In Loving Praise and Support of My Beloved Fannie

This is my beloved Fannie, a creature so extraordinary that it brings tears to my eyes as I think about the nearly 15 years that I have loved this amazing cat. Fannie and her siblings were dumped, like garbage, at a community college near the university where I teach, and thankfully a kindly human was able to capture them and bring them to a rescue organization. For me, it was love at first sight. I suspect, given her reaction to me, it was mutual. Fannie has always been a healthy, spry and adventurous creature, and has seldom given me cause for concern let alone excessive worry.

Recently, however, we had to bring her to the vet because she managed to scratch her ear and it became infected. We thought that the only thing that we were facing was a round of antibiotics, but sadly that was not the case. Since she is considered a senior, despite the fact that she has always maintained the behavior and disposition of a young cat, the vet wanted to run a few tests to see how she was doing. She had lost some weight, as older cats often do, but not at an alarming rate that raised any real flags. What the tests revealed was the fact that my beloved girl is anemic and in renal failure. She has never given any indication of any sort of illness-- tipped off by unusual or changed behavior. She has lost 2/3 of her kidney function-- yet she still runs about as though she were a healthy youngster, at least most of the time.

The vet suggested an overnight stay to flush the excessive enzymes from Fannie's bloodstream since her kidneys clearly were no longer functioning at optimal levels. She came home scared and listless, but after a few days she rebounded and was clearly feeling much better. She does require lots of monitoring, lots of feeding, and plenty of daily vitamins to counteract the anemia. Since I am currently working from home before the new quarter begins I have plenty of time to take care of her, and I do so around the clock. I'm tired and sleep deprived because I sleep with one eye open to take care of her, but I am not complaining-- there is nothing that I wouldn't do to take care of this glorious creature. 

However, I am not comfortable leaving her alone for long stretches of time-- so I keep my errands short and sweet, and to a minimum when at all possible. Sometimes, however, that isn't possible-- as was the case the other day. We had to pick up one of our cars from servicing across town in Santa Monica, and as any Angelino will tell you-- it takes 20 minutes to get wherever it is you are going in LA. Well, that is unless President Obama is in town. I had heard on the news that he was attending a fundraiser at the home of Shonda Rhimes that day, but somehow failed to listen closely enough-- so I assumed that it would be in some amazing mansion somewhere on the Westside. What I managed to miss in the goings on in my neighborhood was the fact that the Scandal and Grey's Anatomy creator bought one of my very favorite houses literally 1 1/2 blocks from my house (trust me when I tell you that her block and mine are as different as Earth and Mars, and I would gladly switch blocks and houses-- though I am quite sure this would cause her to laugh). So the moment that we pulled out of our driveway we realized something was amiss, and the presidential and celebrity traffic gridlock forced us to take an insanely circuitous route to get from point A to point B. The sheer number of street closures and the number of secret service vehicles is enough to make your head spin. So what should have taken an LA 20 Minutes to get to Santa Monica took an eternity, and the way home was no better. 

Naturally my concern was leaving Fannie home unattended for a long stretch of time since I have been dedicating so much time to her care (and my apologies if I am taking longer than usual to return emails- this is why). Fortunately Fannie was fine when we got home, and I fed her a huge plate of food outside away from the prying eyes of the other felines who aren't fed what seems to be 1000 times a day to maintain their strength and health. While she appears to be doing well, all things considered, it makes me very sad to think about the health challenges that she faces.

I cannot imagine my life without Fannie, and 15 years together is no short time shared. So I live with a combination of sadness and joy, and will do everything in my power to keep her happy and as healthy as possible.

Top to Bottom (Left to Right): Emma, Luca, Sebastian & Fannie.

This picture is of my Fearless Fabulous Four, of whom only Fannie now remains. It is always bittersweet to think back to these wonderful days when they were all happy and healthy, and living. I will never cease to miss these times, and my three departed beloved babies. Please send all of your good vibes to my beloved Fannie. =^..^=

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