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On that note: The Royal Princess Kitty Katt
was diagnosed with cancer that was so invasive I was told she would live maybe 2
months without chemo. We opted out of the chemo because of what she
told me and several ACs I know and quality of life issues openly and honestly
discussed with my vets. She lived almost 15 months and all but the last
week was very high quality. She spent the last week or so saying goodbye
to her first person. We can never be sure when they are leaving and we can
not be sure when we are leaving. Worrying about it takes the life out of
what life we have. The Royal Princess Kitty was the picture of health when
she was diagnosed. She was being seen for something entirely different
when the cancer was discovered. I learned so much from her and I miss her
awfully but she is totally happy with her first man now and I envy her that
happiness and peace. She did her job on earth wonderfully. Now she
can rest with him.
If you have men who will exclude any of God's
creatures
from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who
will deal likewise with their fellow
man.
St. Francis
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2006 10:28
PM
Subject: Re: To Leslie: Re: crackers IFA
was positive need help a.s.a.p.
Leslie,
A wonderful tribute to Sushi & what you &
she learned together. All of us should remember it, whether it is FeLV we are
dealing with or any of the other kitty ills that can so easily reduce us to
helpless fear. I was told that Ambrose, my first CRF kitty, who was
diagnosed in 1997, would be gone in 6 months. He lived for 3 happy healthy
years before dying of heart disease. Troika, who was diagnosed with
fibrosarcoma in 2000, was given 9 months, & lived for 6 more years
cancer-free. Vets are good & vets are jackasses. We should be
careful about their pronouncements, regardless of which they are. After all,
it's our kitty & we know them better than anyone & it's we who are
committed to that kitty's life, be it for years or months. And that life
can & should be joyous, regardless of what the numbers say.
Pam
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2006 1:09
PM
Subject: Re: To Leslie: Re: crackers
IFA was positive need help a.s.a.p.
Thank you, Wendy!
Message:
10
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 07:06:09 -0700 (PDT)
From: wendy < [EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject:
To Leslie: Re: crackers IFA was positive need help a.s.a.p.
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Message-ID:
<
[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type:
text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Leslie-
I loved this
post. You are one cool cat.
:)
Wendy
---
Leslie < [EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
> Kayte,
> My first FeLV+ cat was also
the first cat that I
> ever owned on my own. I'd
>
grown up with all sorts of critters, but it took a
> few years after
> graduating college to finally get in a situation
> where I
could own my first
> "all mine" pet. I'd been wanting
this cat forever.
>
> I found Sushi at a shelter, she was 2
years old and
> demanded that I take her
> home that very
instant. I L-O-V-E-D that cat. The
> shelter
had tested for
> leukemia and FIV before I adopted her and
she'd
> tested negative. One month
> after having
her home, she was very lethargic. I
> ran with her in a
carrier
> to a vet that I'd seen near my apartment, but I'd
>
never met. This was New
> York City (Queens), so not
having a car, and not
> wanting to subject a cat to
> a subway
ride, I was pretty limited in my vet
> choices. The vet
was an ass.
> He had no bedside
manner. He made me feel like the
> whole
situation was my
> fault. He'd HAVE to rehydrate, he'd
HAVE to do
> bloodwork, he'd HAVE to keep
> her during the
day - like I wasn't going to be
> paying him for his
efforts.
> I was in tears, which didn't make him respect me
any
> more. Quite frankly,
> he scared the hell out
of me, and as it's all of our
> deepest fears that it
> really
IS our fault, I was a mess. He retested her
> for FeLV+
(she'd been
> rescued from a house full of cats, so may have been
> exposed close to rescue
> and the first
testing). I took her home as she'd
> perked back up, the
fluids
> really helped, and she rebounded
fully. Despite
> this, when he called to
> tell me
that she was positive and anemic and had
> "maybe" a month to
live,
> told me to expect to see rapid deterioration, blah,
>
blah, blah, I was again
> distraught. The next week,
against the back drop of
> her romping around and
> talking
to herself, chasing bits of dust, knocking
> things over (her
favorite
> was to knock my glass of water onto me at night),
>
trying to escape, I called
> everyone that I knew hysterically
telling them that
> my cat was dying. The
> vet
said so.
>
> Eventually, emotionally spent. I hung
up the phone,
> slumped down against
> the wall and
lethargically, tearfully gazed over at
> her across the room.
> Making eye contact, she marched over and placed a
> World
Cup worthy head butt
> against my pathetic forehead. I
giggled.
>
> And I realized that I was being a
dumass. Maybe she
> had this disease.
> Maybe she
was dying, but who of us isn't? She
> wasn't dead, and I
was
> wasting time being a melodramatic human. So
instead
> of focusing on how she
> was going to die, I focused
on how she was going to
> live. I didn't have
any
> support, but I found a raw feeding list and, though
> I
didn't switch to raw
> for a while, I started researching the feline
diet.
> And I put her on a
> better food. And I
moved into the city and found a
> good vet. I took her
in
> for check-ups and loved the heck out of that cat
> until
she passed two years
> after I'd adopted her of a heart attack
(myocardial
> infarction). Yes, my
> life infarcted
at that point, and I still miss my
> sweet marshmallow-y
>
friend, who would lay on my arm at night and purr,
> and gaze into
my eyes
> like she was proud of me. But she'd led me
to
> another positive cat to
> adopt, Hepburn. And
Hepburn led me to Satchmo that
> I have today (also
>
positive). And Sushi, after all, after all that
> that
jerk vet said, never
> did deterioriate. Never did
succomb to the
> leukemia.
>
> I owned Hep for 2 1/2
years, she did die of FIP,
> which was probably leukemia
>
related, but I'd gotten her as an older kitten, so
> even there, she
was on
> the high end of her life expectency and she, too,
>
was an amazing, happy,
> healthy cat until the end.
>
>
Satch I've had for two years now, I adopted him at 5
> years old, so
we don't
> know when he was exposed to the virus, but he's
the
> biggest, stompiest guy
> you'll ever have the pleasure
of meeting, and other
> than being susceptible
> to URI's
(which as long as I don't bring home sick
> kittens that already
have
> URI's) hasn't been any problem. I have high
hopes
> for him going a very long
> time. And I'm
thinking of adopting him a friend -
> either a positive
kitten
> or a negative adult cat - once he stops
coughing.
>
> I know that this has been long, and work is
piling
> up, but I just wanted to
> tell you my
story. Let you know that I understand
> what you're
feeling, but
> take your cues from Crackers. Is he laying
around
> in dirty pajamas,
> watching Ricki Lake, stumbling
amongst empty Chinese
> take out cartons,
> wondering "why
me?" This is a terrible illness, but
> not one that
is
> powerful enough to take the good times away while
> they
are here.
>
> Get a new vet. Pinpoint when Crackers
was exposed.
> What happened to
> Pokemon? Was she
positive? Put Crackers on a good
> diet - there are lots
to
> choose from ranging from Max Cat to raw feeding -
>
expensive doesn't always
> mean good, nor does the fact of it being
sold out of
> a vet's office. Do
> some reading
about which ingredients should be there
> and which
shouldn't. A
> lot of people supplement, again anywhere
from
> Vitamin C to ImmunoReglin.
> There is no one path to
follow, just make sure that
> you and Crackers are
> happy on
the one that you choose.
>
> Good luck to you both,
>
Leslie
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