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Rest IN Peace my sweet beatrix

8/2/2019

1 Comment

 
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I waited months to bring my Beatrix home. For years I begged my husband to let me breed Maine Coons, and when he finally agreed I began researching breeders. Most breeders in the United States will not release breeding rights, so I found a recommended breeder in Russia. When I placed my deposit on my sweet baby Beatrix, I fell in love with her and we hadn't even met. She flew all the way from Russia, and I was expecting her to be very nervous and shy. When I opened up her crate at the airport, she jumped right into my arms and purred. She was happy to be out of her crate, and I cried tears of joy that she was finally here. Safe and sound and healthy, or so we thought.
Beatrix flew with Sullivan, a male from the same breeder, and immediately we noticed the size difference between them. I chalked it up to age difference, gave her canned food and chicken, but as Sully nearly doubled his weight in a matter of weeks, she barely put any weight on.
In the beginning of July, Beatrix became more sluggish, and I noticed her struggling to breathe. The vet diagnosed bronchitis, and after 10 days on antibiotics she got worse. The vet drained fluid from her little lungs, sent the fluid off to the lab, and we anxiously waited for results. The morning of July 15 the vet called. The sun was shining through my bedroom window, everything was calm and quiet. I had hoped and prayed for this to be something curable. There was no way I could prepare myself for the terrible news. When the vet told me I should sit down for the results I knew in my heart the results would not be what I asked and prayed for. My sweet girl, our "little weasel", was diagnosed with FIP. Those three little letters meant absolutely nothing to me before, and changed everything. Beatrix ended up having to be euthanized, and even though it completely crushed me, losing her made me realize how important it is to be a good, ethical,honest breeder.
1 Comment
Kathy Weeks
8/9/2019 07:01:47 am

Sarah, you know that my heart breaks for what you have experienced. And though it is a very realistic fear that you may yet have to repeat this nightmare, arming yourself with as much real knowledge as possible will help. It’s the people that lose their so-beloved pets that are the key to finding a way to beat a deadly diagnosis. Without their sense of urgency and purpose, and sometimes, even ideas ... research can fizzle or fade in importance.

For little Beatrix, for my parents’ 2 cats that both died from this horror (also the “wet” form), for all of the pet parents that have grieved and cried and felt so helpless : become a voice, talk to as many vets and researchers as you can about what they KNOW; what they are LEARNING still; and what they are on the edge of aggressively PURSUING in their research. It will matter. It will count. And it will keep a bit of the helplessness at bay.

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    Hi there! My name is Sarah. I am a cat loving introvert that loves my family, animals, and sewing (in that order)!

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  • Home
    • Contact Us
    • Our kittens in their new homes
    • Watch us grow
    • About us >
      • Pictures on Our Website
  • For Sale
    • Kittens for Sale
    • Adoption Fees
    • Policies and Health Guarantee
    • Kitten Adoption Form
  • History
    • History of the Maine Coon
  • Care
    • Cat Pregnancy Week by Week
    • Is Pet Insurance Worth It?
    • Cat's peeing outside of litter box
    • Say No to Declawing Your Cat
    • Grooming and Bathing
    • Finding a Lost Cat
  • Lifestyle
    • How big are Maine Coons?
    • Maine Coon Personality
    • Top Picks for Maine Coons
    • Is my Cat a Maine Coon?
  • Blog
  • Cat Crew
  • A Day in the Life
    • Kittens are here!
    • Cat Xray
    • Cats should not be caged
    • Genetic Testing