I usually talk to my family on the weekends because we can talk for a long time since the time difference is 9 hours. I hate being so far away from them, but love I'm able to talk to them.
On this conversation my dad told me something I did not see coming. My special little kitty "Bunnie Bipity Bop" had passed away 2 days earlier. I was completely and utterly heartbroken. The phone of course cut out right after my dad told me that and I couldn't bring myself to call them back right after. I just sat there, curled up in a ball and cried. My two kitties here with me came up and laid next to me. They knew I was hurting. I told my husband who was in his office playing his computer games. He was sad too because he knew Bunnie and really liked her.
Bunnie wasn't ran over by a car or killed by a neighbor dog or another predator. My parents took her to the Vet because she wasn't acting like herself and after a week her test results came back. They were not good. Bunnie tested positive for this rare feline disease which mutates from the common feline virus called "Feline Corona Virus or FCoV." Feline Corona Virus is very common in households with multiple cats and most of the time a cat will shed the virus and can get over it within a few weeks. Apparently what happened with Bunnie was she didn't shed the virus. Unfortunately the virus mutated and became Feline Infectious Peritonitis or "FIP." Only 5-10% of cats with FCoV will become infected with FIP. It's extremely rare.
What my family and I are thinking is Bunnie had FCoV since she was a kitten. She was probably a carrier of the disease and lived until she was almost 5 before the virus mutated and became early stages of FIP. The Vets said because of her age she was probably cared for very well because most cats with FIP don't live past 2 years.
I know slowly but surely my heart will heal, however right now grieving is the only thing I am able to do. I am so fortunate I was able to come back home last summer to spend time with her and cherish her company. I know she missed me while I was away because she slept on my bed almost every night while I was home. Even though I am back in Italy I still miss her. I thought of her often my first months here, and wished I could have taken her with me.
My husband told me to be thankful for the time I had with her, and to not sulk in these moments of grieving, but to be happy that I have two wonderful and affectionate kitties here with me in Italy. And I am, really, but it is hard to say "See you soon" to someone you loved very deeply.
Yes I said "See you soon." I don't believe in goodbyes. Bunnie went to Kitty Heaven and I know one day far from now I'll see her up there. I'm very thankful for my family who knew when it was time to let her go, and I know she didn't suffer. She was one of my favorite cats ever and I'll never, ever forget her.
I will always love you Bunnie, and know you'll be looking down upon me from Heaven!
No comments:
Post a Comment