Charlie – Ragdoll of the Week
To Our Beautiful Boy Charlie
We were very lucky the day Mummy found you on the Internet. I still remember the day we picked you up on Sunday 10 September 2010. You were nearly 15 months old and weighed 6.5kgs, we had wished that we had found you sooner; on the day you were born, 6 June 2009.
When we arrived home, you hid behind the ironing board in the kitchen, and then as you became more confident, you went behind the chair in the living room. We could not believe our luck that first night when we went to bed and you climbed up and spent the night with us. How lucky were we.
When you had had enough time on our bed, your next favourite place was on top of the sofa. I always remember when I went to work, you would be on top of the sofa, all blurry-eyed when I put the light on.
When I went to work, I proudly showed everyone your photo. Those big baby blue eyes melted everyone’s hearts.
Mummy spent the first seven years with you, while I was at work. She brushed you every day to maintain your beautiful coat and played with you to build an unbreakable bond between you both. You were Mummy’s therapy boy.
You loved to jump on the window sill and you spent hours watching the world go by. Whenever you saw another cat, you ran into the kitchen and then the living room; to tell it off. You liked drinking water on the sill in the kitchen and you always looked at the birds through the blinds. We even kept the wooden bobbles from the blinds that you had chewed.
The saddest day was when you were diagnosed in April 2024 with Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease. We were told that if we were lucky, we would have you for another 12 months. Sadly, you left us on the 28 March 2025 after 14½ glorious years. Now we have a huge hole in our lives.
We followed the vet’s instructions to change to renal food, but they neglected to tell us about Sub Q and Phos binders. This could have made all the difference and maybe extended your life for a little while, at least.
When you had your bloods re-done in March 2025, your levels had doubled; probably as a result of the steroids given for your ear. We tried to address this by putting you on a drip with the vet; then we started Sub Q fluids and the Phos binder. You were brilliant, you allowed us to inject the fluids. We thought you improving. Svenia became involved in your care; what a shame we did not meet her earlier.
Do you remember the Animal Communicator, Kate? She told us how much you loved us, and you knew how much we loved you. We were told that you were not ready to leave us yet, but probably within the next 1-2 weeks. We need to prepare for you to leave us. You told us that you wanted to sit with us in the sun, and when the time came, you wanted to be sitting between us on the sofa on your favourite blanket.
We used to love taking you outside, wrapped in your blanket, to look at the stars and also during the day to walk in the sunshine. You used to talk to us when you wanted to go outside. It was an honour to do this with you, and it has provided us with wonderful memories. Every night, we look out at the night sky, and the brightest star is now called Charlie’s Star.
Mummy and I, along with you, tried so very hard to keep you with us. But at the end of the day, the vets from Just Cats gave you steroids which took you from us earlier. Svenia, the Mobile Cat Vet who helped you during your last week with us, said that you should never have been given steroids and some of the other medication like Gabapentin. Your kidneys could not handle it. If we had found Svenia earlier, then we may have had you for longer.
That last day you were with us; will haunt me forever. We went to bed on Thursday night, and you slept with us again; this was wonderful. We did not know that you would not be with us on Friday night. You left us at 1745 on 28 March 2025.
We went out to do some shopping on the Friday and when we came home you had eaten some food. You slept on top of sofa by the big picture window, in the sunshine. You always loved sleeping at height. Mummy tried to look in your mouth; she did not like doing this. You leaked some water and wee on the sofa. This was not your fault our lovely boy. You were struggling and the uraemic ulcer in your mouth had gotten bigger.
We called Svenia and she came out later that day. I tried to offer you some food, but you only ate a few pieces. When Svenia arrived you jumped down and got on the dining table. Svenia examined you and she said the ulcer had gotten bigger; she did not believe that that an antibiotic would help. You had a wee in your tray and went up on the window sill in the kitchen, you tried to drink water, but you could not do it.
Mummy and I talked and had to accept that you had reached the end of your time with us. I picked you up and took you around the house, into each room; one last time. We put you on the sofa, on your favourite blanket. Svenia gave you an injection to make you sleepy. She then prepared your final injection. Mummy and I were devastated. Within a short time, you had left us for the final time. We said goodbye to you and we thanked you for your love and affection. Daddy carried out to Svenia’s car, and that was the last time Mummy and Daddy would see you.
You were cremated on 30 March 2025, and we received your ashes back home on the 2 April 2025. The crematorium provided us with a lovely casket that contained your ashes. It is very hard to accept that your ashes are in this casket. We miss you very much, our lovely boy. They have pride of place on top of our corner cabinet.
We are having a lot of difficulty accepting that you are no longer here. We remember with fondness the softness of your fur, your lynx ears, the strength of character, your cheekiness, and how you loved to chat to us. You were, to us, perfection.
You exuded love; not a bad bone in your gorgeous body.
Run free, gorgeous boy; may God bless you and keep you safe, until we meet you on the Rainbow Bridge.
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Thank you for reading! Submissions like these – the “Cat of the Week” and “Kitten of the Month”- are provided by their owners and reflect their individual experiences and practices. The information these submissions share does not necessarily reflect Floppycats’ recommendation or endorsement regarding cat nutrition or care. Always consult a qualified feline nutritionist or veterinarian for personalized advice on your cat’s dietary and health needs. If you want to learn more about species-appropriate nutrition, please visit our cat food page.
Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,
