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Welcome home Teddy!

Janey

By Janey

25 comments


Last week Teddy was taken ill late at night and I rushed him into the animal hospital over the river Humber. It was all systems go and he was dripped up, wired up and collared up and after 4 days I was allowed to bring him home along with all his medication.
I’m so pleased to see him looking well, bright eyed and bushy tailed again…:o)).

When I was only small I had a book called Tales for Little People with the most lovely poem called Four-Paws. Then when my own daughter was tiny I would read her Four Paws….I hope you like it as much as we did.

Four-Paws by Helen Parry Eden

Four-Paws, the kitten from the farm,
Is come to live with Betsey-Jane,
Leaving the stack-yard for the warm
Flower-compassed cottage in the lane,
To wash his idle face and play
Among chintz cushions all the day.

Under the shadow of her hair
He lies, who loves him nor desists
To praise his whiskers and compare
The tabby bracelets on his wrists, -
Omelet at lunch and milk at tea
Suit Betsey-Jane and so fares he.

Happy beneath her golden hand
He purrs contentedly nor hears
His Mother mourning through the land,
The old grey cat with tattered ears
And humble tail and heavy paw
Who brought him up among the straw.

Never by day she ventures nigh,
But when the dusk grows dim and deep
And moths flit out of the strange sky
And Betsey has been long asleep -
Out of the dark she comes and brings
Her dark maternal offerings;-

Some field mouse or a throstle caught
Near netted fruit or in the corn,
Or rat, for this her darling sought
In the old barn where he was born;
And all lest on his dainty bed
Four-Paws were faint and underfed.

Only between the twilight hours
Under the window-panes she walks
Shrewdly among the scented flowers
Nor snaps the soft nasturtium stalks,
Uttering still her plaintive cries
And Four-Paws, from the house, replies.

Leaps from his cushion to the floor,
Down the brick passage scantily lit,
Waits wailing at the outer door
Till one arise and open it -
Then from the swinging lantern’s light
Runs to his Mother in the night.

You know it never fails to choke me up, even after
all these years!

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Comments

 

A mother is a mother. She will always be one and as far as her children are concerned, her child remains her child eternally. I was in my 60's my mother was still alive and one day I looked at her and she looked back at me, nothing was said, it was always the same way she looked at me(and the way she felt towards me) all my life ever since I could remember, even though I lost sight of that from time to time. Thank you ever so much for that poem Janey.

5 Jan, 2016

 

Hi Janey .. such a worry when our pets are ill...
welcome home Teddy x

6 Jan, 2016

 

So pleased he is back home with you and looking contented in the photo Janey. The poem is lovely and actually brought a lump as I was reading it, thanks for sharing....

6 Jan, 2016

 

Now Snoop, make allowances,lol, he's just been rushed to hospital and is still feeling bit fragile...

Janey I loved this - what a great picture it conjours up. Kids might forget their mothers sometimes but its a rare mother who forgets her chidren;

6 Jan, 2016

 

Yes that's right Loosestrife, no matter how our lives pan out, our children are still our children, and our mums are still our mums, even if we've been married an awful long time. To have their approval is great and not, well....yikes not so good...lol! Pleased you enjoyed the poem. Ted is the only boy I have here now and we have a great bond....:))

It has been Tt....but I'm so pleased he is back here, saying that all the vets and nurses fell in love with him!

Well he does usually Snoop, he is just recuperating right now and probably wondering how I could send him away!

Thanks Lincs....he is so much better now and taking his meds very well....

6 Jan, 2016

 

Hey Stera! That's told you Snoop....I think if you'd had done what he has....you wouldn't be smiling either....!

They are part of us no matter how old....and you never stop worrying do you Stera.....

6 Jan, 2016

amy
Amy
 

I'm pleased Teds is back where he belongs Janey he and Tony would have been good company for each other I'm pleased to say Tonys treatment didn't cost as much as Teds , I love the poem its a tear jerker thank you ,I'm going to keep it to read again and again :o)) x

6 Jan, 2016

 

So pleased to read Teddy has made a good recovery, love the poem, one that I don't know, very fond of poetry...take care xx

6 Jan, 2016

 

Oh blimey what a worry for you. So glad to hear he's back home now and we'll on the mend.

6 Jan, 2016

 

so glad Teds on the mend Janey...always so worrying when pets are poorly..x

7 Jan, 2016

 

"Welcome home Teddy"
Lovely poem Janey.

7 Jan, 2016

 

I'm pleased to hear Teddy is better and home with you now.
Lovely poem too :)

7 Jan, 2016

 

So pleased to hear that Teddy is safely back home now and no doubt enjoying all the comforting and care. I thought that poem was a real tear jerker (seems easier to jerk to my tears as I get older!) and I love it :)

I even welled up when I saw that poor little sprout being turned away on the BBC!!

