We began this board so that people in need of immediate information on CRF and all its aspects could find it quickly, easily and sympathetically without wading through a large number of posts, most of which don't answer immediate questions arising out of being informed your beloved companion is under a death sentence.
All too often vets don't realize that their talk about managing CRF is blotted out by their commnents on it being a terminal condition. Yes, it is a terminal condition but some cats have been known to live as long as eight years after diagnosis. With genetic luck and careful management, your cat could live many more years too.
We have a section headed "If you have just been told your cat has CRF. . ." There, people will get help on what they can do for their cat in the short-term, i.e., in the week or two following diagnosis. All other questions will be in this, the General CRF Discussion, section. We want to do this because logic and sensible thinking disappear when one is told a beloved cat is dying, thus a special section will be dedicated to those whose mind is temporarily in panic mode.
We would like to strongly discourage detailed descriptions of a cat's death. While we don't want to minimize the wrenching emotional trauma of a pet's death, we want this site to be bursting with optimism. We feel that cats pick up on a human's emotions and if you're depressed and pessimistic, your cat will be too. There are many web sites dealing with pet loss and grief and we encourage you to seek them out (preferably when your cat is taking a nap in another room!). One such link appears in the description of this section, just above the topics listing.
We have not yet formulated Terms of Service but please be governed by good manners and civility. Thank you.
Thu
