About

This web page is born following the beautiful life of our cat Rudy as he left this material world yesterday. He bravely fought congestive heart failure for ten long months and together we learned an incredible amount of information about this terrible disease. Rudy lasted many more months than he would have without the endless hours of research and preparation that went into his care. There were also plenty of lessons learned along the way– information I wish I knew just a few weeks earlier. If sharing this information can help any pet owner facing this illness or help just one more cat enjoy a few more happy moments, I believe that Rudy shall not have died in vain.

I would be dishonest if I did not say that this site is as therapeutic for me as hopefully helpful to others. Please bear with me over the coming weeks and months as I share personal anecdotes about Rudy in addition to simply his medical care. Often, an endearing habit may actually be revealing something more diagnostically telling. But they also help me grieve my loss of my little “Booboo.” Also, as you read these posts, please try to hold Rudy– and your furry friends– in your heart.

I am certainly not a veterinarian or a doctor, so please do not take this information as medical advice– and always consult with your veterinarian before changing your pet’s course of treatment. In fact, I strongly encourage any veterinarians or health professionals to comment on any posts that I write that are misleading or potentially dangerous. I had the most amazing care for Rudy’s heart condition with Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners in Seattle. Dr. Anthony Tobias and Taryn (on the cardiology team) and all the rest of the vets and staff were simply amazing.

Apologies in advance, but as my thoughts and ideas come out, the information in this blog will appear random and haphazard. Eventually, I would like to organize it better, but first it’s more important to just get the ideas out. Also, I will take the editorial privilege of amending or completely changing any of my posts without notice. At first, I just want to get the ideas down; the fine-tuning and reshaping can come later.

It will likely take me months to post all of my experiences. If you are currently struggling with feline congestive heart failure (CHF) during this time, you can read my notes on Rudy’s care, which gives strong hints about what I think really helps in the treatment of CHF.