Hello... I’m writing to share the story of Pampa, our little 18-month-old bundle of love.
About three weeks ago, we noticed he was behaving strangely. Usually, he’s a real shadow (an indoor cat) and very affectionate, but he started hiding away more and more and hardly eating a thing! Right away, we rushed him to the vet! After checking him over, she thought it was a form of bronchitis and put him on antibiotics and steroids for ten days. There was a slight improvement, but nothing major, until yesterday when he was sick, stopped eating and drinking altogether, and became completely lethargic... So, we were back at the vet (a different one this time). He was suffering from critical hypothermia (33°C), was dehydrated, and most likely anaemic. She kept him in for tests and treatment...
A few hours later, the phone rang, and they told us he’s tested positive for Feline Leukaemia (FeLV). Despite being vaccinated and an indoor cat, they are certain his mother passed the virus on during pregnancy. They said opportunistic parasites had taken advantage of his weakened state, and that the short-term prognosis is fatal.
As you can imagine, it’s a total shock. We’ve been in bits since yesterday, and I’m terrified the hardest part is yet to come.
We had an update today: his temperature has gone back up to 36°C, but he’s still not eating or drinking (they’ve had to fit a nasogastric feeding tube). When we asked what we should expect next, she said they’re giving it another day to see how he progresses before giving an opinion...
I’m absolutely heartbroken.
I just wanted to post this to share our experience, and if any of you have been through something similar with Feline Leukaemia, please do share.
Have a good day, and thanks for reading.
