Have you loved a pet so much, it feels like they are a part of you? Like they are not just a pet?

A love so unexplainable, it hurts.

Cyn and I have been blessed to feel this type of love for our cat, Chavela.

In her very short life (2 years old), she has managed to hold on so tightly to a big part of our hearts. It literally hurts.

Chave chose us in April 2024, when we rescued her from Itty Bitty Kitty Committee (IBKC). She has never been like other cats, she has always done things her way. She is brave, adventurous, tenacious, fearless…

She adapted quickly to her new home, to her forever family.

She showed our very nervous, anxious, shy rescue puppy how to ask for affection. Be more playful, and just be the happy puppy that she is now.

She has reminded and showed us that there is immense pleasure in the smallest of things. Like the sun on your face, a bird signing in the morning. Meal times! Even how she is happier with a ball made out of foil and a string of yard than any toy we ever bought for her.

We have big plans for her life. And we talked about how long she will be in our lives, but life has other plans.

Chave, Cha-Cha, Gatito, despite her happy and sassy demeanour has had some health challenges along the way. In June 2024, she tested positive for two infectious diseases, a virus called Calicivirus, and a bacteria known as Chlamydophila felis. Both of these pathogens are spread from cat to cat, and can cause a range of symptoms - typically upper respiratory symptoms (ie. sneezing, coughing, eye discharge etc.). Symptoms can vary, from mild to quite severe - in rare instances can be lethal.

As far as we know, there is no effective treatment for these pathogens, but rather we managed the symptoms. Chave received treatment and had dental surgery in March 2025 to make sure her quality of life would not be severely affected in the future.

Sadly, Chave’s life and ours have been turned up side down. She went in for her annual check up and a swollen lymph node on 26 May. Bloodwork and FIP test (which came back negative) was done. For two weeks there were no other symptoms until Thursday, 5 June she took a turn for the worse.

Chave was brought to Central Victoria Veterinary Hospital as an emergency patient. She was hospitalized for 2 days while kept on observation and an ultrasound was done to rule out cancer.

No confirmed diagnosis. We agreed to take care home on a FIP medication trial. If she improved then it was safe to assume it was FIP.

And here is when life is cruel. She came home and for the first 3 days we had hope that she will get better. She was so close to being her loud, chatty, mischievous, playful, hungry Chave.

On Wednesday, 11 June, she wasn’t as well and since it has been the hardest, most painful and frustrating roller coaster of emotions we have been.

Today, (another f*ucking Wednesday) we find ourselves at Central Victoria Veterinary Hospital. Chave hospitalized for another 2 nights while an MRI can be done and help give us more answers of what it is not and what it could be.

Asking for help is not our strongest virtue, and we wouldn’t put this together if it didn’t really need some support and help.

We strongly believe she deserves for us to fight this uncertainty one more time, so that we can get her the treatment she needs, or we made the difficult decision to let her go.

For full transparency, we have included the vet’s cost breakdown of treatment for her first stay in hospital (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QWsNb_BP-zNWPJ6eATaVKi_5y85z-eNU/view?usp=drivesdk ),and will include the quote for her next round of tests.

The total cost for both emergency stays in hospital, tests that she had done and are yet to be done is about $10,000 out of pocket. This sum does not include any future treatment medications.

Chave does have insurance and it has already been maxed out through this process.

If you are not able to help, that is OK. We still want to thank you for taking the time to read this, and maybe pray, think, send our little cha-cha good energy and strength. We need those too.