After four days of tending to a weak cat who wasn't eating I was at the end of my rope. The vet didn't return my calls and I didn't have any more dough to fund another office visit, so I just went with my gut. I took her off the antibiotic, which I'd read can cause stomach upset and vomiting in cats. Violet was on the antibiotic to prevent an infection, not to cure one, so I felt the lesser of two evils was to help her get her strength back with food. Problem was, she didn't want anything. And I mean nothing. Not wet food. Not dry food. Not scrambled eggs or tuna or milk or ice cream or anything. I'd been putting the Nutri Cal supplement in her mouth, but she hated it and it was stressful for her. I posted on facebook that I was going to attempt to feed her with a syringe. I knew this wouldn't be easy, as she barely tolerated being pilled.
Several people replied to my post. One woman suggested raw chicken liver and another said raw egg. Since I'm not one for the regular stocking of chicken liver, I opted for the dozen eggs in my fridge. I took the yolk, mixed it with my finger and brought it up to Violet's mouth, smearing a bit on her face. One lick and she was like, "Heck, yeah! What's that?" I fed her the whole yolk and after that she ate some of her crunchy treats. It was like a Christmas miracle! Last night, she jumped up on my bed and snuggled up to my side as I read a book. She didn't retreat under the bed. She let Erik hold her when I gave her her pill. And best of all, she didn't vomit it all back up in the middle of the night. This morning she followed me into the bathroom as she always does, which gave me the best feeling in the world. I honestly don't know how much longer she has to live because of these heart worms but I am so grateful that it isn't going to happen sooner because she didn't eat and went into liver failure. I am so appreciative of everyone's words of support both on this blog and on facebook. Sometimes I bitch and moan about social media, but right now I want to give everyone a virtual hug. What a difference a little egg makes!
Which brings me to the book I was able to finish last night. And yes, it's a death book. It's called "Life After Death" and it's by Damien Echols. You may know Mr. Echols from the news or from the documentary, "Paradise Lost." You can watch the trailer above. Or from the term, "West Memphis Three." Mr. Echols and two other men were convicted of killing three young boys in Arkansas in the 90's. Turns out, they didn't do it and several celebrities and one dedicated woman who eventually married Echols helped to free them. It was a pretty good book and it made me think of Sonya Reed who is forgotten in prison. She doesn't have Johnny Depp or Natalie Maines or Eddie Vedder bringing attention to her case. While it's true that Khristian Oliver and his father have been in the news (NPR and the Texas Monthly) this month, Sonya's story doesn't sell magazines. Why? Because there is nothing about her story that is sensational. She was just a pregnant woman sitting outside in a truck and she got 99 years because a burglary committed by her boyfriend at the time turned into a murder. All Sonya Reed has as an advocate is me and I'm not exactly important or newsworthy. I wish I cold get someone with a name to bring attention to her case. She is a loving, intelligent person and it is such a shame that her life is wasted in prison.
I'm going to leave you with a few paragraphs from Echols' epilogue.
"A person can starve to death in prison, and not through lack of food. What I'm talking about is the withering and death of the human spirit from lack of decency or love for fellow human beings. The talking heads on television project the image of prisoners as animals, and it's true. It's true because the spirit that once made them human has been starved to death, and they become a black hole in human form.
Prison is designed to separate, isolate, and alienate your from everyone and everything. You're not allowed to so much as touch your spouse, your parents, your children. They system does everything within its power to sever any physical or emotional links you have to anyone in the outside world. They want your children to grow up without ever knowing you..."
I don't want to let that happen with Sonya. Call me a bleeding heart liberal or a crazy cat lady, I don't care. I believe in the power of love. Sometimes that's all we have to sustain us through our darkest times.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!
Several people replied to my post. One woman suggested raw chicken liver and another said raw egg. Since I'm not one for the regular stocking of chicken liver, I opted for the dozen eggs in my fridge. I took the yolk, mixed it with my finger and brought it up to Violet's mouth, smearing a bit on her face. One lick and she was like, "Heck, yeah! What's that?" I fed her the whole yolk and after that she ate some of her crunchy treats. It was like a Christmas miracle! Last night, she jumped up on my bed and snuggled up to my side as I read a book. She didn't retreat under the bed. She let Erik hold her when I gave her her pill. And best of all, she didn't vomit it all back up in the middle of the night. This morning she followed me into the bathroom as she always does, which gave me the best feeling in the world. I honestly don't know how much longer she has to live because of these heart worms but I am so grateful that it isn't going to happen sooner because she didn't eat and went into liver failure. I am so appreciative of everyone's words of support both on this blog and on facebook. Sometimes I bitch and moan about social media, but right now I want to give everyone a virtual hug. What a difference a little egg makes!
I'm going to leave you with a few paragraphs from Echols' epilogue.
"A person can starve to death in prison, and not through lack of food. What I'm talking about is the withering and death of the human spirit from lack of decency or love for fellow human beings. The talking heads on television project the image of prisoners as animals, and it's true. It's true because the spirit that once made them human has been starved to death, and they become a black hole in human form.
Prison is designed to separate, isolate, and alienate your from everyone and everything. You're not allowed to so much as touch your spouse, your parents, your children. They system does everything within its power to sever any physical or emotional links you have to anyone in the outside world. They want your children to grow up without ever knowing you..."
I don't want to let that happen with Sonya. Call me a bleeding heart liberal or a crazy cat lady, I don't care. I believe in the power of love. Sometimes that's all we have to sustain us through our darkest times.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!