Love will ever win !!

By Roelie van Weert, cattery Skogens Best

May 1997:
Our female Bergansius Gula is finally pregnant again. Her first delivery was very difficult and ended with caesarian section, after some difficult weeks the kittens died on pneumonia. This time we hoped for some better results. In the middle of the night Gula started to deliver, and again it was very difficult. Contractions all the time, but she just didnīt seem to have the strength to push. Or was there a kitten that got stuck somewhere? We prepared for the long trip to the vet (one hour drive), but Wim, my husband, wanted to try something. With his finger, full of vaseline, he managed to feel the kitten and could turn it a bit. A final contraction, a scream, and there she was: Skogens Best Kvinne Katrinne, our little tortie tabby princess. She was the only kitten.

In norwegian "Kvinne" means "woman", in dutch language itīs "Vrouw". And this Vrouwke, as we called her, was a real woman! Only a few hours old she managed, with a few charming noises, to conquer our bed. Gula and little Kvinne were sleeping comfortable in the middle of the bed, Wim and I had to share the edges, without any blankets. We didnīt bother.

Kvinne grew up being a very special cat. She seemed to understand everything what happened around her. She did not like to play with the other cats. No, sheīd rather start a conversation with us about all what happened in the world. Soon it was our habit to have her around us all the time. She was with us day and night. She had more rights and privileges than the other cats. Not only that we gave her these rights, she just took them.

We did not do many catshows with Kvinne. First time, entering kitten class (3-6 months) in Heerenveen, up north in the Netherlands, was like heaven. She won everything. Best Variety, Best in Show, Best of Best, she got it all! This was no surprise for us. Of course, she was the most beautiful cat in the world! She was our princess! What we didnīt know that moment, was that it would be the one and only catshow that our Kvinne did behave herself. Next show she was so agressive! It got so bad that we had her withdrawn. Why taking the risk of damaging the judge and steward, and hurting our little princess? We didnīt understand what was happening. Kvinne was always such a sweet girl, why did she even try to attack us, as soon as we were in a show hall? Now, after what all has happened, we realise that she must already have been ill that moment.

June 1999:
Kvinne was in heat! That was the big moment we had been waiting for. We had found her a nice looking stud boy in Germany, so we happily drove to him. It was hard to leave our princess there. She was so angry at us and at her lover boy! We knew the owners of the stud very well, and trusted them with our princess. They would take care of her.

Four days later we went to Germany again, to get our princess back. But we were shocked when we saw her!   Something was totally wrong. She had such big round yes, with pupils wide open, and such a horrible scary look! What had we done to her!

First we thought these eyes were so big because of the shock, because of her heat. What we didnīt know that moment, was that her pupils would stay that big for several months. Had it something to do with disease?

August 10, 1999:
The kittens should come now. We had installed a webcam in the bedroom, so that we could watch her all the time. Wim drove from work to house several times every day, kept me informed how the situation was. When she got a bit nervous, I left my work and drove home immediately, to assist her. Kvinne was so glad to see me, she jumped on my lap and immediately, I got wet. Never realised how emotional you can get by feeling the first birth fluids on your lap!

The kittens were born in my arms. It was so beautiful. We did the contractions together, Kvinne was fully focussed on me. With her little hands in my hads we conquered pain, with my voice I comforted her. Within two hours she deliverd 4 beautiful kittens without any problem. Two red tabby mackerel and white boys, one black female and one black female with a little white locket. They were so beautiful, and she was so proud!

Kvinne turned out to be a perfect mother. Maybe too perfect. She gave herself completely to her kittens. So much milk, and she watched them carefully. The kittens grew hard. She herself got a bit skinny, but it seemed normal. After all, she gave all to her childeren...

December 1999:
The kittens had become very beautiful norwegians. One of the red tabby and white males was leaving for Boston, USA, the other male would find a new home nearby. The girls stayed in our cattery. We tried to get Kvinne in better condition by feeding her everything she wanted, but we didnīt succeed. She seemed to become skinnier all the time. How could it be? She didnīt feed the kittens anymore, then why didnīt she gain some weight? She seemed to change mentally, didnīt like live anymore. She didnīt react on us like she used to do. We brought her back to the vet. The nightmare had started.

December 21, 1999:
Kvinneīs blood was examined in the laboratory. There is something badly wrong. Het kidneys have stopped working. We put her in the animal hospital immediately, where they try to clean up the kidneys. Itīs only getting worse.

