Sabbie

Sabbie (also known as Kimlai Sablesilk) is a tiny, gentle, and almost 18-year-old sablebrown Burmese kitty. Her huge yellow eyes search the room to find where the next spare lap might be.

She led a fairly normal life, getting her vaccinations and flea drops regularly as she spent time in a cattery at least once a year. Running up and down the stairs like an elephant at 2am and playing in the sheets when the bed was being made was her regular exercise as she is totally an indoor lady.

In November of 2011 we had been house sitting where an infestation of fleas existed. She had her flea drops, but they didn’t help much. So I put some Cat Flea Powder on her and we were viciously combing out the eggs and killing live fleas. I noticed on Friday morning that she hadn’t eaten much of her dry food the night before but it was getting hot outside, so I didn’t worry too much. By Monday morning, she was staggering and sitting down after a few steps. I raced her up to her regular vet clinic, together with the flea powder, wondering what was wrong. By then, she hadn’t eaten since Thursday. After the vet went back to the back room to consult with someone else several times, the decision was that the flea powder was to blame. I was told to take her home, give her a bath and put more flea drops on her.

I sat up all night with her, expecting her to die at any moment. I found another vet that specialized in cats and off we went. They took a blood sample and then an ultrasound and determined that she was in acute renal failure. She was in the hospital for three days on all sorts of fluids and drugs. When I took her home, the vet told me that she had probably 6 to 9 months to live, and to enjoy the time I had left with her. No medicine. She was only 11 ½ years old.

Over the next two years we went to three ‘regular’ veterinary practices, trying to find something that would help. Nothing. During that time, I researched everything I could find and started her on herbal supplements and homeopathic drops. They seemed to help, but her blood tests were not good, although nowhere near as bad as when she was first diagnosed.

Then in 2015, a friend told me about Dr KK, a holistic vet they had taken their dog to see. I was so disheartened with vets in general, but I finally took the plunge and went to see her. I’m SO GLAD WE DID !!!

The first thing that impressed me when we went there was that there are no examination tables in her rooms. She sits on the floor with ‘her fluffies’ and strokes and talks to them. When she does acupuncture, if Sabbie wants to walk around inspecting things, she lets her do just that. The acupuncture makes Sabbie feel SO much better – she bounces around the house when we get home!

Before I initially told Dr KK what was wrong with Sabbie, she told ME ! Plus she alerted me to a few other areas to be conscious of, all of which were eventually confirmed via blood tests and/or ultrasounds over the next few years. Dr KK doesn’t do the blood tests or ultrasounds, so I know that she is not trying to make money off me when she suggests them. We then go back to the ‘regular’ vet and ask.

Dr KK made up some Chinese herbs for the kidney, and then later on some for the liver and lately, some for the pancreas. Sabbie has Stage 3/ 4 (IRIS scale) chronic renal failure, triaditis, cysts on her liver, high blood pressure and arthritis. The usual life expectancy for kitties with these problems is between 6 months to two years. “Crashes” are common and that is generally when they die. Sabbie has had only one crash since the initial one, and it was scary. Dr KK was right there with us, making time for us whenever we needed it and emailing me to check on her.

Dr KK has given Sabbie and I such a wonderful gift that we can never repay.

It has now been over 7 years since Sabbie was given six to nine months to live. She recently told me she expected Sabbie to be around for a few more years. For which Sabbie and I say:

THANK YOU DR KK. !! WE LOVE YOU !!!