Cat of the Month 04/08: Rosie
April brings us spring, which I always see as a time of new possibilities, of new beginnings. So it’s fitting that Rosie is the Cat of the Month for April, as she has been given the chance of a new beginning.
Rosie is a small black short haired cat with big, luminous eyes. She has an elegantly shaped face, reminiscent of Egyptian feline sculptures. I discovered Rosie several years ago as an adult cat—emaciated, nearly dead with flies already buzzing around her. She barely weighed four pounds. Her outlook was bleak—I thought “Things don't look too rosy for you, girl.” And in defiance of that thought I named her Rosie. With care and lots of food she did recover, and it wasn't till some time later that we learned she is mostly blind and deaf.
Recently Rosie again dramatically lost weight and I feared she might have kidney failure. A visit to the vet's revealed good news and bad. The good news is that her kidneys appear to be fine—it turns out she has hyperthyroidism, which is treatable. The bad news is that the most effective treatment for this is horribly expensive—over $1200. This treatment involves a one time injection of radioactive iodine. The other options are surgery which often doesn’'t work, or medication every day for the rest of her life. I really felt like I had to give Rosie the best chance that I could—she’s overcome so much so far. So hopefully I’ll sell a few paintings this month and the bill won't be so painful!