i have booked merlin's euth. appointment for saturday.

he is so frail now and he is starting to get quite weak. he is struggling to stay on his feet now, he is beginning to wobble....still likes his dinner tho, those cats sure like to eat. he looks like an ancient old man, his URI is cleared up with that last ABX injection, but the anemia finally is getting him, he is starting the fade away. carrie told me today that she scooped him up and held him like a baby on the little red couch. soon she was covered in cats, miranda (from FF) was not about to be left out so she cuddled into merlin's belly and hugged him while joining the love fest.

we are currently arguing on the message board about bringing american animals into canada when there are canadian animals without a home....well merlin would probably not have gotten a home in the states, and miranda definitely would not get a home in canada either...no one wants the FeLV cats....except a few, like saints.

truly, truly, utterly beautiful animals thru and thru, the depth of their caring and kindness is a gift to behold. FeLV's are special, in so many ways that humans just do not understand. merlin and miranda can let the humans duke it out over who is right and who is wrong, who belongs here and who does not...they are just happy to have had the chance to belong somewhere.
ahhh merlin, you have been the very best caregiver we have ever had here....EVERYONE loves you, human and cat.

i did a paper years ago in college on AIDS...the african soldiers in amin's army were profoundly affected, they called it "the thin mans sickness"...i didn't really get this til i stared to work with the FeLV's...they get so thin at the end, they just start to fade before your eyes.

it is a sad disease to watch at the end, but the beauty of those that have it shines brighter and brighter each day....they must know somehow...why else do they value each day and each other so much?