Practical maybe, but very sad

Pets pampered before sad demise
13 December 2006
By LEIGHTON KEITH

A New Plymouth cat lover made her pets a special breakfast, videotaped and took pictures of them before they were killed.

Catherine Major, who has lived in her Housing New Zealand Corporation home in Penrith St for 11 years, was told in May she would have to get rid of 10 of her 14 cats. A New Plymouth District Council bylaw prohibits more than four cats being kept in an urban household.

Miss Major gave away one cat, in May, but kept 13, until the council stepped in, in October, and gave her six weeks to bring the cat numbers down. She was able to find new homes for another five of her beloved pets but, sadly, had to have four put down.

"It was a very hard decision to decide which ones to keep and which ones not to. I feel like a real witch," a tearful Miss Major said. "I made them a special breakfast that morning ? ham, chicken, tuna and cheese," she said.

After making a videotape and taking photographs of the pets she thought of as family, the vet arrived and it was time to farewell Lily, Mollie, Jacarandah and Poppie. A candle, for each cat, was lit in Miss Major's lounge and a small piece of each cat's fur was removed.

Last week the cats' ashes were returned to Miss Major in wooden urns but she said she had still been too emotional to spend much time with them. "I haven't really been able to look at them. I'm still upset about having to get rid of them, they had a good home. At least they are still here in one form or another."

Miss Major said she had been feeling the stress of an emotional draining four weeks. Her four remaining cats, Oswald, Jess, Timothy and Shaphire had been acting a bit strange, but Miss Major was not sure if they were missing their mates.