Welcome!
I've only been on this board a little over a month, so I don't have a lot of practical advice to give you. I can tell you that my kitten was diagnosed at 6 months after being sick off and on from the time I got her at 4 months. The vet believes she contracted it from her mother. I went through a lot of tears and agonizing in the beginning too. At first there were some family members and friends who said I should euthanize Lucy to keep her from endangering her sister Izzie, who was negative at the time, some said to separate them, others said I should start her on various drug treatments. Four weeks ago I was told Lucy was days away from death, I just gave her antibiotics, love, and her sister spent lots of time with her, and she bounced back. When Lucy was diagnosed as positive her sister Izzie tested negative but I decided to keep them together. Izzie is now positive, but there is no way to know if the first negative was a false negative or if she actuall
y did contract it in the time after I made the decision to keep them together.When Izzie was diagnosed two weeks ago I went through the tears again - with the added guilt of wondering if deciding to keep them together was the right decision or not.
Last night, when it finally cooled down a bit, my girls spent the evening trying a new cat food with shrimp, crab, and sardines, then running laps around my place, and then woke me up at 3 am to show me that they had taken the drain cap off the bath tub and dropped four of their toy mice down the pipe - they desparately wanted me to get the mice out for them. In other words, they were kittens being kittens - and while I may have cursed them at 3:00 by 3:01 they had me laughing. What I have come to realize is that there is a ton of information out there and lots of opinions - it is great to hear them all, but to make your own decisions. I stand by my decisions, because I see the way they love each other and love their time together. I truly believe that they would rather be together for a shorter time on this earth than apart for a longer time. So my advice is this, collect information, seek advice and opinions, and then make a choice and stick t
o it with no regrets or recriminations. I am so glad I didn't euthanize Lucy, so glad I didn't separate them, and so glad they know they can count on me at 3:00 am to rescue their toy mice. I don't know what to expect - they could be gone by a year, or last several more. It is frustrating not knowing, but for now I'm just enjoying their company. Good luck to you and your kitty!
Maggie
