Location: Washington, USA
Zanzibar was born in mid March of this year. We bought him from a lady who told us he was 10 weeks old. In reality, he was only about 3 weeks old. When we first got him, he was a sweet little guy. But over the next few days, his condition began to decline quickly. We scheduled him a vet appointment but ended up going in as an emergency because he was so weak he couldn’t even lift up his head. We actually considered putting him down. However, after a few days of hospitalization, medications, IVs and other supportive care, Zanzibar was allowed to come home. After coming home, his condition continued to improve. That was not the end of his struggle though.
After Zanzibar got his first shot and we brought him home, he began to get sick again. This time, he was sneezing. It turned out that he had an Upper Respiratory Infection. After even more medications, he got better and was ready for his next shot.
After his next shot, he developed a swollen, inflamed eye. It was swollen shut. We took him in for yet another vet visit. They put him in a cone and gave him eyedrops and other medications for pain and itching. This was when we figured out that Zanzibar has Feline Herpes. Most cats carry Feline Herpes, but it is only activated in a few cats. Zanzi is one of those cats. His Herpes is activated by stress, so we have to keep him out of any stressful situations. If we take him to the vet, he has to take anti anxiety medications in advance.
Having a disease such as Herpes does not make a kitten any less of a kitten. They just have special needs and require more care. Zanzibar has taught us a lot through his sickness. As I type, he is attacking my toes and purring. Now he is a great, 3 month old kitten. He still struggles in certain parts of his life. In fact, he still weighs less than 2 pounds because he was not able to grow when he was so sick. He is expected to live a long, happy, life.
The picture is from when he was recovering from his inflamed eye.
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