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A Letter To Cat Lovers Everywhere
by Lonesome
When I heard that What's Up magazine was doing a
special issue dedicated to animal rights I quickly
phoned up my buddy Leon (don't he look cute on the
front cover?) and asked if he could use an article
pertaining to Feline Leukemia (FeLV).
What qualifies me to write this article? Well,
you see, I am FeLV positive and have been dealing with
this disease for thirty two months. I have been
fortunate in that the effects of FeLV on my immune
system were staved off for two years. This is not the
case today.
What is FeLV? It's sort of like the Human
Immunodeficency Virus (HIV) that invades the body of
Humans. My white blood cells have gone crazy and are
overpowering the oxygen carrying hemoglobin (red blood
cells) in my blood stream. No, this is not painful for
me, but for my human counterparts, Harry and Palmer
(whom I have spent my thirteen years with), it has
been rather difficult. I don't blame them for my
illness, after all, they didn't know.
Since the FeLV virus has begun to take its course
I have lost 3 pounds, a common side effect of the
virus. I have also experienced a physical lethargy
that has all but stopped my ability to run and play
with my friends. This lethargy has also manifested
itself in my need for extraneous amounts of rest. My
usual habit has been to sleep 15 or 16 hours a day
(hey a cat needs his beauty sleep) but in the last two
weeks the necessity for rest has overcome me since my
blood is no longer able to deliver the precious oxygen
required for proper function. Other side effects of
this disease include anemia, digestive problems, and
in female cats, miscarriage.
Sounds pretty bad doesn't it? A few of the most
important things I can tell you about FeLV is that it
is spread by contact with infected or carrier animals,
it is uncurable, and totally preventable. A yearly
vaccination by a qualified Veterinarian is all it
takes to insure your cat is protected. My brother
Crusher gets his every year! (Hee hee hee) Wonder if
it hurts? Who cares, it protects him!
Please remember to have your feline loved ones
vaccinated against this preventable tragic disease.
Call your Veterinarian and make the difference in the
life of someone who loves you as much as you love
them, and a big Thank You to Harry for typing this for
me.
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