Breeding
Joshua's Story
Probably the most difficult task at hand for me to write this article was to decide how to label this webpage for internet purposes. Regardless of the numerous medical conditions this young boy is faced with, the foundation to all his problems stems from poor unregulated breeding practices. In his case within the US. So breeding is what I ultimately decided upon. It is ironic how certain things in life just happen and I often wonder if a higher power was the driving force for Joshua and I to be together. He has been my underlying force for the last year, not necessarily to exhibit negative hostility, but to reverse a negative situation into a positive role to help our entire cat breed population. I have taken a no-nonsense approach and I am an advocate in enforcing good breeding practices within the venues that are made available to me. And also, to provide education and data to others that want and seek it, so we can proceed to bring an end to the genetic diseases within this beautiful breed that I truly love and other breeds as well.
In March of 2006, I received a rather poor prognosis for my silver tabby persian cat, named Allie. She was diagnosed with polycystic liver disease at its final stages with very little normal liver tissue remaining. Since Allie was 14 years old and my other female, a white persian, Sassie, was 13 years old; I made the decision that I needed to add to my family before anything were to happen to either one of them. I certainly wasn't looking for a male since all my cats during my lifetime have been females. And I certainly wasn't looking for a shaded golden persian cat either.
I remember at that time, that there was a waiting period for silver female persians so I continued my search and browsed the internet. I stumbled upon Joshua by accident and instantly fell in love with that sweet facial expression of his. The photo I have featured here displays Joshua at 8 months old and it was love at first sight. He was destined to be a future show contender. Or at least this is what his breeder intended for him to be. Josh joined us in June 2006, at the young age of 16 months. From his arrival day, I received indicators that there was something wrong with Josh. He was an extremely nervous cat and every household noise sent him off into a defensive mode. Within 2-3 days after his arrival and due to this nervousness, Josh scratched his cornea since he had elected to hide behind stereo equipment anytime he felt threaten or frighten by noise. I later discovered by making inquiries and seeking advise on this matter that it was obvious that Joshua had been caged for the first 16 months of his life and wasn't socialized within an open home setting.
Joshua's problems began when he first became ill Christmas week of 2007 requiring 4 days of hospitalization. He was diagnosed with idiopathic elevated calcium levels and it was also discovered by accident that Josh had polycystic kidney disease. He only has one kidney that functions at this time. The other kidney has been consumed by cysts. I was devastated to hear this since he was acquired by me with the understanding that he was PKD negative. A topic that was discussed in great detail with his breeder since I was already caring for a senior cat at that time with this same disease. Along with these findings it was then later discovered that Joshua also has neurological issues due to inbreeding. I later researched via pedigree lines that both of his parents share the same father. So to say the least, today, Joshua presents medical challenges even for his veterinary specialist of internal medicine. What is a suitable treatment for one condition conflicts with his others so we are constantly faced with a balancing act.
Joshua has been in and out of the hospital several times during 2008 and as of recent has also been diagnosed with FUS. He is faced with all of these medical issues at the young age of 3. It certainly doesn't seem fair since he was brought into this world by a distinguished breeder with 25 years of experience. We also can't forget the fact that his birth did take place within a controlled environment. I will later discuss within other Forum articles why and how situations like Josh exist today. But for this article which I have written, the question I ask myself is why one of the sweetest cats I have ever had who has a heart of gold, needs to suffer to a certain degree daily? And the most important question we need to ask ourselves, why, with the advanced DNA medical technology available to us today was he brought into this world to begin with?
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Acknowledgement:
I also wish to take a moment to extend a special thank you to Dr. Gary Block at Ocean State Veterinary Specialists for his honesty and dedication in veterinary medicine that has not only provided excellent care for Joshua but is the main reason for the past 3 years that my 17 year old silver girl, Allie, can still continue to live comfortably with final stage polycystic liver disease. His treatment approach to always have the best interest of the animal at heart first is so very much appreciated in today's day and age. He has been an endless resource for providing me with medical data whenever needed.
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