oh, romeo, fly sweetly, little one! i'm so glad that you got to spend these last five years with your mom and human family, and even the other critters--even if they were a bit jealous.
thank you, chris, for sharing him with us, and for reminding us what a gift these furones are. MC On Mon, Nov 10, 2008 at 4:37 PM, Chris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > It is with a very heavy heart that I tell you that I lost my Romeo today to > lymphoma. I write not out of grief but to encourage all the newbies who > wonder whether they can hang on with a FELV positive, whether they know > enough to take care of them, whether they should mix, etc. And the > resounding answer is YES YES YES. My Romeo was a throw away stray that I > first met 7+ years ago when I helped someone out feeding a little colony > near me. He was already an adult (3-4 years old) who would come running > across the field when I'd whistle and meow the whole way so I wouldn't miss > him. He would get underfoot, get bullied by the other cats, bury > everybody's food, and just rub up against my leg for some loving. I knew > someone had been unkind to him cause if I raised my hand, he'd scamper > away, > just out of reach, cowering. > > > > Fast forward two years and we had one of the coldest NY winters we've had > in > a long time. One weekend, we were expecting zero degree temps and a major > snowstorm. Romeo was the last of the colony and I knew I had to bring him > in. I even had an adoptive home ready—but he turned out to be positive and > they couldn't handle it. Soooooo, he stayed in my room for a few weeks, > watching my every move, figuring out the TV and the vacuum cleaner weren't > that bad. Slowly, he started coming out of his crate at night when he > thought I was asleep. Little baby steps—first the food dish got moved next > to his crate. Then the litter box in the bathroom. And slowly, he'd come > out during the day. I knew we won the battle when I peeked out over my > monitor to spot him on my bed. You could see it in his face—this is > niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice and from that point on, he was totally > comfortable being in and around we humans. Funny thing is that he never > really wanted to get out—he rarely sat at the window—the couch and the bed > were always much more comfortable for him! > > > > Over these last 4 ½ years, Romeo turned into the most loving cat you'd ever > want to meet. Only thing I could never do was pick him up or restrain him > in any way---he was just too scared. But he'd jump up on me, lie on my > chest as I was trying to get to sleep, follow me around like a puppy dog > and > otherwise just kept thanking all the humans he met for being safe and warm > and loved. My other cats were a bit leary of him and Tucson never did take > much of a liking to him—all jealousy, I'm sure. But Romeo persevered and > the two of them had come to terms with each other... > > > > His final illness took him quickly. He'd never been real sick before—had > some gum and teeth problems a couple of times, but that was it. Going to > the vet was a major trauma for him so I'd always worked with my wonderful > vet to keep those visits to a bare minimum. But today was one of those > days > that I knew he had to get to the vet asap. He'd been feeling poorly during > the week and over the weekend, he started breathing very hard—like he > couldn't catch his breath. He'd been on antibiotics for what I thought was > another gum problem but when we got to the vet, I knew it was a whole lot > more. My vet sent me immediately to our local specialty hospital and they > confirmed the lymphoma. He had a large mass in his chest, his lungs had > filled up with fluid, and I knew that emotionally and physically, he could > never withstand an aggressive course of treatment that in all likelihood > would only give him a short extension of his life. So, I made that > decision > we all dread after I looked in his eyes and knew he was telling me it was > time. I stroked him to the end and told him I loved him. > > > > And do I regret taking him in—ABSOLUTELY NOT. He gave me so many wonderful > memories and he will always be in my heart. And did he regret coming > inside—ABSOLUTELY NOT—he had almost 5 years of a wonderful life and I know > that had he stayed out, he would have died a miserable death from the cold > and hunger or an infection and he would have been alone. We can't save > them > forever—but we can give them some wonderful time and we can all learn so > very much about life from these little guys. > > > > Christiane Biagi > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > [email protected] > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > -- Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference.... MaryChristine Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (www.purebredcats.org) Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team) _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list [email protected] http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
