1 for you, 17 for me

ZuZu



Stella



Bitsy (grey tiger)



Rory (dark tiger)



I got another dreaded email this week. Like too many before them, their kitten came down with a fatal illness and died. Most of the time it has been the same disease: FIP. It's untreatable, unpreventable, un-testable, and deadly. Every time a vet has guessed FIP it's clear to me that they're saying the kitten won't make it. The good thing about FIP is it isn't contagious as we typically think of things. No cat we've had has ever spread it to another who subsequently died. Most cats exposed to it live and you never knew they fought it off.

The problem with adopting animals out and having this happen is something most people don't understand--or even likely think about. We spend a LOT of time with our cats before they are adopted out. I take them home and care for them for anywhere from one week to 3 months when they are sick, need taming, or need special attention. They are always MINE before they are YOURS.

A few have died during surgery, Stella of the Stars died of renal failure, 5 to calici before being adopted, and more than 7 to FIP. Each of these families feels one loss, for me it's one more.