Chubby Chops & Cupcake
My friends call me Chubby Chops... although my official name was Smoochie.
Many years ago, I was one of around 24 cats rescued from the old Southdown Freezing Works. We arrived at the sanctuary expecting to stay for only a few months while another home was organised for us. But plans changed, and as the years passed it became clear that we had already found exactly where we belonged.
One by one, my old friends crossed the Rainbow Bridge, and before long I was the last of the Southdown cats still calling the sanctuary home. As I grew older, life became a little more challenging. My kidneys weren't working as well as they should, and then I was diagnosed with diabetes too. The vets thought it might be kinder to let me go.
But the people who loved me weren't ready to give up. Instead, they brought me into the house where I could be cared for around the clock. Every day I had insulin injections, and every few days I travelled to receive fluids under my skin to help my kidneys. It wasn't much fun, but everyone kept telling me what a brave boy I was. After about a month, something amazing happened. I started feeling so much better. I became brighter, stronger, and before long I didn't need the fluids anymore. I was determined to enjoy every extra day I'd been given.
And then I met my very best friend. His name was Cupcake.
Cupcake had his own difficult journey before arriving at the sanctuary. A kind young girl had been feeding him behind her flat, but sadly she wasn't allowed to keep him. Like me, he had health problems too, including diabetes, so perhaps we understood each other in a way that nobody else could.
From the moment we became friends, we were almost never apart. We slept together, wandered together, kept each other company, and faced every day side by side. Wherever you found one of us, the other was never far away.
People often smiled when they saw us together. They said our friendship was something truly special, and I think they were right.
Although Cupcake and I have both now crossed the Rainbow Bridge, I hope people remember not just our illnesses, but the love we shared. Sometimes the greatest gift a rescue cat can find isn't just a safe home......it's a best friend.
