A Tribute to "Shivers"

Kathy, My daughter DaysDawning alerted me to your posts about CH and suggested I post a response. Another daughter lives on a rather secluded farm where people often dump off unwanted cats; usually pregnant females. Several years ago she called to ask me what to do with a just weaned kitten who was having a terrible time getting around. They live in an area where coyotes, eagles and other predators abound and my daughter knew that the kitten would be totally defenseless. Her children had named the kitten "Shivers" because of the constant head motion as he tried to orient himself. He, too, would take a few steps and then fall over.

I offered to take the kitten and immediately took him to our vet. He diagnosed the kitten with CH which he said was caused by the pregnant mother having feline distemper. The vet lovingly nicknamed the kitten "Little Pea Brain." I asked about having the kitten put down but was told that, if I wanted to asume full care of the kitten, he would make a wonderful pet.

Although he could originally walk a few steps before he fell over, as he gained weight, he could no longer walk at all. I had several cat beds that I alternated keeping him in, turning him over every few hours so he was not always on the same side. He enjoyed being where he could watch us and loved my front porch in the summer time. He enjoyed it when I worked in my gardens and he could watch butterflies and even blowing leaves. We even had a little stroller that he would travel in whenever I walked my dog. He had the most expressive yellow-green eyes that "spoke" everything I needed to know about how he was feeling.

He could not use the litter box so when I fed him, he was placed on a puppy pad and learned to "go" whenever he ate. He could not chew so his food had to be something he could take into his mouth and swallow without choking. He also needed occasional bathing as he could not groom himself and his toenails had to be kept trimmed since he could not walk to keep them worn down. He got a daily brushing which he loved. An adult cat that I had "adopted" Shivers and would wash him and curl up with him when it was cold. For an old neutered tom, we were surprised that he seemed to be very aware of Shivers' condition and really cared about him.

Shivers got to visit our pre-school, kindergarten class and Bible School. He was a very good lesson that something did not have to be perfect to be perfectly all right. We also visited several elderly women who really enjoyed Shivers because he would just curl up in their laps and purr as we visited.

Our vet was very interested in Shivers' health as he grew older because he said that the vets seldom get to follow the progression of the problems as very few kittens survived on their own. Caring for him was a labor of love for me and if it helped the vet understand his condition that was a real plus.

I had Shivers for seven years before his quality of life deteriorated to the point where I opted for euthanasia. I cried, the vet cried and his assistants cried for we had all lost a very special animal. Caring for Shivers was one of the most satisfying things I have ever done and, if I had to do it over again, I would in a heartbeat. I received a little criticism from some people who thought that he should never have been allowed to live but they were in the minority. The rest of us learned a great deal about life from Shivers. We have decided that he was not a kitten but an EXPERIENCE; one I am glad we could share with him.