Dusty, our Gentle Giant - An Inspiring Story of Love and Supplements
Dusty was just a kitten in 2008. I mistook him at first for our cat, Emma, who I thought had escaped. Emma was a young black cat and so was Dusty. Dusty kept on popping in and out of our neighbor's bush across the street. When I called to him, he came running over. We asked around if he belonged to anyone and since no one claimed him, Dusty became a part of our family, and we became a part of his.
Dusty was just a little tyke, about four months old or so. His fur was short, but his tail was fluffy. We had no idea he would grow into a 19-pound Maine Coon. I remember saying after a couple of years, "When is he going to stop growing?" I looked it up and discovered that Maine Coons grow for up to five years! And that's about how long it took for him to be full grown.
Dusty is a beautiful fuzzy black cat, a gentle giant, and my Baby Huey. He's also the oldest of all of our cats. Over the years and even just recently, anytime we've introduced a new cat or kitten to our flock, he was always so accepting of them. He has such a sweet personality and temperament. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He never starts a fight, and I can't even remember a time when he growled or hissed even when he was being provoked.
When people first meet Dusty, they gasp and take a step back in surprise, or sometimes shock. Many times, we've been asked if he was a cat or a dog. One time when I was carrying Dusty up my front steps outside after his escape and capture, my neighbor a few doors away asked me if I needed help carrying the piece of furniture in! I told him it wasn't furniture; it was my cat! He couldn't believe it. When I see little dogs out somewhere, I say to their owner that I have a cat who is much bigger than their dog. I'm not sure if they believe me or not, but it's true. Here's true and funny story: One night Dusty escaped and went between our neighbors’ houses across the street. That same night, our neighbor told her son to go and put the trash out. He took the bag of trash and went outside with it. Seconds later he ran back into the house scared and told his mom that something was "out there." She didn't believe him at first, so she sent her other son out with him. They both came flying through the door and the second son told his mom that there really was something out there. This time, she went outside with them, and they all saw Dusty walk out from between the houses! She couldn't wait to tell us about it.
Last year, Dusty was diagnosed with advanced kidney disease. Our veterinarian suggested that put him down because he said he'll only get worse. At that time Dusty was down 5 pounds. He went from 19 pounds to 14 pounds.
We decided to get a second opinion from a holistic veterinarian we know. He's two hours in north NJ so we had a phone consultation with him. We had sent him Dusty's test results ahead of time so he could review everything. When we spoke with him, we told him that we fed Dusty and all of our cats Darwin's Raw Cat Food which he was happy to hear. I also told him which supplements we had started Dusty on. He agreed with everything we were doing and said to continue. He didn't seem to have too much hope for Dusty's health though because apparently advanced kidney disease isn't curable.
Not only did I continue to do my research but I prayed for God's wisdom and knowledge. I knew that I had to believe and trust Him in order to find what I didn't know I was looking for. I learned this back in 2005 when I was recovering without conventional treatment from breast cancer.
Dusty is a good sport. He tried each new supplement and combination of supplements I gave him. He didn't always enjoy it and sometimes I had to disguise the supplements, but after a while, he got used to it and now he eats them with no problem. And sure enough, Dusty started gaining weight! It's been about a year now, give or take, and Dusty is maintaining his weight at 16 pounds! He takes his supplements every day without a fuss (anymore) and continues to remind me it's mealtime. He is a treat maniac, so he also lets me know when he wants a "treat." Anytime I mention the word, "treat" his head turns so face like a model doing a photo shoot! I can't even spell the word treat without him knowing what I'm saying. Dusty still runs and plays, jumps up and down on the windowsills, on our bed which is pretty high, and on our kitchen counter to make his way to the big kitchen window where he knows he's not allowed to be. But the temptation of dipping his paws in the jar of the plant I'm trying to root is just too great. It's so much better than his water bowl! Just today when I was walking into the kitchen, I heard him jump down off the counter. I found a mess of his wet paw prints on my counter; like he thinks I don't know.
No matter what mischief Dusty has gotten himself mixed up in, it's always been hard to get angry at him. I appreciate every day we get to have with Dusty. I don't want to say he's on borrowed time but the life expectancy of a Maine Coon, from what I've read, is about 15 years. My husband and I make sure to spend time with him and give him a lot of love, hugs, and kisses because we don't know how much longer we'll have him. We love him and we hope that we get to enjoy him for as long as possible and that his quality of life is one of good health and happiness. We love all of our cats but there's no cat like Dusty. He is such a great cat, and we're so happy that we didn't give up on him!
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