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This is the special place at Sylvia's Kitty Condo where we are pleased to be able to share with you some of the very special furry friends who we have met along the course of our dear girls journey. As our "extended family" of friends grows, so too grows the love which fills our family's hearts.

This starry eyed beauty is Lint Owl Clemenz, a furry friend of ours who after a valiant battle with the sarcoma monster has now made that heartfelt journey to the land of love and comfort. Dear Lint Owl Clemenz, was truly blessed to have such a loving father who always provided his dear baby with the most "quality" and "comfort" of life any fur baby could ever dream of.
Lint Owl Clemenz was truly her dad's best friend in the world. While Lint Owl Clemenz' father will forever miss his dear Angel girl, our family hopes that he will find comfort in looking forward to that glorious day in the future when they will once again cuddle together again.
Lint Owl Clemenz' father is to be commended for helping to spread the "word" about VAS and empower others with the information that will hopefully prevent them from having to share in the heartache associated with this terrible disease.

This handsome yawning boy is Ted, a furry friend of ours who happens to cuddle with his family in the same part of Florida that we reside in.
With the tender loving assistance of his family, dear Ted is bravely battling the sarcoma monster.
Please include Ted and his family in your daily thoughts and prayers in the hope that their lives are blessed with MUCH love, peace, comfort and good health and that they have forever seen the last of this terrible disease which has united the hearts and lives of SO many feline loving families.
Ted's family composed the following furry bio for their dear boy so that we could share with all of our feline loving friends just how their hearts and lives came to be joined.

"Actually a friend of mine "found" Ted. She was shopping at a Kash 'N Karry in Tampa and a young boy was out front with a cardboard box of kittens - all much too young to be removed from the mother. Although she explained the importance of neutering and spaying she took the active, caramel colored little boy. She named him "Ted" for one of her favorite authors, E.B. White. Her house was already filled with a motley crew of dogs and cats, and Ted would have to blend in fast - small as he was.

When I came to visit she was sitting in a rocking chair. Suddenly she belted out "Where's the baby??" and out of nowhere this tiny little ball of fur came careening around the corner. What a precious boy.

Sadly and suddenly my friend became ill and had to go to the hospital. I found myself commuting to Tampa to take care of her crew while she was away. I realized right away Ted was too small to be left alone with all the "adult" animals. We loaded him up and made the trip across the bridge. I had no idea how my older cat, Purrl, would react. It took several days of washing and combing to de-flea him. A trip to the vet dewormed him and gave him the once over. Purrl rose to the occasion -was more than gracious. She would give him kindly bats on the head to let him know her boundaries. Soon they were sleeping together on the bed. Pals.

We lost Purrl two years ago, and two years ago "Nin" came to us through Friends of Strays. She's an older kitty who had been "caged" waiting for a home for nine months. Her back legs are small - no doubt from her stray existence. Ted - like Purrl - accepted her into our home.

When Ted developed a lump around his shoulder it all seemed so sudden. When the doctor aspirated the lump he seemed to already know abnormal cells would be present. The strangest part is we had just read an article in Cat Fancy about this horrible disease - it all seemed to make sense. The area of the tumor, etc. We'd been catapulted into a horrible nightmare. Here I had though injecting my cat would protect him - I was facing the reality it might just kill him. I was outraged and my heart ached for Ted and his upcoming ordeal. When we read popular thought had them moving the injection site from shoulder to leg because it was "easier" to remove the leg I almost fell over. It was incomprehensible and sad.

The doctor removed the tumor, elated it was encapsulated - although there are no guarantees he got it all. We're enjoying each day with Ted - taking nothing for granted - and determined to learn more about this horrible disease. I'm telling every pet owner I know. This website is a wonderful compendium of information and resources. If Ted's ordeal can help one other cat - if it brings anyone to an awareness of this tragedy - if he is an instrument of change along with every other cat and who has suffered - his life will have been a rich, rewarding experience. We have so much to learn."

This regal handsome boy is Spitz, a furry friend of our family who after a scary brush with the sarcoma monster is now a healthy and happy boy.
Spitz is truly blessed in that his family took a very proactive role towards helping their dear boy during this difficult part of his nine lives journey.
Spitz's family composed the following furry bio for their dear boy which describes not only how their hearts and lives came to be united, but also details the holistic path of treatment which has hopefully enabled them to enjoy many more cuddled filled years together.

"Spitz came to us at the age of six weeks. He was the one kitten of a litter of six that wasn't a brown-black-and-gray tabby like his momma. Spitz proved to be different in many other ways as well as time went on. Spitz was the very spoiled companion of our youngest son up to the time that Matt joined the Army and left home. It then fell to good ol' Mom to take over the spoiling, which I have enjoyed. Spitz has been a source of companionship, entertainment, and comfort from the first moment he became a member of our family eight years ago.

In mid-May of this year I took Spitz to the vet for his vaccinations, who explained VAS to me and gave Spitz his shots in the leg instead of between his shoulders. He assured me that VAS was very rare. It was only a day later that I noticed a small lump at the top of Spitz's right shoulder. I thought it might be an insect bite and waited three days before calling the vet about it. At that point he didn't think it was anything to worry about and gave me some anti-inflammatory medicine to give to Spitz for five days. After five days, the lump was rapidly growing, and our vet recommended a lumpectomy.

Just taking Spitz to the vet had always been traumatic for everyone involved, as Spitz hates being confined in a pet carrier but tears all around the vehicle seeking a way out if not confined. By the time we get to the vet he is pretty much exhausted and obviously very frightened. Leaving him for surgery was especially hard on me, and I cried when I saw him afterwards with so much hair shaved off and that long, ugly incision. In the week that followed the incision became infected and there were more frightening trips to the vet. Then came the results of the biopsy: Fibro Sarcoma. Our vet had already requested a second biopsy be performed to be sure of the diagnosis, and the same answer came back. His recommendation that Spitz's right front leg be amputated at the shoulder was something I rejected almost immediately. I could not imagine subjecting a cat, especially Spitz, to such an operation and the life he would lead without that leg. I began to search for alternative treatments.

Some days later I was in a local health food store exploring some possibilities with the sales clerk when she remembered a couple who frequently came into the store. They had dealt with the man's skin cancer and a cancerous tumor in the lady's neck with a salve. She had pictures before, during, and after the treatments and the website where the product could be obtained. I hurried home and logged on to http://www.altcancer.com/ and found an extensive website dealing with various cancers and other health problems. I also discovered that they had several products with which to treat cancers. Being uncertain as to which product would be best for Spitz, I emailed the company and explained our situation to them. Within hours I had a reply recommending the use of Cansema Tonic III and how to use it with Spitz. The entire thread of my correspondence with Alpha Omega Labs can be read on the Cansema testimonial pages under "Veterinary Testimonials." I ordered the products immediately and waited impatiently for them to arrive. The tumor was rapidly growing back.

On June 12, 2001, I began giving Spitz the recommended dose of Cansema Tonic III morning and evening. It was the most trying thing Spitz and I have been through together, but I kept with it for the full month and got it down to an art. After 1 1/2 weeks of treatment I could not longer detect any sign of the tumor. I gave Spitz the last dose on July 13, and today (November 24) there is not a trace of the tumor. Spitz is healthy, more spoiled than ever, and looking forward to a long and normal kitty life."

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