Kazon at sunset.

I tried to capture an out-of-focus image of him in warm light.  While I can always find room for improvement, I rather like the way it turned out.

A phone call dreaded.  An outcome feared.

Yet apprehension died after the word ‘hello’…

Kazon underwent his dental surgery today, a rushed schedule following the strong regimen of antibiotics and steroids that filled these past two weeks.

Despite the very real danger of yet another tantrum by his immune system, the doctor reassures me that all went well.

The recent outbreak of his white cells attacking his own body seems to have been in response to infection in the tooth.  It takes but the slightest hint of infection for his immune system to explode in a rage of self-destructive behavior.

He endured three full weeks of antibiotics, two of which included a powerful combination of two such medicines coupled with a systemic steroid, and that seems to have done the trick, at least for now.

A bit later this afternoon I shall venture out to fetch him and return him to his place of comfort: home.

My job is to keep a close eye on him to ensure no infection sets in and that his behavior and health remain normal.  Any signs to the contrary might indicate the unleashing of yet another attack by his own body, one intent on protecting itself from infection by killing the host.

What a frightening thought…

Yesterday evening as Kazon lay on the bed blanketed by the warm light of sunset, I watched him bathe for a short time before he curled up for a nap, and I realized then that today marks the end of his two-week regimen of medication.  His last steroids and antibiotics will be taken today, and I hope this defines his last struggle with the upset stomach they cause.

Our next course of action stems entirely from the results of more tests, more blood taken to see if his immune system has calmed down enough for him to be safe.  There’s also the question of his needed dental surgery, which of course can’t be addressed if we’re unable to reign in his immune system.

His weight stabilized after the first week, but it never recovered to its previous level and he now maintains a lightness that frightens me each time I pick him up.

Only time will tell where we go from here.

I’ve been asked why I subject myself to this variety of high-maintenance animals, many of whom have chronic health conditions.  That heralds entirely from rescuing unwanted and abandoned animals instead of seeking out kitten-mill produce and designer breeds.

Navel-gazing notwithstanding, saving a life to me is more important than effortless companionship by way of taking the safe route.

I would rather have a few short years of profound love with a sickly animal than many long years with a healthy one that I took in trade for knowing the loneliness and pain I left others to endure.

Had I not rescued Kazon when he was so young and so sick and so feeble, would anyone else have come along and provided him a good home with plenty of care and affection, provided him with safety and family without worrying for the cost his troubled childhood would bring later?

Perhaps.  Perhaps not.

Only my compassion drives me in these matters.

And when I am showered with such unbridled adoration and cared for with such heartfelt desire…  Well, to me that’s repayment well above and beyond whatever tribulations and trials we may face together.