Leo Was Adopted On April 18, 2008

I found Leo on April 18 through Kitty Kind in NYC in Union Square.

He was originally picked up by the NYC Mayor's Animal Alliance.

Leo's came with papers from Murray Hill Animal Hospital stating he was tested and had no medical problems other than a neurological physical tick that made him swing his head from side to side. I saw no reason not to adopt him. He was listed as loving and sweet. And since I am a certfied energy worker I felt I could help rehabilitate his neurological condition. Leo is estimated at one year old.

I paid for his adoption and picked him up the next day.

That day Leo barely ate. Later that evening he decided he was hungry and he ate everything I left for him in his dish. I fed him organic kitten food. Two and a half hours later Leo vomited and all the food he ate came up and was now on my floor.

A few hours later Leo ate again. Like clockwork, two and a half hours later in the middle of the night, Leo vomited again. And the food he ate was again on my floor.

The next morning Leo followed me into the bathroom and jumped on my lap when I was on the toilet. When he got up blood was all over my leg. I went over to check on him and saw blood on his rectum and scrotum. I immediately called the contact number on the adoption paperwork.

The papers I signed gave me 10 days of medical care included.

While I was waiting for Kitty Kind's contact to call me I called my Veterinary's office. Soon after that call I was called from Kitty Kind's contact, Cathie. Cathie and I discussed Leo's symptoms and we agreed together that he did need immediate care of a licensed Veterinarian. She told me she would find out if Murray Hill could see him that day or what other arrangements could be made.

A short while later Cathie called me back and asked if I had a way to travel into the city to a 24 hour Veterinary hospital on West 55th Street. I told her I would drive him. And that is exactly what I did.

At this time I explained that I was not going to keep the adoption. Leo seemed like a very sick cat and since I had just lost my cat of 17 years only weeks earlier, I was not willing to take on such a responsibility again so soon.

On my way into the city, I received a call from a new person, Siobhan. Siobhan told me that Leo (previously named Raymond by Mayors Alliance) was rescued by her and that she would help me out and to speak to her from now on. She begged me the entire drive into the city to the emergency Vet's office to keep Leo. I told her the same thing I told Cathie, that I had just lost a pet I had for the better part of two decades and that I was not willing to take a cat that was chronically ill.

Siobhan begged and begged and begged me to give Leo's adoption a chance. She assured me that Mayor's Alliance whom she worked for and who initially rescued him, would pay for his medical care and have tests run to find out why he was bleeding and why he could not hold down food. And to her credit this was honored.

While in the emergency Vet's care, Leo received the following tests: full blood work including thyroid panels, a CAT scan, and a spinal tap. Leo was put on 2mgs of Pepcid and thereafter showed no signs of vomiting.

The emergency Vet said that they had to fix the neutering done by Murray Hill Hospital because it was not initially performed correctly and that blood was filling up in the wound. They fixed that issue and he had to live with a cone on his head for a week so that he could not lick that area and take out the new stiches.

He stayed at this Vet. until Wednesday evening when Siobhan called me to say that the Vet wanted me to take him home. During those few days I went to see him every day after work. The first night I went to visit the Vet and I witnessed Leo going from a very happy state to almost collapsing, with his mouth open in a sort of dolt like look. I expressed extreme concern and the Vet replied that, "This is the exact reason why I want to run the CAT scan."

By the end of those few days, the Vet. staff concluded that there was no cancer in Leo's brain and that he had no signs of viral disease that would be causing the symptoms we were seeing.

I took him home.

And then the bigger problems began.