In mid 2005, a young ginger tomcat started visiting our carport. He was clean, well groomed and polite which gave us the impression that he must have been just visiting from around the neighborhood, as he did not look like a stray cat.

 

In August that year we left for holidays for a few weeks, only to find that on our return, the young ginger was a regular if not permanent presence in and around the carport. No one appeared to be missing him so we presumed that he was indeed un-owned and included him in the daily feeds. This formalised the process of him adopting us though he was still very shy, kept his distance, and rarely ventured inside the house – touching him was not possible.

 

It took a couple of months of patient feeding until he felt comfortable enough to be patted. A little while later, having gained more trust he decided to move into the inside of our home and with that we then headed off to the vets for a health check, injections, and yes, to be desexed. After our older cat Ajax passed away in 2006, Tigger assumed his “cat of the manor” role, which he carries out with a quiet assertiveness knowing that he belongs here.

 

A few years ago Tigger was involved in an accident when he disappeared for a little over a week, returning home starved and with a broken pelvis. Due to the severity of his injuries he needed orthopedic surgery (bone plating) for optimal recovery. Tigger has made a full recovery and to ensure he is comfortable in his old age we take him to the vets regularly for cartrophen injections.

 

Cartrophen (pentosan) injections help the joints by:
• Improving cartilage quality
• Improving cartilage healing
• Increasing the amount of joint fluid
• Improving the joint fluid quality
• Reducing inflammation (and therefore pain)

 

After having his cartrophen injection we find Tigger to be less stiff, more willing to jump up on the couch and play with his toys. We love Tigger very much and wouldn’t have him any other way.