Oscar and I had six glorious years together then disaster struck. He always wanted out of the house just as soon as we woke up each morning We were having morning coffee on the front deck when I noticed Oscar laying right in the middle of one of my hostas. It was unusual for him not to come running to the deck as soon as we sat down.
I called him a couple of times. He just laid there and looked at me. Finally I told Alan to go get him. He picked Oscar up and carried him up on the deck. He was fine an hour before but was now breathing hard. I watched him for a few hours and it became obvious his breathing was getting more labored and I could now hear a rattle in his lungs.
I quickly called my vet. When he answered he said he was on his way to California but told me not to waste any time. "Get him to the emergency animal clinic immediately. It's bobcat fever and you may not be able to get him there in time. Do it right now, Zelpha."
The emergency clinic was 40 miles away. I drove him as quickly as I dared. It was the most horrible death I've ever seen an animal suffer. He would all of a sudden try to stand up and he'd scream. I was almost hysterical. I handed him to the nurses and they rushed me into another room to wait. Within 5 minutes the doctor came in and said Oscar had died before they could even get him on the table.
And yes, then I got totally hysterical. I couldn't believe he was gone so quick. Dear God, what had happened! I spent lots of time that day in parking lots sitting and crying too hard to drive. Then I'd try to drive again and have to pull into another parking lot. I had him in a little cardboard casket beside me in the car and I just couldn't get control of the hysteria. Finally I called my 12-step sponsor and she talked me through it so I could get home.
Alan buried the little guy when he got home from work and I cried for days. I couldn't sleep because I didn't have him beside me. I would always wake just enough to aware of him at night and pet his little fuzzy tummy. Now I'd wake and start feeling around and no little fuzzy Oscar.
I'd wait for him to gently pat my cheek and say "mama" when he wanted out of a morning. I felt like I was waking up to nothingness.
What was this bobcat fever the vet had mentioned? We have lots of bobcats in our area. It's carried by bobcats and when a tick has come into contact with it and then bites a cat, the cat will be dead within 24 hours. Every time Oscar came into the house I'd check him for ticks, even though I was using a medication that would keep most of them off of him. I was very thorough about it because I'm extremely allergic to tick bites. He would occasionally have one on him and I'd get it off quickly.
The vet said once the tick bites the damage is done. Removing the tick quickly won't stop this thing. It's transferred with the initial bite. I wasn't aware that many many people had lost their cats to this horrible disease that summer. It's still a danger in this area. I swore I'd never have another outside cat and I'd never let myself get as totally attached and that in love with another pet.
I soon realized that I was going to have to find another Maine Coon or I was going to die from lack of sleep. And that's when T-R-O-U-B-L-E began with a vengeance.
News story: Bobcat fever killing house cats
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