Smokie came to Tabby’s Place from a shelter that was desperately trying to keep him alive.They held onto him for as long as they could, but they had run out of space and things looked grim for Smokie.Fortunately, Smokie was on our waiting list and a space opened up for him in time.

I have to point out here how incredibly cute and loveable Smokie is.You can see his cuteness from the photos, but you have to meet him in person to appreciate how adorable he is.He is very talkative and is a true “lap fungus”, as he will quickly climb into any lap that he can reach.That being said, Smokie has quite a few medical issues.The cataract (clouding of the lens) in his left eye is, of course, readily apparent.But, since he has vision in his right eye, we see no reason to pursue surgery.

During the intake exam, our vet also noted that Smokie has bilateral patellar luxation, in which the kneecaps in both rear legs can slide out of position.Smokie appears to have a severe case, since his kneecaps are chronically mislocated and he has some difficulty walking.We were planning to have Smokie evaluated for surgery to fix his kneecap problems.But, another complication turned up.We neutered Smokie here and during the procedure we almost lost him, as he struggled to come out of the anesthesia.Subsequently, we had his chest x-rayed and found that he has an enlarged heart.This undoubtedly means that he has heart disease, but we have him scheduled for an ultrasound, so we can get a definitive diagnosis.

Our concern, of course, is that his heart may be bad enough to preclude surgery for his legs.Smokie gets around ok (though he cannot jump), but without surgery, there is a concern for arthritis.Smokie is young and is so sweet that there is a chance that he will be adopted by someone special.Meanwhile, we will hope for the best from his upcoming ultrasound and keep a close eye on him.