First of all, I should start this thread by apologizing for not posting here for so long. It has been a long and trying couple of months. I also apologize for posting some depressing threads as my first order of business, but my family has suffered some heavy losses, and I thought I should update people.
Maximus, our "oldest" cat (I say oldest as he was 11 months old) passed away this past Thursday, December 27th. My fiance and I had talked about getting a cat for a long, long time, and for his birthday in April, I brought home Max. He was purr-fect, and immediately fit in so well with our family. He cuddled with our dogs, gave us head bumpies 24/7, and drooled when he was happy.
Shortly after getting Max, I brought him to the vet and had a combo test done on him - I had adopted him from a person on craigslist whose cat had an unwanted litter. I should have gone through a reputable rescue that combo tests to BEGIN with, but at the same time, I wouldn't trade our time with him for anything. So, yeah - he tested positive for FIV. Our vet told us that he could live a long and happy life, as long as we treated infections/illnesses with aggressive antibiotics, kept him indoors, fed him high quality food, etc etc.
Starting last Wednesday, the 26th, Max got somewhat lethargic, and wasn't as cuddly as usual. As first I wasn't very concerned, but Thursday morning it was worse. I checked his gums and they were super pale - I made him a vet appointment for the same day, and worried all day at work. When we got to the vet he had declined even further, and they admitted him immediately into their emergency clinic. The first step was to do a CBC and see what his counts were....I suspected that he was anemic because of his coloring, and I was right. Our vet told us that their red count is supposed to register at around "30". Below "20" they recommend a blood transfusion. Our poor Max's was a 5. I felt like someone kicked me in the stomach repeatedly. I felt like the worst Meowmie in the world - how would he have gotten to that point and I hadn't know?? Our vet told us that she suspected the FIV had started attacking his own blood cells, and he had been compensating for his lack of red cells for some time. I asked her what she would do if it was her cat, and without hesitation, she said that she would have him euthanized. She said he was suffering, and out of it, and that we "could spend thousands of dollars on transfusions if we wanted to, but in reality, the FIV would eventually attack that blood as well". She said that ultimately, he was fighting a battle that he couldn't win. I didn't want him to spend his last days in a cage, hooked up to tubes while we fought to keep him around for a few more days. My fiance and I drove to the hospital, sat in the room across the hall from where I said goodbye to Hero 10 days prior, and said goodbye to Maximus. I cried so hard I could barely see. Max was so weak, and he still managed to purr - I'll never forget that.
Here are some pictures of our Maximus - if you get a chance, please say a little prayer that he made it to the bridge safely.
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You gave him a wonderful caring and loving home and I know you'll meet up with him again some day. Until then he'll be up at the Bridge playing with all of the other cats and dogs. RIP sweet Maximus.
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