At the end of April, my cat, who had been having a persistent but otherwise non-critical cough, began having it more often than I was comfortable with. So I took him to the vet.

He was diagnosed with having either asthma or heart issues. I was given a medicine to give him and was told to watch his breathing and otherwise just be careful.

A week later I took him back for a followup X-ray, and after bringing him home, he began to have problems breathing and was not able to calm himself down. I did the best thing I could, and I took him to the ER.

My 6 year old Maine Coon Mix, Spartacus... was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.

I have been told that he has up to 2 years that he could potentially live, depending on medication, care, low stress, and just plain luck.

This is my life now. Twice a day I have to make sure he gets his pills, I need to watch him if he has a coughing fit in case it becomes worse... and most of all, I have to treat each day like it's the best day on earth for him... if I can.

It's painful, but I'm slowly beginning to recover from the panic and the heartache. I am trying to reach that point where I believe I can be at peace with him when the time comes... and if not... at least try and be happy I gave him as many good days as I could.

If you've read, thank you for listening. I'm not looking for money, I'm just trying to get my thoughts out on the page.