Amen to that, Nina!
Welcome Leslie!
And welcome to all the other new members I missed this past week!
Craziness here for me!
Terri in NJ
=^..^= Terri, Siggie the Tomato Vampire, Guinevere, Sammi, Travis, Dori and
6 furangels: RuthieGirl, Samantha, Arielle, Gareth, Alec & Salome'
=^..^=
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 4:57
PM
Subject: Re: Introduction and new cat
question
Oh Leslie, have you ever found the right group of
people!! We so get the "my heart expands until it feels like it's
going to explode" thing! What can I tell you that you don't already
know? Adopting these angels, giving them a chance at life and love
in a caring environment, isn't that what it's all about? Yes, it
hurts when their time comes, yes we think we'll never recover, but somehow
we do. Somehow we realize that loving them and losing them, no
matter how heart wrenching that is, is worth it for the joy and happiness
they bring. It's all the same coin, my dear. No one can tell
you how much your heart can bear, but I know mine just keeps expanding, it
hasn't exploded yet! Whatever you decide, I'm sure it will be the
right decision for you and for Satchmo, (and if you go get that baby, it
will definitely be the right one for her!). Welcome to the list, you
sure do sound like one of us! Nina
Leslie wrote:
>
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
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