IC DK Tilia Nova´s Ingjalf

06.19.03 HCM, PKD & PL: Normal on 10.03.04 HD: Right Hip Normal, Left Hip Grade 1 on 10.03.04

Ingjalf is a muscular male at about 10 kg. He was originally sold as a pet to someone else, but the buyer decided not to get him after all. Since I was already "sold" when I saw him the first time, I immediately jumped at the chance of getting both him and his sister IP Tilia Nova`s Idun.

Ingjalf is a dream to show because he is totally relaxed and laid back, not caring about anyone or anything. This cat was simply born lazy, that is unless there is a chance of "getting some" fun with the ladies and then he is SUDDENLY all awake. His favorite activity is to lie in all possible and impossible positions, but most of all he loves to lay in my arms at night and snuggle.

Since Ingjalf has so much to offer as a breeding stud, I have agreed to let him go for a visit to the UK. He will be staying at my very good friends house, Mary-Rose Douglas, prefix Vieuxtemps, where he will do studservice, both with some of her females and also with females from other catteries. More about this later, because it will take time before he is fully prepared to go to the UK, under the rules of the pet passport.

It has now been decided, that Ingjalf is going to England on May 1st. Furthermore he will be shown while he is staying in England, but it hasn`t been decided how many times yet. It is our plan that he will come home in May 2004.

Ingjalf has lived in England for over a month now and he is of course having a great time. He has become really good friends with Kistrand, a 10 year old male neuter, he spends all his time with, while he is waiting for the ladies to arrive:-) Apart from Kistrand he also has Rosie and Bobs full attention, because he is staying in their livingroom, while he is living with them. Further more he has the full access of an outside run, when ever he wants to stay outside and enjoy the weather. Of course Rosie sends regular reports and pictures to keep me updated on how well he is doing.

In the summer of 2004 Ingjalf had a minor eye operation, the same as Leo went through. After Ingjalf had recorvered from the operation, he came home in September 2004. He settled right back in with the group, no problem at all:-)

We had planed that Ingjalf should sire a couple of litters with us, before we wanted to have him neutered and he did sire 2 litters after he had returned home from England. We wanted him to breed with 2 more cats, Arista & Adrina, but over the summer he slowly started to lose weight.

February 2nd 2006

It’s with a grieving heart that I have to inform about Ingjalfs departure from this world:-(

Over the summer he started to lose weight and even though he was checked at the vets many times, they never found out what was wrong.

Ingjalf had a strong heart and an iron will to survive, which made his last weeks very painfull for me to watch. He kept eating, even though he kept losing weight, and his clinical signs were fine, and he kept on purring and cuddle up to me, even when he took his last breath:-(

The last night I had with Ingjalf, he was curdled up by my side in the bed, just getting up to eat the food I had place on my bed side table for him. He was so weak that he couldn't find the litter tray, but I still wanted him beside me in my bed. I woke up many times during that night, when his warm body left me, because he wanted to eat and drink, but every time he had finished eating, he would lay down beside me again.

On Friday September 18th. I made the decision to call the vet for the last time.... because Ingjalf started to talk/scream the last hour of his life, that was when I desided to let him go.... they do that, when their life is ending... talk/scream... it's an awfull sound:-( At that point I realised that I should have called the vet a lot sooner!

The vet came, examined Ingjalf and told me that it was time.....

I hold him close in my arms and while stroking him over and over again, I told him how important he had been to me and how much I loved him. I also told him how dearly he would be missed and all this time he kept purring in my arms, giving me love in return as always.

The last 5 weeks of his life he was surrounded by our current kittens and he was so loving towards them as he has been to kittens all of his life. I think that the attention he got from the kittens, made his life quality the last weeks much better for him and made him fight even harder.

He always gave all of himself to anyone that came into our home, strangers, cats (especially females:-) and kittens. He was litterally a "giver" and I don't think anyone will ever be so special to me again, even though I love all our cats, there are always those that *stand out* and are much more special... at least that's how I feel..... Of the special cats I have lost there's Fie, Galadriel and now Ingjalf... I take comfort in the fact that I still have Vinja (his daughter) with me, who's a descended from all three and I look at her, David, Fighter, Frigg, Fjolner and Fjorgyn, and know in my heart that they will carry the genes from all three with them forever and hopefully make beautiful, strong babies, that will make a difference, like Ingjalf did to me, and give love and joy to many people in the future.

Ingjalf was and IS a special cat and I cannot begin to tell you all how hard this summer has been for me, while I saw him slowly wither away..... knowning that there was nothing I could do to save him:-(

Ingjalf has been examined by a pathologist to determine what caused his health to deteriate so much over this summer and the conclusion is that he didn't have cancer, Feline Leuchemia, FIP or FIV. And from the findings it doesn't appear to be anything contageus or genetic. They found nothing wrong with him, except that his liver was almost 3 times as big as normal for a cat his size. So that explains why he had been losing weight over summer, the liver was eating everything inside him and his food as well:-( He weighed only half when he was euthanized than when he was in full size. When he first started to lose weight, it didn't seem to be so much.... when he was dead and I saw him lying on the table, he looked so small and we weighed him for the last time.... little under 5 kg... The final conclusion from the pathologist is that there is "no" conclusion. For some reason Ingjalfs liver started to grow and by growing and "eating" everything that came into Ingjalf or was already in him, that is why he lost weight and at the end had nothing left to fight with:-(

I miss you my love......