Sarah went over to Georgia, last fall, to surprise one of her friends, on her birthday, as she was away at Academy and would miss being with her family for her sweet 16. So her mom drove over and took Sarah and another friend from home, with her, and surprised Rosee. The night before they left, Sarah was really feeling down, as teen-age girls sometimes do. She was pretty upset and almost didn't go the next morning. I was worried about her. I had seen her down before, but not that bad. While in Georgia, apparently the girls all found a kitten. I got a phone call - - "Mom, if I brought a kitten home, would you let me keep her?" She sounded so happy, how could I say no? So she brought Ellie home. And Sarah's 'down' mood vanished like a wisp of smoke. We took her to the vet about a week later and discovered 'she' was a 'he' and Sarah was crestfallen, but rallied, and re-named her Elliot. We all enjoyed watching her mother her little baby boy. He was so tiny, he fit in the palm of her hand. He loved to play with pencils, so he would sit on the school table and wage battle against the pencil battalion, often proudly holding the headquarters captive.
About three weeks later, Sarah and Emma and I went on a 'girls trip' (Annie didn't come because it was kind of a reward to Sarah and Emma for all the extra weight they carried around here, this last summer, while Annie was away, working at camp). We drove down to the Gulf Shore to spend several days just relaxing and enjoying the warm weather. One thing I always like to do on such trips is buy some local pottery pieces. So we found a potter, and drove out to his place to see what he had to sell us. The girls were talking about how they missed their pets - Emma her chickens, and Sarah her cat! When we got there, the potter's chickens were the first to come out to greet us, followed quickly by his two kittens that were about the same size as Elliot. It was QUICKLY decided that Elliot needed a friend, two kittens are WAY more fun than one. So, when we returned from the trip, Emma went to the local shelter and chose a beautiful white girl with gorgeous blue eyes....
(it's not the greatest picture, but it's what we have...) It took a bit, because Lilly was a little sick when we got her, and Elliot was typically referred to, at that point, as the 'demon cat' because he was SO playful - but the two eventually became FAST friends. They are very cute together, ebony and ivory.... (I have a video of them, sleeping together, under the heat lamp in the garage, he is 'rubbing her back' - very sweet - but it won't load - I did load it onto my facebook wall, at the time, back in the first part of December, if you REALLY want to see it, you can go there to see it I guess)
Fast forward to yesterday. Well, last week. They have both been continuing to battle the bug that Lilly brought home with her, from the pound. They seemed well enough, but would cough and sneeze and their eyes were weepy. So they had been on various antibiotics, and at the previous week's appointment the vet had suggested that they be moved indoors, from the garage, so that they could just get well, once and for all. Yesterday was a follow up on what was supposed to be the last course of antibiotic, and we were hoping to be done. So I sent the girls to the vet alone (Sarah drives now). I had apparently left my phone in the car, from an earlier trip I had made that day, and called it to see where it was, and Emma answered, in tears. Apparently Elliot's fever of 103 the week before was now up to 105 and the vet had begun to suspect FIP. He x-rayed Elliot's gut, and diagnosed it. It is a condition where his body cavities fill with fluid, and crowd out his organs. There is no cure. He needs to be put down. The girls came home with both cats, but Elliot will need to go back, probably on Friday of this week, and left there. We took Lilly back in, in the late afternoon, to have her tested, to see if she has it too. The test has to be sent out, and the UPS had already gone out for the day, so it will be 3-4 days before we know if she has it too, or not. It was a somber night. Comfort food, some busy-work chores to keep minds busy (their choice) and some TV-enduced laughter (also their choice). Elliot even got to join us, on his own pillow, in my bedroom, as we watched (I'm allergic, so is Emma, and so is Annie, which is why they were supposed to be outdoor cats) They have been inside for over a week now, but do not have free run of the house. They have been staying in a large closet (aka. Spare Oom) off of Emma's room, where she has a couch and a desk. But obviously now, the girls wanted them near by. So Elliot was on a pillow, laying with me, while the girls folded some clothes and watched TV. I was not feeling well, so I got to lay and watch, and cuddle the little fellow. He was not doing well last night. Seemed to be breathing rather labored, and not purring even though I was petting him the whole time, didn't seem to be able to get comfortable. I was not sure he would make it through the night last night. But this morning he is perky and fine.
The stress of not knowing what the story is on Lilly is hard on Emma - She threw up this morning at about 4:00. She's resting on the livingroom couch right now. School will be rather low-key this week, and life will revolve around the cats. We are hoping to get results on Lilly before we take Elliot in, on Friday morning, so that if she has to be put down too, we can at least have them be together for it. We are obviously hoping that Lilly won't have to go in. And discussions are already happening about whether/when/how we may get another cat. We are sad that we have to lose him, but we are glad we got to enjoy him while we had him, and that we can make his last few days extra special. He was a blessing, a short-lived blessing, but a blessing just the same. Please pray for my girls, as they weather this emotional storm.