Christmas 1999:
A christmas without our princess? We can not think about it. We want to have her with us. The vet agrees with us. Kvinne seems to miss us terribly, she doesnīt want to fight without us around. Itīs better to let her stay at home, in her own beloved environment. We already have made an appointment for her at the Veterinarian University in Utrecht, on Nefrology, where they will examine her kidneys again. But it will be no sooner than january 10, 2000. Our task is to keep her condition as stabile as possible. The vet doubts if she will manage to stay alive till then. Her kidneys are in such bad condition, she will die soon, he tells us.

Once we arrive home with her, we burst out in tears. This can not be true. Our little princess, our baby, so young, such beautiful and happy kittens, and now sheīll die so young? Why she? Kvinne is exhausted. We go into our bed with her, we want to have her around. She is so weak, that she even wets herself in the bed. She doesnīt even feel it herself. It hurts to see our little princess like this. So weak, with these eyes that do not see anything anymore, that little proud female that can not take care of herself anymore. We will do it for her. We will clean the mess up. She must be proud on her body. She must feel clean.

She doesnīt drink anymore. We feed her pure mineral water. She has to drink, itīs her one and only chance to survive. She doesnīt eat on her own, so I push it in her mouth with my finger, and she seemes to take it. So we fight and fight, until itīs january 10th.

January 10, 2000:
Early in the morning we leave for Utrecht veterinarian university. A team of vets and students is examining Kvinne. During all this she is sitting up proudly, looking at us, never looses sight on us. We stay with her all the time. Itīs hard to see how they have to hurt her. I try to hold eyecontact with her all the time. I want to let her feel that she has to keep strong, that she has to fight all this. She looks at me, all the time, even when they have to inject her, take blood samples, have to feel in her belly, have to shine in her eyes with lamps. They do not understand why her pupils are that big all the time. It hurts so much to see her like this.

Kvinne first gets a kidney scan, to see the outside of the kidneys. It doesnīt like good. On the scan several bad
areas are visible. The surface seems to be damaged. We have to try a biopt, but first we have to messure blood pressure. Equipment is put on her little hand.

The professor is quiet for a moment. Then a strange reaction. Either the equipment has broken down, or the cat on this table is already dead. There is no blood pressure. New equipment arrived, we did the procedure again. No results. No blood pressure. The dead cat looked at us. We looked back.

For the kidney biopt, Kvinne had to undergo narcosis. We were not allowed to stay with her during operation. We were in the waiting room for hours, did not dare to leave to get some food. Finally, after a few hours, we could come in to fetch her. She was so glad to see us, that she started screeming loudly. And we cried, of course.

After two weeks, our vet got the results of the biopt. It was CIN, chronical nefritis. Kvinneīs kidneys were completely damaged. There was nothing we could do about it. Tender love and care was the only thing to do, said the vet. Give her all your love for the time she still has. It wonīt be long.

At first I was completey shocked by this result. My little girl dying? That could not be happening! She was so young, she had all her life in front of her..... I decided to make the time she still had as happy as possible. As soon as the sun was shining I left my work, drove home, filled a picknick box with food and Kvinne and I left home. For hours we were out in the nature. Sniffing in the bushes, sleeping in a field with flowers, wandering around in the park, chasing butterflies, frogs, playing with water, we did it all. And we had lots of fun together. Sometimes, when we both were lying in a field, watching te sky, watching birds, her eyes got normal again for a moment. Then she looked at me like she used to do, she seemed healthy for a short wile.

I started expirimenting with alternative medicine. I bought her some healing mineral stones, and hung them on her leash. I went to bed at 7 oīclock in the evening, and took her with me. Together in the bed, under the warm blankets, we spent lots of hours. I talked to her, with a soft and quiet voice, and she answered, with a soft mew, and winking with her eyes. I held her close to my body, and somehow had the feeling that I could give her some strength that way. Donīt know if it worked. She liked it.

Finally I was starting to get an idea. Kvinnen did not want to die. I did not want her to die. When we agreed on that, I had to do something about it. Kidney transplantation!

Here in the Netherlands we do not have kidney transplantation for cats. I heard it was done in the USA, though. I contacted the breeders near Boston, who had Kvinneīs son Nisse. These wonderful people helped me to find a vet, who had some experience with kidney transplantation. She would help Kvinne, by using one kidney of a rescue cat. The only condition was that after the transplantation I had to take the rescue cat home too, and care for him for the rest of his life.

