Hello,
My name is Leslie. My cat's name is Satchmo. He's 6 years old, I adopted him at 5 years old knowing that he had feline leukemia. My question is about adopting him a friend.
Now the background. Four years ago I adopted Sushi, a 2 yr old DSH that had been rescued from a house full of cats. She had been tested for everything in the shelter and came back negative. A month after having her, she got lethargic, I took her to the vet, she was retested and the test came back positive for FeLV. I was devastated, but she already had my heart so completely that returning her wasn't even considered, and she was doing great, actually. Great coat, very spunky, I started researching how to keep her around as long as possible. And on this optimistic vein, I decided to adopt another FeLV+ cat to keep her company, Hepburn, a 10-month old kitten that had had some health issues, but had been nursed back to health by the vet.
Eight months after adopting Hepburn, Sushi passed on from a myocardial infarction, the vet guessed.
I was heartbroken.
Four months later, I adopted Hepburn a friend. Where Sushi was mischeivious, Hepburn was sweet. She was a cat that rewarded you for being quiet and giving her time. The new addition, Satchmo, was a five year old brown tabby with the manners of a dumptruck, but the charm to make you laugh instead of scream. Again, a few months later, Hep took a turn for the worse, appetite gone, the vet not being able to pin it on a specific infection. We'd fought this off once before, but this time instead of getting better, she jaundiced and her belly swelled up. She was diagnosed with FIP.
Again, I was just crushed to lose her.
Now, nearly a year later, I have this wonderful cat, Satch, who loves other animals and has so much life in him. He gets sneezy every few months, but fights it back. He is on a vet-approved raw diet and Feline Immune Support. His coat is beautiful, his eyes clear, he's a very happy guy. I really do believe that cats benefit from being in pairs, but I'm so scared to get another just to lose the first.
I volunteer at the Humane Society here in Portland (a really fantastic organization) and there is a 2 month old kitten who is FeLV+. She's in good health so far...and I've been tempted to adopt more at this point than before in the year since Hep passed. What do you all think? Do you adopt another? Can you keep giving of yourselves?
This is a weird question, I know, but any advice you might have would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Leslie
