Hi- new here

[jintzr]

Hi there, I am owned by 3 wonderful Sphynx's, and I have 3 Sphynx angels who have passed on. I was introduced to the breed about 11 years ago when I got my first Sphynx. Ren was a wonderful kitty who ended up with HCM, which I lost him to. I also lost my 3 month old kitten Nemo during a neuter procedure, due to they think undiagnosed HCM, but I also think the vet just didn't do the procedure right.

I recently lost another Sphynx (Nubis) in October of 2010 to HCM, he fought his disease and did so well forever, and then he threw two clots in October and didn't make it through. That was really hard, I still miss him every day.

My kitty Ivy at home has HOCM, and she takes her meds every day and does well. They also think one of my other Sphynx's Jasmine could be developing HCM. So, it has been a hard road but of course they are all worth it a million times over. I've learned a great deal about this disease.

I truly hope they are able to breed the HCM out of the breed, they are such wonderful creatures and it's so hard to lose them due to heart disease. It's an extremely painful disease to watch in the end stages.

Anyways, I just thought I would introduce myself and give a brief history.

Donna

 

[klreese]

Wow.... i hate to start off by saying... but you're story is just so sad i couldn't imagine the heartache that you have been through and unforunately will continue to go through as long as HCM continues to take your babies from you Such a sad story. However, i'm sure your babies have provided you with so many wonderful memories!
Welcome to the site! Know that we are all here to support one another in those times of sadness and we love a good story too!
also know that there are many people around the site that have gone through what you have. so many wonderful babies taken by such a horrible illness.
There's a new book being publish soon and will support HCM research!! I don't know all the details, but i'm sure the girls putting it together will put the info here

 

[susi794]

Hi Donna, welcome to our little online family of friends. This is a wonderful place--the kindest place I know. It has great information and wonderful friends who are giving and caring. We share our laughter and our joy, and sadly, we also share our sorrows. But we all love our babies and we care deeply about each other. I'm so glad you've joined us! I'm looking forward to pics and getting to know you better. Iam the proud owner of 6 adult sphynx and 6 kittens at the moment and adore them all!
Hugs,
Susi and the gang

 

[Hairless Blessing]

Welcome to Sphynx Lair.
So sorry to hear all the loss you have gone through.
Yes they are worth it, no matter what.
A sphynx can get to your heart like none other.
I was wondering, did you get all the babies from
the same breeder? You don't have to put the breeders
name down, because we aren't allowed to do that
unless it's by private message. I was just wondering.
Hope you enjoy the site.

 

[pooner]

Welcome to the Lair! I am sorry to hear about all your losses
My sweet Pooner has HCM as well and I dread the day I lose him. They are such a special breed of cat and I too hope we can some day eradicate the overwhelming presence of this horrible heart monster.
You will find lots of love and support from this great online family! There are some other members with HCM cats and some who have also lost their babies to HCM so many people can relate to you and everyone is so wonderful at showing compassion whenever you need it!

 

[ckutkuhn7]

So sorry to hear about all of your loses.

Welcome to the Lair!

 

[NakedNinja]

You've come to the right place! I've never met a group of people so supportive, both in good times and bad. It sounds like you've been to Hell and back with HCM. You must be a very strong, very loving person.

Please post stories and pictures of your kitters. We LOVE to meet new friends!

Welcome!!

 

[linepp]

Welcome! And thank you for giving a great home to HCM kitties! You will find lots of support here!!

 

[Jennifer]

I could not imagine what you have gone though. My sphynx is my world. It does seem like every second day there is some bad news on Sphynx Lair. I am tired of crying. I come here to relax

 

[ElGatoLoco]

Welcome to our little niche. We hope to hear wonderful stories. And we like pictures. And I like videos. I have over 100 videos of my kitty Butterball on Youtube.

 

[Mews2much]

Welcome to the site.
Sorry you lost cats to HCM.
I was wondering if they were from the same breeder also.
Lets hope HCM is stopped one day.
I lost my Coco non sphynx to blood clots last Sept.
Watching a cat throw clots and not being able to help is terrible.

 

[marlene]

Jintzer, I'm so glad you found us. This is one little place in the world that truly understands how you feel about your babies.

