Rest in Peace My Sweetest Little Boy

Monday, January 11 is among the most stark and sad days for my family in recent memory. Our beloved Milo died unexpectedly, and with no indication that there was any underlying health condition that would put an end to his life so swiftly. He was literally fine one minute, and then gone the next. 

Our vet believes that he may have had an underlying heart condition, and apparently Siamese are predisposed to this health issue. A good friend, who is a vet, said that it is often the case that once the kitty becomes symptomatic that it is generally too late. She described it as essentially one in which a fatal heart attack kills them, and that it is the first sign, and one for which there is clearly no remedy.

Everything happened so fast that I don't think that Lola (after whom this blog is named, and who has the distinction of being Milo's littermate and most devoted sister) realized that her brother was brought to the vet never to return to her.

The process of grief has yet to really begin since we are still in a state of shock, but I feel a pit of despair coming. Milo was the sweetest and most gentle boy, and there is no way to state the extent to which he was deeply loved and cherished.

Every single time he went to the vet, everyone marveled at his beauty. People always claimed that he was among the most beautiful cats that they had ever seen, but then they noted a far more important attribute: that he was one of the sweetest creatures that they had ever met.

For me, he was my baby who I raised from kittenhood to adulthood, and never in his life was he separated from his sister (other than trips to the vet), until this Monday. He was very soulful, and he engaged in deep and penetrating gazes as he looked at us lovingly. It was so sweet that he would snuggle on our chests so close that his whiskers would tickle our faces. At such a close range he would hold our gazes with his piercing blue eyes, and the love and sense of boundless safety that he felt was very clearly conveyed, and reciprocated.

Milo was a very special member of our family, and I will forever miss him and grieve his passing. Godspeed my sweet little boy. You are loved more than you could ever begin to imagine. xoxox

The Milo Files | A Health Update

I just have to say that the extent to which you have shown such an outpouring of love and concern over Milo's health has been incredibly humbling and touching. I received numerous emails from you this weekend inquiring about his road to recovery, from his recent catastrophic health crisis, and I thought that I should post an update for you.

As you all know, he came back home after a 3 night stay with an emergency vet clinic, and we thought that he was in the clear. However, he was misdiagnosed, and treated, for pneumonia and hyperthyroidism– neither of which were illnesses for which he needed medical intervention and treatment. In fact, his "pneumonia" was asthma, and he didn't have hyperthyroidism at all. The medications that we had to administer for hyperthyroidism made him physically sick, he couldn't keep food down, and as a result he lost a full pound in less than 2 weeks. At the time that we took him to our regular vet poor Milo was looking scrawny and quite ill. Furthermore, and most shockingly, the emergency vet clinic, who performed lots of labs and tests, failed to mention that there was a sizable mass on one of Milo's lungs. Our vet ran tests, including an ultrasound, and conclusively diagnosed that the mass was a benign cyst. Milo was taken off of all of the meds prescribed by the emergency clinic, and is home recuperating.

All signs point to a full recovery, but he is being treated for asthma, and the inhaler is the bane of his existence. His energy is beginning to rebound, he is no longer reclusive and he has a healthy appetite. Therefore, we are finally optimistic about his prognosis. Thank you again for your much appreciated compassion! xo, Helen

Milo's Recovery

First I want to convey my heartfelt thanks to you for your emails and comments wishing Milo a speedy recovery– it means the world to me that you care that much about the health, and recovery, of my sweet kitty. He has been home for several days, and he is definitely on the mend. He is still on antibiotics for the pneumonia, but there are no signs to suggest that he won't make a full recovery. While he is less-than-thrilled by the medications that he must take, we are elated that the medical attention, and medications, have saved his life. At one point it really could have gone either way, but thankfully there are no signs to suggest that he might relapse.

Milo is Coming Home Tonight!

Milo is coming home tonight! We spoke to the vet yesterday and Milo is off of oxygen and he was transitioned from IV to oral antibiotics. The vet wanted to keep him one more night for close observation to ensure that Milo was stable enough to come home today. Therefore, notwithstanding an unforeseen medical setback he will be back home today. He will be on antibiotics for a while longer, but his prognosis for a full recovery is quite good. Thank you again for your outpouring of well-wishes and Milo love– I appreciate it more than you can imagine! xo,Helen

Milo's Health Update

(Taken a few weeks ago)

First, I want to thank all of you for your outpouring of love and support for Milo. The good news is that he is responding favorably to the IV antibiotics and the Oxygen Chamber therapy. The bad news is that the vet felt both were indicated longer, and therefore Milo had to spend a second night in the hospital. His breathing is improving, and they were going to wean him off of the oxygen beginning last night at about 8:00PM, and the hope is that today he will be ready for oral antibiotics. If all goes as planned, then he will be able to come home today, but he will still have a long road to full recovery. While he still looks and behaves like the kitten that we brought home 15 years ago– he is a senior cat, and therefore he's a bit less resilient than he once was. Pneumonia in cats is no small thing to contend with, but he has been receiving excellent medical care. Please keep your good vibes coming! xo, Helen & Lola

Please Send Your Love and Positive Thoughts to Milo

Please send your love and positive thoughts to Milo– he is quite sick. Last night he started making a noise like he was trying to hack up fur, but the noise quickly transformed into a rattling weird sound. Given that it was about 9:30PM we had no option to see our regular vet– so we had to take him to an emergency hospital instead.

The vet said that it appeared that he had pneumonia and had to keep him overnight. There was absolutely no sign of it whatsoever– which is quite odd, but because Milo is on medication to treat his IBD it served to simultaneously treat what was going on in his lungs enough that nothing appeared to be wrong.

We are anxiously awaiting word from the vet to hear how sweet Milo did through the night, but quite frankly we are still in shock that anything– let alone something serious– is wrong with him. We pay such close attention to the health of our feline and canine family members, and I pride myself on being able to tell when even the very slightest thing is wrong, and yet in this case we were both completely broadsided because he was asymptomatic. 

As you may remember, Lola and Milo– seen together above– are brother and sister, and they have been incredibly close their entire lives. Therefore, I am worried about her as well– because the strength of their lifelong bond makes his absence, even just overnight, a concern about her as well. Please send your good thoughts to my sweet boy! xoxo, Helen & Lola