Saturday, June 05, 2010

R.I.P. Gaki

Gaki is gone from this world. Rest in Peace, beautiful boy. I'm so sorry. I tried hard to help you overcome. I know you wanted to live.

The vet was astounded at the severity of his conjunctivitis, so astounded he is sending tissue samples to pathology in case this is some mutated virus. I think it will turn out to be calici, not herpes. He had trouble chewing. I think he had ulcers in his mouth and on his tongue too. Calici will do that.

I don't know if it will be newer mutant virulent calici. Some of my cats caught the cold Gaki had within two days of coming here, mid May, but none of them got the eye and nose inflammation. That means the vaccines they've had protected them. Those vaccines include protection against both herpes and calici viruses.

Some cats react differently to the same virus. He reacted with violent inflammation. His body didn't like that virus at all. It overreacted in panic, causing the inflammation that ultimately led to his death.

The vet said there would be no light of recovery at the end of this painful tunnel for him and that the pain he was in was severe. He was with me less than three weeks. I very much wanted that boy to make it.

I took him all the way to Wilsonville this morning. They open at 7:30 a.m. I couldn't stand it anymore. He took a terrible turn for the worse overnight.

Gaki was abandoned in N. Albany. He was then trapped by someone and ended up at Heartland. He was just under a year old and not neutered. He had severe behavioral issues usually consistent with being rough housed with as a kitten growing up. This usually occurs when there are unsupervised out of control young boys in a house or a mean young adult male. But young girls can be just as vicious to animals, if they are not brought up with decent parenting.

His behavioral issues included biting and coming at you swinging and biting, but he settled down here, and seemed happy, despite the cold he broke out with almost immediately. He seemed just overjoyed to have a cat family who accepted him, even if he was growly. He fit in quicker than most other cats I've brought in. I had to isolate him when his conjunctivitis hit and this was terribly depressing to him. Last night, realizing he was turning for the worse, I let him out once again, to roam amongst his new found friends. This perked him up greatly.

I put him back in isolation for the night. This morning, his condition was even worse. I laid with him on the bed for awhile. He was rubbing at his bleeding eyes and growling to himself. I dosed them with antibiotic ointment for lubrication, and got dressed to take him north.

7 comments:

  1. i'm so very sorry for your loss.may he rest peacefully now.

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  2. i'm so very sorry for your loss.may he rest peacefully now.

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  3. I am so terribly sorry about Gaki. The short time he was with you was probably the only time in his life that he experienced love and happiness. At least you were able to give him that. So many never get that chance. Of course, the pain of not being able to "fix" the problem and have him recover can be unbearable. My heart is with you.

    Many of my cats have been ravaged by calici. I HATE that damn virus. When I had Charlie at the vet week before last I told my vet that if we couldn't eradicate it, it would be nice if, instead of attacking cats, it would attack BAD PEOPLE! She smiled and nodded in agreement.

    Charlie is down to 6 pounds from 12 and had his last 4 teeth pulled. The others were pulled 4 years ago due to plasma cell stomatitis - a condition caused by calici. He seems to be recovering but so, so slowly.

    (((hugs for you)))

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  4. I'm so sorry about Gaki.

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  5. Fly free Gaki sweetheart.

    ...and a hug for Jody too.


    Jane

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  6. too many losses that are so unnecessary if people were just decent pet owners in the first place! RIP little Gaki - you deserved much better and only got it your last three weeks poor baby....

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  7. Allegedly he came in from a street called Happy Lane, I think it was, in Albany. No happiness for the cats of Happy Lane.

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