For those that hadn’t seen FB updates, in short, Lars’ appetite was poor when I brought him and he had lost several pounds while in the shelter for two months.  When it became apparent within the first few days of having him home that his appetite was not improving and in fact declined, I consulted both the shelter vet as well as my own private vet.  Monitoring and medication was the first response, followed eventually by x-rays and blood tests.  The private vet’s blood tests revealed that Lars has FIV, the cat equivalent of HIV, which he had likely contracted from some other infected mean cat who bit him several years ago.  (Can you tell I’m a little angry at the cat who infected Lars? I’ll process this in therapy. ;=P) Like humans with HIV, cats can live symptom-free for many years until something depresses their immune system.  Eventually, they don’t have the strength to battle whatever illness they contract (in Lars’ case, the flu), and it leads to a health decline.  Cats like Lars may bounce back for periods of time (a week, a month, they don’t know), only to decline further the next time, and the next time, and the next time, eventually wasting away.

For a little over a week Lars has been at the shelter’s hospital rehab unit where they were running a second, more accurate test and also monitoring his eating more closely than I can now that school, practicum/training and work are in full-force.  Yesterday I received a call from the shelter vet who confirmed that Lars does have FIV and that while he is comfortable and doing relatively-OK at the moment (he had resumed eating a little more), the prognosis was not good and the recommendation was for me to surrender Lars back to the shelter who would take on his care from now on. This is what I have decided to do.

We had two weeks together and I loved every minute with this sweet guy. Here are just a handful of photos taken with my cell phone camera in the time we had.

Eventually I will find another furry friend to invade my home but until then, Lars will remain, in my mind, the best cat ever.

And for now, I’m calling him Lars. We’ll see if it sticks.

I looked.

And came home with this guy.

Doesn’t he have the most beautiful eyes? He’s a sweet guy who hasn’t made a peep since we came home but he seems to be acclimating well and appears comfortable exploring his new surroundings and also resting on my lap, purring as I scratch his ears.  While I considered a kitten, I decided to go with an older cat so that I had a better idea of his personality (read: not too noisy or aggressive).  Plus, I imagine the older ones can be harder to adopt, so 4-year old No-Name felt like a good choice.

The shelter named him Bam-Bam but alas, that name is not going to stay so I’m testing out names over the next few days to see what fits best.  Currently under consideration: Sven, Lars, Ole. (Yes, the ‘Scandinavian’ name theme is intentional. ) I am taking recommendations, though, so if this little face speaks to you with something brilliant & clever, do tell!

(Still working my way through miscellaneous photos from May, when Kellen was a mere 3 weeks old.)

From my May visit to Portland…

Thank you, friends. And thanks to all of my long-distance friends & family who called, texted & emailed! Your love was felt.

While in school, every January-March is exceptionally stressful & busy due to the annual search for a new practicum training position that will begin in summer/fall.  The many rules & regulations, processes and deadlines make this time a bit crazy.  Fortunately, it should all end on Monday, Match Day.  Assuming at least one site that I interviewed at agrees that I am the best match for them, the process will be over.  Just in time for the last few crazy weeks of the semester.

If you’re ever in doubt that I’m alive, here’s one good place to check.

Recipes from Smitten Kitchen HERE.