Hi Julie,
I too had a felv+ named Jazzy. The picture you paint of your life
shared with Jazz brought tears to my eyes. You are so blessed to have
found such a wonderful soul mate to share your love. What a wonderful
little man he is!
I'm not clear about what is going on with Jazz. The vet you brought him
too does not sound like he is qualified to help. He may be a wonderful
vet for most things, but when it comes to dealing with the complications
of felv you need a specialist. I understand that there sometimes comes
a time when the decision is made to allow our babies to pass, but if you
haven't come to that point, if you are still looking for answers that
may help Jazz, you need to see a specialist. Find a board certified
Internist and beg them to see Jazzy asap. You can ask your vet to refer
you to one, or you could call the emergency clinic in your area and find
out who they recommend. Whatever you decide, you need to find someone
that is willing to diagnose whatever is going on with Jazz and help you
decide what the best course of action should be. You said you've been
reading the posts, you must realize by now that our Angels don't die
from felv itself, they succumb to other illnesses and cancers because
their immune systems are weakened as a condition of the felv. Many
times they can be helped to get better. You need to move on this
quickly though, time is of the essence. Whatever you decide to do,
thank you for posting about the mutual love you share with your very
special Jazzier man. It always warms my heart to know there are others
out there that also share such a deep interspecies bond.
Julie, you are not alone, we all understand,
I'm praying for answers and many more loving hours for you and your Jazz
Nina
Matchett wrote:
Dearest Julie,
My heart goes out to you and your husband, I'm so terribly sorry
for your loss. My name is also Julie. I discovered this group last
weekend, after getting the devasting news that my beloved cat Jazzer
is sick with FeLV. I haven't had the heart to post anything yet, but
I've followed everyone's comments and especially yours because our
situations so closely echo each other. Jazzy started going downhill
two weeks ago, and after taking him to the vet twice, they finally
made the diagnosis on Saturday. I have cried my heart out since that
time, but am trying to put on a brave face for Jazzy's sake. The vet
suggested putting him to sleep, but I just couldn't bear the thought
of that. I've brought him home now, and he spends most of his time in
a cardboard box in the bedroom closet, where he seems to be fairly
content. He's still purring softly when I pet him, but shows no
interest in food and not much more in drinking water. The vet
prescribed Prednisone for him to try and stimulate his appetite. He
fought us tooth and claw with the pills - he hates getting things
crammed down his throat (I can't blame him - he's always been such an
independent kitty) and we tried a liquid suspension formula with no
luck either. I decided last night to stop the treatment because it
doesn't seem to be helping much, if at all. It was breaking my heart
to see him struggle so, and when I'd go into cuddle him, he'd sort of
cringe away from me - I don't want him to spend the little time he has
left with me being scared. Part of me really can't believe this is
happening - I'm not ready to let my Jazzy cat go. He's been my
greatest love for the past 11 years, my confidante, my friend and a
part of my soul. I go to bed at night, and I keep expecting him to
jump up and nudge my face like he does in the middle of the night, to
let him under the covers. He's slept with me faithfully every night
for years and I'm so used to falling asleep with his soft little purr
in my ear and his warmth against my body. My heart is absolutely
breaking apart...I want to thank you all for this support group -
after reading all your posts, I can't think of a more supportive,
warm, caring group of people. Even behind the scenes, you have all
been a source of comfort to me, knowing that there are other people in
this world who are feeling and coping with the same things that I am
right now. God bless you all, keep your kitties safe and loved, give
them tons of hugs and velvet paw kisses, and please, please, pray for
my little Jazzy cat. Love to all, Julie
