Lynne
Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:10:17 -0700
Caroline, I think you have thought this all out rationally and thoughtfully and agree with everything you are doing. God bless all those kind soles who take care of these afflicted animals but not everyone can do it. We only had ours for a month and the cost of treatment was well over a thousand dollars. Thankfully I work and my husband has a good pension but honestly I couldn't have kept this up much longer. Oddly enough the euthanization was the most expensive procedure done. Many Felv positive cats can live long happy and healthy lives but others like ours don't and you are faced with the decision as to how much pain you can endure and how much financial burden you can handle. In your situation I fully support your decision to let this cat go, hopefully to a loving family but if not please do not feel guilty about what you are doing. It's just a harsh fact of life. Lynne ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 2:17 PM Subject: A few more facts > > When I wrote in yesterday, I was more in panic mode and not necessarily > thinking too clearly. I appreciate the advice from all of those who > responded and felt I should fill in the picture a little more. I have > also followed up on all of the Iowa contacts and hope something can > develop there. I was also contacted by a gentleman from the list here, > Gary, and if we can get the transportation coordinated, that looks to > be the best yet. > > God bless those of you who have dedicated your life to helping these > Felv kitties. I've realized more than ever why it is pretty unrealistic > of me to keep her. > > The house in which I currently live is not mine---it is a shared housing > situation while I wait for my name to come up on one of the lists for > subsidized Senior housing to which I have applied. The rest of the house > would appreciate their bathroom back, which my landlord has informed me > about. > > Caring indefinitely for a cat (or possibly two) with a major disease > such as this is totally unrealistic for a low-income Senior living on SS > only. Reading about the numerous tests, supplements, treatments, etc. it > is obvious how quickly things can add up. Realistically, it's just not > manageable for me at all. For those of you in different circumstances, > I think it's wonderful that you have chosen to use the resources you > have to make a difference for these kitties. > > My cat has not been vaccinated for this and even if she were, the > vaccine is generally 90% effective. Even tho Velvet is currently > healthy, that may not necessarily be the case and could change rapidly > at any time. She is a very Senior cat at 17 yrs. old and has > outlasted her two other "sisters" even with a heart murmur. However, I > could not live with myself if she were in the unlucky 10% and ended up > with this disease due to my decision to expose her to it. > > I guess I could be faulted by some for her not being vaccinated, but > that's just a result of my risk-benefits ratio evaluation of > vaccinations for adult cats in general (kittens with undeveloped > immune systems is a totally different scenario) With the accumulating > evidence for the various cancers stemming from yearly vaccinations, I > just felt that it was better for MY cats to by-pass being vaccinated > for something they would not encounter. Other people do differently > for their cats as is their right. > > For all the time I have had various cats over the years, they have > always been totally indoor-only cats. It has always been a "closed > system" The only way for them to be exposed to something is if I > introduce it. And as unbelievable as it may sound, no cat of mine has > gotten out of my door unawares even tho one was a dedicated escape > artist who felt she just HAD to go thru every open door, even a closet > door. :) Velvet has zero interest (I guess her time as a stray prior to > the SPCA was enough of a trauma so the streets hold no allure.) > > > The best and most realistic thing that I can do for Binxy is to make a > reasonable attempt to find someone who can care for her and if that > fails then be sure that she is euthanized peacefully via injection > rather than that horrendous vaccuum chamber or gas which can cause such > needless suffering. > > > For me to do otherwise would be just plain foolish---I can't spend money > I don't have to save one cat while there are probably hundreds, if not > thousands, of other healthy cats within an hours drive being euthanized > every day for no reason other than no more room or no more time. I can't > save all of them, but I can save one. This is why I don't adopt > kittens--they have very little difficulty finding a home. Once they are > past the cute stage, very few potential adopters want to deal with them. > > Anyhow, those are my thoughts after sleeping on it and thinking. I will > do my best to find a caring and knowledgeable home for Binxy within the > next week. That's the primary reason I wrote to this list. I think you > folks who are raising these cats against great odds are wonderful, but I > just don't have the resources to be able to manage it. But, I'm an > optimist at heart and believe in the power of prayer and if it's meant > to be, then it will happen. > > Thanks for caring. Caroline > > > -- > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > -- > http://www.fastmail.fm - Access your email from home and the web > >