Arman Matin
Member Since 2017
Yesterday was RAJA's birthday. He turned 17.
He nearly died of starvation on Feb 17, 2017.
This is his brief story.
On this day seventeen years ago, a Star Prince was born in the form of a kitten outside the city of Dallas. He is a direct descendent of the wild African Serval cat also known as "Lupus cervalis" in Latin or "Deer wolf".
Indeed, his features were striking ! A mixture between a Cat, a Deer and a Wolf.
Gracefully long body and a wild face with a bold personality to match. As the only male of the litter, he was to be with me, as I had already deposited money for a male from a breeder that i had found after months of research.
I waited excitedly for nearly three months before he would make the long journey from Texas to NYC, to be with me.
He lived up to is princely name. Taking walks every day and meeting all sorts of admirers and being loved by so many. He was the Prince of the Bushwick streets, talk of the town. Photographed endlessly. Always curious and eager, he would be seeking human company all the time. And at the same time the gentlest soul, the sweetest cat you can imagine.
I first noticed something was wrong early last year when he would not shake his tail up and had a slight drag to his hind legs. Vet visit showed him at a lean 21 lbs from 23 lbs and it was ruled out to be age related loss and mild arthritis.
Six months would pass and he would show slow weight loss and increased hind leg weakness and multiple vet visits wouldn't resolve anything.
Towards the end of that period the signs were extremely visible. He became weaker, glass eyes, UTI, ear infection and a body that was losing mass rapidly. My Prince was dying before my eyes.
The next vet visit showed that he had lost 6 pounds of weight and visibly affected. Vets run a bunch of tests over the next few weeks and finally diagnosed with with having an extremely high blood sugar level due to adult diabetes. He was essentially starving to death.
By the time I had him on insulin he had stopped eating for a few days and had shrunk to 15 lbs. His condition was deteriorating rapidly. He had lost significant usage of his hind legs due to neurological damage. He had to be hand fed little piece at a time. He was peeing on himself while he slept. Couldn't make it to his litter with his feeble collapsing legs. I would wake up in the middle of the night to the sounds of him falling down on the ground and struggling to get up, on his way to get water.
This was one of the most darkest times I have experienced.
My magnificent Prince reduced down to a miserable existence.
This is where most people decide to put their cats down.
This was Feb 17, 2017. A month and half ago.
But Raja was not going to be given up on.
Slowly, we brought him back. Landy and I poured him with love and care.
He had become a child unable to feed or take care of himself. I researched everything I could about feline diabetes and started a treatment protocol that my vet was not aware of. This required me to take his blood sugar measurement multiple times every day and administer insulin injections. Pricking his ears for blood, while coaxing him to eat, running my hand across his skeleton of a spine and letting him know how much he is loved. Even though I was financially challenged I knew taking care of him was more important to me. After all, he is my son and I would take care of him till his last breath.
Today he is doing significantly better.
He weighs more, shows presence and excitement in his eyes. He eats on his own but still prefers to be fed or at least our presence while he eats. His has reversed a lot of the damage to his hind legs, gained more mobility, something the vet said might not happen. I have adjusted my schedule to accommodate injections and measurements twice a day and give him necessary supplements for his neuropathy damage. Every day he is getting stronger and more himself. He is not insulin regulated yet, but showing so much progress. With all the love and support and prayers I expect him to be fully mobile and back to his strong self very soon.
This whole process has also reflected back into my own life. Reflections of life path and choices, old age, mortality and ephemeral nature of existence and the things that matter most.
Love.
I am so grateful for the souls that have supported me and Raja through this process, especially his adopted mom Landy and our friends who have reached out with love.
And I feel Raja's gratitude in his eyes and behavior. More cuddly than every before, he seems to understand and appreciate all what we have been through.
Today Raja is 17.
I celebrate his life and existence.
