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Zoey's Story
This story wouldn’t be worth telling unless I started from the beginning. It all started with a fuzzy, annoying kitten named Sampson that I got from a friend. He was my very first cat that I, personally paid for, and was responsible. When I met my now fiancée, and after we had my daughter we decided to move in together. One way or another, Sampson got out, we are still not for sure if he was hit or attacked by another animal, but after three days of fliers and searching he came home.
To our dismay, he was missing half of his face, we rushed him to the ER, but after many trips the infection spread to his brain, and we put him down.
Almost a month later tears spilled from my eyes as the exact same kitten was presented to me, fuzzy… warm… and gray just like my Sampson. At first it was hard to look at Zoey without tearing, but something inside told me it was almost an “I’m okay mum, stop morning for me…” kind of deal. Just before Zoey turned two, the neighbors were evicted, and I could hear a tiny cry from underneath the house, after removing the skirting… Bella came running out eager and hungry… and we took her in. Looking back, I should have noted that something was wrong… her eyes were so “crazy” alas, my vet didn’t even think to check for FeLV just told me to keep feeding her, and get her weight back up, it was probably due to lack of nutrition, or she was “mentally” disabled!
It brings tears to my eyes to evoke the memories of how we found out. Zoey was chocking underneath the bed, and I woke my fiancée up screaming that he must have gotten into the garbage or something… I stayed up with him all night as he started foaming at the mouth, and became weak… the next morning, my fiancée rushed him to our local vet, at first they told us he had aids, then we got the news, FeLV…
I sobbed, I felt like it was all my fault, I brought that kitten into our home (the kitten passed away weeks later)… poor Zoey, we spent two weeks driving back and forth to put him on IV’s, I had to force feed him, clean him as he couldn’t bathe himself until the cold-sores in this mouth healed, I thought I was going to lose him… Alas, my vet was very optimistic that if we get him feeling better, because he was so young he might be able to beat it, alas, six months later he was still infected.
I haven’t added anymore cats to our family, and we’ve since moved into a home where Zoey spends his days lying in the sun room, or on the deck by the pool, he never wanders far from the house, alas, we have been very lucky that he has not had any illness since, and I try to keep him separated when a family member does get sick. If I didn’t tell you… you would never know! At his 3 yr check up, he had even put on seven pounds, I hope to keep him for many years to come, and instead of crying, I’m just grateful to God each and every night to have him to snuggle with.
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This site is dedicated to Bailey, my positive and inspiration to keep helping positive cats in need.