Chris, I am so sorry for your loss. Romeo was lucky to show up at your doorstep. tonya
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 Id whistle and meow the whole way so I wouldnt miss him. He would get underfoot, get bullied by the other cats, bury everybodys 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, hed scamper away, just out of reach, cowering. Fast forward two years and we had one of the coldest NY winters weve 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 readybut he turned out to be positive and they couldnt handle it. Soooooo, he stayed in my room for a few weeks, watching my every move, figuring out the TV and the vacuum cleaner werent that bad. Slowly, he started coming out of his crate at night when he thought I was asleep. Little baby stepsfirst the food dish got moved next to his crate. Then the litter box in the bathroom. And slowly, hed 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 facethis 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 outhe rarely sat at the windowthe couch and the bed were always much more comfortable for him! Over these last 4 ½ years, Romeo turned into the most loving cat youd 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 hed 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 himall jealousy, Im sure. But Romeo persevered and the two of them had come to terms with each other... His final illness took him quickly. Hed never been real sick beforehad some gum and teeth problems a couple of times, but that was it. Going to the vet was a major trauma for him so Id 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. Hed been feeling poorly during the week and over the weekend, he started breathing very hardlike he couldnt catch his breath. Hed 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 inABSOLUTELY NOT. He gave me so many wonderful memories and he will always be in my heart. And did he regret coming insideABSOLUTELY NOThe 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 cant save them foreverbut 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 Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
