My sonogram has been sponsored! Special purrs of thanks to Nancy, Sonbol, Tanya and Shannon!

Gambino is cat #17 of the 25 Persians in Crisis. He had spent his entire life living in a 4x2x2 cage. On July 20, 2008 Gambino took his first steps. He got to spend time in our safe indoor atrium. Shortly thereafter he went to a foster home where he will get to live as a "real cat" until he finds his forever home. We cried happy tears. Please stayed tuned for this cat's story. He is darling.

AUGUST UPDATE: Sweet Gambino just can't seem to get a break. From a life time in a cage he was just about to find his forever home. His foster mom took him in for a health certificate and the vet found he has a grade three heart murmur. We don't know why it hasn't showed up before, but we're glad this vet found it prior to sending the little fella to a new home. This could be very sad news or it could be "ho hum, I've got a heart murmur, no big deal" kind of news. Gambino will need an ecocardiogram performed by a cardiologist. We think her cost is very reasonable. We hope to find someone with a generous heart to sponsor all or a part of his bill.

The ecocardiogram will tell us whether he has hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy (HCM) or not. If he does have HCM he will have a life expectancy of only a couple of years, but we know of cats with this condition that have lived many years. If it's just a heart murmur with mitral valve prolapse, what the heck, many humans have that and all it means is they need to take antibiotics before they get dental work done. Many Persians have hear murmurs that don't affect them at all.

Late August Update:
Gambino’s luck has turned the corner! He has seen the cardiologist and although he does have mild cardiomyopathy, he does not need any medication at this time and can remain as happy as a little clam! One of his sponsors, Sonbol, is so in love with him that she is adopting him, heart problems and all! We are so thrilled that this little champ has pulled through and found himself a FANTASTIC home! Gambino will be getting regular echocardiograms every six months to monitor his condition and we know he will receive the best care available. Thank you Sonbol and Mehrdad!