Chibi

Chibi's Story
Chibi was born in 1978.
When she first saw me, she had just climbed a tree
and was about to enter Masako's 2nd floor window.
She (Chibi, not Masako) froze in terror at the sight of
this strange, bearded "foreigner".
(We are--all of us humans--foreigners.)
Soon we became best friends though, and her death
is very painful to write about today, November 28, 1999.

21 cat years. 104-107 people years!
 

She got sick in autumn of 1996-acute renal failure,
and on November 26, 1996 she started a journey
that lasted just over three years.

They told us she would not live longer than 3-6 months,
but it has been 3 years.  Three wonderful years.

Chibi endured a daily regimen of
subcutaneous drips, pills, and less-than-delicious
low-protein catfood.  Perhaps it was her genes, or
perhaps it was the less than adequate treatment she got
at her previous residence that toughened her.
Perhaps it was the love and care we gave her.

No doubt it was all three.

When I first began to live with her, my asthma got worse,
but Masako said she would throw me
out of the house before she ever
got rid of Chibi, despite my
doctor's suggestion to do just that.

In time, Chibi was like desensitization therapy.
Physical or psychological, perhaps both.
 But my asthma again became controlable.
And the three of us lived happily under one roof.

I would like to think that Chibi brought out
something gentle in me, that she taught
me to treat others with kindness.

Sometimes I feel sad that many of us can
feel more tenderly to an animal like Chibi
than we can to our fellow humans.  I am
particularly sad when I hear how many
people consider the homeless to be of little
value, to be ignored or even despised.

But have you ever noticed that many homeless people
in all their misery and poverty can still find it
within themselves to take care of the cats and
dogs that we more fortunate people
discard without a second thought?

I know Chibi would be angry if she knew I
was cruel to anyone, and I think the lesson I learned
from her is that we MUST take care of one another.

We must never feel that we are somehow above or better
than others, be they animals or other people.

Chibi is like the rose in the Little Prince.
She is special because of the care and love
we gave her.  And like the Little Prince,
we will continue to water the flower that lives
on in our heart, though she has  left this earth,
her petals scattered to the wind.

These are pictures of Chibi at the age of 18
(November 1996). She was diagnosed with chronic
renal failure and given 3-6 months to live.

The little shaved patches are where they attached
the electro-cardiogram wires I think.

Or it may be where they gave her an IV drip.

Chibi, despite her illness, was always a
strong cat. Perhaps her strength was nurtured by
the sense that she was loved and being cared for.
 

She  is about 2.5 kilos in these pictures, down
from a normal 3 kilos or more.

Her daily regimen included
special low-protein cat food and sub-cutaneous
infusions of Ringer's solution.
 

Plus anywhere from 3 to 10 medicines for
the kidneys and other organs:

the heart
the gall bladder
the liver
 

She often resisted the food (and both of
us surreptiously mixed in bits of things

she liked over the years to get her to eat more
of the good stuff).

She developed a pattern:

First 5 mouthfuls:  the bad-tasting good stuff
Next 3 mouthfuls:  same, topped with good tasting bad-stuff
Next 3 mouthfuls:  dessert (good tasting bad stuff only)
 

In any case, she survived 3 more years to the age of 21.

She developed a bladder infection after 3 years
of treatment that had reversed most of the
symptoms of the renal failure. The
antibiotics  they gave her were not working,
however, and soon she could not control where
she urinated. We took her to the hospital, where
they found she had bladder cancer.  Our friends
Harry and Yuko and Akiko told us she
would be happier at home than in the hospital, and so
her last three days were at home with us.

Chibi's body temperature got lower and lower,
and her eyes became glassy, but she still appreciated the little
'kairo' hand warmers we placed under her
blanket.  She stopped purring, but she rested her weary
head in our hands. We knew the end was coming,
and she chose  Sunday morning to exhibit the first
sign that she  wasn't going
to make it much longer.  She vomited
several times a brownish fluid.

The doctor said the last thing she would probably do is go into
convulsions, but we decided to end her life while
she still had her dignity.  We cremated her on the same day
and now are living with her memories and the many
kind thoughts many of you have
sent us in recent days.

In addition to the friends I mentioned above, I would
like to mention Sharon, the Israeli
Vet for whom Chibi was her first Internet patient.
More than anyone, Sharon
encouraged us to never give up.
Chibi wanted us to tell Sharon how much
she loved her for helping to keep her alive
these past 3 years.

I would also mention Dr. Toru Mekyuria, who
was the first vet to alert us to Chibi's condition
and taught us how to administer Ringers solution as well
as how to remove plague from Chibi's teeth
(a potential source of infection).

Dr. Kiguchi was the main doctor in charge
of Chibi for the last two years.

Chibi at age 21 (September 1999) is down to 1.6 kilos, but she still looked pretty good for  a geriatric cat that had so many things wrong with her.

And she was still smart (well, in cat terms, anyway).

For example, she not only had a good sense of smell (no hearing though).
She also expected there to be food when she saw US eating.

So, for example, if I came into the room, she "knew" I had something
to eat--even people food she was not normally interested in, like
spaghetti--when she saw me move my chopsticks out of the
bowl and into my mouth.

How do I know she knew?

Because every time she saw the dish, she twitched her nose,
trying to determine what was for lunch.  And she would come
and sit down next to me while I pretended to eat.
Obviously she was hoping to get something, even
if she had  just eaten her own food!

In addition to the friends I mentioned above, I should mention the wonderful  people at Hill's Petfood, Lori, their resident veterinarian  and Chris their nutritionist.  When Chibi wouldn't eat  their company's product, they told me how to make something  nutritious myself.  And when I couldn't find the right kind  of calcium to add to the rice/potatoes/liver/egg/taurine mixture,  my pharmacologist friend Hirota san gave me a package of calcium powder
that helped until Chibi got used to the Hill's food.

Finally, Chibi wants me to tell Harry and Yuko How sad
she was to learn of the death of their cat Chibiko so soon after the loss of their beloved  Chucha.  She also wants me to say hello to Keoki and brother (sister?), Choko, Ecru and Misha.

Chibi wants everyone who has viewed her pictures over the years
to know how much YOUR caring has meant to her.

She sends you  love from where she sits
at the edge of the rainbow.
She sends you double and triple love!

SHARON'S ANIMALS