Kitty Update

Now that Emmy's test results are in, it would seem Finn did not die of FIP, but of something else. To test for FIP in a live animal, the vet takes a blood sample and a stool sample. They look for antibodies in the blood and rank these on a scale of 0-1600. 0-25 means definitely no contact with FIP, 25-400 means unlikely contact with FIP, 400-1000 means possible contact with FIP and 1000-1600 means likely to definite contact with FIP. The main problem with the blood test is that a cat may test higher due to stress, and of course the whole experience of being at the vet and having blood taken is very stressful. The stool sample either contains virus or it doesn't.

Emmy's blood test came back with 100 and the stool was negative for virus. 100 is already very low on the unlikely contact part of the scale and when you account for stress and look at the stool sample basically means she does not have it.

This is great news - not only because it means Emmy is healthy, but also because we can get a new kitten companion for Emmy asap. Emmy is very lonely and depressed. She constantly calls for Finn and lies around more than usual. She's also not eating as much. It's so heartbreaking to see her this way. That's why it is very important that we find her a new pal soon. We have some options we are looking at, and may be able to bring a kitten home as early as the end of September.

As for Finn, his cause of death will remain a mystery. The breeder and the vet suspect it was a combination of an undetected heart problem, the brutal heat, and a normal virus (such as the flu) that got together to create a deadly cocktail. It is incomprehensible to me that a cat who was so young, healthy and active could just keel over like that with no warning. We keep asking each other if we could have done things differently - but there really were no signs at all. It's so scary.

In any case, I want to thank everyone for their massive outpouring of support and condolences during this difficult time. My tribute post for Finn had over 100 comments, my twitter was flooded, and I got a ton of Facebook messages and e-mails from cat lovers sharing their own kitty stories and happy memories of Finn.

I'll leave you with the last ever picture taken of Finn. Daniel took it with his phone on Friday afternoon, just about 18 hours before he took Finn into the vet.