The sad tale of Fluffy Skye

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Luramao - 29 Sep 2004 01:51 GMT

Sometimes you think things are bad, it seems like there's always
somebody whose circumstances are worse. I have this poor little cat
that I think has had such a sad life....

And now, instead of finally having some good times in her life, she's
gonna die.

I added a new cat to our family last year. I stopped by the local
county pound (killer place) in mid April and saw a very pretty Balinese
(long haired Siamese, not Himilayan). I wanted to get her, but a tag
on her cage said she was already spoken for....

She had been found as a stray and had been picked up in March, and as
this is upstate NY, she must've been outside, lost, in some pretty cold
weather, even if she was only lost for a few weeks - and it could have
been more, as she was just skin and bones.

I went back 2 or 3 weeks later, and surprisingly she was still there;
the people never came to get her. Perhaps because she was so skinny and
was sickly looking, with crusted eyes, and limped.

So, I said I wanted her. She had to stay in that awful place another
week tho (all the barking dogs were on the other side of the wall her
cage was on, and she was clearly terrified), because they dont release
animals without rabies shots (which I really didnt want her to get, but
had no choice)

I finally got her on Memorial Day weekend, 2003. Since I had other cats
at home, I immediately took her to my vet to be tested for AIDS and
leukemia, which were negative.

So I took her home to meet the family.

Then, we found out the limping was caused by 'soft paw' or 'soft pad'
disorder, which my vet says is something Siamese type cats can get when
they are very stressed. Basically, her front paws - which the previous
owner had had declawed (and she was found as a STRAY??? a declawed cat
should never be outside on its own!) - anyway, her front paw pads were
just like mush and very soft, and it obviously hurt her to put weight on
them or walk.

A steroid shot only helped marginally.

So, for months, we kept fed her to put the weight on, and kept her
de-stressed and waited for the soft pad/pad thing to go away, which it
finally did.

But, she was about 1 to 1 1/2 yrs old when I got her, and she sure had
a lousy kittenhood and teenage experience. Being declawed, getting
lost in upstate NY winter, spending weeks in a pound. And, even when I
gave her a good home, she still couldnt play and race around like a
normal young cat due to her paws.

Finally, this spring, she was pretty much normal. She had put weight on
and her paws finally firmed up. She was a beautiful cat, a long haired
blue point (hence the name Fluffy Skye) and soooo friendly.

Then, during a hot spell in late July, she seemed to go off her food.
I clipped some of her luxurient fur so she'd be cooler, and changed
food offerings and she seemed to perk up.

But, then a couple of weeks ago she lost appetite again. Again, I
tried a different food, but she seemed to slowly be losing weight. But
she had always been a picky eater....... Finally, I ended up
getting her baby food, which she ate.

I thought maybe she had a tooth problem due to the refusal to eat solid
food, and planned to take her to the vet this weekend.

But then for the last 2 days she stopped eating at all. So, I coaxed
her to lick baby food off a spoon.

But this morning, she vomited it all up, and 'vanished.

I was going to take her in to the vet immediately but after cleaning up
the mess, I couldnt find her.

Amazingly, two of my other cats seemed to realize I I needed to find
her. "Itty Bitty Kitty" went to the sick cat's favorite hiding place,
under the cat's-only chaise, and appeared to be looking for her. Then,
when I went into another room, "Mushroom" walked deliberately over to
the entertainment center and turned and LOOKED AT ME. I went over
there and there was Fluffy, wedged in behind the furniture and the wall.

I am absolutely convinced those two cats were indeed trying to find
Fluffy for me.

So, anyway, I took her to the vet, where an awful diagnosis came back -
severe renal failure. "Its too far gone for us to really do anything at
this point." BUN 135, creatinine over 100. BUT SHE'S ONLY NO MORE
THAN 3 YEARS OLD.

The vet said either she got into something she shouldn't have or its
genetic. I dont think she ever got into anything bad, I dont know of
anything she could have gotten into, plus what I now see as the gradual
onset, leads me to think its genetic.

The vet showed me how to give subcutaneous fluid, and advised to keep
feeding the baby food.

Vet said there's no way of knowing if the fluids would extend her life
by a couple of weeks, or maybe even months, but........

It seems so unfair. This poor kitty's life has been such an unpleasant
burden for so much of her time here on earth.....

I just want to scream. But I'll write her sad story instead.......

Lura