Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

As many of you already know, Sneska has a chronic kidney disease and has been showing symptoms of uremic stomatitis, which is a consequence of her primary disease, since the beginning of summer.

Over the last few months she has been given painkillers almost every day as it was the only way to keep her pain free and able to eat; unfortunately, we can do nothing to cure her CKD and make her healthy again. After her UV scan which showed what bad shape her kidneys were in, the vet wasn’t very optimistic and lately he seems almost surprised she is still hanging on.

However, we’ve been wondering for quite some time if we are doing her a favor or torturing her trying to prolong her life, albeit with the best intentions. She is not happy for a myriad of reasons: firstly, she is essentially an outdoor cat who adores the sun and is aching to be free, but she’s been imprisoned inside the house for over a year, for her own good. Secondly, she’s been pricked countless times over the months just because we wanted to ease the pain in her mouth so she could chew and swallow her food to stay alive; the result is that she started to shun humans, which is something she has never done before. It’s a fact that many cats with CKD can live out their lives without ever reaching kidney failure, but Sneska is at least 14 years old already and besides, what’s the point of life without joy?

Little by little, she became a wretched, sad, tormented creature, totally hopeless, utterly unhappy and that’s the exact opposite of what we wanted to achieve.

Long story short, for good or for bad, we made the decision to let her live whatever time she has left the way she wants – in the yard, together with her companions of 14 years, soaking up the sun, running through the early morning frost, climbing the roof, scratching trees, with no meds and no fear.

And that’s what she’s been doing since Saturday, more vivacious and happier than she has been in a long time. Instead of spending her days all contorted and miserable, she is finally the light-legged, swift, curious, proud Sneska who is holding her head up high, the one we have known, respected and adored over all of these years.

Each new day is a gift for her, she’s living it with absolute intensity, with a heart full of joy; when the time comes she will be ready to leave with no regrets and another star will appear in the dark night sky.

Run and shine now, our precious Sneska, run like there’s no tomorrow and always remember how much we love you.

PayPal button is on the blog:

http://novisadcats.blogspot.com/

and the website: 

http://catshelter-felix.com/

A huge thank you to everyone who helps and supports us !

Filed under: Animals Requiring Adoption or Homes - Worldwide, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, SERBIA (Central Serbia: Capital - Belgrade) and (Serbia, SHELTER - Information | Leave a comment »

With aching hearts and a slight pang of conscience, while we’re still wondering what we’ve missed and what more we could have done, we regret to inform you of the passing of our lovely Maxine.

We haven’t mentioned her for a long time as we had nothing important to say – she was gorgeous but almost unnoticeable, in the way that only quiet, placid and serene kitties are. A sweet, affectionate torbie tabby girl, totally unobtrusive and totally awesome, she was living her simple and peaceful life in the company of her kitty friends and the four years she spent in the shelter passed by in a flash. We knew she wasn’t young, but she wasn’t elderly either, and for some inexplicable reason it never occurred to us that she wouldn’t be here forever…

She started to decline slowly last winter but she was loving and beautiful nevertheless, although a little thinner. Spring came and went, then summer began and ended, but Maxine still seemed to be the same old Maxine we knew and loved, even though she had become significantly skinny despite her good appetite.

When the weather got cold, we noticed she had some nasal discharge, but knowing that she was also FIV positive, we took it seriously and rushed her to the vet who promptly prescribed her antibiotics; we were feeding her ground raw meat, giving her meds and vitamin supplements and she’d been putting up with everything with her usual tranquility. Just when we thought the worst had passed, she suddenly began to deteriorate frighteningly quickly and in only two short days she became incredibly gaunt, nothing but a faint wisp of the alluring, captivating kitty she once was. The end was near, she knew it and calmly accepted what was about to happen, while we were still frantically trying to think of something that would make her feel better, refusing to believe she was already far beyond any help.

Maxine passed away peacefully, she extinguished quietly like the flame of a candle, but her memory will live on forever in the hearts and minds of all of those she touched. Maybe time will alleviate the sorrow and ease the pain, but we’ll never miss and love this inconspicuous, yet fascinating kitty girl her any less.

Spread your wings and fly, our little angel, you’re free now and the sky is yours.

Filed under: Animals Requiring Adoption or Homes - Worldwide, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, SERBIA (Central Serbia: Capital - Belgrade) and (Serbia, SHELTER - Information | Leave a comment »