So I haven’t quite been myself for the past month. I woke up one Monday in so much pain and discomfort I couldn’t get out of bed. My tonsils were so swollen I could barely swallow, my nose was so congested I could barely breathe, and my entire body ached. I called a cab to urgent care and got myself on a round of antibiotics. However, when those failed to permanently clear up my symptoms, I finally took myself to an ear, nose, and throat doctor, who put me on a stronger course of antibiotics. I’m still recovering, but I’m on the mend.
This must be how Fisher feels all the time. Shortly after his adoption a little more than a year ago in February 2013, his new human friend noticed that Fisher didn’t seem well. A trip to the vet confirmed her worst fears: Fisher was terribly ill.
More than a year later, Fisher is still kind of sick.
Back then Fisher was diagnosed with a chronic feline upper respiratory infection and nearly went deaf from a severe ear mite infection. My own upper respiratory infections have been an ongoing battle, and a couple of years ago I underwent a CAT scan to confirm what my doctor suspected: I’ve got chronic sinusitis.
Fortunately, Fisher’s human pal intervened in his ear mite infection, saving his hearing. For a lot of other cats in Fisher’s situation, the infection never clears up, but symptoms are not always present. (Which is similar to my case — my sinuses are always somewhat congested, but I am not always sick.) However, for Fisher, his symptoms are always present, meaning that the sweet ginger kitty suffers from a constant runny nose, sneezing, coughing, and general mucous-leaking. (There’s the stage I’m at right now!)
A lot of other people wouldn’t deal with a constantly sick kitty, but Fisher’s human friend is devoted to the cat. I mean, after all, no one would say I’m not worthy of love just because my sinuses are always in some state of illness, and so Fisher deserves just as much affection.
So this Monday Miracle goes out to Fisher, the orange tabby with whom I have defective sinuses in common with. It’s unpleasant to constantly be either congested or runny, but hey, it’s folks like Fisher’s human friend that make everything more bearable.
Go check out Fisher’s Facebook page and send him a little Internet hug, as well as check out where all these photos came from.
Read stories of rescue on Catster:
- Mercury the Kitten Has No Front Legs But Gets Around Like a Pro
- Ever Heard of a Squitten? Neither Had We, Until THIS
- Our Monday Miracle Is Russell, the Cat Who Survived a House Fire
About Liz Acosta: Catster’s former Cuteness Correspondent, Liz still manages the site’s daily “Awws,” only now she also wrangles Catster’s social media. That’s why she wants you to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and — her personal favorite — Instagram. See ya there!
