Farewell Comrade Peggy

Peggy, our indomitable feline comrade and companion, passed away earlier today.

Before coming to us Peggy had led an itinerant life. She was unfortunate enough to have had three prior owners all of whom had to give her up. There was a relationship break up, work commitments, and someone who had to go into an old folks' home all in Peggy's past. And each time she ended up at Iris's Cats in Need, a fine and locally famous Stoke-on-Trent institution comprising a couple of charity shops and a cat sanctuary at the bottom of a garden in Abbey Hulton.

This was where we met Peggy. After the passing of our previous feline overlord, the Brilliant Comrade and Great Leader Charlie, a couple of friends were dropping off masses of his unused cat food at Iris's when one of them sent me a photo. This was of an older cat who'd been passed over for three or four months. This was, of course, Peggy - her already-given name. We went along to have a look and she was so friendly with us we just had to take her home. On the 21st August 2015, comrade Peggy entered the BC bunker. And the rest, until this morning, was bliss.

Within moments of Peggy coming through the door she was purring like an idiot and rolling around. She settled in as if she'd always lived here. And much to my surprise, I never knew a cat could be so affectionate and, well, soft. While Charlie was a little sod always up for a scrap and would bite you when he'd had enough fuss, Peggy was a soak for the good life, a complete decadent. She simply absorbed all the strokes, playing, and tickles - she couldn't get enough of it. She was also very intelligent and apart from an early spree of pissing on the kitchen floor and occasionally missing her litter tray accidentally-on-purpose, entirely remarkable. Peggy was easily the most vocal animal I have ever met. You could say something to her and she would chirp back, and this back and forth could go on and on and on. The only time she ever showed the usual kitty-type aggression was when her toy came out. She truly hated birds, so to have toys flying about the living room that approximated their movements sent her into paroxysms of rage. Yet within an instant, she could go from chewing the living hell out of what she presumed was an evil avian to rubbing around your feet and asking for tickles. She was very much a people purrson and loved our company.

Sadly, given her earlier history she wasn't without hang ups. She hated cars and especially detested going out in her cat carrier, we presume because of her earlier period of confinement for months on end and having got passed from one owner to the next. Thankfully she was spared the stress of a final journey to the vet's, and she was able to pass away peacefully and in comfort at home with her humans attending to her.

So long comrade Peggy, you are much missed.

NBIf you have a bit to spare in these difficult times, please consider supporting Iris's Cats. And if you're thinking of taking on a new feline friend, look no further!