My good friend was telling me to do this for years, and I’ve finally decided to start an instagram account (@tiggermochi). These two kitties went through a lot of hardship and I had no heart to continue the blog a few years ago, so there will be a lot of catching up to do! Even though Mochi is no longer with us for 3 years now, I still think of them as two, and somehow refer to “the cats” instead of cat. Mochi’s old pictures never stopped making me laugh, so I think it is time to share them again. I’ve created an instagram account, Tiggermochi for these pictures.
Since the last posts on here, Tigger came down with a mysterious fungal infection in his lung that traveled through his lymph nodes and made him weak in the legs and out of balance. We thought we were going to lose him, but a very good vet prescribed the right medication that slowly cured him and he is perfect today. He did not need a spinal tap, or biopsy, or whatever crazy procedure the other vets suggested, so I can’t stress enough about getting second or third opinions.
Tigger initially lost weight, and Mochi seemed to go under the bed and come out bigger every morning. Eventually, by the time Tigger was fully recovered and asking Mochi to wrestle, Mochi was bigger than Tigger and pinned him down instead of being picked on. Mochi was 25lb at age three, and probably the biggest cat we’ve ever had!
We thought all was well, but somehow Mochi started sleeping all day and looking gloomy. It all happened very fast within three months, he somehow had liver cancer at the age of three! He was still very beautiful and loving when he left us, and I think he was spared from much suffering. We were distraught at the time, but we always think Mochi was a little angel sent to us to do a job and had other important things to do elsewhere. He left us with wonderful memories for a lifetime, and taught us how to let go peacefully. Animals will teach us more than we ever could learn by ourselves.
So how did Tigger handle it? Well, as breeder cats, they probably are used to brothers and sisters leaving them randomly. He came running everytime we came home expecting his little brother to be back. Eventually, we talked to him and I think he understood. We were afraid he would get depressed and sick again, but luckily that was not the case. Sometimes we mention Mochi and his ears pick up, so I know he remembers him too just like we do.
Tigger is very spoiled now, and between dad and him, they have formed some very exclusive routines together. We call him Prince tigger, and he will demand you greet him first whenever you enter the house. Each person has a special task to do for him. For instance, whenever I visit, I must open the laundry room and carry him in to see all its contents, and then carry him in the laundry basket all around the living room. Dad is the food department, massage department, and he must carry him outside for fresh air. Mom is also food and massage department, and must feed the birds and play with him.