With a heavy heart and sadness, We had another kitten pass away today. ;(

[Orville]

 

Unfortunately we have some sad news once more, we had a little black and white kitten{see photo above} pass away at 8am Friday morning 02/27/2015.  So I'm pretty distraught and broken hearted over his passing.   He came down with the same symptoms the first kitten had, but Darkmoon lingered on for much longer.  He fell ill Thursday morning, he was what I thought asleep on my chest, his favorite place to sleep, when I picked him up so I could get up to make coffee and head to the bathroom, he put out a shriek as if he was in harsh pain, put him down and he couldn't stand up or walk, just exactly like Simba had succumbed too.  We called our vet and info we were given was that there was no hope in the condition he was in, we could bring him in and pay to have him put down, or just let him go naturally at home.

 

We opted to just let him go on his own, to just "fade" away as it is {you'll understand "fade" in this sentence by reading on below}.  

 

Did some research and found out there is actually a disease kittens can get called Fading Kitten Syndrome {FKS} that can cause this and take their life early on {prior to 1 to 1-1/2 years depending on the kitten/young cat}, and there are quite a lot of varying factors, any one or several, that could cause a kitten to just "Fade Away" in this manner.  

 

It's really sad and very heartbreaking because there is nothing that one can do to prevent it, even if it's caught early, chances are the kitten still will not survive per most vets we spoke with, seeing if anyone thought there was any hope of saving his life, just was not too be.  FKS is very similar in nature to the human SIDS {Sudden Infant Death Syndrome}.   Something I never knew a kitten could have happen to it.  So we're quite sad over his{Darkmoon's} passing, especially since he and I had created a very strong bond with one another.

 

How I'm hoping and praying the last remaining two don't come down with this as losing a pet this young feels much more devastating than having to put down an older animal you've had for years.  I guess that's because you know the elder animal has lived a full, long life, but it's harder when a young animal like a kitten or puppy succumb to a disease that cuts their life short before it really has a chance to start.

[Mega Arch]

Orville,

Again, sorry for your sadness.

It has to be really painful for you right now.

Hang in there.

- Daniel

[Orville]

Thanks Daniel.  

 

I contacted PETA about the FKS issue after Darkmoon had come down with this since our current financial status wouldn't really allow us to afford a vet to help him at this time.   They did call me back later the same day after he had already passed that morning, unfortunately a little too late to see if there may have been any hope to save Darkmoon {They had a vet all set up and ready to see and treat him}.  Sadly I had to tell them he had already passed on to Rainbow Bridge earlier in the day prior to their call.

 

PETA gave us their 24 hour National Hotline number so if we can catch this early enough, there may be a small chance, slim as it is, that we could hopefully save another kitten from dying in this manner.   It was so much more difficult sitting with Darkmoon waiting for him to pass as Simba only lasted about 5 hours before his passing,  Darkmoon lingered on for well over 24 hours as we just helplessly sat and watched him fade away.

 

If anyone else is interested here is their {PETA's} National Emergency Hotline number: 1-757-434-6285.   This is so if anyone may have a sick or injured animal and for some unforeseen reason can't afford a vet at the time, and also lack transportation to get the animal to a vet, they can help with that.  Just figured sometimes we all need a little help with getting a sick or injured animal help, and just may not have the resources to get them the help they need at the time.  So PETA could be able to help out with that.

Edited February 28, 2015 by Orville

[Mega Arch]

Orville,

Good information on Peta. I've been one to always make fun of their political views that rarely line up with mine. It's nice to hear their good side from someone. I truly get touched reading your stories. I just couldn't imagine the pain from watching and waiting 24 hours knowing the outcome that's coming of your little one. I have 2 male maltese dogs that are 4 and 5 years old now. We got them from different litters when they were so small they fit in our cupped hands. Even though from different kennels and breeders, everyone swears they are brothers. They do everything together. They are our life as all 3 of our sons now live away from home. If one of them was to pass on early - well rip my heart out and throw it in the snow...

[Orville]

Daniel, sometimes their views can be quite opposing, but hey, not everyone will agree on everything, right?

 

 We see it all the time right here in the LOR Forums as well as in our daily travels in life.

 

There have been times when I felt they {PETA} may have been overstepping the boundaries at times, when I can't totally agree with it, I may give my opinion on why I can't support that particular cause, but for the most part, they really do great work in keeping our animals well being.

 

And I'm sure there's going to be other issues they'll get involved in I won't totally agree with or not at all, like said, we all have our opinion on what should or shouldn't be the outcome on some issues.  But wouldn't life in general be so blatantly boring if we all agreed on everything?

