Our Lilly came to us at such a special time. It was our first pet "as a family". The kids were so excited. They couldn't believe this little fuzzball was theirs to keep. The days went on and we decided to get another Ragdoll....who we named Lucy. They became the best of friends and sisters. Lilly was born March 24, 2007 and Lucy was born April 5, 2007. Just after they came home to us both of my in-laws suffered with brain tumors. Dad in laws was benign, but the surgery left him severely disabled with hydroencephalitis. My mom in law just one day after dad was release from Sloan, had a seizure and we found out has stage 4 brain cancer. So we truly believed these kittens came to us for a reason. To help our children be distracted, even if only for a little while. Our kids are 10, 8 and almost 4. Then something even worse happened. On November 8, 2007, we noticed Lilly wasn't breathing right. So we took her to the ER right away and they thought it was asmtha. They also did a chest xray and said her heart seemed enlarged. They said we should follow up with vet the next day. Which we did. They had a cardiologist from Red Bank come up and did a work up on Lilly. They had a diagnosis. Feline Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Lilly's little heart was twice the size, there was blood backing up into her lungs (congestive heart failure) and she needed serious medications. My head was spinning. This was curable, right? And when the doctor looked at me....I just knew. He said usually if kittens or cats come in and they aren't in heart failure already, then their prognosis is a little better. But Lilly was in complete heart failure. They said it could be anywhere from 3-6 months. But who knows ,she could last a couple of year. I took her home, cried the whole way and then had to face my husband and children. During those next few months, we babied her like crazy. We noticed she didn't want to play with her sister Lucy too much anymore, but Lilly was still cleaning herself and cuddling in bed with us. What more could we ask for. Then during the week of my dad's kidney transplant (which my sister gave him one of her kidneys), Lilly went into complete heart failure again. It was exactly 3 months since her last episode. This time her heart grew even bigger and the fluid was not only inside her lungs, but also outside her lungs as well. She also lost 2 more pounds...which brings her down to 9 lbs. The noticed her phospherus was elevated and they want to keep an eye on that. And also want to keep an eye on her liver and kidney function. They doubled her medication intake. And here were are. I have to say that since she had this most recent heart failure, it has taken a toll on her body. She hasn't come upstairs to cuddle with any of us anymore. She is sleeping alot more and sometimes doesn't want to be petted...which is so unlike her. Ragdolls cats are cuddlebugs!!
I guess I am just rambling on hoping someone out there may have some type of similiar story at Lilly's. It just breaks my heart watching her getting slower and slower and not knowing what to expect from day to day. I just know what I don't want to happen. I don't want any of our children find her as she passes on to her next life. I truly know they will be devastated. I bought some books for them regarding that aspect. I also did paw imprints of her. They are so adorable.

I guess I've written way too much already. It just helps to write. And next to being a mom....writing is something I just love to do!

Take care...
Donna Muzzicato