I've lost seven kitties to HCM but they were all Maine Coons. It's a horrific disease. Nowadays I do what I can to promote HCM knowledge and urge scanning of all sphynxies. It's my biggest dream that one day our kitties will never suffer from HCM. Dr. Meurs from Washington State U is currently working on trying to identify genetic markers for HCM in sphynx and many of us here had our kitties donate blood samples for her work.

I had a sphynx named Ren too, he was my heart kitty. Lost him to abdominal cancer last May. I have one girl named Pedda, she's 8 years old. And I just bought a kitten named Candy Cane, but she won't be old enough to come home until March.

Would love to see your pictures!

 

[gizmo6370]

Welcome!
I'm very sorry that you lost so many kitty's

 

[doriansmomma]

Hey Donna, glad you posted!

Welcome & I send the most sincere happy wishes your way!

 

[MissMySphynxBoys]

Welcome to Sphynx Lair. I'm so sorry to hear about your losses. HCM is a terrible disease.

 

[ilovemysphynx]

Hi Donna welcome to sphynxlair, so sorry for all your heartache you have had more sorrow than one person deserves.
Can't wait to hear all about your kitty family and see lot of pictures!

 

[jintzr]

Wow!!! What a wonderful group of people!! Thank you for all your kind words. It’s also nice to connect with people that know what I have been through. All the pics of your sphynx’s are so cute!!! Thank you all for sharing some of your stories. And Marlene had a Ren, too!!

Ivy also has asthma (and Nubis did too) on top of their HCM. So I am sure some of you have experienced that, too.

One of my hardest moments was standing in front of the oxygen cage Nubis was in, after he had thrown his clot, knowing he probably wasn’t going to make it, and the grief and sadness overwhelmed me so much at that point (and I had already lost Ren & Nemo), I had a moment where I thought, I cannot stand the pain, I can’t do this, it’s too painful, it’s beyond unbearable, I felt absolutely broken. And then I realized, if it was not me standing here in front of his oxygen cage, who would be? What if he had gone to someone who hadn’t loved him, who hadn’t given him his medicine every morning & night, who didn’t love him with all their heart? I realized then that I had to endure the pain and be strong for him, that my pain was not what mattered, what mattered is he knew how very deeply he was loved and cherished. I still miss him every single day, as I do my other angels that I have lost, also. And, I do still struggle with the grief, some days are worse than others.

Of my 6 cats, they are actually from 4 different breeders. My youngest are 5 yrs old, and I don’t know if breeders were to the point back then that they were actively scanning for HCM? Jasmine & Tizer were scanned for HCM before I got them, but Jasmine is still developing HCM, for some reason.

I’m going to try and attach a couple photos. The black cat sitting on the post is Nubis, and the picture of 3 of my boys cuddling- that is Tizer (in front), Ren (behind), and Nubis (to the side).

Donna

"They that love beyond the world cannot be separated y it.†William Penn

 

[Mews2much]

Great pics.
I like the black sphynx the best.
My Coco had asthma all her life and she lived to be 18.6 years old.
It was the blood clots and the stroke that got her at the end.
She also had high bp,CRF and Anemia,allergies,IBS ect.
What did you use for the asthma?
My Coco had a inhaler with the aerokat.
We also used pred and depo medrol shots.
The pred and shots made her get bladder problems.
The inhaler worked well for the asthma

 

[kiennasmom]

Welcome!! Sorry to hear about your losses. We are glad you've found us!

 

[bean406]

Sorry to hear about your babies...losing a beloved pet is always tough. On a more positive note, welcome to SL

 

[Nofuratu]

Thanks for posting pics! You have beautiful kitties!

Adventures of A Naked Cat

 

[NinaGato]

Hi! Welcome!
I love the pics of your nakeds.
Hope you find a happy home here at the Lair.

 

[bellasmom]

Welcome! Thanks for sharing your story and your photos. I cannot imagine what you have gone through... so sorry to hear about your babies

 

[admin]

Hello Donna and welcome to Sphynxlair! So sorry to hear of your loses...I hope Sphynxlair can brighten up your heartache for at least a little bit!:Laugh:

 

[laurame]

Welcome to the lair. So sorry to hear about all of the heartache that you have gone through. Know that you have come to a wonderful place. We will be here for you if ever you need us.