January 14th 2009 6:27 pm
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First, I want to thank everyone for their kind words, rosettes, gifts, stars, and pmails. I can't begin to tell you how much they mean to me and to my family. Losing Cinder was such a shock, it seems like a bad dream. You have all touched our hearts in a way that I cannot thank you enough for.
Here is Cinder's story:
We adopted on Friday, July 13th, 2007 from Animal Care & Control. AC&C is the city pound and therefore has a high kill rate. This is why we went there first when we decided to get a kitten. She was adopted to be a companion for Onyx, our other kitty. She & Onyx were good buddies within a week. It shows just how special Cinder was, given how cranky Onyx before Cinder came to live with us. Once Cinder became a member of our family,Onyx mellowed out and became a much happier kitty.
When we adopted Cinder, we paid extra to have her tested for feline leukemia, to protect Onyx from exposure. The test was negative, and Cinder moved right in. A year and a half later (almost to the day), our poor Cinder is at bridge - she had advanced lymphoma, the result of infection with feline leukemia.
Sunday, while I was getting the beasties' food ready, Cinder did her usual thing - climbing on the kitchen counter to supervise the food distribution. When I picked her up to put her by the food dishes, I noticed that she had lost weight - I could feel her ribs and hips. I didn't know how this could happen so suddenly. Cinder has never been a cuddle kitty, preferring to be nearby rather than being held, but I trimmed her claws last weekend and she does this counter thing every morning - she was fine a couple of days before - the weight loss was almost overnight. That evening, she started having trouble breathing. I knew I had to get her to a vet as soon as I could. Monday morning she tried to eat, she tried to drink water, but she couldn't. She couldn't catch her breath well enough to eat or drink. I was at the vet as soon as soon as they opened to walk-ins.
They took her right in and did x-rays and an ultrasound. She had a huge amount of fluid in her chest, what looked like a mass in her belly, and her liver was enlarged. She was very very sick. The vet said there would be no good outcome, it was either lymphoma or FIP and while if it was lymphoma we could do chemotherapy, Cinder would never be cured.
We visited with her and agonized over what to do. I wanted keep my Cindercat around for as long as possible, but to put her through days, or weeks (6 months at most, only if she responded to treatment) of torture would be inexcusable. She hated vet visits, getting very stressed out just being in the carrier, never mind the actual exam. They had to sedate just to get the x-rays - she was getting so stressed they thought she would die just trying to get the x-rays done. We decided to send Cinder to the Rainbow Bridge, where she would be healthy and whole again.
Because of her age and the severity of her illness, the vet did some tests to find out if Cinder had FeLV, FIV, or FIP. Most cases of lymphoma (especially in young cats) are found in cats who have one or more of these diseases, and we have three other kitties to worry about. Unfortunately, Cinder's tests showed that she was positive for feline leukemia. We had done the right thing in letting her go - no treatment would have helped her at the stage she was in.
Apparently, the virus takes time to incubate before it shows up on a test, and since Cinder was only 9 weeks old when we adopted her, it was likely that her exposure was after she was born, but close enough to when she was turned in that it didn't show up. No one at the shelter told us this or recommended re-testing. I took Cinder to a vet within a week of adopting her, and that vet said nothing about re-testing or vaccinating either cat against FeLV. We stopped using that vet and when it was time for Cinder's booster shots, the vet we went to then said nothing about false negatives, re-testing or vaccination. Not knowing that Cinder was FeLV+, we adopted Horus a few months after we adopted Cinder, and rescued Blackie a few months ago. We have to wait 8 weeks to get them all tested and get an accurate result.
The virus is very short lived outside the body, and adult cats are less susceptible to infection than kittens, so we have hope that Onyx, Horus & Blackie will remain infection-free and healthy for many years to come. I will post an update when we get everyone tested and have the results.
January 12th 2009 9:47 am
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I can't say much right now except that our poor little Cinder is now an angel. She became very sick in an extremely short amount of time, and left for the bridge today. Please send your purrs and prayers her way.
November 14th 2008 2:10 pm
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I've been tagged by my friend Francis!
Here's how to play: You have to list 7 things about yourself, then tag 7 pals . You and your pals have to write about this in a diary entry.
Here's 7 interesting things about me!
1. I was adopted on Friday the 13th! (July 2007)
2. I have a boyfriend named Oliver who is the cutest boy cat ever!!
3. I am the only cat in our family that our puppy catches :(
4. I love Friskies Party Mix treats!
5. I have a new sisfur who looks just like me.
6. I am the only cat in our family that plays with all the other furs in our family!
7. I love to climb, there isn't a place in our home I can't reach!
I am tagging the following friends:
1. Tommy #911715
2. Foucault #653651
3. Little Coqui #769834
4. I Need a Name #912268
5. Zippie #549747
6. Hamlet #769875
7. Casper #864065
I hope you all can play!
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