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In Loving Memory of Tiger
In Loving Memory of Tiger Part one of Tiger's story was previously published by Catster magazine: "From Misfortune to Blessing: How a Cat Lost a Leg, But Got a Forever Home". https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/how-a-cat-lost-a-leg-but-got-a-forever-home/ This story continues the above story. Tiger came to my family on 2 June 2025 after an accident at a car park that resulted in his hind right leg being amputated. He passed away naturally and peacefully at home on 23 August 2026 due to congestive heart failure. As mentioned in part one of Tiger’s story, Tiger has a heart condition (HCM: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, stage B2) that was detected before his leg amputation surgery. We were advised to follow up on Tiger’s heart condition. As we have already incurred a high bill for his condition in 2025, we brought Tiger to a general vet and not a cardiologist. It was our first time rescuing a cat, and we didn’t know the difference. The general vet at Atlas Clinic in Singapore was more concerned about Tiger’s kidney condition, and during several visits in 2025, she concentrated on his renal readings. At each visit, she would listen to Tiger’s heart with a stethoscope and tell us the condition “should still be the same”. Unknown to us, Tiger’s heart condition was deteriorating. In late December 2025, we suggested to the general vet that we book an echocardiogram to scan Tiger’s heart. The appointment took one month and was finally completed on 14 February 2026. Tiger came home from the echocardiogram extremely weak that day. He had not eaten since midnight of the previous day, and by the time he came home the following day, it was already late afternoon. It didn’t help that the gabapentin medicine that was supposed to make him relax made him so weak that he could barely stand up, and he pooped on the floor. The echocardiogram results took more than three weeks, and by then we were informed that Tiger’s heart condition had progressed from HCM stage B2 to congestive heart failure. The general vet asked for a one-minute video of Tiger’s breathing and told us the rate was between 42 and 56, which is significantly higher than the norm of 30. Instead of referring us to a specialist at the hospital, she told us to bring Tiger in to drain fluid from his lungs two days later, as his appointment was already scheduled. Two days later, Tiger had a thoracentesis procedure to remove excess fluid around his lungs and was discharged a few hours later. He was also placed on furosemide (a diuretic) and clopidogrel (a blood thinner). It was our first time administering medicine for a cat. Despite being inexperienced, we were able to administer furosemide as it was a liquid. Clopidogrel proved much harder to administer; we started hiding the medicine inside a pill pocket, but Tiger hardly ate it. The general vet and nurses at Atlas Clinic did not help educate us on medicine feeding. In the initial few days after the thoracentesis procedure, Tiger’s breathing was less laboured. But I noticed that despite giving Tiger furosemide, he did not drink more water or urinate more often. It didn’t take long before fluid accumulated in his lungs again. On that fateful day, 25 March 2026, Tiger had his first congestive heart failure episode. Suddenly, he experienced involuntary rhythmic movement of his eyeballs (nystagmus), and he groaned and lay on the floor with laboured breathing. We immediately sent him to the emergency room at Beecroft Hospital. At Beecroft Hospital, we were told that Tiger was about to “fall off the cliff” and almost had a stroke. He had another thoracentesis procedure to remove fluid from his lungs and was placed in an oxygen chamber for observation for the next few days. We were told that the dosage given by the general vet from Atlas Clinic was insufficient to control Tiger’s heart condition. After a few days, Tiger was discharged and placed on the maximum dose of furosemide, together with other medications (spironolactone, pimobendan, rivaroxaban and potassium supplement). During this period, we were taught by the hospital nurse the proper way to feed Tiger his medicine. Initially, we dissolved the pills in a small amount of water and syringe-fed him, but this method resulted in losses of the medicine and made it ineffective. Later, we placed the medicine in a capsule and used a pill popper to administer the medicine. This proved much more effective. We were told to feed the medicine at the same time each day, as delaying the diuretic by a few hours could cause the fluids to build up again. We had to adjust our life schedule around Tiger’s medication. We were also introduced to the Cardalis app to monitor