Thanksgiving

I know tomorrow is no longer my Thanksgiving, but I've been feeling pretty nostalgic and thankful lately anyway.
It still blows me away how far Chester has come. There were plenty of times I felt stupid for dragging us all into this mess, for making him undergo surgery in the first place when he was already alive and seemed ok. He almost died several times, lost two toes, and had a whole hell of a lot of stress put on him all because of me. And there were many times when things were looking bad that I would think "Ugh, I've done more harm than good and this is so not worth it."

But let me tell you, it was worth it. It was worth every single thing that we, as a family encountered. Seeing just how different this little guy's life is makes everything else look insignificant.

Chester 9 months ago

• Open mouth breathing
• Upper Respiratory infections ALL THE TIME
• Breathing super fast and super laboured
• Could only lay in one position
• Could not go on his back, his only functioning lung would be squished
• Could not eat


• Had trouble using the potty


• Didn't move much/slept all day and all night
• Was afraid of everything


• Needed constant care and attention and reassurance
• Never initiated playing. When he would play it would be for no longer than 5 seconds at a time

Chester Today

• Only breathes through his nose
• Hasn't had an infection in 4 months
• Breathes slowly and calmly
• Lays however and wherever he wants to
• Rolls on his back as a sign of affection, or play
• Eats everything I put in front of him in the time it takes me to put the food down and turn around. Then whines all day for more
• Hasn't had a single instance of bladder troubles since the first surgery
• Barely sits still
• Sleeps on top of the bed, completely unbothered by an all day session of carpet cleaning
• Cuddles when he wants to, but is perfectly fine by himself, too
• Plays constantly, with every toy in his arsenal, and runs laps around the apartment all day

You've all seen his past photos, so these are both recent ones

By just seeing the cat he is today, I can't imagine the pain he was feeling before. So today I am thankful for him, and his health, and everyone who contributed to him and his health. Everyone who kept him alive and gave him a life that is immeasurably better than he could have had otherwise. 

And one that makes our own lives worthwhile. 

Everything about him is perfectly healed. He's a full-on cat these days. Complete with chewing on my computer cords and pouncing on our heads at 4 am. And knocking everything off my dresser...just for fun. I'll take his rambunctiousness and mischief any day over the poor soul he was before. He is indeed the luckiest (albeit most expensive) cat in the world. And I'm so glad he's ours for years to come. I can only hope that you all have the same wonderful animals to call your own. (If not, he is available for cuddles)