27th July - goodbye to our beloved Don Pekoe (Patreon)

I am sorry there was no update yesterday and thank you so much for your kind comments and best wishes. 

As you may have guessed sadly we lost Don Pekoe our beloved Birman Cat who has been at the heart of our family for over 9 years.  We are all devastated.

The vets think he succumbed to Coronavirus for cats. Unfortunately this affected his brain so there was nothing that could be done. He went from being normal to passing away in around 24 hours - it is an absolutely awful disease. 

We had taken him to the vet and then the animal hospital. Thankfully though Camilla took the decision that as the end was inevitable and he was in no pain, that he should spend his last night with us.He had lots of cuddles and love and slept next to Camilla. The next morning he gently passed away next to me. We feel so happy that he was with loved ones rather than in an unfamiliar hospital cage.

He really was a most amazing animal and had an ethereal spirit about him. When we first went to buy him he was asleep on his back with his 4 legs in the air which is the Birman way! Throughout his whole life he was the gentlest of creatures with the most amazing calming aura . Unlike many cats he did not mind being picked up and cuddled by anyone! And he would let you cuddle him for as long as you liked. Ophelia used to take him to bed at night like a teddy bear and it was the cutest thing to see.  Most bedtimes were preceded by us searching the house for ‘The Don’ so that Ophelia could have him with her. This was always a lot of fun as he loved sleeping in drawers and cupboards and the most unlikely places.

Everyone who met Don Pekoe fell for him. He was handsome and gorgeous in every way and never got angry.

He gave us over 9 years of incredible love and was the gel at the heart of the family - an always calming presence. He was there from when Inaya was a little girl and from when Ophelia was a baby - the hole he leaves for us all is immense.

If there was one word to describe him it was relaxed!  He to the art of relaxation to a Zen-like level! He was a reminder that in the busyness of life it is important to just stop sometimes and be.

We have a motto which is ‘we all need to Be More Don”. And that will continue.

We have buried him next to the Love Steps at the back of the garden which seemed the most fitting place for a creature that was incredibly loved and gave so much love in return. This means whenever we need to be a bit more Don we can go and be with him. When Ophelia gets back from Holland we will go with her and find a special plant in his memory.

Thank you for everything Don Pekoe. Your spirit lives on. You will never be forgotten and it was a huge privilege to have you in our lives.