Our Poor, Sweet Nikita

I took Nikita to the vet yesterday for what I thought was just a mild case of dry heaves that he's been experiencing for the past month or so. I had try laxatone but it wasn't getting any better and I knew he was breathing really hard. I thought maybe he had anixety over there being a dog in the household now. Boy was I wrong.

After several x-rays, our Vet confirmed that 90% of his lungs were filled with fluid. The poor guy was struggling to breathe! She managed to drain a lot of the white, milky substance, but not all of it. She sent that and some of his blood off to the lab and we should have the results by tomorrow, Monday. Her face clearly expressed concern over why our 6 year old cat had this problem. He could have lymphoma (FeLv) or a tumor in his lungs or he could have heart problems. He's only 6 years old!

I left with her promising to call with the results on Monday and then we'll discuss the "options." I was also given the information for two emergency vet clinics in case his breathing got worse over the weekend. I could tell by her tone that one of those options might be putting him down. My poor, sweet, Nikita. He's only been with us for 5 years now.

He's home now and resting as comfortably as he can in his window seat. He's still breathing hard and sometimes he has to open his mouth so he can get enough oxygen. Some of you may know that our other cat Fidel was diagnosed with kidney failure and hyperthyroidism 2 years ago. I joked with the vet about our house quickly becoming a pet hospital.

So please keep Nikita in your prayers, thoughts or meditate for his speedy recovery from whatever is ailing him. At the very least, keep your fingers crossed. Its been my experience, that FeLv is a death sentence for cats.