For this month’s special kitty feature, we have a very special guest. Marmie is the cutest girl that had a very rocky start. Marmie is FIV positive (and proud), and she has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. She also is toothless, which is stomatitis, and she has asthma and a diaphragmatic hernia. This kitty has surely been through it. But, I’m so grateful that I had the chance to talk to her amazing human, Daisy.
Off To A Bad Start
Marmie was in pretty rough shape when Daisy came across her.
“I was working at an event called “Clear the Shelters” in South LA as part of my work as an adoption coordinator at an animal hospital in West Hollywood, CA. I went in the feral cat room and my eyes went straight to her. I immediately started crying because she looked so horrible. She was very dirty, emaciated, covered in mats, had multiple tears in her skin, had black crust all around her mouth, and was sneezing non-stop. I stooped down to say ‘hi’ to her and she immediately came to the front of the kennel and started rubbing her face all over my fingers while purring. She was not feral whatsoever.”
Unfortunately Marmie was set to be euthanized in the few days following their initial meeting, and Daisy knew she had to act fast. She also had made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t get another cat because her older kitty was very cat-reactive. But Marnie needed her help, and Daisy was the chosen one, so she gave Marmie a second chance at life.
A Fresh Start At Life
Things weren’t all rainbows and butterflies when Marmie first found her home.
“The first thing the doctor tested for her was FIV, which came back positive. The next step was to wash her. We gave her 3 (yes THREE) baths, the first one which water running off of her was dark brown. We started shaving the huge mats but she kept bleeding. At that time, we didn’t know she had EDS so when she was on my lap at home, I would gently cut the mats out while she purred on my lap. The doctor then scheduled her for full mouth extractions which is the best way to get rid of the extremely painful inflammation in her mouth. The day that she got her full mouth extractions, she started eating! Her doctor even said “wow, I can’t believe this cat” when he saw her eating after the procedure. A few months later she was diagnosed with a diaphragmatic hernia and feline airway disease (asthma). At the time, I worked at an ER/general practice hospital and they told me that there was nothing I could do for those conditions.”
Things began to slowly (but surely) look up for Marmie following her diagnoses. Although she was still dealing with a plethora of health issues, she never gave up, and neither did her incredible human, Daisy.
Following these initial visits, she would cough and have asthma attacks daily and occasionally breathed very hard. But Daisy eventually got a job in Internal Medicine at a specialty hospital where her specialist put her on steroids and antibiotics to treat her asthma, and she’s been doing better since. But there are still difficulties.
“On her worst day, she had 10-15 asthma attacks and even collapsed from exhaustion. I decided I would do anything, even break my new lease to help us find a home that would help her breathe easier and not suffer. Luckily, my apartment managers are animal lovers and they let me move into a spacious beautiful apartment in the building next door. She still has asthma and I give her steroids (via inhaler) everyday as well as antibiotics. Having to pack up your entire apartment (and pay movers) to move was a HUGE hassle but guess what? Marmie is worth every second and penny of it.”
A Quirky Cutie
When I asked Daisy what a day to day for Marmie looks like, she informed me that she’s kind of an oddball, but a super adorable and lovable oddball.
“She really is a weirdo cat. For instance, a few months after I got her spayed, I noticed large lumps on her belly. My first thought was mammary cancer because she got spayed so late in life. Her doctor aspirated one of the lumps, held it up, and said, “It’s milk! Weird, I’ve never seen that before” and walked away looking puzzled. As for her everyday life, she is quite a happy cat. Her biggest problem that she faces in everyday life is her chronic feline airway disease and diaphragmatic hernia.”
Typically we talk about the general needs and importance of adopting a special needs kitty, but this time I want to talk about the process of caring for some specific conditions:
“FIV and EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome) are not death sentences. Before I had an FIV+ cat, I thought FIV was a death sentence. In the shelters where I volunteered, the FIV+ cats were quarantined and I was actually scared to socialize with them. FIV is NOT contracted from sharing food, sharing water bowls, or being in the presence of an FIV+ cat. FIV is ONLY contracted through deep puncture wounds by an FIV+ cat’s teeth to a FIV- cat’s body or through an FIV+ mother who is nursing her kittens.”
Just like there are stigmas surrounding certain conditions in humans, there are stigmas surrounding animals with certain conditions.
“It is extremely rare for an FIV+ cat to give a cat FIV from playing and rough housing. Just like HIV+ people, an FIV+ cat can live a happy, healthy, and happy life. Their immune systems are compromised and they are more prone to infections and illnesses but they can live long, beautiful, wonderful lives if you will accept them into your home! A big misconception about EDS cats is that they are cute all dressed up with extra skin. In Marmie’s case, she has lots of extra neck skin. With EDS comes numerous trips to address all the skin tears, as well as time and distress of the owner constantly having to care for the wounds.”
When we asked Daisy if she had any advice for adopters looking for special needs kitties, and more specifically those who are looking to adopt FIV+ cats or those that have EDS, she gave us some pretty good advice.
“They can lead long happy (but not always healthy) lives! When you adopt a cat with FIV or EDS, just remember you are in store for vet bills. FIV+ cats are more prone to health issues because their immune systems are compromised. Stomatitis is a very painful inflammation of the gums and hinders cats from eating normally because it is excruciatingly painful. A HUGE misconception about stomatitis is that if your veterinarian recommends full mouth extractions, do it! Working at an animal hospital, I have seen many clients very sad because their cat with stomatitis has to come in time and time again just to have a few teeth extracted.”
“As for EDS, I wish more people were aware of the condition to support each other. In my years of working at animal hospitals, I have only known of one other cat that (maybe) had it. It was before I met Marmie and this client kept coming in, very sad and in distress because her cat’s skin kept tearing. We didn’t know what to do for her at the time. I wish she had the support groups that we now have online.”
The Good Life
We jammed this feature with a lot of important information regarding special needs kitties. Now we want to end this on a lighter note. Marmie and Daisy are a dynamic duo that thrive together in LA. If you’ve seen her Instagram, you KNOW she loves playing with her white cat tube and duck! She plays with it so much, Daisy has to take it away before bed or else she’ll wake her up with her incessant playing.
“She also loves sleeping by my side every night and waking me up by making biscuits on me while purring. She also LOVES to eat. Even with her being completely toothless, she eats dry food, wet food, and anything else I accidentally drop on the group (ugh). She also LOVES going on walks (on a harness, of course). Her favorite place I occasionally take her to is Hollywood Forever Cemetery. She loves to roll around on the grass while purring and loves watching the ducks, turtles, and peacocks. In our new apartment, she loves to roll around and bask in the afternoon sunlight.”
As always, we urge you to consider adoption when thinking about getting an animal. There are thousands of loving animals in shelters that deserve forever homes, and proper care.
