My Miracle Cat Lauren

Lauren is about 6 years old in human years. He's the second eldest among the siblings. A few years back he was diagnosed with a liver problem. We didn't know exactly what kind because back then we didn't have the money to get a blood test for him. So what the doctor did was assume he was having liver problems and gave him meds for that. His whole body turned yellow that time and he was so weak.
Treatment included everyday trips to the vet to have him dextrosed. I insisted on taking him everyday instead of confining him because I wanted to be the one to take care of him. This was a hard task. My first cat, Tammy, is a street cat. Almost all my cats came from her. Yes, she was that fertile! Almost all my cats were born in the house so they are domesticated. They might not have a proper breed but they are good, smart and loving. Most of my cats don't like going out. They prefer to stay inside the house, playing, eating and sleeping. They're happy viewing the outside world through the windows in the hallway.

So now comes the problem when I have to take them out to go to the vet.

Most pets, especially dogs are okay to bring anywhere. You can just carry them or put them on a leash. My cats, you'd have to put inside a cage and cover that cage with a cloth while you transport them. I have a tricycle driver friend and he volunteered to take us to the vet everyday for a week. On our third day Lauren wasn't at all bothered by all the noise and the movement so we removed the cover. He happily watched the world go by.

It was also around this time that he knew he was really sick and that we had to take him to the doctor. He would willingly go inside the cage whenever I put it in front of him. Before, I had to chase him around the house and force him to go inside the cage.
The doctor told us that Lauren might die. He said that almost all his patients died when they turned yellow. He only had one survivor, a dog, which also died after a few months. Lauren was really yellow that time. His fur was the shade of yellow because of his skin. In the doctor's office, while taking his IV, I talked to him a lot. Being a new pet owner, thinking about the loss of a pet was too much for me to bear. I'd often cry whenever I looked at him. During all this time he was sick, I talked to him a lot, telling him not to give up and that he should fight this. A few years after, I would use the same words to my mom on our way to the hospital. She, fighting a heart attack. According to Dr. Weiss, a guest in Oprah, the subconscious is a very powerful thing. I used this knowledge to speak to the subconscious minds of both my mom and Lauren. It helped. Dr. Weiss said that whatever the subconscious mind hears, it manifests in our conscious hours. There was a patient who went under the knife and the doctors talked about him being a goner. He survived the operation but felt "dead" inside. He said he doesn't feel alive. He went to Dr. Weiss and he regressed him and found out what happened.
I researched about Lauren's sickness a lot. I gave him proper food and a lot of liquids. I also gave him vitamin E. His meds were bitter aside from the vitamins which he really, really loved. If you're a pet owner, you'd know how I feel every time I would give him meds. And you'd understand why every single day, I was late for work because I had to take him to the doctor and I had to go home at lunch time just to check on him even though my mom was with him.

On his fourth day, he showed signs of improvement. His skin was returning to normal. His doctor was so proud of him that he took videos and pictures of him everyday to show to his other patients. On the last day of his dextrose, he was released by the doctor. He would just be on meds but he said not to keep our hopes up because he might still not survive the coming months. Well, we kept the faith and we took care of him and believed in him that he will survive.

4 years later, he's still alive and kicking (and complaining). He doesn't live in our house everyday anymore. About two years ago, he decided he wanted to live outside, be a street cat like his mom and brothers. He comes home after a few months then leaves again. There was a time when he didn't come home for 6 months. We thought he will no longer come home. But he did.

He's been coming and going for the past couple of weeks now. My mom is keeping him inside the house, not letting him out. He's actually pretty heavy and big now compared to his siblings who are constantly in the house. He has another brother, Midnight, who is also a street cat. He comes home only to eat and to rest for a while or when it's raining outside.

I have other cats but Lauren holds a special spot in my heart because of what we've gone through together. He gave me more faith. He gave me strength which I use to fight my own illness. And he taught me how to love his kind and gave me unconditional love in return.