Tiger’s sleeping respiratory rate. After being discharged from the hospital, Tiger’s breathing was normal before it started to build up again. Within a week, we were back in the emergency room, and this time his diuretic was changed to torsemide (a stronger diuretic). All in all, Tiger was in and out of the emergency room every week for a total of four visits, with the bills mounting fast as expected. The cardiologist told us Tiger’s prognosis was poor and suggested euthanasia. We consulted an animal communicator who told us Tiger wants to fight on. We were prepared for palliative care. It was a sad and emotionally draining period for us from February to April. Tiger’s last hospitalisation was on 19 April 2026, with a review on 7 May 2026. From May to July, fortunately, with the stronger diuretic (torsemide), his breathing rate was normal. We also gradually reintroduced the renal diet to him. It was a happy three months for us with many fond memories. It was during this month that he bonded with my other cat. For a while, we forgot about his palliative condition. But in early August, his breathing became laboured again, and he refused to eat his renal diet. I knew his kidneys would deteriorate fast on a normal diet. In the next two weeks, his appetite dropped, and he hid more frequently around the house and became increasingly lethargic. From 20 August 2026 (Thursday) onwards, his appetite dropped to barely a few licks a day, and his weight dropped a lot. We could feel his spinal bones and rib cage! From Thursday night onward, he did not urinate for more than 24 hours. We were so worried that his kidneys had totally shut down. On Friday, miraculously, he urinated a few times and had some licks of food. His last meal was on Saturday night. Yet despite eating so little, he still tried his best to move around the house. On Sunday (his final day), he was so weak and lethargic, with barely any energy left. He still made the effort to get inside the little box and sat and slept there. In this final moment, he toppled on his head when getting out of the box, and my sister calmed him to his final breath. We were fortunate to witness his final passing. Throughout this ordeal, Tiger was very, very resilient and wanted to live for a long time, but he did not have the chance. We are so relieved that Tiger had a smooth passing and there was no heavy gasping for air or seizure. We held a private cremation for him on 24 August 2026, complete with Taoist chanting to guide him on his way. His ashes are stored at Mandai Pet Sanctuary in Singapore. Despite all the financial, emotional and time sacrifices, it was an honour to take care of Tiger in the final stage of his life. Now the room feels so empty in his absence. All that's left are loving memories.
When Lambert Met Lola: Love at First Bark
WHEN LAMBERT MET LOLA: LOVE AT FIRST BARK From Lone Pup to Love Story: Lambert Finds His Tenterfield Match in Singapore By Viktoria Dorosevits (@jetpetter1) Lambert—the spirited Tenterfield Terrier from Western Australia who now calls Singapore home—was long believed to be the one and only of his breed in the Lion City. But fate had other plans. To everyone's surprise, just across the road lived Lola, another Tenterfield Terrier, originally from Melbourne. Nearly three years old at the time, Lola had come to Singapore when she was just a tiny three-month-old pup, moving here with her family and quickly making herself at home—often curled up beside her human sister, Jasmine, at bedtime. Loving, active, and always ready for a cuddle, Lola had all the charm and spunk that make Tenterfield Terriers irresistible. The most unexpected twist? While casually googling "Tenterfield Terrier in Singapore," Lola's pawrents discovered Lambert's story and were amazed to learn that another Tenterfield Terrier was living on the island. They even left a comment, hoping their paths might one day cross. Remarkably, the two families didn't meet because of that comment. Instead, they bumped into each other completely by chance at a pedestrian crossing in Joo Chiat. It wasn't until later that Lambert's family discovered the comment, making the coincidence all the more extraordinary. It was love at first bark. While their humans initially chose the breed for its cuteness, it's clear both dogs bring more than good looks—they bring joy, companionship, and a sense of kinship that stretches from the Australian outback to the heart of Singapore. Once the only Tenterfield in town, Lambert's story got a fur-tunate update. Although Lola has since moved to Hong Kong, for one wonderful chapter fate brought two of Australia's rarest little dogs together in the heart of Singapore—and that's a story with a happily ever after.
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