Edited February 28, 2015 by Orville

[Orville]

Well, we're now having a 3rd kitten go through the same thing{FKS} as the one this post was started for, and the 1st one we lost, this one was a bit different, he went completely blind and deaf before succumbing to the FKS.

 

And for the record, don't bother with calling PETA for help either, seems we were "misinformed", all they will pay is the exam cost, if the animal needs any treatment of any kind, it's on the pet owner to pay for any of that.   Guess they just lost my support forever.  I thought they were going to help this little guy from what they had stated to me on Friday after losing Darkmoon..  This one, he went deaf and blind at 4am this morning {3/1/2015} and now his heartbeat has slowed way down, he is constantly hacking up the tuna he had this morning around 6am, and his breathing has become labored as of noon..  

 

So we're now on our 3rd deathwatch   since our local animal control won't pick him up and take him to be put down, and no other agencies in our area will take him on either.   And we KNOW he will die, we just don't know how long it will be before death comes for him, it took the 1st one around 5-6 hours to pass on, the 2nd took a little over 24 hours, this one being very small, I'm guessing about 3-5 hours before he's dead.

 

We've tried every avenue that others told us about and ones I looked up on my own or had donated to in the past, but not one seems to give a damn as to what really happens to this little guy, and just tell us to wait it out and let{watch} him die.   How that just sickens my wife and I to no end!

 

You try and do the right thing, but when you just don't have the funds to do it, and you try so desperately to get help for an animal that's suffering, and then be turned down from every animal agency in your area, it just makes you mad as all get out!   Then they wonder why I WON'T give to them when they call on me for support?  Well, duh, when I needed a little help, you{they} weren't there for me, so I am no longer going to support your{their} organization!  I did in the past, but I sure as Hades WILL NOT donate or support your{their} agency ever again!

 

I'm just so upset and ticked off right now over this entire scenario.     Especially after wasting hours, time and money{at .10¢/minute} on my cell phone to try and get this guy some sort of help, or at least humanely put to sleep, instead of having him suffer though this as his other 2 brothers had done!

 

Sorry folks, but this is something that really bothers me, especially when I have donated to these same organizations in the past when I was working and I always gave extra money and/or donated food to them to help animals in need, but now that I have one in need, it's always too bad, so sad, we can't help you, goodbye.

 

Well I'm sorry to be the bearer of such sad tidings and grumblings, but can you really blame me after what we're going though with these kittens?

 

How I hope and pray the last one doesn't succumb to this illness, currently he's still very active and healthy, but this FKS strikes without any real warning, and once it does, you're powerless to stop it, and death is, and will be imminent.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Orville

[Mega Arch]

Orville,

How terrible. Having all the frustrations from people you thought would help on top of the tremendous pain of watching them pass on. I'm so sorry.

For those 3 little ones, well I'm thankful of one thing - I'm thankful they are with you and your wife. As tough as it is, we hear on the news daily of cruelty and neglect. The most loving people can somehow turn their heads the other way when it's difficult.

You two are handling this unbearable situation like saints.

Keep hanging in there.

Daniel

[ItsMeBobO]

I looked up FKS and it says there are numerous underlying causes which impact feral cats.  

[Orville]

I looked up FKS and it says there are numerous underlying causes which impact feral cats.  

Bob, the mother cat is not a pet, she is an outdoor cat that we allow in when weather is adverse or bad.   We have worked with her for 3 years to allow her to approach people and be petted and fed.  She's a "neighborhood cat" that many people hand out food to her and 3 others she roams with.  Whom we also worked with.   Before we started working with them, they were all pretty much feral cats, but a cat does not have to be feral to come down with FKS.   We asked our vet and it can happen to any cat, especially one that has apparently had as many litters as this mother cat has had.

 

The neighbors told me the very first litter she had, before we moved in about 3 years ago were all born headless, now that's just creepy.  She's had other litters that were still born, the majority of her litters, except for a few from a couple of different litters have all died.   We have several from one of her litters, and they are smaller than normal, but have made it to adulthood and are still with us.

 

And yes, there are many factors that cause FKS, any one of them or a combination can bring on the onset of FKS per our vet, another issue could be inbreeding within the same family of cats, causing some type of genetic issue that could bring on similar symptons of FKS, but may or may not be FKS.

 

But most vets we talked with said they thought it was FKS from the symptoms these kittens displayed when they became ill.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Orville

[Orville]

Daniel, thank you, at least YOU understand.

 

Now we did have a women come by and pick up "Don Rob Zombie", the kitten I was referring too.   She called me and said she'd take him to be put down if she felt that would be the only possible humane thing to do, she hoped it wasn't{over the phone}.  

