Word of the Week - Cat

Pushkins our expat cat, from South Africa. She moved in with us in 2012, 13 years ago, the vet said she was about 3 years old at the time.

We moved to Dubai the end of 2014 and she relocated to the UK with us in 2020. She's 16 now.

She's also not a she, but a he. We found out a year after our move to Dubai, we've had her details changed on her microchip and vet records, but she'll always be a she to us and she still wear her pink studded collar.

This morning we had a trip to the vets and I had to change pronouns. The vet gets quite upset with me as saying 'she' would make a huge difference if he was to get lost, in helping us find him. FFS microchip and records up to date. The vets in Dubai found it funny and called her, she. 

Anyway at 16 she is still very active, clearing the fence, starting and finishing fights with the neighbours cats. She's overweight (again a vet issue) she's always weighed 5 kg. She needs a tooth extracted as it's broken (again a vet issue) the tooth has always been broken and she needs blood tests and scans to check she doesn't have a, b & c (again a vet issue) she's a cat, aged 16.

We spend a lot of time with the cat, she's either on our laps, or under our feet or shouting at us for food. We think she misses Bob the dog still (it's been 18 months since he died) she's much more needy (could be old age) she's forgetful (can't find her food) and we don't think she can hear as well and recently she's got herself locked in a cupboard and in our shed, but I think that's more of a Peter problem for not checking than it was hers.

This week I got the paints out to make a card for my son's dog who is recovering from surgery. I found myself explaining to the vet (and to you now) that the card was for my 3 year old grandsons benefit and I only told the vet so they weren't alarmed if they found anything red on the cats paws.

After the vets we went for a coffee while Peter did a food shop as it was too hot to leave her in the car.

And the rest of the day we spent at home for cuddles, after feeling sorry for herself after her jabs.

She's disappeared out now for the evening, prowling her territory, she'll be back soon scratching at the living room door. Failing that, I'll find her under the neighbours hedge where she'll make me go and drag her out, purring her head off.

She'll be up early waiting for her food, then she'll take herself over the road to the neighbours where she likes to perform her morning duties. She'll return home for her food, that we'll have to take her to her bowl to eat 2-3 times before she realises her food is there and she stops asking us for it, then she'll sit out on the front door step in the sunshine, making us step over her as we come and go and she'll watch the world go by. On a school day she entertains the kids and the parents on the school run and stares out any dogs as they are walked past.

At 2pm she'll start asking for her tea, for cuddles, for attention until one of us gives in around 4pm, usually when I come home from work.

The cat is seriously overweight and no longer a girl

For 4 years Pushkins has been a girl, our little Pussy Fat Bitch is one of the more affectionate names we've had for her.

I'm a mother to 4 boys, the dog is male, so the cat helped to even numbers up a little. She has a pink cat basket, a pink studded collar, pink 'hello kitty' blanket, pink bed and pink food bowl.

That still stays the same, as does her name, but from now on Pushkins is a he.

I'm gutted, it's like watching Birmingham City get relegated out the Premiership all over again, it has no effect on my life and it's just something I have to adjust to.

Pushkins is now 'it' if Peter or I say he, it just doesn't sound right and we think the other is referring to the dog.

I took her to the vets on Thursday as she had been limping for 2 days, the vet said at 5.2kg she was seriously overweight. It's not from us over feeding her, it's the cat feeding scheme that is nearby, she goes out at night and eats all the food. The only way to prevent this is to keep her indoors full time till we've addressed the weight limit.

The vet x-rayed her foot and said nothing was broken and gave her a painkilling injection and said her paw was swollen but there was nothing in it, so probably tendon damage and he gave me a course of tablets to give her at home. I have forced 2 tablets down 'its' throat and haven't been bitten or scratched yet.

He handed her back over to me and said 'Pushkins is a boy' I was shocked, said 'she can't be, a vet in South Africa confirmed she'd been sterilised and the State vet had examined her before she boarded the plane in Johannesburg.'

The vet asked his colleague to examine her and confirmed SHE is indeed a HE and added 'oh the shame, a pink cat basket, make sure you break the news to him gently, at least you don't have to change the name, it suits boys and girls. But he has been neutered so we're NOT responsible for the cat population in Dubai.

Now I am considering a name change, no idea what yet, because Pushkins is what I called a girl cat.

I thought my husband would say I was being ridiculous, but he understands and suggested I bought a new collar and bed in blue to help me accept it and maybe find it easier to say HE.

Pushkins doesn't care, all HE cares about is being able to go outdoors. So far the litter tray contents has just been spread over the conservatory floor. During the day they both have access to the whole house, but at night we've taken to closing the conservatory door as Pushkins has been hand butting our bedroom door between 1am and 5am demanding to go outside.

I was feeling guilty so I tried a harness and although he walked a little way in it, I ended up carrying him back indoors crying.