Sad News

We found out today that our sweet baby Ginger has Feline Leukemia. Fortunately the other two kitties, Duchess and Clarence, are virus free. It is a mystery how Ginger has been exposed as she has NEVER been outside of our house. The only one of our cats who has been outside is Duchess and she has not been allowed out in months, every since she was attacked by something in the woods!

In talking to the vet (we had Ginger tested 3 times to be sure) he indicated that the strength, or lack of in Ginger's case, of the test result would have him guess that her exposure occurred within the last 30 days (!!!) That is just IMPOSSIBLE! How does a cat get a virus that is only transmitted by another infected cat, when she has never been around an infected cat????? We are truly befuddled!

The vet did indicate that Ginger is not very sick. Her temperature is elevated (103--normal is 101-102.5) but not alot, the swollen lymph nodes, that spurred me to bring her in, were mild and could just be a reaction to the fever. Right now, until the complete blood panel comes back, we are keeping her comfortable and isolated from the other cats. Once we have the blood work back we'll have a better idea of Ginger's overall health.

A bit of encouraging news is that it is possible for her to fight the virus and become Leukemia free! We, of course, will pray for that each and every day. Dave and I are concerned about our ability to keep the cats separated for any length of time and will have to make a decision if Ginger proves to be chronically ill with the virus.

I've cried and so has Sarah. She understands what Leukemia is and that Ginger may die. The other children are equating her illness with the flu or something as minor as that. I don't think it is the time to tell them how serious this illness is. There will be time later to prepare them.

We know that prayer is powerful and have seen what miracles can occur. Will you please include our sweet baby in your prayers? She is a treasured member of our family and we just cannot imagine a day without her sweet antics.