|
 |
|
| Name: |
Junior
|
Age: |
Unknown
|
| Gender: |
Male
|
Kind: |
Tuxedo Short Hair
|
| Home: |
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA |
Junior is our beautiful, big tuxedo cat. Junior officially joined our
family on January 25, 2010 after spending a couple of weeks out in the
snow and cold. He showed up at the French doors on our back deck, so of
course we fed him plenty of canned and dry food and gave him lots of
water. He came back at least once or twice a day for a couple of weeks
and was increasingly trusting, so we brought him into the house. The
next day, we took him to the vet and made sure he wasn't chipped, then
had him fully vetted.
We didn't know it right away, but in less than a year we confirmed the
poor fellow had a very serious case of inflammatory bowel disease. It
was so severe, in fact, that he had emergency surgery for what appeared
to be a blockage. Instead it turned out to be an terribly inflamed lymph
node. He had to be put on a regimen of steroids which we very slowly
ramped down over a long period of time. We tried to to take him all the
way off, but he still requires a very low "maintenance" level to retain
his robust health. And he is very robust!! He is a big cat who is about
2 feet long (not including the tail) and weighs 17.5 pounds. We
sometimes call him Big Man because he is such a big cat! But he is not
fat. Of course, he would be if we indulged him every time he asked for
treats. The very important takeaway point is this: you should never be
afraid to adopt a cat with IBD!! It is treatable, even the worst cases!
Junior is a big cat, but he is very gentle and sweet. He's not a snuggly
cat or a lap cat (which, at his size, is probably a good thing), but if
you rub his head he will love you forever! He loves to hang out on the
deck with his family. And he likes to stand on his back legs and stretch
out to his full length on the front of his mommy to welcome her home,
sort of the way some dogs do. We love our Big Man!
|
|
|
|
|
