08/09/2026
"Fred is often overlooked because he is shy"...
In reality, Fred was 5 years old, spent his first 4 years locked in a cage and another full year waiting to be adopted. But "shy" wasn't the truth. Fred was living with severe anxiety.
I learned that lesson the hard way in our first few weeks together. I tried putting him in a carrier, and he attacked me. By that afternoon, I was in urgent care with hands swollen to triple their size. I didn't fully realize what we were up against back then, but what I did know was that he was terrified in that moment and I committed to figuring out how to help him.
Over the years, his anxiety didn't just affect his behavior—it tore through his body.
First came the HCM heart diagnosis, which turned out to be stress-induced blood pressure spikes which got interpreted as HCM. Then came the IBS from chronic gut inflammation. Managing that requires a prescription diet and daily steroids. Then came the steroid-induced diabetes this past April. Add in daily anxiety meds and routine sedation just to leave the apartment (since we now have vet visits every 2-3 months because of his diabetes).
Add in that I am the only person on the planet allowed to touch him.
Earlier this week. I was on a work trip when his sitter told me he was sick, all signs of potential diabetic ketoacidosis. I routinely run his blood glucose and ketone tests at home, but because no one else can touch him there was no way to determine if this was DKA or an IBS flare up or just anxiety because I was away. So, I turned right around and flew home 24 hours after I left.
Behind all the medical complications and the fear of the outside world is the most gentle boy. He loves hugs and belly rubs. He wants nothing more than to be loved.
I tell him he’s the love of my life every single day, and I mean it every single time.
Happy 12th Birthday, Fred. I’d catch a flight home to you a thousand times over.