Update: It is with great sadness that we must tell you that our friend Claudio passed away on March 5, 2018. He charmed all who knew him, and will always be remembered and loved. We are very grateful to Lesley-Ann and Claudio for sharing their story to help raise awareness of Feline Chronic Kidney Disease.
Claudio is a twenty year-old boy who enjoys sitting in the bath, having breakfast in bed, and playing with his toys. He also has Chronic Kidney Disease. His life story is inspiring—here’s what his Mom, Lesley-Ann, had to say about her “EXTRA-special” boy:
Claudio is an amazing character. I adopted him twenty years ago, when he was ten weeks old. He was a very sickly kitten and was less than half the weight of his siblings at birth. I fell in love with this tiny little black scrap of a kitten and his two much sturdier brothers. Their rescuer said the little black kitten was not up for adoption because he was so ill. He was not gaining weight, and was not expected to survive. I agreed that I would adopt his two brothers, but repeatedly asked if I could adopt him too. Even if he was not going to live for long I felt it would be better for him to be with his brothers than in a crowded rescue centre. I didn’t sleep all night--I couldn’t stop thinking about the three beautiful kittens I had fallen in love with, and I knew it wouldn’t be right to separate them. Even after speaking with the rescue centre vet who, again, warned me that the little black kitten was unlikely to survive, I still insisted that, for however long he survived, he would be better off with his brothers and me. Eventually they relented and agreed I could adopt all three kittens.
Kitten Claudy!
When I collected Claudio, he weighed less than 500g (1.1 pounds), had discharge coming from both eyes and looked a poor wee soul. I drove from the rescue centre straight to my vet’s office. When my wonderful vet, Mike, saw Claudio, he shook his head and sighed. Claudio and his brothers spent the night at his office. When I went in the next day, Mike was laughing--apparently the little black kitten had caused a commotion the night before by squeezing out through the door of the “pen”, and was discovered by the nurse boldly walking like a tightrope walker along the tiny ledge on the outside of the pen in the cat ward! He had made his mark already--everybody at the vet’s office was in love with this gorgeous, brave, tiny ball of black fluff. What he lacked in size he made up for in character!
Mike said he wasn’t sure what the little one’s chances were, but that together we would all do our best for him, and time would tell. That night I decided to call him Claudio, after Claudio Chiappucci, a brilliant Tour de France cyclist who was small in stature, but renowned for having the heart of a lion and never, ever giving up. A good name for my little fighter, I thought.
The days turned into weeks and the weeks to months. Claudio was sick a lot, and often had diarrhea, but we persevered. With special food and medicine, and a lot of determination from Claudio, he gradually managed to keep food down and began to gain weight. His eyes cleared up and he began to look healthier and stronger. We had turned the corner-- it looked like this little one intended to stay for a while.
Mike said he wasn’t sure what the little one’s chances were, but that together we would all do our best for him, and time would tell. That night I decided to call him Claudio, after Claudio Chiappucci, a brilliant Tour de France cyclist who was small in stature, but renowned for having the heart of a lion and never, ever giving up. A good name for my little fighter, I thought.
The days turned into weeks and the weeks to months. Claudio was sick a lot, and often had diarrhea, but we persevered. With special food and medicine, and a lot of determination from Claudio, he gradually managed to keep food down and began to gain weight. His eyes cleared up and he began to look healthier and stronger. We had turned the corner-- it looked like this little one intended to stay for a while.
Claudio loves to have a drink in the bath!
Somehow 20 years have passed. Following his tough start in life, Claudio became an incredibly energetic and charismatic little cat, and was never ill until February, 2014. I noticed that his appetite was poor, and that he was a bit lethargic. The vet ran blood tests and diagnosed him with Chronic Kidney Disease. Claudio takes blood pressure medication daily, has regular blood tests to monitor his kidney function, is weighed regularly, and is on a renal diet. He drinks more than he used to, and persuading him to eat is challenging; I actively encourage him to eat several times a day. He is served both wet and dry food, and goes through periods where he refuses his food. Warming his wet food just a bit, or putting a little bit of a cat treat on his dry food sometimes helps. I have many different brands of food, and when Claudio decides to stop eating his usual variety, I try a different one--I just don’t give up until I find a combination he likes.
Claudio has spent every day assuming the world is a wonderful place and that every person and animal he encounters is going to love him, and he’s right-- they do. I sadly lost both of his bigger, stronger brothers, aged eleven and twelve. Claudio has also shared me with six other cats over the years. Every new arrival has hissed at him and he has ignored their hissing and just rubbed his head up against them in welcome. My vet describes Claudio as the glue that holds the family together. All my other cats have adored him; you never find Claudio alone--there is always another cat cuddled in with him or playing with him.
On his twentieth birthday my vet put a photo of Claudio on the vet practice Facebook page with the caption “ Happy Birthday Claudio! An amazing cat--quite unique--he loves everyone, fears nothing and will probably never grow up! Keep it up Claudio!” That about sums him up. Every day is an adventure –-he has been a total joy every day of the 20 years we have shared. He still behaves like a kitten. Everybody who meets him is totally charmed by him. He is a joy. There will never be another quite like him. All cats are special, but my Claudio is EXTRA special.❤
We are very grateful to Lesley-Ann and Claudio for sharing their story to help raise awareness of Feline Chronic Kidney Disease.
"Good actions give strength to ourselves, and inspire good actions in others."
-Plato
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