, strokes, sleeping on knees, playing, lots of kisses and purring followed, she became my little shadow and best friend. I had a relationship with her that I never thought I would be able to.
When we moved to Norfolk, my other half had a 2 year old cavalier king charles called Maisie and both her and Spook became best friends. They were pretty much inseparable, if Spook came out in the garden on her special harness, Maisie would be by her side making sure she was ok, and when pooch was asleep, Spook constantly checked on her to make sure she was ok (if she wasn’t jumping on her from height lol), it was a lovely friendship. Macy on the other hand didnt like dogs, but she tolerated them.
From being the runt of the litter, being the tiniest scrap of a kitten, Spook became the biggest personality and most affectionate and loving little cat, she never became a big cat, was always a skinny little thing, but she made up for it in cattitude! I used to call her my mini maine coone.
When we lost Maisie in September, Spook was a little lost and confused for a while, she couldn’t understand where her bestie had gone, and we had no way to explain to her. It was so hard to watch, she became very clingy with me, I just gave her lots of love as usual.
Through working from home Spook kept us chuckling, she either insisted on being almost glued to my leg or stealing pencils, as well as being on Microsoft Teams chats, so I am glad that we got to spend all that extra time with both her and Maisie.
Until fairly recently, Spook was a fussy eater, but over the last couple of months she would eat anything! We had a takeaway one night, and every night afterwards she would wait next to the lobby door, for the “food man” to bring dinner, she made us laugh so much.
Whenever I had a bath, both Spook and Macy liked to come and sit in the bathroom with me, they were both a little obsessed with water. This one day Macy had her back paws on the loo lid and her front paws on the edge of the bath, looking at the bubbles. Spook pushed her in!! Talk about a sense of humour!!
Also, a couple of weeks before we lost her, we had a kebab and Spook decided she wanted kebab so had a fist / paw fight with Lou for hers, I was a supportive wife, I laughed!
It was really difficult losing her, it came so suddenly. I noticed she had lost some weight, not that she had a lot on her, but it was noticeable, so we booked a vet check up. I warned Adam the vet (he hadn’t met her before) that she thought she was a dog not a cat, he laughed and didn’t take me seriously! He checked her over and took bloods for testing overnight, but when he was examining her she spent the whole time growling at him. I did warn him! She never really learnt how to cat! She never miaowed and often growled if she didn’t like something lol.
The tests came back as Spook having hyperthyroidism which is treatable by medication, so we decided on this route and were due to collect the tablets on thur 25th March however on the evening of the 24th Spook seemed to be a touch breathless, so we kept an eye on it, she had been playing “kill the tennis ball”. The next morning she was lying on her bed and was gasping for her breath, she hadn’t exerted herself or anything, so we got an emergency appointment. We had to make one of the hardest decisions ever, and I miss her so much but I have some fantastic memories. I would like to thank all the staff at Taverham Vets, they have been amazing.
Here are some of my favourite pics of Spook. I love you my little munchkin, I hope you and Maisie are creating mischief wherever you are. Love Mam x
Wild Sue's Wilderness 