At first my vet was against transplantation. You are going way too far in order to save your cat. It will cost you so much many, and the risks are much too high. Let her go! I didnīt care for the money. Kvinne was worth much more than all the money I could ever earn. If she wanted to fight for her life, I would help her, no mather what. But then my vet had another idea. Kvinne would hardly survive the long trip to the US. And if she did, how would her condition be when we had to fly back? And how would the condition be of the rescue cat? He would also have lost a kidney be then....

We agreed that the vet would try to find as much information as possible on kidney transplantation. While Utrecht university didnīt want to do the transplantation, we had to do it ourselves, with help of the american vet, who provided us with a lot of info. We started the preparations.

February 2000. Again Kvinne had to have her blood examined. But, how strange?? The blood counts were strongly improved! That was impossible! We phoned with Utrecht veterinarian university. They told us that Kvinneīs kindneys were so badly damaged, it was impossible that the blood was getting better. We tested again and again, but the blood was really getting better.

The veterinarians at Utrecht university didnīt understand what was happening. It seemed that Kvinne Katrinne, our little princess, wanted to live so badly, that somehow she was curing herself.

A venary churgeon from Utrecht contacted us. He had never seen such a strong cat. If we proceeded the transplantation, he would come over to assist. Kvinne had impressed him...

Several times Kvinneīs blood was checked, and everytime it was getting better. Her weight also started to improve. In january she was hardly 2 kg, and now already 3 kg! Would this be a miracle? Would she survive?

March 2000:
We took too many risks. Kvinne had nothing to loose, so I let her stay in the fenced garden, together with the studs. With her disease, she would not get in heat, I presumed. I watched her all the time, when she left the garden and entered the studroom, I went out to get her. But I was not quick enough....

April 2000:
Kvinne looked so happy. Her eyes looked normal quite often. Het pupils got normal again, the big round eyes occurred almost never. And she started to gain weight. But: it was going so fast... She was already 4 ― kg.....Oh no, could it be....that she was pregnant?

To the vet again. First starting with the blood tests. Everything OK, better again, but not perfect yet. Typical blood counts for kidney disease, only not so bad as it had been. And then the other news: indeed pregnant! I thought I would die. Did we fight so hard, just to loose her now in pregnancy? We had her X-rayed. Three kittens, due to be born any moment. I doubted that. I breed norwegian forest cats, they are a bit bigger than household cats, so these kittens were not ready to be born yet.

May 10, 2000:
Kvinne is getting worse. We see it in her face. See seems to be ill, poisoning herself. We talk it over with the vet, and agree to a caesarian section. In her condition, Kvinne will not be able to deliver the natural way. Again we have to leave our princess behind. But this time she understands that we are waiting for her in the room nextdoor. After one hell of an hour, we see her again. Kvinne (neutered now) and her three beautifull little babies. Tired but happy we drive home again.

July 2000:
The kittens are growing up. I let them get used on normal food when they were three weeks old, to force them to eat by themselves. Itīs for Kvinneīs health. See seems to understand it, doesnīt try to feed the kittens anymore. She is obviously in love with her kittens. Too bad that this female, so happy in having kittens, will never get them again.

We visit the vet for the first kitten vaccination. Kvinne goes also, to get blood tested again. Iīm afraid. This pregnancy must have been an attack on her her kidneys. She must have bad blood counts this time. Usually the results of the blood tests are ready in about 15 minutes. Not this time. The vet says he has to do something again, it will take another 15 minutes. When finally he has the results, he asks me to sit down. Oh God, itīs wrong. I knew it. Oh God, please, donīt let her die....

"I do not know how to tell you this", the vet said. "I did the test again, because I could not believe the results. But itīs true. Kvinneīs blood counts are within normal range. I have to declare her cures. Donīt ask me what happened, I do not know."

I started to cry and could not stop it. All emotions of these past months, it all came out now. My little princess, last christmas she was so ill, and now sheīs cured? Cured, while everybody said that it was impossible? Was it really true? Didnīt I loose her yet? I did not dare to believe it. But the living proof was sitting on my lap, purring and talking and playing.

November 2000:
Again some months further in time. Kvinneīs kittens have left the house. Kvinne herself has recoverd as every normal cat should do. She is still 4 ― kg, was the first cat in our house who got a winter coat. She eats, drinks, and seems to be happy again.

December 24, 2000:
Christmas eve. It will be another christmas this year. This year we celebrate the recovery of our princess. Skogens Best Kvinne Katrinne, little princess, with such a strong will to survive: for us, you are the living proof of this internal strength, the will to survive even a deadly disease. You showed us how love can conquer even the worst disaster. Skogens Best Kvinne Katrinne, we love you!

Let this be a story youīll all remember, when something happens with one of your cats. Never give up.