PETE WEDDERBURN Animal Doctor
We wanted to do everything possible to avoid this happening to our new cat. For a few months, we kept an open mind, talking to people from the rescue cat and pedigree cat world, waiting to see if the right kitten would appear. Last week, an interesting possibility turned up: a Maine Coon breeder had a kitten that needed a special home.
This breeder does everything possible to ensure that her cats are healthy: before using them to produce kittens, she has their hearts scanned, so that she can be as sure as possible that they do not pass on the common heart disease that caused Spin’s problem. She also does a range of other health checks, with close involvement of her local vet. It was refreshing to hear about such attention to detail by a breeder, but I was still not convinced that a pedigree kitten was the one that we were looking for.
Then she told me about Aslan. He had almost been still born: after a difficult, breech delivery, he hadn’t breathed at first, and then when he did start to breathe, he spluttered and struggled to catch his breath. She hadn’t thought he’d survive, but his will to live was strong, and somehow, he kept going. As he grew up, he continued to have some breathing difficulties, getting a little out of breath after playing, and coughing from time to time. The vet had taken x-rays of his chest, and there was nothing dramatic wrong. It seemed that his problems were still caused by his difficult birth, and he was gradually getting over this. He was growing at the same rate as his litter mates, eating well and playing actively. His rapid breathing and occasional cough were the only problems, and even these issues seemed to be getting better over time. The breeder was looking for a special home for him: somewhere he could be cherished and where he could get any extra medical care that he might need if his condition deteriorated.
After hearing this story, it wasn’t a difficult decision. We had been waiting for the right kitten to come our way, and I had always felt that we would know when this happened. This sense was confirmed when we met Aslan in person: he’s such a friendly, engaging little character.
He has been with us for a week now, and he’s already an important part of our household. I’m watching his breathing carefully, but so far, so good. Aslan is a special kitten in many senses of the word.