Friday, March 5, 2010 - Alecs

Ok, so I'm not doing so hot with the idea of blogging every day. Life is just too hectic I guess. So I apologize if you are a huge fan...lmao! Anyway, in the midst of all the chaos in my life, I want to tell you about my Alecs. Alecs is my oldest cat, having just had his 13th birthday on February 12. In 1997, when my Coley (the only cat I had at the time...wow that was a long time ago!) was 3 years old and had been diagnosed with feline leukemia, I went in search of a friend for him because I hated leaving him home alone while I was at work. I was an EMT in Portage at the time and I walked into the ambulance garage one day to find my friend with a box of kittens. Coley was black so I immediately locked onto this little black kitten, a male. I decided to adopt him when I learned that he was also FeLV+. Perfect! So I named him Alecs and brought him home to my Coley. What great friends they were! They loved each other very much and it was very difficult when we lost Coley in 2002, to see Alecs in mourning. He searched high and low for his beloved brother and nothing could console him. Those who say animals do not mourn are insane.

In February of 2003, I took Alecs to the vet in Lodi for his annual check up. Dr. Lathrop commented on how great Alecs looked and said that she could not believe he had feline leukemia, even though he had tested positive multiple times. She asked if she could run a blood test, free of charge, just for her own curiosity. So we ran the test and, as I waited in the little exam room with Alecs, I actually allowed myself to fantasize about what it would be like to have the test come back negative. What a glorious thought! As I sat there in my own little world, Dr. Lathrop came back in, smiling. She said words I will never forget..."Heidi, did you know that 10% of cats with feline leukemia can actually shed the virus?" My eyes lit up as she proceeded to explain that apparently Alecs was part of that 10%. His test had come back negative. I later framed the report from the vet where Dr. Lathrop had written "FeLV NEGATIVE" in huge letter across the page. It was an amazing day.

My sweet Alecs is still with me after all these years. He was there when we lost Coley. He was there when we lost Riley. He stayed with me even though I got dogs...lol. He lived in the cow barn with me for two months. And he never once left my side. He is my best friend.

In 2008, Alecs began to lose weight and developed a nasty infection in his mouth. Dr. Twardowski recommended that we pull a few of his teeth and attack the infection. We pulled 4 teeth in May of that year and Alecs did well with the antibiotics. However, in July, the infection returned. We pulled four more teeth and did the antibiotics again. Again, Alecs did well. However, in September, the infection was back. I was told by the doctor that Alecs' teeth were being rejected by his body. For some reason, his body decided his own teeth were foreign and must be attacked. She recommended pulling all of his teeth, which we promptly did the following day. It was not a difficult decision because, clearly, it is what needed to be done for Alecs, but it was strange in that it was the first time I looked at Alecs for his age. He was 11 at the time, elderly already for a cat. I just could not figure out where all the time had gone and how my little kitten grew up so fast.

Alecs has been toothless for nearly 2 years now and he is FANTASTIC. He can eat dry food but, of course, we give him soft food too. His meow is a little funny because he is like an old man without his dentures, but his weight is back up and he is back to being my Alecs. Every year on his birthday, we take cookies to the vet staff as a thank you and a celebration that my Alecs is still here. I just can't imagine life without him.

So that is my Alecs, my Aleeky, my Lecs man, my Alexander...one of the great loves of my life. Tomorrow (or as soon as I can blog again) I will tell you all about Tucker...the cat. (Yes, I have a cat named Tucker and a dog named Tucker...I will explain later...) Have a blessed day and thanks for reading.