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My husband and I decided to adopt a kitten in October so that our older cat, Tigger, would have a buddy after losing his to kidney disease. We stopped by a local shelter, and a little black and white kitten crawled into my lap, purring. Dawkins chose us. He must have sensed that we would help him, because his health declined quickly.
First, we found out he had ringworm and had to keep him separated from Tigger for five weeks. We would get up early before work to feed him, medicate him, and play with him, then repeat the same process after work. He was the sweetest little kitten. He loved to snuggle, purr and just be with us. He just wanted to love us and to be loved.
After recovering from ringworm, Dawkins began having trouble moving his back legs, was losing weight and stopped growing. After many vet trips and tests to rule out other diseases, Dawkins was diagnosed with non-effusive FIP in February. With the help of steroids, he was able to live a fairly normal and active life. He grew even closer to my husband and me and got along great with Tigger.
When I became pregnant, Dawkins never left my side. He slept snuggled up next to me and followed me around the house. He saw the vet every month, and the vet was pleased with his progress but reminded us constantly that FIP was terminal. Dawkins was doing so well; it was hard to imagine he was fighting this awful disease.
At the end of May, I came home from work and Dawkins came running to see me as always. He jumped down the steps from our kitchen, fell over, laid down and looked at me. The strength in his back legs was gone. After a tearful trip to the vet, and a week of increasing his medications, we had to have our sweet kitten put to sleep on June 4. He may have only been in our life for eight months, but he loved us enough for a whole lifetime.
Photo: Maura Yinger
Story submitted by Maura Yinger from Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania.
This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!
