This is Romeo, he has a congenital defect where his liver is wrapped around his heart, this in turn created a void where his organ should have been and causes his lungs to over inflate. He also has to deal with crystals in his urinary tract if he is not kept on a very strict diet for his condition. The picture on the left is the first week he came to live with us, when we agreed to be his foster family. We didn’t know he had any health issues and neither did the women from Kitty Kare, who rescued him from the pound. When we discovered what his problem was, it was recommended to us to put him down, another vet recommended to do a rather invasive surgery that could potentially result in his death and yet another suggested I take my boy home and love him. I remember her saying he is here for a good time, not necessarily a long time. That was over five years ago, the picture on the right is what Romeo looks like today. Happy, content and intact! Life isn’t perfect, when we are given lemons, it is important to make lemonade! When I came across the image of our Romeo in his first weeks with us, when he was underweight and not the epitome of healthfulness I feel very grateful that I listened to the third vet! I decided to go on faith that we could give our cat quality of life as opposed to subjecting him to surgeries or euthanizing him, thinking he couldn’t thrive the way he was born. When he is curled up below my chair purring or cuddling me as I fall asleep at night, I appreciate the blessing that he is! I know that the decisions we made on his behalf are ones I will never have to second guess and I also know that I have to continue to learn to trust my instincts. I also think of all those animal in shelter’s who might be denied the opportunity to ever be loved or appreciated for who they are and it breaks my heart! Every creature out there should be granted the opportunity to know happiness and love. And I mean, EVERY creature….I am going to pray for all of those dogs in the province of Quebec whose physical characteristics might result in their deaths. I feel bereft and wish there was some way I could spring them all and find them opportunities to shine!
No Time To Paws 