Virgil, the more zany and quirky half of VirgnMary, was put down one evening this week. Amazingly, (to us she still felt like a little kitten) she was just shy of 15 years old. She'd been progressing in a slow downward spiral for some time, with shot kidneys and arthritic joints, but seemed to be coping reasonably well with her ailments. She'd even rallied and started eating again after a scare about 8 months ago when she stopped for no reason. After coaxing her and tempting her with various wet, fresh and hard foods, we found a combination that she'd accept, and we breathed a sigh of relief.
That all changed about two weeks ago when she again refused to do more than lick a few moistened morsels that Cass put down for her. She was losing weight every day and got down to a Belsen-like 2.4 kilos in the end. The last few days seemed to be a bit hazy for her as well, as she had a glazed look in her eyes and wouldn't leave Cassy's lap. When she stopped drinking, we knew we couldn't prolong her life anymore so we made arrangements with the vets and took her over in her basket.
It was very sad, but it has been compounded by Mary searching high and low for her little mate ever since. She's slowly getting the idea we think, but it's heart-breaking hearing her wail for Virgil and continue to search in every possible spot where her sister might be "hiding". Vale little Virgy.