7 Jan, 2016

 

Amy and Dd...Ted is quite back to his old self and very good at taking his pills, which he never was before...lol!
I'm sure he's enjoying the quiet and not being the centre of attention this week....:)). Amy I'm sure Tony and Ted would have lots to discuss,so pleased Tony is doing well....

Yes Sam and Sandra, I was very worried about him as he was well one minute and then very poorly.....so good to see him home again....:))

Thank you Klahanie and Hywel....our pets mean the world to us don't they.....

Ha ha Gee......I do know what you mean!

7 Jan, 2016

 

That's a lovely poem, Janey! Glad that Teddy is back home and on the road to recovery. It's hard to watch them suffer but cats (I find) are stoics by nature. Yesterday was Rufus' fourth birthday! he's grown into a huge fellow (at least 20 lbs.) ...thanks to my hub getting up in the middle of the night to feed him (as Rufus requests). he sits beside me now in his bed near the window looking at the snow and complaining every now and then a brrrup! and a purry trill... I tell him he's my bubs and he looks at me with a raised eyebrow! Hugs to Teddy... and best wishes too.

8 Jan, 2016

 

Lovely poem Janey, good to see Teddy back ....

9 Jan, 2016

 

Hi Lori.... Teddy is so much better now, even though he's picked up a cold now! Rufus sounds beautiful and huge! Teds the largest cat I've had but not as heavy as your Rufus, wow, what a big boy, I can just see him there watching the snow...you paint a lovely picture Lori....:)).
We have had so much rain here, and so much flooding, though where I am is on high ground.....so lucky. We're due for colder weather this next week and may see a flurry of your snow coming, winter at last....:))
Take care Lori, much love to you and yours....

Thanks Stripes.....yes so pleased he is doing well now. Lovely pic of your pusscat Levi there too.....

9 Jan, 2016

 

I don't know how I missed your lovely story and poem so apologies for commenting so late. I can so relate to your story as I am a cat person and have a lovely bond with my cat Fudge who was born 16 years ago on the day my Dad passed away so she is so special. She's getting on a bit and keeping us awake at night howling at times but you can't help but love somebody person or animal who means so much to you. I bet you had a fright but thankfully Teddy is back home back with 'Mum'! Best wishes to Teddy for a full recovery.

10 Jan, 2016

 

Sorry I'm late too Janey..so glad to hear Teddy is doing really well now..such a relief for you..I'm sure he appreciates all your TLC .take care,xx

11 Jan, 2016

 

Hello Amsterdam....Fudge sounds lovely and what an age! No wonder she is so special, they all have their own personalities don't they, I think I took strongly to Teddy as my other puss, Poppy did not like him at all when he arrived and Teddy wanted to cuddle up....lol! Poppy is definitely her own cat flying up and down the garden and keeping out of Ted's way! So pleased he seems back tom his old self now.....

Thanks Sandra.....think he's probably getting a bit bored now...ha ha

13 Jan, 2016

 

Hi Janey! Sorry I'm so late. Ever so glad that Teds is fine now...but do you know what was wrong? It took a couple of weeks for us to get Molly's results back (she had a huge lump on her back leg that came up overnight, and she had a month of antibiotics followed by surgery just before Christmas) but in the end it was some complicated four word name with dermatitis at the end, so no real worry. Shouldn't come back. The vet was funny...I commented on the fact it was her fifth GA, which concerned me...to which the vet replied that wasn't so bad over her nine years!! Lol...I'd consider myself pretty fragile if I'd had an operation every second year of my life I think! Hope he's soon back to his full self. Xx

13 Jan, 2016

 

Oh poor Molly, Karen. That rate does seem to be a bit too frequent doesn't it? Hope she's much better and can use her leg alright now, Jack Russells often live to a ripe old age don't they, so she doesn't want to have to face a few more of those??

Teddy is being very good, a bit quiet which is to be expected and probably bored too as I'm not allowing him outside hardly in the cold and damp. He had a blocked urethra, and had a lot of unpleasant stuff backing up to his kidneys. This problem seems to be in the cat family he came from. Female cats can produce stones too but can pass them easier, whereas males have an S bend in their tubes where the stones or crystals get lodged. He would have died of a burst bladder had I not taken him in then.....

13 Jan, 2016

 

Ah yes...the Bladder stones. Molly's second GA! I'm glad thats sorted out now Janey. Isn't it incredible how stoic animals are? He must have been in pain for a while you'd think. X

13 Jan, 2016

 

Well he had been quiet for a few days, yet we had visitors that afternoon and he let Lexie pick him up....he was quite fussy to see everyone, so it was quite a shock to find out he was so ill.

14 Jan, 2016

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