Happy Birthday, CatLiverShunt.org

Just a quick note to say Happy Birthday to us.  Our little support group – www.CatLiverShunt.org – is One Year Old today, and like any kitten, my, how we have grown!

From our very basic beginnings of an experiment in trying to provide real-time communication between shunt cat owners, and a group effort to assemble anecdotal information on caring for our shunt kitties, and through some growing pains, we have grown to include 62 members from around the globe, representing: Guam, Taiwan, Canada, Australia, Spain,Scotland, England, the Netherlands, and 22 of the United States.

WoW!

Among other things, as a group, we have:

• Assembled a data repository of 147 discussion topics pertaining to the care and comfort of our special kitties, and our shared sense of community.
• Unearthed interesting tidbits previously un-noted in research papers on the condition (such as the changing eye colour).
• Generated a wonderful list of the various types of food and treats.
• Compared various medication and treatment options.
• Analyzed differences in symptoms and how to recognize oncoming episodes.
• Celebrated our cats’ successes and milestones, and mourned setbacks and losses.

Cat Daddy and I are so amazed and humbled by the warmth, camaraderie and overwhelming support we have seen on this site. We thank each of you for your efforts to share information, love and Hope to fellow owners. Special thank yous  to members who have made donations to help fund the site, and to our European Moderator.

And the true thanks goes to you – each of you – who have contributed and been a part of our group.  Knowing that there are others just like us -dealing with drool, sticky Lactulose and odd behaviors, juggling schedules, coordinating menus, fretting over treatment/surgery options,and, generally being totally smitten with your kitten – has been a lifesaver. 

Together, we have achieved what previously had never been attempted or accomplished. We are no longer alone!

Happy Birthday to Us!