It has been days since I wrote anything in this little blog. I've been so busy with school and dealing with a little tragedy. I started a little post a few days ago about the joy of raising puppies and seeing their happy new owners with them, but before I finished writing it I experienced the other side of pet ownership, the painful sadness of learning that one of these little creatures that you love so dearly is not healthy. I had both my Persians DNA tested to be sure they didn't carry the dominant gene for Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD); it is a very common problem in all cats of Persian descent. Sweet little Tink tested positive so she will develop it, cysts will grow in her kidneys until they no longer function and she will die. The news was just heartbreaking for me; we so love this beautiful little girl; she is so sweet and brings us so much pleasure and it deeply troubles me to know that she will have to suffer and we'll have to lose her at a young age. Some cats beat the odds and live long lives with it, but many die young or around the ages of five to seven years. I was really angry at first that her breeder had allowed affected cats to be used for breeding. This disease could be eliminated if breeders would just test their cats and only breed clear animals; the test is only $35 to $40 per cat, so it isn't expensive. Tink's breeder was heartbroken to hear that she had it and she is having all her cats tested and she will give me a refund or a new unaffected kitten, so I don't really blame her anymore; she just didn't know about it. She said that she thought she was being a responsible breeder when she started raising them five years ago; she took them to the vet and tested them for everything he suggested. I explained that PKD DNA test were not available back then but they were routinely using ultrasounds to diagnose affected cats. So I guess you can just chalk this one up to human ignorance.
I was so sad the first few days that I couldn't talk about Tink without crying, but I feel better about it now. I'm going to enjoy her and not worry about what the future may hold. I hate that she won't get to experience motherhood and that her life may be interrupted, but she is a beautiful, healthy, active cat and I think she's glad she's alive, so maybe a short life that is filled with a lot of joy is better than never having life at all.
As a way of dealing with the sadness I've started calling her my Purrfect Kitty Diva.
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So sad! You know, our little Bradley only lived to 7 and a half and we still have no idea why he died. I think you have the right philosophy. Enjoy her and give her a good home, and that's as good as you can do for her. She would have been born either way.
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