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| Allaglow
Flickering Fire (at the top) was perhaps my all-time favorite cat.
She met me at the door to be carried, even on the day she died. She
showed no signs of illness until the morning of her death at just over
10 months of age. On that morning I noticed that her abdomen seemed
enlarged. I took her to the Vet who assured me that her abdomen was
perfectly normal, but that she had an upper respiratory. She had
no symptoms, but the Vet said he could hear congestion in her lungs.
I brought her home on medication. Later that day she was observed
walking in a rigid, staggering manner. I rushed her back to the Vet.
She was dying. What the Vet heard was fluid building up in her lungs,
the same fluid that was causing her abdomen to look enlarged. She
had FIP. That was the only cat I have had with FIP. No cat
ever gave me more pleasure or pain. She remains my standard of excellence. |
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| At
the bottom is my first Bengal, Egypt Bottom Magic. He was a pet,
not a breeder. I saw a photo of a Bengal and just had to have "one"
right? I checked prices and thought you would have to be an idiot
to pay that much for a cat. To prove my theory, I bought one.
I was told at that time that there were only about 200 Bengals in existence.
He was exceptional for his time. In those days he had no complete
rib bars, and was considered "rosetted" for his time. He was sired
by a big classic tabby and out of Lionsmountain Ariel. Later I purchased
in-utero his maternal half sister, sired by a son of Wildwood Simba and
out of Hunterdonhall Cleopatra. She would be with me for the next
13 years. She died of a brain aneurysm at the age of 13. Her
son Storm Warning, sired Allaglow Steller Constellation, a queen who has
been very influential in my program. That was all a long time ago.
I wasn't old and sick then. Even so, in my minds eye, I still see
Magic's smiling face and hear this little cheetah chirps which sounded
more like a bird that a cat. And yes, I sometimes shed a tear for
Magic and Flickering Fire. |
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