03-29-2010, 09:57 AM
Meeko died yesterday. He wasn't quite 10 months old.
I'm in shock and beyond sad. There was no hint of illness.
When he first came to me he was small and a little thin. He was sneezing and a bit lethargic (I thought) so he went right to the vet. His upper respiratory issues quickly responded to the antibiotic and the problem never resurfaced (as far as I know).
Then he had coccidia but seemed healthy and active the whole time except for the diarrhea. It took 2 rounds of treatment but it definitely cleared up.
He's been fantastic for months. He had just about caught up to Newman (his brother) in size. He was a happy playful loving boy. His appetite was good. The sneezing and diarrhea were both long since resolved. He played in the morning after his breakfast. I went out to run some errands and he didn't greet me at the door when I came home the way he always does. I started to worry right then.
I put away the groceries, played with the others and I just knew things weren't ok. I found him in my closet (he often sleeps there - it's carpeted and cozy). He looked like he'd gone to sleep but he wasn't sleeping. The others are obviously grieving and I can't believe my dear sweet boy has gone.
I wish I knew why but necropsy wasn't an option financially. It's nagging at me whether his kitten sneezes (which seemed to have cleared up) meant something more. I know the vet found the coccidia when he did the fecal exam so the diagnosis wasn't a guess. Now I'm wondering if he was the only cat infected because he was weaker and couldn't fight it off (apparently he was older / bigger than most kittens when he had the diarrhea). HCM came to mind too. The vet never heard anything when he examined him (and he saw him 3 times) plus the breeder's vet saw him once when he was neutered before coming home with me. The breeder tells me both of his parents were tested (which doesn't really tell me much?) and she has been very very kind but also baffled.
Of course now I'm worried about Newman. He definitely seems fine other than missing his brother - but Meeko seemed fine yesterday morning too and now he's gone.
I loved him so much.
![[Image: NewmanandMeeko010210013.jpg]](http://i574.photobucket.com/albums/ss181/halebop305/NewmanandMeeko010210013.jpg)
![[Image: NewmanandMeeko010210019.jpg]](http://i574.photobucket.com/albums/ss181/halebop305/NewmanandMeeko010210019.jpg)
I'm in shock and beyond sad. There was no hint of illness.
When he first came to me he was small and a little thin. He was sneezing and a bit lethargic (I thought) so he went right to the vet. His upper respiratory issues quickly responded to the antibiotic and the problem never resurfaced (as far as I know).
Then he had coccidia but seemed healthy and active the whole time except for the diarrhea. It took 2 rounds of treatment but it definitely cleared up.
He's been fantastic for months. He had just about caught up to Newman (his brother) in size. He was a happy playful loving boy. His appetite was good. The sneezing and diarrhea were both long since resolved. He played in the morning after his breakfast. I went out to run some errands and he didn't greet me at the door when I came home the way he always does. I started to worry right then.
I put away the groceries, played with the others and I just knew things weren't ok. I found him in my closet (he often sleeps there - it's carpeted and cozy). He looked like he'd gone to sleep but he wasn't sleeping. The others are obviously grieving and I can't believe my dear sweet boy has gone.
I wish I knew why but necropsy wasn't an option financially. It's nagging at me whether his kitten sneezes (which seemed to have cleared up) meant something more. I know the vet found the coccidia when he did the fecal exam so the diagnosis wasn't a guess. Now I'm wondering if he was the only cat infected because he was weaker and couldn't fight it off (apparently he was older / bigger than most kittens when he had the diarrhea). HCM came to mind too. The vet never heard anything when he examined him (and he saw him 3 times) plus the breeder's vet saw him once when he was neutered before coming home with me. The breeder tells me both of his parents were tested (which doesn't really tell me much?) and she has been very very kind but also baffled.
Of course now I'm worried about Newman. He definitely seems fine other than missing his brother - but Meeko seemed fine yesterday morning too and now he's gone.
I loved him so much.