great idea! On 5/25/05, Nina <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Jamie, > Thank you for that eloquent and loving tribute to Andy and all our very > special friends. Gloria was looking for articles to include in her > newsletter, I think your tribute should be published so that more people > might understand that the opportunity for life we give to these angels in > fur is not just for their benefit, but infinitely more so, for ours. > Nina > > > Jamie Laws wrote: > > > > > I just read Lisa's post about little Akira and was struck by something she > said. The part about what they teach us. The "why me, why this cat" will > drive you insane. I mean you just love them so much and they are so special > that you have to wonder WHY? Well I think I know. > > Perhaps I am biased, but I can tell you there was something about Andy. I > mean I love my other 2 cats, but Andy had the "It" factor. People were > drawn to him. People who don't like cats liked him. He was so handsome and > so sweet and so... well, cool. So why do I think he was stricken with Felv? > Because he is unforgettable. He makes an impression on anyone who meets > him. When I moved to Georgia 3 months after he was diagnosed, I went to the > first vet in the phone book- Accute Care Veterinary Clinic- because he was > so sick and I knew no one in that town. There, Dr. Brucker, like may vets, > was telling me it was hopeless. Unbeknown to me, Andy was in his > hemobartinella bout at that point but the vet heard me say "felv" and all > desire to treat that cat flew out the window on his part. So I took him > home to die at that point. This was 6 YEARS ago and he just died yesterday. > So I get on the List and email like mad. Then Pam, Rissa-Tai's mom, posts > and said "MAKE that man test for hemobartinella!" I had no clue what that > even was. Pam did b/c Rissa had suffered through it. Back we go to the vet > and Dr. B tells me he doesn't want me to "waste" $50 on that test, > especially when they can have it and it won't show on the test anyway. But > at Pam's insistence, I insisted. That is what Rissa-Tai did. She saved > Andy. And many others I'm sure, but here is an instance where I can > directly link a life saved because of HER bravery and suffering. So we did > the test and it was positive! He sent me home with some Doxycycline and > said "don't expect miracles." That cat's RBCs shot up and he was running > around and playing again almost overnight. The vet was stunned. So for 2 > years we had an understanding that he would never count Andy out like that > again and we were TREATING him for LIFE not managing him for death. At the > end of the 2 years I came into the clinic and said I needed my records > copied since my husband was out of the Army and we were moving back to > Texas. Dr. Brucker looked like I punched him in the gut. Then proceeded to > tell me how much he learned from me and Andy and how he would forever change > the way he approached the treatment of Felv+ cats. So there is one thing > Andy did. How many cats were saved because this vet changed his attitude > about Felv? And just now at this new vet, Dr. Baxter was stunned at how > long he lived and really picked my brain about what I had done for Andy all > these years. So I told him about the List, and stress management, > Interferon, the various supplements, etc. He was familiar with most of it, > but now had reason to SUGGEST IT TO FUTURE PATIENTS! He said they succumb > to it anyway, and I said but look how much time you can get with them if you > treat it. Just thing about HIV+ people. They will eventually die from AIDS > but you don't know when and the better they are taken care of the longer > their life will be. So I think Andy made an impact there too. > > Of course I have to mention James' cat Vyvyan whose battle with Felv > inspired him to create this website and this wonderful place for us to come > together and share, learn, laugh and cry together. Many thanks to James and > Vyvyan for that. > > They come into our lives for a fleeting moment and touch us so deeply. But > like all of us, their purpose is much greater than to bring the joy and love > and fulfillment that they do end up bringing to our lives. That is just a > fabulous, beautiful byproduct. So Andy, Vyvyan, Akira, Rissa-Tai and all of > your wonderful babies served a much greater good. For me, I am clinging to > what I know in my soul to be true. That wonderful creature came into my > life and changed me at my core. I became heavily involved in animal rescue > because of him on top of everything else. I would have never done that if > it was not for Andy. They say you cannot know true joy without knowing true > sorrow. I believe that, and I now know that I have experienced true sorrow > through the loss of Andy. The selfish side of me wants him here, whole and > healthy. I don't want him to be gone, yet helpful to others. I won't deny > that. I want him back so much. But he did what he was sent to do and he is > gone now. Before we went back to the vet yesterday afternoon, I explained > to Andy about the Rainbow Bridge and that he would be there in a few minutes > so just hang on for me. And soon, but hopefully not TOO soon, I will come > pick him up from there and we will go on to Heaven. So that is where we > stand now and I just hope God will grant me the gift of relief from this > unbearable pain. > > Thanks once again to everyone for your kind words, emails and support > through this. > > Jamie > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com
-- MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892
