I had originally been looking for a red pointed Siamese, have'n fallen in love with Champion Darling Scarlett OHara at the Cambria show. Red and cream pointed Siamese were extremely difficult to find in those days, but Paddy Mapes who was looking after Scarlett for the day said she thought that Scarlett's breeder, Rene George, had a cream point kitten that she just might let me have. Rene did agree to let me have Marigold and I collected her from the Kensington Kitten and Neuter show. I still remember vividly the first time I saw her, she was curled up asleep in her pen, I called her and she lifted her head and gave me the full impact of those beautiful blue eyes - instant love!!! From that day forward, Marigold and I had our own mutual admiration society, I adored her and she adored me.

The biggest regret I have is that Marigold never had kittens of her own, she loved going to visit stud boys but never became pregnant, I would so have loved to have had just one baby of hers but it was not to be. She loved being an Aunty to all the other kittens and spent hours washing and playing with them.

Champion Darling Marigold was a very special, unique little cat. When I bought Marigold many year ago, little did I realise when I collected this little scrap with her gangly legs and huge ears, that I was about to enter into the most special relationship that I would ever have with any cat. If you wait a little while, her photograph will appear here within a few seconds.

I have never before been owned by a cat with so much character, she had a very loud and very unique voice and used it to full effect, busily giving a running commentary on everything she did. She was a very 'busy' cat and quickly developed her own routine. She had certain rituals that just had to be done at certain times of day, she would walk around the table and then out into the conservatory exactly eight times every morning and evening - always walking in a figure of eight around the table and always in the same direction. She loved pipe cleaner spiders and carried one with her most of the time, parking them on the edge of her plate whilst she ate, you can imagine how disgusting they became. Every night of her life, as soon as the lights were turned out, she would pick up her favourite toy, a woolly worm and carry it around in her mouth calling to it as though it were her baby. A couple of years ago she lost her worm and went into a real decline, I scoured pet shops and cat shows until I managed to find another worm that madam would accept.

She was most definitely top cat, her closest friend cat wise was my husband Mike's seal tabby point Siamese girl, Jade. Jade would have loved to have been top cat and until her death two years ago, Jade and Marigold jostled for position as the boss, a battle that Jade never won.

Marigold was the kind of cat that if she felt the slightest bit off colour, she would go into an immediate decline, turn her face to the wall and decide to die. When we first moved to Torquay fourteen years ago, she developed jaundice and decided not to eat for six weeks. I used to have to sit and force rolled up balls of mincemeat down her throat just to try and get some calories into her. When she was spayed she lay around clutching her tummy for three weeks and until the end of her life if you asked her how her poorly tummy was, she would lie on her back so that you see her 'wound'!!!

 

Apart from her bout of jaundice, she had never been ill in her life, so when she stopped eating in February this year we took her immediately to the vet for a full check up. The only conclusion that he could reach at the time was that she might have a slight lung infection which had tracked down from her teeth which she was due to have cleaned again. She was prescribed antibiotics but two days later it was obvious that they were not working and that there was a more serious problem. She was admitted to the hospital, placed on IV fluids and tests and Xrays were performed. Unfortunately, the test showed that Marigold had lung cancer and only one third of her lungs was actually working. When we went over to the surgery that evening to discuss the test results I walked into the inpatient area and as Marigold lifted her head and looked at me I knew it was time. It was a decision that I had hoped never to have to make, I had prayed that one day she would just quietly die in her sleep. We spent half an hour discussing the situation with our vet only to reach the conclusion that nothing further could be done and it was time to let her go so that she would no longer be in pain. I am truly grateful for the fact that it was only the last three days of her life that she showed any symptoms whatsoever and that her final illness was so quick.

We tried to make the end of her life as special as she was, I held Marigold, Mike held me and Marigold as the vet gently put her to sleep, just before she died she looked at us and gave a final meow which I am certain was her way of saying goodbye. I did not want her to be buried so Mike had found a crematorium which gave us the most wonderful service for her. We were able to take her and place her in the cremator ourselves, wrapped in her favourite blanket and accompanied by her woolly worm, apparently a lot of pet owners prefer to do this, whilst upsetting it does ensure that you have peace of mind that the ashes are those of your pet and just your pet. I absolutely hated the caskets and urn which were on offer but the owners offered us a really unique picture frame which has a small box built into the back in which to place her ashes.

So, Marigold still looks down on us and the other cats from her place on the wall. She has not left me, I see her, I hear her, but, my house feels empty. She used to have a funny little habit in that whenever Mike sneezed she would chatter at him and I still wait to hear her when he sneezes. I have the most wonderful memories of her, nineteen years of them, years that went by so very quickly.

The following words were sent to me by a friend when Marigold died and sum my feelings up entirely,