LETTERS: Jumbo Jet crash

He came to us as a tiny scrap of a feral kitten. Nobody else wanted him because of his terrible defect – he was a black cat! The feral cat Angels had christened him Jet Black. He ate as much as the rest of our cats put together and we soon had to change his name to Jumbo Jet.
Timid and affectionate, Jet only left the safety of the Pondokkie to relieve himself outside.
Three months ago Jet disappeared. After all our efforts to find him failed we sadly assumed the worst. A week ago Chrissie, the Maidstone feral cat Angel, phoned to say Jet had been found and was on his way to Aloe Vet.
Ron raced to the vet and was distressed to find a skeleton vaguely resembling our gentle giant. He could not stand, and was dehydrated and starving. It was plain he had decided to die.
The good people at Aloe put him on a drip and gave him all sorts of medication. Every hour they force-fed him small amounts of special food with a syringe.
Ron spent most of the next three days with Jet, talking to him, loving him, and whistling his special cat whistle. Probably drove the staff crazy, but they kindly refrained from evicting him.
At one stage Jet stopped breathing and was given oxygen.
Chrissie and the famous Sharon (Feline Feral Fund) also visited him.
Gradually Jet started to improve. The old gentle intelligence returned to his beautiful big eyes. He even purred and “talked”.
Each progress milestone has been a joy. The gloss returned to his lovely coat. Life sparked more brightly in his big eyes. The loud cheering that disturbed our long suffering neighbours was the result of his passing a stool!
Now, ten days after his rescue, he greeted me, wobbled over and rubbed up against my legs. What joy!
Thank you to Hillbilly’s Christine, Abigail, Salome and Haley for taking the trouble to help a dying cat found in your yard. Chrissie and Sharon, two amazing cat Angels who so tirelessly gave their support. Aloe Vet staff for their professional and loving care and my daughter Jean.
Ron is selling his balalaika (no, not his mandolin) to try to recoup some of the expenses.
MARIE PARKES
Ballito