Cerys made her last trip to the vets on the 19th November 06. I came home to find her dying - gasping, panicking and going blue, and I couldn't see her suffer like that any longer despite it being out of hours at the vets, as she'd been through so much, and I love her to pieces.

We got Cerys and her dumbo sister Bethan from Mary in Spring 2005, they were gorgeous cheeky little madams, nosy, feisty, and always on the go!! I named her after the singer Cerys Matthews, another lively lass! At their first show it took 3 of us to get them into their tank, as they wanted to be everywhere!! It was hilarious watching the judge try to get them in....and they still did well!! 

As the girls grew up, they didn't lose any of their cheeky character, Cerys was a firm favourite with Gail, a judge from Sweden, who met her at Estelle's house on the night after the London Champs show. Cerys wouldn't leave her alone and spent the evening trying to freedive into her glass of Drambuie Cream. She wasn't the sort of rat who would let you ignore her!!

Sadly Cerys picked up a nasty chest bug at a show, and she never really recovered fully. At first she had respiratory problems on and off, but this developed into a heart problem, which she has been managing to live with really well for over 10 months. Up till now we managed her condition with great success using Fortekor and antibiotics....and in true style, Cerys fought on and on.  Over the last 4 months especially, she started to lose a lot of weight, and around August 06 I was really doubting that she'd make 18 months, but time and time again she proved me wrong and kept soldiering on...such a brave little lady.

Sadly on that sad night I knew that she was dying...so I had to do her that one last favour. I miss her terribly, and cried all the way to and from the vets. My old ladies cage wasn't be the same without her cheeky self starfishing on the bars and sticking her head through wanting to come out and play.

On the way back from the vet's I listened to the Welsh Hymn, Arglwydd Dyma Fi (translates as "Lord, Here I Am). Despite not being very religious myself, it's a lovely hymn and the recording I have is by Cerys Matthews, who my gorgeous, brave, feisty, and much missed little Burmese girly was named after in the first place, so it seemed a fitting tribute.

For Cerys, Arglywdd Dyma Fi  :*)

Mi glywaf dyner lais
Yn galw arnaf i
I ddod a golchi meiau
Yn afon Calfari

Arglwydd dyma fi
ar dy alwad di
Canna fenaid yn y gwaed
A gaed ar galfari

Yr iesu sydd im gwadd
I dderbyn gydai saint
Fydd gobaith cariad pur a hedd
A phob rhyw nefol fraint

Arglwydd dyma fi
Ar dy alwad di
Canna fenaid yn y gwaed
A gaed ar galfari

Gogoniant byth am drefn
Y cymod ar glanhad
Derbynia iesu fel yr wyf
A chanaf am y gwaed

Arglwydd dyma fi
Ar dy alwad di
Canna fenaid yn y gwaed
A gaed ar galfari

Nos da, Cerys Cariad....Chwarae gyda Bethan.