About Me

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I live on 6 deeply wooded acres in the boonies of Middleville, MI. I'm married to an amazing man, Brian. He's pretty much the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm a big animal lover. I have 5 cats; Bella (6), Cognac (3), Georgia (3), Maggie (2), & Auggie (8-9mos.) We recently lost our kittens, Aesop & Amelia, to a battle with Feline Leukemia. I feel the need to mention them. They were amazing beings that showed unconditional love like no other cats I've had. I also have Cheech (9) that I'm fostering. We have two puppies; Charlie & Henry. Having a blast! I'm a dabbler in photography, photo shop, & crafts. I'm kind of a bookworm/nerd/geek. Yes, I have read the Twilight Series. No, I'm not obsessed. I love Shakespeare, Nathaniel Hawthorne, C.S. Lewis, and L. Frank Baum - among others, obviously.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

So Many Emotions

A couple weeks ago we found out that the four kittens and their older brother (from another litter) have tested positive for feline leukemia.

Now, this brought back some pretty painful memories from 2004. Where a vet that my family went to lead us to believe that our cats were vaccinated for it. They were not. On September 14, 2004 we had to put down my kitten, Muggins, who was only 8 months old. We got him on July 12th of that year, along with Bella. On September 20, 2004, not even a week later, we had to put down one of our cats, Annie. We had found out that our vet was a liar and we had Bella, Bocephus, Mitzi, and Buddy that tested positive. We found that out after we had switched vets. One of my main concerns at the time was my cat, Alley. She had cancer and was most at risk. Alley tested negative and was vaccinated right away. In February of 2005 our cat, Buddy, passed away from it. Bella later tested negative and was vaccinated. Leaving us with Bocephus and Mitzi. Mitzi and Bocephus lasted the longest with it. It doesn't effect older cats as badly since their immune systems are stronger than that of a cat a year old or less. So, Bella testing negative before 1 year was a miracle. Oh, and another lie that vet told us: "Old cats can't get it. Don't worry." Yeah... Bocephus was 14 or 15 at the time. Mitzi was 6 ish. Buddy was about 4.

Oh yeah, and the thing that sucks about this: No cure. It's a waiting game.

So, when Aesop and Amelia were going into the vet for their distemper vaccine we had them tested. When I found out, I immediately started tearing up. They are so young. How can they be so active and playful? Our vet also informed us at Georgia and Cognac were not vaccinated for it in June. Umm... Are you kidding me? That was why I made the appointment. I keep track of my cats and their vaccines. I'm not an idiot. I called them in June to make the appointment because they were due in July. And since we'd be busy in July with the wedding, I wanted it done and out of the way.(As a matter of fact, Bella was vaccinated for it on my way to taking her to her new home.) So, not only was I worrying about Aesop and Amelia living, I was worried that Georgia and Cognac would test positive. The next day I discovered a lump on Aesop's stomach. I cried... And cried. The following Thursday we took Georgia, Cognac, and Aesop to the vet. The vet didn't seem too concerned about Aesop. He said tumor growth doesn't happen in cats this young. He said it was probably from the distemper vaccine and that we should watch it for a couple weeks. He also didn't seem too concerned about Georgia and Cognac. He gave them a booster shot. I had worked myself up so much for that appointment, too. I was so relieved.

I'm also filled with happiness. These kittens are so amazing and full of affection. In my mind, they aren't dead yet. And Brian and I are doing all we can to boost their immune systems. They are getting the best food available and medicine. Hopefully if I can keep them active and healthy their immune systems can fight off this leukemia. I mean, it worked for Bella, and we didn't know what to do at that point because we were just learning about fe leuk. Plus, their Mom is positive and she's around 5 years old... Hopefully she passed on a good immune system to her kittens.

Also, coming back from their appointment we noticed that Aesop's eye looks like he's developing a small pupil. It'll be interesting to see how that unfolds.

Here are a couple new pictures:

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Aesop does some pretty funny things with his front paws. I've noticed when he's sleeping on my lap that he'll take a paw and cover his nose with it. Paw huffing?

I've been dreading this post because I didn't want to seem too emotional and/or cry while writing it. I'm feeling a lot better about them now. We'll be getting them back in to see Dr. Seidl in about 5.5 months. He wants them re-tested. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and they may be negative. And if not, I guess we'll keep trying to beat this.

I just hate this waiting game... So much. It's not fair to them. But, putting myself through this emotional agony because there's a slight chance they'll live is totally worth it in my book. Maybe we'll get lucky. It just sucks because this is the one thing that we can't protect them from.

Also, the prettiest butterfly, ever...

In 3... 2... 1...

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Natilee's first Halloween.

1 comment:

  1. Oh good heavens, what a mess. I hope it all works out and they are healthy. Sorry I've been a bad blog visitor lately. Too many changes.

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