A couple of days ago (Tuesday) I mentioned my parents oldest cat, Bontie. Yesterday (Wednesday) I talked to my sister and she told me Bontie passed away Tuesday night. The same day I started a Catster page for her! Isn't it weird how things sometimes happen?
Our closest approximation is that she was at least 22 years old. She was my father's cat and a bit of a loner. She loved him and would cuddle with him, but did not care much for the rest of us, or the other cats. So here are some pictures of her. Just look at her fluffy tail. I posted one picture of Bontie on this blog before and you can see it here.
Some of you asked me about her diet when you heard about her age. All the cats on the farm get catfood (wet and dry) and people food, including vegetables! Remember that yellow stuff in Crinkle's plate? It was corn! But of course all the cats are indoor and outdoor cats, so mice, birds and other critters are also part of their diet. Once Bontie got too old to hunt herself, she ate the mice the other cats (particularly Babatjie) brought into the house.Our household has had 7 cats (excluding Babatjie and Crinkle) that I personally knew. Only one died younger than 10 years, and that was from complications after his neutering. One, Tarzan was 18 years when he died. So life on the farm is pretty good for cats. One reason is probably because there is no traffic to speak of.
UPDATE: Mattingly's Mom asked where in Africa Bontie lived. Here is a map (click to biggify). I grew up there and came to the USA in 2001 to do my pHd (which I finished in 2006, YAY!). My family (and Crinkle and Babatjie) still live there. You can see some pictures of the farm here and here.
22 comments:
Bontie is a beautiful cat. So sorry to hear of her passing even though she did live a long and good life. It sounded like she had a real good life. Hope your Dad is getting along O.K. after loosing his baby. Prayers going up for him. Sure does sound like farm life does a cat good. The longest we had a cat live is 17 years and that was our son's cat Pirate. I want to put him on our site when I find the pictures of him and copy them to the computer. Sure hope Casper can live that long.
She looks like a really beautiful cat, inside and out! Twenty-two years is a *long time, Mom tells me! I wish she could have lived another 22!
Goodbye pretty Bontie. I am a little bit sad now. But, she did live a very long life, so that makes me glad.
Sounds like Bontie had a wonderful long life. That's good to know.
What a beautiful cat! So sorry to read about Bontie's passing but sounds like a good long life on the farm.
Purrs from China Cat & Willow
What a beautiful callie Bontie was! She had a long life as a much loved pet. We send our sympathies to you and your family.
Kate and Toby
She was a beautiful cat! Meowm and I will light a candle tonite to help guide her over the bridge!
Oh my she was gorgeous. It looks like she had sort of a bobcat-shaped face. All that beautiful fur. I'm sorry for your loss. This past May I lost my cat from childhood, Prancer, at 19 years old and we were impressed with that! She stayed back with my Mom though at my childhood home because for the last few years she was blind and deaf and once I lived in a home that would accept cats, we didn't want to move her from where she was comfortable.
Also wondering, where in Africa? Is that where you are from? Prayers to you and your family.
~Mattingly's Mom
Wow, what a beauty she was! Such rich calico colors and love the fluffy tail and rest of her too! I may have said this before, but my neighbors are from S. Africa and Morrocco. I'd love to visit Africa some day. Probably will never get the opportunity.
We are sorry about Bontie's passing but she seems to have lived a long wonderful life. We love SA kitties!
Kaze
We are also sorry to hear about Bontie going to the Rainbow Bridge, we know that she will be missed.
The M's
Oh you were furry lucky to have her for that long of a time. We are sorry to hear. She was a lovely cat.
Cats of all kinds are welcome here, aren't they? Thank you for checking up on me. Hopefully I'll be back online more soon.
how wonderful that miss bontie lived such a long and interesting life. mom sez that's what clean livin' will do for ya! she was lucky to live where she did, with whom she did, when she did, an' y'all were blessed by one another. goodbye, miss bontie--rest and play without care or want or any illness, efurr.
Goodbye, beautiful Bontie. What a long wonderful life on the farm. Our big sister Precious, a torbie Maine coon cat, lived to be 19 and we've heard of a few cats living to be 20, but that's very rare.
~J&B
Bontie was a beautiful cat, and she received a lot of love over her long life. Her humans will always have those good memories of her.
We are sorry to hear that Bontie crossed The Rainbow Bridge. But 22 years is awesome! We can't ask for everything, but we want to live with our Big Thing as long and happy as Bontie...
Thank you so much for that update! The farm looks like such a beautiful place to live... for people and for animals! And congrats on your Ph.D.!!! I started mine in 2001 as well, but won't be done until this May. I can't wait to feel that kind of accomplishment.
~Mattingly (and Harlie's) Mom
She looks an awful lot like old Punkin, she sure is beyootiful. Gramma's cat lived to be 24, those were some old kitties. The farm must be a majikal place fur kitties. Hope yoor dad's o.k., we'll send up some purrayers for all of them.
sweet Bontie was just beautiful - and look at all that fluff and that tail! 22 years is a long wonderful life. Rest in Peace Bontie.
Here's a little woofie sniff for Bontie. She lived a furry long time and was especially lovely.
Shadow Saluki
Bontie was a lucky kitty to live such a long and happy life. We're sorry to hear of her death.
LOKi
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