Things have been stressful for the past week. My youngest cat has become very sick.

Her name is Wheezy. We named her that because she had a respiratory infection when we adopted her that's left her a permanently noisy breather. About four autumns ago, we could hear her breathing in our back yard, as a stray. We ended up luring her into the warmth of our house simply by keeping the back door open, as it was just before snow started to fall. Once she stepped inside, I snuck around from the front and closed the door behind her.

Had we not brought Wheezy in, she would have certainly died in the cold. She's obviously the runt of the litter, being both thin and half the size of a normal cat, on top of having that infection. She's weird; I think she was separated from her mother at too young of an age. She's the only cat I've ever known who doesn't chase strings or lasers. She also doesn't groom herself very well, so I've had to occasionally coax her into the tub with cat milk to bathe her.

She's very sweet though. Taming her was a funny experience. She was hesitant to let anyone touch her, so I managed to start petting her by sneaking up on her while she was sleeping. She started to purr, obviously enjoying it, until she realized what was happening and shot up, haha. Now she just adores affection, and is utterly insistent upon sitting and sleeping on people's laps. She'll follow me from room to room around the house, and gets especially excited if she thinks I have cat milk for her, sometimes even climbing my leg. Because of her respiratory damage, she meows like a whisper, and when she purrs, she coos like a pigeon.

Right now, she's at the vet, and is very ill. She's got a toothache and an oral infection, and has been losing weight, barely eating. I thought it was just a dental problem, but it's more serious. On Tuesday, Wheezy got diagnosed with feline immunodeficiency virus, the cat equivalent of HIV. She probably got it from her mother's milk. That throws a wrench into everything. She's also been losing protein through her gut, which is normally treated with steroids, but those are an immune system suppressant. That can't happen until the infection clears. But she's still barely eating due to her toothache. She needs anaesthetic for surgery, but the doctor is afraid that might kill her in her current condition.

I had Wheezy at the vet earlier this week, and she was apparently eating well while on an IV and painkillers. I had her home for a day, but she barely ate then, and actually attacked me when I tried to give her an oral painkiller. She'd never done that before -- she's like the gentlest cat I've known. Now she's back and on the IV again. We'll see if she eats over the rest of the weekend.

The options then are either to attempt the dental surgery, which might kill her; or to euthanize her, which will definitely kill her. I'm just dreading the thought of having to dig another grave for a pet -- I've tried to steel myself for stuff like this, but I don't feel like I have it in me.

It's been a hard week. This is all has me above my head in vet bills too, but I've never let a vet bill deter me from treating my pets. I was saving money for MFF, but I've pulled it out and put it towards the fees. Dee's been willing to collaborate with me on commissions to raise funds. I've been considering a commission stream too. I just feel utterly awful right now, though, and don't have the heart to sit and draw at the moment.

I hope Wheezy will pull together. The house feels emptier without her and her little noisy breaths.

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/1273h3vc12nrii2/AAAuk2PqFzFsRtRANLhXVkmCa
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/fe79ppsrdndwk3j/AABoETFnBDUggflfI3cnGywJa
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1aei0rlhcpzknw2/2014-08-07%2022.02.20.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/c4vbshkv3tndcz6/AACAmelOP_rTG8b1zi1o4cxIa
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/735ye2ju4lvmkb3/AAA90ZtCnfKYwsCMMK33yx_Sa