A’more

𝙆𝙁𝘾 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙇𝙤𝙩

It was April 2008 when I first saw A’more. Dusk was approaching, and I was sitting in my ex-boyfriend’s car while we waited in the drive-thru at KFC. Looking out the window, I saw a black kitten 🐈‍⬛ run into some bushes.

Mind you, there are no houses nearby. What in the world! Then I saw him again. I was telling my ex about the kitten, and knew I needed to try and get this kitten as it was so skinny, emaciated, really.

I got out of the car and slowly approached the black and brown furred kitten. It was spooked. I sat down on the curb behind the KFC, calling to the kitten. He came out, but quickly ran into the bushes again.

𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙮 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙇𝙚𝙜 🍗

A lady approached me, handing over a greasy chicken 🍗 leg. Yuck. 🤮 But I took it from her, thanked her, and started ripping pieces from it. (I’m not a vegetarian, but handling food looking anything remotely like an animal just grosses me out.) The lady was asking me so many questions.

Do you think she was abandoned? Are there more of them? How long as she been out here? Are you going to take her home?

The lady finally left, and I continued to coax the kitten out from the bushes, placing pieces of that greasy chicken on the curb. He (not she) was gobbling up that chicken, starving.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙗

The first time I attempted to grab the kitten, it was like the exorcist. He was twisting all around and claws were out. Yikes! I took off my sweatshirt to hopefully wrap the kitten in it.

After the fourth attempt, I was able to get the kitten and swaddle him in my sweatshirt. I got back into my ex’s car, and he drove me back to my truck. This kitten was purring so loudly. He even began to knead me with his extremely sharp claws.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙑𝙚𝙩’𝙨

I worked at a 24 hour veterinary hospital. But that night, it was super busy, and the veterinarian on call kept bumping me back. So, after waiting there several hours, I asked my colleague to run the FeLV/FIV blood test. It was negative, and A’more and I went home. I’d bring him back the next day.

𝙇𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣 𝘾𝙖𝙩 – 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙨

A’more had so many problems. Firstly, he was suffering from severe stomatitis – an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation to the gums. Treatment involves oral antibiotics, but seeing as I couldn’t even touch A’more’s mouth – not going to happen. He was neutered and then all but his fangs were extracted out of his mouth. His teeth were so severely diseased.

𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙘 𝙍𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙪𝙧𝙚

Soon afterwards, A’more came down with kidney disease. He was only a year old. He had to be given fluids, was hospitalized multiple times, and needed medication to help sustain his life.

He didn’t mind the subcutaneous fluids, or being poked with his injections. But attempt to give him anything oral – even after he lost all of his teeth, forget it!

I had to mix his food with a ton of additives – something to help remove the phosphorus from his food, an iron supplement, and some electrolytes. He was only able to eat canned food as he needed the water content.

A’more had some great years despite his medical problems. He got along with all of my other pets. He really liked Toby.

𝙐𝙥𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙨

But when his kidney disease became worse, he was moved upstairs to my bedroom to live with Maddie, my other cat. I had a large sized dog crate (big enough for a Great Dane) where A’more was kept during the day, hooked up to his IV fluids and monitor. It was like his own personal ICU. I was still working grave shifts, so while I slept, A’more received his treatment. Then I’d take him to work with me, and he’d receive intravenous fluids there.

𝙎𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙔𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨

Seven years young, A’more’s kidneys failed. He was humanly euthanized. I know that if I didn’t intervene that one day at KFC, A’more would have died much sooner. Instead, he got to live – playing with cat friends, dog friends, received lots of love, pets, and food. He had a voracious appetite until the end. Purring away, my sweet A’more.

BUN = blood urea nitrogen & CREAT = creatinine these two are huge indicators of how the patient’s kidney function is.