I had to make the agonizing decision yesterday afternoon to let sweet little Spotty go. He was barely 11 weeks old...I rescued he and his siblings from a nearby drain just over 3 weeks ago - and have been trying to trap mama cat ever since for TNR. He was such a darling kitten - he'd come so far from the frightened little baby of a few weeks back... He took to being an inside lap-cat as if he'd been that way forever.
When he and his sister took ill last Wednesday - I took both babies to the vet Thursday morning to be told they had a GI upset - probably parasites as they hadn't been wormed. Antibiotics and de-wormer were prescribed. Both kittens ate that night, but that was to be Spotty's last proper meal. By Friday morning, his little sister seemed to be on the mend but Spotty refused to eat - I tried 6 or 7 different things - and he didn't want to do anything other than sleep - tucked up in a ball in the corner of the room. My beautiful, playful Spotty was fading and I was beside myself. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly one becomes attached - I don't feel any differently about my fosters than I do my own brood of furbabies. I called the vet that morning and they told me he could be feeling 'off' from the meds and that I should just force-feed and hydrate and 'see how he goes'. I knew deep down it was something much worse than this. I spent the night on the couch with Spotty sleeping beside me - I wanted to be within earshot and try and get some fluids and nutrients into him every couple of hours. I'm still in awe at how patient and trusting he was the whole time I was trying to force goop and fluids into his little mouth. He never bit, scratched or made a fuss...it makes me so sad to think he would have found a new home so easily with his lovely nature.
Saturday morning he was worse so we went back to the vet where they ran bloods. The news was devastating. Spotty was horribly anemic and worse - his WBC was very, very low. The vet told me he had FIP and that it was fatal. The only other possibility was FPV (Feline Parvo-Virus or distemper). Either way, the outlook was grim. They seemed reluctant to help and told me I needed to take Spotty to the 24hr animal hospital if I wanted full supportive care. I live in Hong Kong - so this meant a 25 minute ferry ride then a 20 minute taxi ride. I sent his blood results to the hospital and they called me back saying they thought it was more likely the Parvo virus and that the only thing they could try was IV fluids and meds to stabilize then try and treat from there. The local rescue group who initially took Spotty and his siblings in (I then fostered from them) couldn't afford any medical costs, so I made the decision to go ahead and pay out of pocket. I would do it in a heartbeat for my own cats...why should Spotty deserve any less?
His deterioration - even with supportive care - was astonishing...and heartbreaking. The vets kept suggesting this med and that test...his fever finally come down and with it provided a small glimmer of hope. But by Monday afternoon he could barely lift his own head, let alone walk, eat or drink by himself. I couldn't bare to let him suffer any longer and after holding him for an hour and listening to his sad little mews, I decided to bring his suffering to an end. I am devastated...I feel so badly that I let him down - and I really did hope (and thought) that he might be strong enough to pull through. It breaks my heart that he had such a miserable last few days and that he didn't get the chance to be a kitten for long, or to know any love or kindness other than the brief time he spent with me. I feel like I had him a lifetime...and I hope that he is now in a happier, better place.
RIP Spotty kitten...you were a shining star that burned out too soon. I'll miss you. x
Spotty on the left with his little tabby sister.
When he and his sister took ill last Wednesday - I took both babies to the vet Thursday morning to be told they had a GI upset - probably parasites as they hadn't been wormed. Antibiotics and de-wormer were prescribed. Both kittens ate that night, but that was to be Spotty's last proper meal. By Friday morning, his little sister seemed to be on the mend but Spotty refused to eat - I tried 6 or 7 different things - and he didn't want to do anything other than sleep - tucked up in a ball in the corner of the room. My beautiful, playful Spotty was fading and I was beside myself. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly one becomes attached - I don't feel any differently about my fosters than I do my own brood of furbabies. I called the vet that morning and they told me he could be feeling 'off' from the meds and that I should just force-feed and hydrate and 'see how he goes'. I knew deep down it was something much worse than this. I spent the night on the couch with Spotty sleeping beside me - I wanted to be within earshot and try and get some fluids and nutrients into him every couple of hours. I'm still in awe at how patient and trusting he was the whole time I was trying to force goop and fluids into his little mouth. He never bit, scratched or made a fuss...it makes me so sad to think he would have found a new home so easily with his lovely nature.
Saturday morning he was worse so we went back to the vet where they ran bloods. The news was devastating. Spotty was horribly anemic and worse - his WBC was very, very low. The vet told me he had FIP and that it was fatal. The only other possibility was FPV (Feline Parvo-Virus or distemper). Either way, the outlook was grim. They seemed reluctant to help and told me I needed to take Spotty to the 24hr animal hospital if I wanted full supportive care. I live in Hong Kong - so this meant a 25 minute ferry ride then a 20 minute taxi ride. I sent his blood results to the hospital and they called me back saying they thought it was more likely the Parvo virus and that the only thing they could try was IV fluids and meds to stabilize then try and treat from there. The local rescue group who initially took Spotty and his siblings in (I then fostered from them) couldn't afford any medical costs, so I made the decision to go ahead and pay out of pocket. I would do it in a heartbeat for my own cats...why should Spotty deserve any less?
His deterioration - even with supportive care - was astonishing...and heartbreaking. The vets kept suggesting this med and that test...his fever finally come down and with it provided a small glimmer of hope. But by Monday afternoon he could barely lift his own head, let alone walk, eat or drink by himself. I couldn't bare to let him suffer any longer and after holding him for an hour and listening to his sad little mews, I decided to bring his suffering to an end. I am devastated...I feel so badly that I let him down - and I really did hope (and thought) that he might be strong enough to pull through. It breaks my heart that he had such a miserable last few days and that he didn't get the chance to be a kitten for long, or to know any love or kindness other than the brief time he spent with me. I feel like I had him a lifetime...and I hope that he is now in a happier, better place.
RIP Spotty kitten...you were a shining star that burned out too soon. I'll miss you. x
Spotty on the left with his little tabby sister.