Winston
A donation was made in memory of Winston by Doctors and Staff of the Companion Animal Wellness Center on May 21, 2012.
“Born December 21, 2010, on April 16, 2011 I FINALLY got to up my kitten, Winston, from the breeder. I special ordered him and had been waiting for months to meet him. He was a Seal Point Siamese male and he was perfect! Winston was welcomed home by his five brothers who immediately realized Winston was the life of the party, incredibly smart and always ready to chase or play games. When he first came home he would fold in half and suck on his tummy. When he did this we would call him “Paco the Taco”. It was very cute! He also loved chips, so his nickname when he was eating (more like “stealing”) chips, we would call him “Crumb Cruncher”. Winston had a voracious appetite and would eat anything he could get his paws on. He always had access to kitty food, but he preferred to join us at dinner and eat chicken, ham, steak, tuna, baked potato…basically anything we were having. He used to sit on the dining room table, despite the fact it was against the rules. He figured that because he was small and cute he deserved his own seat at the table. Lastly, Winston liked cheese! His nickname for cheese eating was “Chester Cheeto”. In addition to playing with his brothers, he loved cuddling and sleeping between my legs on the couch where I would make a “hammock” for him with a blanket in front of the space heater. He LOVED the heater – year ‘round!
On Saturday April 14th I took Winston to Emergency Animal Medical Center because he was quiet, withdrawn, had discharge pouring from his eyes, and he appeared to be squinting in pain. Once I got him there, the staff and doctors were so polite and helpful at Emergency Animal Medical Center. Winston’s emergency room doctor, Dr. Watson drew some blood and examined his eyes. Immediately, she told me that Winston had uveitis, which is an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye. Uveitis, I learned isn’t a stand-alone illness. It is an inflammation secondary to a bacterial or viral infection. Now we had to figure out which one he had. They gave Winston some sub-Q fluids for his dehydration and sent me home with some pain medicine for Winston and some prednisone eye drops to reduce the inflammation in his eyes. The results of his blood tests were scheduled to be in on Tuesday or Wednesday. Sunday April 15th we had to bring Winston back to Emergency Animal Medical Center because he still wasn’t eating or drinking, he had a fever and was severely dehydrated.
On Monday April 16th I called Winston’s regular vet, Dr. Clark, at Companion Animal Wellness Center to make a follow up appointment for Winston. We saw Dr. Clark he following day for additional sub-Q fluids for Winston and we also tried mirtazapine to stimulate his appetite. In the meantime, Winston continued to decline. Dr. Clark called me on Wednesday April 18th to let me know his blood tests were back and extremely suggestive of FIP (Feline infectious peritonitis) given his lab values and symptoms. FIP is a fatal incurable disease that affects cats and I was going to have to put Winston to sleep.
By Wednesday, Winston would not eat anything, would not drink, he was depressed, withdrawn and would not leave my bed, or play with his brothers. Dr. Clark and I discussed palliative care, but I sadly decided that I didn’t want him to suffer anymore despite the fact I would have loved to have selfishly had more time with him. Had I not elected to put Winston to sleep, he would have had a maximum of two miserable weeks to live, I would have had to pump him full of medicine to keep him comfortable, but ultimately he would have starved to death. Friday April 20th, Winston was put to sleep and it absolutely broke my heart.
Winston was just so tiny and so young to be so sick – he was only a year and a half old. I wish he could have had one more fantastic day so that I could see him eat and play with his brothers, and hear him purr but I wasn’t that lucky. Instead I just stayed up with him all of his last night with me and held him.
Winston, I love you so much! I hope you are in a better place now. I hope you are healthy, comfortable, and happy and able to run and play once again. Your brothers miss you and the house just isn’t the same without you!”
Jen F.
On Saturday April 14th I took Winston to Emergency Animal Medical Center because he was quiet, withdrawn, had discharge pouring from his eyes, and he appeared to be squinting in pain. Once I got him there, the staff and doctors were so polite and helpful at Emergency Animal Medical Center. Winston’s emergency room doctor, Dr. Watson drew some blood and examined his eyes. Immediately, she told me that Winston had uveitis, which is an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye. Uveitis, I learned isn’t a stand-alone illness. It is an inflammation secondary to a bacterial or viral infection. Now we had to figure out which one he had. They gave Winston some sub-Q fluids for his dehydration and sent me home with some pain medicine for Winston and some prednisone eye drops to reduce the inflammation in his eyes. The results of his blood tests were scheduled to be in on Tuesday or Wednesday. Sunday April 15th we had to bring Winston back to Emergency Animal Medical Center because he still wasn’t eating or drinking, he had a fever and was severely dehydrated.
On Monday April 16th I called Winston’s regular vet, Dr. Clark, at Companion Animal Wellness Center to make a follow up appointment for Winston. We saw Dr. Clark he following day for additional sub-Q fluids for Winston and we also tried mirtazapine to stimulate his appetite. In the meantime, Winston continued to decline. Dr. Clark called me on Wednesday April 18th to let me know his blood tests were back and extremely suggestive of FIP (Feline infectious peritonitis) given his lab values and symptoms. FIP is a fatal incurable disease that affects cats and I was going to have to put Winston to sleep.
By Wednesday, Winston would not eat anything, would not drink, he was depressed, withdrawn and would not leave my bed, or play with his brothers. Dr. Clark and I discussed palliative care, but I sadly decided that I didn’t want him to suffer anymore despite the fact I would have loved to have selfishly had more time with him. Had I not elected to put Winston to sleep, he would have had a maximum of two miserable weeks to live, I would have had to pump him full of medicine to keep him comfortable, but ultimately he would have starved to death. Friday April 20th, Winston was put to sleep and it absolutely broke my heart.
Winston was just so tiny and so young to be so sick – he was only a year and a half old. I wish he could have had one more fantastic day so that I could see him eat and play with his brothers, and hear him purr but I wasn’t that lucky. Instead I just stayed up with him all of his last night with me and held him.
Winston, I love you so much! I hope you are in a better place now. I hope you are healthy, comfortable, and happy and able to run and play once again. Your brothers miss you and the house just isn’t the same without you!”
Jen F.
