El Kabong, One Tough Cat
El Kabong is a survivor. She was born in the household of an elderly lady who by then had 41 cats living in the house. The lady was senile and unable to really care for them. When she died the Animal Control deputies brought the whole pile of cats to a local vet. It was then that I got a call from a friend, “Kathy, you need to come down here and get a cat!” she shouted. We dutifully arrived and looked over the group. They were pitiful. A small tabby looked sickly but better than most, so we took her home. Our cat had recently died and it was good to have a cat.
We quickly learned two things about this cat. First, she was the fasted cat we had ever owned, crossing and crisscrossing our yard at amazing speeds. Secondly, she had a deformity, her tongue permanently sticks out. When she wakes she has to wet her tongue. And yes she has a perpetual dumb look on her face, but we love her and named her El Kabong after a speedy cartoon character.
El Kabong got sick and was diagnosed as having mouth cancer. This is a terrible disease because untended cats mouths get so tender they starve to death. Our vet prescribed steroid shots, for as long as she would live.
That was two and a half years and endless steroid shots ago. Amazingly El Kabong is still holding her own. The first winter from the diagnosis she got so sick the vet and I said it was time to put her down. “No, give her a shot and one more week and see what happens,” I said. And to our surprise she recovered. This last winter after two years of treatment I again think she would not make it as she lay still and listless. Yet she did survive.
El Kabong is not large, half the size of a grown cat, but she is a giant when it comes to survival. She stalks birds, explores the yard and takes playful swipes at our dog. Altogether she is unique.
Last Updated on Monday, 03 June 2013 04:16