Last November when I came to work I noticed that Gwai was staggering and didn't want to be social with me. He is the most friendly cat I have ever seen, so this was alarming. I picked him up and carried him to his food dish and put him down. He fell face first into his dish. I called Ben and we rushed Gwai-lo to the vet. The vet performed the usual tests on him and it was determined that Gwai-lo's liver was failing. The inside of his mouth was very yellow from jaundice, which is a clear sign of liver failure. He said that poor Gwai's brain was being bathed in harmful chemicals and that explained the loss of coordination. The vet didn't think there was much hope at that point, but said we could try putting him on an IV to help wash out the toxins. If that worked it was possible that we could stabilize him with medication and diet. He said that chances were slim that we would save our boy and that it would be expensive. The decision was easy, our little ogre deserved a chance.

After about two days of being on the IV Gwai-lo got back some of his coordination. He refused to eat or drink anything, so they had to force feed him with a syringe. The vet was also still very concerned about the lack of coordination, but as I said earlier, Gwai-lo was never the epitome of feline grace. They let us visit him twice a day and he greeted us with Siamese yowls and big slobbery kisses. After five days at the vet's Gwailo was still refusing to eat his new special food or drink any water. At that point they sent Gawi-lo home with us. He still refused to eat or drink. As sweet and lovable as he is, he does have a mind of his own. It took two strong people to give him his pills and what little food we could manage, and we didn't walk away unscathed! After a day or two of that, I got the idea of buying a little fountain for Gwai-lo. It worked! After hearing the rushing water for a few minutes he went to take a drink. Later that evening I mixed his new food with a teaspoon of regular cat food and he ate every bite.

Over the next few weeks, Gwai-lo slept a lot and his coordination was still a bit off, even for him. Still, he was getting better and more like his old self every day. When we went to the vet to buy more food, they told us that they really had thought that we were wasting our money and that when they sent him home they had no hope at all that he would survive.

Now Gwai-lo is a happy healthy kitty! He even takes his pills willingly most of the time. He has gained back the weight he lost while he was not eating. We know that liver damage is not reversible. Gwail-lo will depend on his special diet and medication for the rest of his life. We feel like every day we have with him is like a gift.

Gwai-lo's food, medications, and vet bills are a continuing expense. Any donation would be greatly appreciated.