Saturday, July 01, 2006

Feline friends

I've always loved cats. When I was a kid, my sisters and I brought home two cats (sequentially), but they were mostly my mom's pets. One died in the street in front of our house while I was in first grade. The other died at home while I was away at college. My parents haven't had another cat since.

After I had moved out on my own for a few years, I moved to a new apartment just so I could get a cat. I had Butterscotch for twelve years, until he became very ill with liver cancer and we had him put to sleep. His ashes are in a small urn on our fireplace mantel. They've been there for four years now.

We were going to bury the ashes in the yard, but somehow we've never done it. I don't hold the urn and remember him or anything, but I kind of like having them near.

Now today my sister called to say that her ten-year-old cat, Reebok, has been diagnosed with kidney failure. I've been searching websites for information, trying to find out what therapies are available and if kitty dialysis is even a possibility.

Our current cat, Pig, has diabetes. I wrote about her awhile back. Other than giving her prescription cat food and the fact that she pees a LOT, she's been stable for more than a year without further treatment.

When she was diagnosed, I also did research on the web. There is alot of information available. There are also lots of stories of the ups and downs some people have gone through as they fight to keep their cats alive through various illnesses.

And there are memorial pages with stories of how cats have changed the lives of people forever.

Reebok is a wonderful cat. I wish strength for my sister and her husband as they make the difficult choices that lie ahead.

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