Member Profile

After loosing my cat Scotty to kidney failure (he was 15 1/2 and the last of my 2 cats that I had since my early 20s), I was completely lost. I went to humane society weekly for 4 months, bringing them leopard toys on each visit, but I was still grieving and couldn't bring anyone home just yet. I had spoken to my vet about adopting an adult cat with Feline HIV or Feline Leukemia since they're hard to adopt out and he talked to me about their potential health risks and said he would work with me on medical bills if need be. Well, on Martin Luther King Day 2006, my dad said he was bringing me a cat that he knew needed a home. As soon as Sweetie came home, I new we'd be best friends! Somehow she was meant to come to me because she ended up being very ill about a month later with pneumonia that was caused by her being infected by the Bartenella Virus. She's got year round asthma for which she's on liquid meds and sometimes needs antibiotics. The cost has been alot financially even with my vet not charging me for certain things like office visits. I've spent about $5,000(including today's $410 visit) over the last 6yrs and now that I'm unemployed it hasn't been easy but she has been and is worth every penny. I'm also grateful to have the Care Credit card that the New Haven Animal Hospital told me about 12 yrs ago when Scotty was sick and the $2,000 bill was more than I could handle at the time. Without this card and my vet, I wouldn't have been able to make my cats as comfortable and healthy as they had been and Sweetie is today. Though Sweetie is the only cat I can have since she's infectious to other animals, I will continue to adopt adult cats that have medical problems for the rest of my life. They are the ones that don't get adopted out and need my help. They are my life's purpose now and you can't do any better that! :)