I thank the universe for this blessing
Also posted on Raja's facebook page
Raja's page
https://www.facebook.com/Raja-367124150044203/
He nearly died of starvation on Feb 17, 2017.
This is his brief story.
On this day seventeen years ago, a Star Prince was born in the form of a kitten outside the city of Dallas. He is a direct descendent of the wild African Serval cat also known as "Lupus cervalis" in Latin or "Deer wolf".
Indeed, his features were striking ! A mixture between a Cat, a Deer and a Wolf.
Gracefully long body and a wild face with a bold personality to match. As the only male of the litter, he was to be with me, as I had already deposited money for a male from a breeder that i had found after months of research.
I waited excitedly for nearly three months before he would make the long journey from Texas to NYC, to be with me.
He lived up to is princely name. Taking walks every day and meeting all sorts of admirers and being loved by so many. He was the Prince of the Bushwick streets, talk of the town. Photographed endlessly. Always curious and eager, he would be seeking human company all the time. And at the same time the gentlest soul, the sweetest cat you can imagine.
I first noticed something was wrong early last year when he would not shake his tail up and had a slight drag to his hind legs. Vet visit showed him at a lean 21 lbs from 23 lbs and it was ruled out to be age related loss and mild arthritis.
Six months would pass and he would show slow weight loss and increased hind leg weakness and multiple vet visits wouldn't resolve anything.
Towards the end of that period the signs were extremely visible. He became weaker, glass eyes, UTI, ear infection and a body that was losing mass rapidly. My Prince was dying before my eyes.
The next vet visit showed that he had lost 6 pounds of weight and visibly affected. Vets run a bunch of tests over the next few weeks and finally diagnosed with with having an extremely high blood sugar level due to adult diabetes. He was essentially starving to death.
By the time I had him on insulin he had stopped eating for a few days and had shrunk to 15 lbs. His condition was deteriorating rapidly. He had lost significant usage of his hind legs due to neurological damage. He had to be hand fed little piece at a time. He was peeing on himself while he slept. Couldn't make it to his litter with his feeble collapsing legs. I would wake up in the middle of the night to the sounds of him falling down on the ground and struggling to get up, on his way to get water.
This was one of the most darkest times I have experienced.
My magnificent Prince reduced down to a miserable existence.
This is where most people decide to put their cats down.
This was Feb 17, 2017. A month and half ago.
But Raja was not going to be given up on.
Slowly, we brought him back. Landy and I poured him with love and care.
He had become a child unable to feed or take care of himself. I researched everything I could about feline diabetes and started a treatment protocol that my vet was not aware of. This required me to take his blood sugar measurement multiple times every day and administer insulin injections. Pricking his ears for blood, while coaxing him to eat, running my hand across his skeleton of a spine and letting him know how much he is loved. Even though I was financially challenged I knew taking care of him was more important to me. After all, he is my son and I would take care of him till his last breath.
Today he is doing significantly better.
He weighs more, shows presence and excitement in his eyes. He eats on his own but still prefers to be fed or at least our presence while he eats. His has reversed a lot of the damage to his hind legs, gained more mobility, something the vet said might not happen. I have adjusted my schedule to accommodate injections and measurements twice a day and give him necessary supplements for his neuropathy damage. Every day he is getting stronger and more himself. He is not insulin regulated yet, but showing so much progress. With all the love and support and prayers I expect him to be fully mobile and back to his strong self very soon.
This whole process has also reflected back into my own life. Reflections of life path and choices, old age, mortality and ephemeral nature of existence and the things that matter most.
Love.
I am so grateful for the souls that have supported me and Raja through this process, especially his adopted mom Landy and our friends who have reached out with love.
And I feel Raja's gratitude in his eyes and behavior. More cuddly than every before, he seems to understand and appreciate all what we have been through.
Today Raja is 17.
I celebrate his life and existence.
I thank the universe for this blessing
Also posted on Raja's facebook page
Raja's page
https://www.facebook.com/Raja-367124150044203/
