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Photograph by Marc Henrie – February 2005

11^th January 1992 – 29^th March 2006

We were given Codetta by Muriel Harvey, breeder of the famous Sitah Somalis. We were so proud to have her, but also there was sadness. Muriel knew she had terminal cancer. Codetta was born in Muriel’s final litter of kittens and sired by Mycene Bucks Fizz, his last litter before he was neutered and retired. It was for this reason I chose her name – a “codetta” in Music means “a little ending”. I promised Muriel we would breed from her so the magical type and expression that typified Sitah Somalis would live on…….

Codetta was a beautiful Usual, rich apricot at the base of her coat and such well defined ticking. She never had grey roots! Most important of all, she had such a wonderful nature, always gentle and affectionate. She adored Brian and would spend most evenings on the sofa next to him as he watched television.

She produced beautiful kittens and was a superb mother. Her best-known litter was from the handsome Grand Champion Mycene Excalibur when she gave birth to Grand Premier Beaumaris Valentino and our own darling Cherubina.

We had shown Codetta at the Abyssinian Cat Club Show in Stratford on Avon in June 1992, but, because of my judging engagements, we did not pursue her career on the show bench. Then, to support the club, we took her to the Somali Show in March 2002 where she was awarded a Premier Certificate from George Gow. He wrote on the back of her certificate “Excellent temperament. Lovely old girl with good overall type and balance.” We were encouraged by this to continue to show her and Codetta made her Premier title in two more consecutive shows, the Suffolk & Norfolk in May 2002 and the Celtic in June, a month later. We then took her to the Somali Cat Club in March 2004 where she won the Grand Premier Certificate from Alison Lyall who wrote on the reverse side, “What an honour to give a GPC to this grandest of old ladies! Congratulations.” We retired her then at the grand age of twelve.

Then, in February 2006, Codetta’s daughter, Cherubina was put to sleep with kidney failure. It was a dreadful time for all of us. Codetta lay on the bed with Cherub the day before and washed her tenderly. It was as if she were saying good-bye to her, she knew how desperately ill Cherub was.

After Cherub died, Codetta just seemed to put her face to the wall and fade away. She gave up eating and we tried everything to tempt her. On Monday 27th March, we took her to the Vet to see if he could do something to boost her appetite. He said her kidneys were failing, so, once again, we tried Fortikor and some Peractin to try to persuade her to eat. It was hopeless,she just would not take the tablets or, if she did, she just brought them back. Then, on the Tuesday, she would not even drink, she just lay on the bed looking sad. Brian carried her into the sitting room and sat her on the sofa beside him in her usual place. She looked up into his eyes and then moved away, it was heartbreaking.

On Wednesday the 29th, Codetta just would not settle, she was so weak but walked slowly around the house and howled - it was dreadful.

We took her to the vet again, we were desperate to save her, but knew the inevitable. He felt her problem was to do with the stress of losing Cherubina, she was depressed and had just given up. Without eating or drinking, her kidneys just could not cope. He was so gentle with her but he told us he could do nothing, she was old, tired and sad and it was time to let her go - we could see in her lovely eyes that she did not want to be here, we had no alternative.

She is now buried in the garden beside her daughter, they are together again…… it truly is the end of an era.

Codetta (right) with Cherubina – together! Photo by Alan Robinson

Photograph by Alan Robinson

14^th February 1994 – 6^th February 2006

Today, a light was extinguished! Our darling Cherubina was put to sleep to save her from any more suffering. We could see those beautiful green eyes were tired, her failing kidneys were starting to cause her pain, she was retreating into herself and we knew we had to allow her to depart with dignity and comfort even though it has left us both devastated.

Cherubina was always so very, very special. I love all of our cats, but she stole my heart from that day in 1994 when Codetta gave birth to three Usual kittens.

Here she is at just three weeks with her brother, Valentino and her sister, Amorata. What a lovely Valentine’s Day present they were!

Cherub loved the camera and would always be ready to pose and be noticed……. She knew she was beautiful and always enjoyed receiving the attention and admiration she richly deserved.

Cherubina was fearless, we knew that when she was just over four months old and climbed to the top of a huge tree in the woods behind our bungalow. It took brave Brian, a double extending ladder and five chimney sweep’s rods with a basket wired on to the end to rescue her!

Cherubina was the matriarch of the house. She would not tolerate any nonsense and would slap any cat that was playing up, no cat fights were allowed, she ruled the house and yet she tenderly washed my little Mau kitten, Drama Queen, when she broke her leg…

Cherubina was a real glamour puss and simply adored showing off! She loved shows, seminars and photoshoots! Her pictures grace encyclopaedias and calendars – someone bought a calendar in a New York bookstore in 1999 and brought it back to us as a present because the front cover was Cherub – they recognised her face!

Cherub loved staying at hotels when we took her to shows, she would stretch out on the bed, examine the bathroom and inspect everywhere to make sure everything was up to her standard! I would order steak in the restaurant so that my baby could have something delicious to eat for her dinner – it was always fun to go away with her and then have a nail biting time at the show until the results went up on the board and, YES, she had won!

Here she is at her last photoshoot with Marc Henrie in February 2005, standing tall and proud with those eyes that looked into your soul and her mischievous Somali smile!

By the Autumn of 2005 I was concerned about her, she was losing weight and her appetite was poor. The vet confirmed her kidneys were failing and we desperately tried to stabilise the situation with Fortekor and a special diet. At Christmas she seemed to rally and in January she had gained 300 grams when she had her check up – I thought we had gained some extra time and dared to feel hopeful. Then, last week, she suddenly started to fade; she stopped eating and would only drink from her favourite tumbler. All of the other cats knew something was wrong and almost tiptoed around the house, we knew the time we had been dreading had arrived. Yesterday, her mother curled up with her on the bed and washed her, something she has not done since Cherub was a baby. Now she is buried in the garden with a bowl of spring flowers to mark her grave. Her memory will live on in our hearts, she had a wonderful life and gave us so much pleasure.

God bless you Cherubina – sleep peacefully darling

In just seven successive shows, from the Herts. & Middlesex on the 5^th September 1998 until the Somali Cat Club Show on the 20^th March 2004, Cherubina won 4 Challenge Certificates; 1 Grand Challenge Certificate (from a class of six females at the Somali Cat Club in 2001); 3 Premier Certificates and 2 Best in Shows, including 1 Overall Best in Show. My proudest moment was at the Somali Cat Club Show in 2004 where she won FOUR "Judge’s Favourite" Rosettes when the show had just 7 judges !

What did I love the best about my Cherubina?

Her glorious green eyes
Her supreme self confidence
She always made me feel special because, whatever happened, I had Cherubina !
The head butts and purrs as she slept on my pillow
Those black heels and apricot knickers as she escaped and ran away down the garden path, then stopped, looked round and chirruped, "Arrrrrrrrgh I’m out!!!"

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