With his friend Tigri, and in the snow, which he liked in spite of the cold on his stump.
These photos were taken with our first digital camera in December 2002. Would you believe this is three-legged RouXy on top of our neighbour’s garage or in our lime-tree? A determined and courageous cat, our RouXy!
You’ll have to get used to it: I say our cat though RouXy was not really our cat. But he spent some many hours with us, everyday, every week, every month for filteen years and seven months! And he died with us in our bathroom.
Twice daily, for nearly 10 years. Tigri, Frimousse and RouXy eating together.
Why is there cardboard on top of the humus?
In June 2003, RouXy’s left rear paw had to be amputated. About 10 one morning, in a barn at the bottom of the lane, on the roadside, a steel-jaw trap imprisoned RouXy for twenty-four hours, stopping bloodflow. Last photo of four-legged RouXy on our balcony a few minutes before the accident. First photo with his stump below.
The gangrenous stump had to be treated for at least two months, a very painful treatment. RouXy never scratched nor bit.
(The owner of the barn, who had illegally set up the prohibited trap, is still alive, with his unharmed four limbs. There is no justice.)
In a few minutes the branches of the artificial Christmas tree will bend down low because our two friends will have tried to climb up the tree.
Every morning, ever since we moved into this house, RouXy would come down the lane from his house to ours. Frimousse would be waiting for him near the half-barrel – he could not go up and meet him because of his PetSafe system. Frimousse licked RouXy’s head, then RouXy often drank out of the watering can, and both of them climbed the stairs to get inside the house. Frimousse would lick RouXy again while their dishes were being filled. Sometimes RouXy came up the lane, from the road, as he had decided to go round the houses. Some will say: “cheeky RouXy!”, I will say: “reckless RouXy!”. Lately, since the elder of his Masters died, I fetched RouXy in his house, I even had to carry him in my arms during the last few days. And the ritual was a bit altered.
In the evening, between 4 and 9 according to the season and the weather, we called: “Frimousse! RouXy! Tigri! (*)” and they went in for supper.
(*) Tigri was with us from October 2002 to September 2012.