Charlie spent 24 hours in an oxygen box because his fever did indeed break- but then it also started going sub-normal and he began to have problems breathing.

He is home now and he isn’t much interested in life at the moment. I just gave him my last-shot effort a shot of dex to see if that might jump-start this orange spark-plug. If it doesn’t, then I am out of ideas.

I have been asked to prepare for letting him go. I won’t allow him to suffer- although it is hard to figure out if he is, because he hides pain so well. I have been packing him around in my special sling and he is content to lie in the bottom snuggled close to my heart. He is a bit heavier than the normal newborn kitty that usually occupies the sling, but hey, I need to lose weight anyway. He isn’t eating but he is drinking. I have yet to see him use the litter pan since all this started.

I’m really bummed and don’t know what to do next. My special vet said he is an enigma to be sure, because when he does get sick, he crashes in a major way. I spent most of the night reading the sick journals and tracking his illnesses. It appears he has strong 3 months of no sickness, then inexplicably he crashes.

I can see that he is losing color in his vibrant coat and his mouth is still thick with strings of mucous. He is gurgling, lurching his throat to swallow and there is confirmed fluid in his lungs. Poor Charlie- if the shot doesn’t kick-start him in 24 hours, I will sadly just let him go. It will be the hardest of all decisions to make, but I can’t expect him to deal with this mystery illness just because I love him so much. If he tells me or shows me he wants to give up, I will let him go in peace.