Know your pet before its too late

I rescued a brother and sister cat at 6 weeks.  And now 12 years later I learned about cats.  My first rescue cat Ali lived for 12 yrs.  After 2 years I decided to rescue 2 cats because I travel and they could keep each other company.  Well they never really grew together.  They tolerated each other. At one point the female got very sick because she ate a toxic plant in the house.  I did not know about toxic plants till it cost me almost 3,000.  She was nasty...till she got better.  So when she got sick 10 years later I did not recognize it.  5am my boy cat would tease her.  She would growl at him and a fight would start just like it did when she was early in her illness with the plant issue.      I look back now, right or wrong...I think she was sick for many months(lymphoma) but she did not show it till all of a sudden she started to loss weight.  I noticed she was a little thinner on May 30 2014 and she died on July 20 2014.  By the time I saw the weight loss it was too late.  Her first doc visit was June 10 and I also took her to another Vet in July.

My point here is please take the time to recognize....your pets may be sick...and time is of the most importance.  If you notice your cats are fighting a little more...no eating or drinking as much...take the time to figure it out.  And maybe you will be able to save their lives for a few more years.  

That's a very good point and something we try to get across here on TCS. Cats can be very good at masking pain and other symptoms, so it's up to us to know them and their routine. Changes in routine or behavior can often be the first indicator of disease. Weight loss or gain are also a telltale sign, as well as change in appetite. 

Thank you for sharing your story here.