Where do I start? How can I start to tell you about Bilbo and award him the credit he deserves considering he's been such a huge part of our lives for nearly 13 years? In 1996 we visited the Supreme cat show. We walked past the British section and saw the most stunning example of a British Blue, Kalpador Silvester. He was a huge cat with a massive head bought my first home later that year. I managed to find the owner, Mrs Margaret Hudson and exchange some details. Margaret said that Silvester had just sired a little of three and we could come up and see then at her home in Todmorden, Lancashire in a few weeks. Billy came home with us ad his brother Baloo in early 1997.
In November 1999 Billy disappeared from our home on Bonfire Night as well as our rather shy Siamese, Figaro. Both cats should have been safely tucked up in the house but were let out by accident by some visiting relatives. We searched for many months hoping to see them again. To our surprise 6 months later in May 2000 Billy turned up in our garden looking very worse for wear. Billy had been hit by a car several months previous resulting in a fractured pelvis, dislocated shoulder, broken jaw and damage to his left eye socket, plus he was covered in ticks and fleas from living feral. He was a very depressed cat who must have survived on the good wishes of strangers as he had obviously been fed but not received any veterinary care. Billy under went several procedures with the vets to return him to health. It did look at one time front leg amputated as his dislocated shoulder joint had re-fused on the outside of the joint fortunately both operations were deemed unnecessary as he coping so well with his previous injuries that both operations were deemed unnecessary as he was coping really well.
Bilbo went from strength to strength with his only obvious visual effects from his injuries being his limp from his shoulder and pelvis injury and a mark on his left iris, his jaw healed straight and his fur grew back to normal. Three months later in the Summer of 2000 I received a phone call from a neighbour only a few doors away, she was very upset saying she had accidentally locked my cat in her garage whilst she was away on holiday and that the poor cat had been with out water and food over two weeks! I couldn't think who it could be as we had given up hoping for Figaro's return months before!! To my surprise she told me that it was Figaro!! I collected her straight away, she was very under weight and dehydrated from living wild for 9 months!! Fortunately she still had her collar on her which the neighbour had been able to read as she was too weak to run away. We brought her back to the house and placed her with Bilbo who even with his own injuries literally licked her back to health, both seemed to draw strength from each other and were so pleased to see each other again. Bilbo has became more affectionate in his nature since his ordeal and flatly refused to leave the house again preferring to stay on the sofa with us or curled up with his favorite girl, Figaro. Figaro has been traumatised by her ordeal and by now was a very shy girl, but still loves Bilbo and will go any where he goes, even if that is in the open on the sofa. Two years later in 2003 I saw advertised in Cat World magazine a competition for Britain's Bravest Cat sponsored by Pet Plan. I wrote in explaining Billy's accident and his recovery and his devotion to Figaro. I was so chuffed a few months later to learn that Billy had beaten over 2000 other entries to become Pet Plans Britain's Bravest Cat!! He won a years Petplan cover, which was ironic as they wouldn't cover him for many of his aliments due to his previous accident, plus a bottle of champagne and an article in the local paper. In 2004 I thought it would be nice to see how Bilbo would do on the show bench. His injuries had healed externally and as long as the judges didn't ask him to walk (which they don't) due to his limp, he looked puuurrrfect!! He went on to win his Premier title in three consecutive shows later. He was even awarded an Imperial Certificate!!
Bilbo was retired at the tender age of 10 from the show scene, at this stage he was starting to limp from his injuries and suffering from arthritis in his joints but was still a wonderful teddy bear who loved his hugs. He was always, even to the end side by side with Figaro. Bilbo started to go down hill at the start of Spring 2009. He was examined by the vets and put on a course of pain killers for his arthritis. He never regained his vigor and started to decline physically very quickly. On the afternoon of Tuesday 15th September we came home to find him already passed. Figaro still sat by his side and still warm. Figaro is now bereft with out him, she's totally deaf now and has been calling for him. We hope that she bonds with one of our other cats for her final years, but honestly......we are like minded in believing that Bilbo is un replaceable in our heart and hers.