 

 She picked him up a little after 3pm, a little after I posted that lengthy post.   She works with feral and domestic cats, fosters cats in her home, and when she saw how the little guy was when she arrived, we all agreed, he was too far gone to be saved and would have to be euthanized.  

 

We got word a little after 4pm that he was euthanized and that his suffering was over.  

 

At least there was one person out there that cared enough to help the little guy so he wouldn't have to suffer an extended period before he'd pass away on his own.   So we're very grateful that she could help end the little fella's suffering.  

 

So at 4pm he crossed over to Rainbow Bridge to be with his two siblings, Darkmoon Dragonfyre and Simba Justin Mufasa, sadly these two did suffer long hours before the angel of death finally came to call for them.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Orville

[k6ccc]

Orville, I'm sorry you have had such bad luck with the kittens from this litter. Very hard to lose one pet - let alone three.

Just my opinion , but based on the history with that mother cat, she really needs to get spayed. I realize that is harder to accomplish with her being semi-feral, and no definitive owner.

Good luck.

[Orville]

Thanks Jim.   Today I found out she was actually a persons pet at one time, they decided they didn't want her and just tossed her out to the winds to make it on her own{people like that really p*ss me off!},  Well she is making it, and the woman that came and took "Don Rob Zombie", our kitten to the Orange County Humane Society to be checked out is contacting an organization she has strong ties with.  She is trying to see if she can get them to spay and neuter her and her little outdoor family.  Hopefully she and her cat family will get fixed soon so this won't happen again.  She had 2 kittens in her last litter before this one, at 6 weeks old they both had to be put down because they ended up with renal failure.  We had tried bottle feeding them for a week before we knew they wouldn't make it either.   Mama Bob, the mother of the kittens wouldn't feed them or groom them, so we knew something was wrong with them from birth, but we tried to see if there was any possible way to save them.  That was not to be sadly.  

 

OCHS did call me and let me know what they found in the kitten, we asked that they please let us know if the kitten had anything contagious that would, or could be passed on to our adult cats, fortunately is wasn't.  And the last remaining kitten of the litter "Zeus Thunderbolt", is still doing very well.

 

 

 

And to everyone, we found out It wasn't FKS. like a few other vets and I had originally thought, seems the kittens have some type of genetic disorder that just inflicts this horrible death on them.  OCHS stated that the last kitten we have may still yet show signs of this serious, untreatable infliction.  She said it usually does take them around or just a little over 2 months old before it hits them, but if they make it past 6 months, they may make it to adulthood because by then their immune systems and bodies have grown stronger and may be able to ward it off, and once they've made it past their first year, they're almost home free. However it could affect them again as they get to be elderly and their immune systems and bodies age and become weaker in their senior years.  Or it could skip just one kitten in a litter and that one never have an issue it's entire life.  

 

We're sure hoping that's the case for our last little fella, "Zeus Thunderbolt", but we'll be watching him closely now that we know what it is.  

 

Unfortunately, this type of death is prolonged and the kitten does suffer until their time of their final breath, unless you get them to a vet and have them euthanized during the early onset.  Depending on the kitten, this genetic defect that robs them of their life, usually in their first 6 months-to a year has no cure, and they can linger for up to 2-3 days before their final breath is drawn and released if not taken to a vet.

 

We were so very relieved it wasn't anything contagious that could have affected all the other cats in he house, that would have been really devastating to start losing the adults too!

Edited March 2, 2015 by Orville

[Mega Arch]

So you're mad no one else will pay for your animals that you took the responsibility for? But it's cool to spend $$ on RGB lights and cuss others that you have money management issues?

Unfortunately that has become the American way, but not just with pets but also their kids or their own lives for that matter.

Why?

Why when someone is obviously hurting do you think it's ok to kick 'em?

Orville took these kittens in to feed and love them, instead of leaving them. He doesn't have disposable cash coming in as he states he's not working any longer. He calls on organizations he's supported in the past and was turned down for help. He's obviously hurting and upset. So again, why kick him while he's down? Right or wrong on his post, it doesn't seem right to me to call him or anyone else out. You're not walking in his shoes, but completely think it's ok to judge him.

I don't know the entire situation either as I'm in Oklahoma. But people are the same most everywhere and sometimes they just deserve a break and shouldn't be judged by us.

[Don]

Why?

Why when someone is obviously hurting do you think it's ok to kick 'em?

...

I don't know the entire situation either as I'm in Oklahoma. But people are the same most everywhere and sometimes they just deserve a break and shouldn't be judged by us.

