Rose was brought to my home as a foster kitten with her mother and littermates. Although she nearly died twice as a young kitten from two upper respiratory infections, and she suffered a permanent disability in her hind legs, she fought through it all and turned into a sweet, determined and playful little girl. She was adopted out to a family only to be returned several days later with the diagnosis of Feline Lukemia. We were shocked and suprised because neither her mother or littermates had it and to this day we don't know where she got it from.

She lived in our spare room with another felv kitty for several months. Despite her disability, she would romp and play all evening long- sometimes so much that we could hear the thumping from downstairs as she ran into walls, and wrestled with her companion. It was adorable and inspiring to watch her, and we couldn't believe how well she was doing.

Several nights ago my husband mentioned she was not her usual self, and I looked and realized she had lost weight and had difficulty breathing. After debating for several days on what we should do, I took her to the vet this morning. The x-ray showed that there was almost no lung capacity left because her lungs were full of fluid due to the lukemia. We felt the best thing to do was put her to sleep before she died an awful death of suffocation.

I wish that she could have somehow avoided her fate and that she had never contracted this terrible disease, but I'm so glad she was able to live a full and happy life even if just for a short while.

Thank you for reading about Rose.

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