On another note, this week has been a combination of highs and lows and as I sit here writing this, I am feeling both sad and happy. I pride myself on being open to education on everything there is to offer, and taking what I learn and discover to help myself and others. I like to think I am very aware and that I also promote awareness in every area, but predominantly health & wellness. In the past practicing prevention has definitely helped me in the sense that by leading a healthy lifestyle I truly believe was one of the many reasons I survived breast cancer twice. Early detection is also something I believe in, whether it is a health issue, a relationship challenge or a business related problem.
I would like to share with you all why I am feeling happy first, everyone likes to hear stories. My husband Dave has impatiently been awaiting the arrival of the new 16G IPhone and when it was announced that July 11th was the date Canadians could purchase one he did what everyone else did and lined up outside a Rogers store. Dave came home disappointed but said he would try again, which he did along with me a few days ago. We both drove to the nearest Rogers store where Dave had been told a shipment of IPhones would be delivered, obviously nothing was guaranteed. Dave suggested he drive to the next closest Rogers store in the local mall because they opened half an hour earlier and I agreed to wait at the first store until it opened at 10am. We arrived at the store at 7.45 and at around 9.25 a courier van parked outside the store and the guy got out with 3 small brown boxes. I asked him if there were phones in the boxes and he looked at me, kind of in a scared way I think, and said yes there were phones and at that point an assistant let him into the store. I phoned Dave and said I would keep him updated. Maybe 10 minutes later a guy who worked in the store came out with a brochure about the IPhone and asked if I wanted a Black or White 16G and I said Black very quickly and he said that it would be mine but I had to wait until the store opened at 10am! I phoned Dave and said that he should drive back, safely, and he sounded very excited. I earned the title of the wife who waited outside a Rogers store for her husband and to see Dave’s face when he actually got the phone home made it all worthwhile.
Now I come to the sad story, which at this point I have no idea will have a happy ending. We are the proud owners of 5 indoor cats. When we arrived in Canada 15 years ago and lived on a farm for a while one of the farm cats gave birth to 5 kittens, one was born dead, so our 4 children each chose a kitten and the mother cat seemed very happy that we looked after them and did not leave them to a life of hardship and probably death as the other farm cats. After moving to our new home we discovered the By-Law that cats should not be roaming around and should only go outside on a leash and we have kept to that Law since finding out about it. One of the boy cats had to be put to sleep about 8 years ago even though my son did everything possible to make sure he could survive diabetes it was decided that it was kinder to end the cats pain. After a year I gave my son a new kitten, a ginger and white one thinking he would love her, but he said he was not ready. I adopted her and named her Amber and she became my new baby. A year later we adopted her sister, a grey tabby, and my son called her Cleo. All the cats got on well together, the boys had been neutered many years previously and I we decided because the girls were indoor cats that spaying was something we had no need to do. The 3 brothers are now almost 15 years old, Cleo is 8 and my baby Amber is 9. About two weeks ago we noticed some changes in her and kept an eye out and a few days ago we took her to the vet, yesterday we took her back to the vet and Amber underwent lots of different tests and as I write this I am waiting for the results. I cried in the vets surgery when the lovely lady vet told me that Amber could have either a cancer related disease or a uterine infection, both very serious. Evidently not many adult cats of Amber’s age are still alive if they have not been spayed and the vet explained that like women, female cats can succumb to many serious diseases because of their hormones, ovaries and womb being intact. Even though 9 is a good age for any cat spaying may have prevented whatever is making Amber very sick.
I felt guilty, I still do, but I realise that I was not educated about this and if I was not aware how could I have prevented it? The one thing I know I did to help Amber is when I recognised the early symptoms I took her to the vet, hoping early detection would be a plus in this situation. Amber is on medication and once we know the results we can make decisions on how to move forward. She is sleeping and does not appear in pain and is eating and drinking. I will now do my best to do what I have done in the past and tell people Amber’s story, in the hope that I can raise awareness, and prevention and early detection can help other female cats. She is only a cat, many people say, she has had a good life, and I am aware that there are far more serious things in life than a sick cat, but she is a part of our family and I feel that I have let her down. With the new knowledge I have I can help others, and I am quietly waiting and hoping that my cat, Amber can be cured and can live a happy and long life, for however long that may be.
Happiness and sadness are a part of life, we must take the happy times and cherish them and we must take the sad times and not only learn from them, but move on. We must not let anything take away our passion for life, our happy feelings and know that feeling sad is inevitable but it will pass.
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