This is my personal account to diaries posted here and here, thanks Ellinorianne for helping me get this story out. Adam and Abe are my boys and it has been an emotional roller coaster this week. I apologize for the length.
A little background, my partner and I lost our apartment in Anaheim Hills CA during the recent wildfires. We were living in the Cascade Apartments, you were probably watching them burn on KNBC and other local networks if you live here in Southern California. We lost everything in the fire and for over 30 hours we did not know if our beautiful black kitties were alive or dead. We were out of town so we could not get to the apartment, plus we had been evacuated and could not get in anyway. On Sunday afternoon, my brother-in-law went over to the complex and demanded that he be let in to find our cats. He and the firemen discovered that one of our cats, Abe, was in there and alive. He had been trapped under a table by the collapsed roof and other debris. They got him out and he seemed basically okay. Meanwhile, Jim and I still have no idea what is going on because we are still on the road over to the apartment. All we have heard thus far that our apartment is gone. When we discover that Abe is alive we were so happy because everything else can be replaced. We never really considered that only one of them would survive. At this point, there is no sign of Adam. We fear the worst and by the looks of the apartment, we have good reason.
We rushed Abe over to the animal hospital and had him admitted. Over the next couple of days, they determined that he had suffered severe lung damage, was severely dehydrated, and had some minor burns. They put him on IV fluids, gave some meds to help with the lung damage and hopefully prevent pneumonia, and put him into a 40% Oxygen chamber to aid with his breathing.
We were not sure if he was going to live or die the prognosis was not good. Then his lungs started clearing up, but now his kidney toxin levels were extremely high and the vet was worried about kidney failure. They decided to increase his IV fluids, take him off a few of the meds, and try a new one to see if they could flush his kidneys out. Amazingly, after a day and half, his levels were back down to normal.
As of the posting of this diary, Abe is doing a lot better. He has been moved out of his oxygen chamber, has started eating (a little), and his lungs are looking good. We went over to visit him last night, and they brought him to us in a room where he was playful, affectionate, and seemed happier. It truly is amazing, miraculous, and beyond incredible.
For the most part, we had basically given up on ever finding Adam. We assumed that he had perished in the fire and his body was lying under the roof and debris. It was difficult to deal with, but we were grateful Abe was alive and with each passing day was getting somewhat better. However, that all changed on Friday afternoon. The apartment complex called to clarify something or other and off-handedly asked if we had a cat. Jim called the shelter to verify it was indeed Adam. It was. He raced over to the shelter to pick him up. Adam was healthy and happy to see him.
UPDATE: Story Clarrification
I guess I did not mention how Adam was found in the original story. Adam survived the fire just like Abe. Adam is a meow-er, and when he is not happy he just hollers. I guess on Saturday after all the fires had been put out in the buildings, fire fighters went around to check buildings and heard screaming. They went up to the apartment, broke down the door, and rescued him. He was soaking wet, covered in dirt, ash, and debris, without food and water, and I am sure just miserable. They took him down to the shelter where he was checked out by the vet, treated for smoke inhalation but was otherwise ok. He was released back to the shelter. The shelter had indentified him as a 3 year old female (he is an 8.5 year old male). So when I went looking for him on the web site, he was not there. I did see this 3 year old female that looked a lot like Adam, but because the cat was listed a female, I just skipped over "her."
I believe Abe was either too quiet or had gone unconscious so the fireman could not or did not hear him. However, as someone pointed out to me at work today, it probably was a good thing that Abe was not found give how sick he was. If he was as bad off on Saturday night, without us finding him quickly and getting the medical care he needed, he probably would have died. We were worried he was going to getting medical care. So that he was not found until Sunday, probably is the reason Abe is alive today.
Jim texted me asking how quickly I can get over to the hospital. I, of course, thought the worst about Abe. After I inquired as to what was going on, he clarified it was nothing like that. So I proceeded to the hospital to meet him. When I got there, he said to me that someone wants to say hi to me. I just assumed it was one of my parents or an out-of-state friend or something. He shoved this box at me and said that it was Adam. In utter disbelief, I tried to refute it, and then Adam meowed from inside the box. My heart just melted. I think my body basically died for a moment. I carried the box containing my previously thought-to-be-dead cat inside the pet hospital. I opened it up inside and Adam popped out, I grabbed him, and tears just started streaming down my face. I could not believe that I was holding him, alive, and by all accounts perfectly fine. We checked him into the pet hotel, given that we are without home and living out of a hotel, this seemed like the best option.
We got to play with both cats last night together. It is going to take some time to reintroduce the two of them, but you know it is going to be ok. Yes, we lost every possession in the fire, but my family is together and alive. Now we need to start picking up the pieces and start moving forward and building a new life together.
As you might have guessed, the vet bills have been astronomical up to now getting Abe back to good health. They are running between $750-$1000/day. Jim and I are certainly willing to pay double that if our little boy gets better. We have set up a web site to post their stories, some pictures, and regular updates. We also have a paypal account where you can donate if you wish to help us out. I expect that now that Abe is out of the oxygen tank and off some of the medications, that daily cost will be considerably lower. However, that does not make the 7 days he was in there go away.
If you do not use paypal you may contact the Vet's office directly by calling Yorba Regional Animal Hospital at 714-921-8700. They will take credit cards over the phone or you may ask to send a check to be applied to Abe's care.
We have been humbled to the point of speechlessness of the outpouring of support we have received from friends, family, as well as our friends here at dKos, most of whom we have never met, talked to, or anything. So thank you, even though that seems trite and by no means really represents how we both feel.
I probably will not be writing too many more diaries on this subject unless something drastic changes. For updates please visit the webpage at http://prayforabe.adamandabe.com.
Again thank you for the love, support, and good thoughts we have received. I feel truly blessed to be part of such a great community!
With much love,
Eric and Jim
Anaheim, CA
Jim just sent me a text saying that Abe has started to groom himself again. I cannot believe the remarkable turn around. Abe went from being on the near brink of death just a few days ago, to this. I cannot recommend the services over at Yorba Regional Pet Hospital more highly!