 

Well said.

 

Any chance we could act like caring human being around here? You may not agree with the situation, but Mega Arch has a point. We're not here to judge others. 

 

We're here for Christmas lights, remember?

[Orville]

Thank you Mega Arch and LORAdmin, you are so right.

 

Unfortunately there are times in our lives when we really can not afford to do something, but we do it out of the love we have for others and animals.

 

These kittens, we had no way of knowing they would still end up dead before we took them in to our home to love, raise and find homes for.  We were working on finding them new homes, 2 of them had already been spoken for once we had them weaned from their mother, eating and drinking on their own and no longer needing Mama Bob to be around for them.  So the soon to be new pet owners were also devastated when they found the kittens had passed away, and we were striving to find out what was causing this, which turned out to be a genetic defect in them.  Sadly, nothing could be done to prevent this defect from taking their life at such a young age.

 

Before the first really harsh cold night we had here, Mama Bob{she is a manx cat and has no tail, just a small bob of one} had dropped off one of the kittens at my front door one morning, I opened the door and what do I find but a small greyish/black and tan kitten sitting outside my front door.  I thought a neighbor {who has dropped kittens off at my door before had put it there}, but a few seconds later, here comes Mama Bob with a kitten hanging in her mouth, comes up our handicap ramp and drops it at my feet.  She made 2 more trips bringing a total of 4 kittens to us, I sent her out again and asked any others? She actually made 2 more trips to show me there were't any others, she had brought all that she had.

 

So we took these 4 beautiful kittens into our home so they wouldn't be out in that harsh cold, that alone would have killed them being so young.

 

My wife and I just don't have the heart to leave ANY animals outside in that kind of weather, so when it turns cold, raining or any type of bad/severe weather we allow the 4 adult "neighborhood" cats into our home that everyone in my area feeds.

 

But Mama Bob was very close to becoming feral when we moved into our current home a little over 3 years ago, I worked with her to keep her from turning.   When we moved in, she and others were killing the songbirds and other wildlife, nor would they come near people.  If you approached them they'd run off and hide.  The first year I was picking up dead birds and other kills from the cats from my yard almost daily.  

 

Neighbors were complaining about the cats killing the songbirds, that's when I got together with them and asked them, have you been feeding these cats?   No, we haven't.    I stated there is your issue, if you feed them and keep the cat{s} tummies happy, they are LESS likely to kill the birds and other animals you've found in your yards.

 

So nearing the end of the first year, the killing had stopped from the cats to almost none, still had a few.  The second year, no more songbirds bodies were found dead, now it's going onto our 4th year here and these cats have learned to trust people once again, they are happy, they are fed by most of us in the neighborhood, but Mama Bob and her gang trust me so much that I am the only one{aside from my wife} that they will allow to actually pick them up, hold them and lounge in my lap or my wifes.

 

They claim you can't train a cat to become domestic once it's gone feral, well, if you have the time and the ability, I can attest that is just not true at all, they can be domesticated {even if born feral or turned because of some calloused moron that just threw them to the wind when they moved away} and can and do make some of the best loving pets out there.

 

I've gotten and had pedigreed pets that aren't as loving or as gentle as the ferals I've converted, trained and brought into my home as permanent pets, and those we've found homes for.

 

We can't help the love we have for animals and just want to try and get the best for them.  That's why my post about not getting help was so poignant, because as Mega Arch had stated, we strive to keep animals{in our case cats} alive, not let them have to be caught and euthanized because no one gave a care about them.  We do care, maybe more than some, so we will continue to take in kittens and cats to try and get them help or a loving home, it's just our nature.

 

And for the record we have helped our fellow human beings too.  We have supported many agencies that help them with food, clothing and cash, so I could almost say the same thing about some of those "human" agencies as I had about the ones that are supposed to be there for the animals, but sadly, many times these agencies fall short of expectation when you have supported them, and then when you may need one of them for help due to a situation you have no real control over at the time and they don't help, it just hurts.  Especially when you have to watch an animal suffer before it's demise and you're powerless to do a thing about it.

 

So to end this on a happier note, Mama Bob, her daughter Moonstar, and her two sons, Poseidon and Athena all now lounge on the railings of our 66 foot long handicap ramp, soaking in the sun and just enjoying their life.

 

And with a little luck and from the help of another cat lover, these 4 will hopefully be fixed soon so we're no longer having the females having kittens.

Edited March 2, 2015 by Orville

[Don]

Please. Act like adults. This got old a long time a ago.

[Don]

And due to multiple users reporting the thread, it has been cleaned up.