Waiting and Hoping

We took little Jessie to our vet yesterday for his first visit since bringing him home. He was poked and prodded, weighed and thoroughly assessed. Here is the scoop: He weighs a wopping 3 pounds, and by the look of his teeth, he is indeed 6 months old. (I was doubting that previously because he's so small.) His ear mites are gone. The big issue is that he has neurologic impairment. His gate is a bit off and sometimes his eyes get a little googly. Our vet reviewed the differential diagnoses: This could be sequelae from previous abuse, or it could be due to an infectious process. She recommended that we draw blood and run a fairly extensive panel on him. He already has been tested for feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia, but we are looking now for possible toxoplasmosis or feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). The former can be treated, the latter cannot and is highly contagious. They took Jessie to draw his blood, while Jim and I waited silently in the exam room, neither of us making eye contact because I think we both had tears in our eyes. He was a "very good boy" for his needle stick.They sent us home with a special diet that is "good for everything" and antibiotics, and told us to call this afternoon to see if any of the labwork is back. It could take 3 days. In the meanwhile, Jessie is back in isolation in the bathroom. They told us that for his size they had to draw a lot of blood. This morning his gait was really off- he was staggering a bit, something he had not been doing at all since coming home- and I am hoping that he is simply a bit weak from the blood loss.
We are hoping that his problem is not infectious because he has been able to do things that are quality to a cat: eat, drink, play with toys and walk with a spring in his step. He loves to be cuddled and spends his evenings in someone's lap, fast asleep. We comfort ourselves in thinking that the vet he came from would have tested him for FIP if other cats from their area had the disease. I remind Jim that Jessie is in a loving home and has everything he needs right now, a far cry from what his life was like before. We give him his icky tasting medicine twice a day, his new (and apparently very tasty) food, lots of love while we wait and hope.