CATS WITH HEALTH ISSUES..... MOM IS WORRIED!

[Mmathis]

We have 5 indoor cats. Three are rescues, and 2 are Tonkenese.

Our oldest rescue, Casper is a big, black, long-haired, goofy guy who is about 9 1/2 years old. In fact, his nickname is "Goofy." Several years ago he developed ulcers in his mouth: eosinophilic granuloma [it's one of those "nobody-really-knows" autoimmune disorders that there's no cure for..... This is painful for him, and of course, he can't eat when it flares up, so has been on steroids off & on. He's even had all of his back & side teeth pulled so they don't bump his mouth. Well, our worst fears came true, 'cause he's now developed diabetes, probably due to the steroids. He's on twice daily blood sticks & insulin shots [we're both medical, plus have had a previous diabetic cat]. This just started Friday. So far his sugars are staying high, so will call the vet in the morning to see about upping his insulin. He's such a challenge 'cause of his mouth, plus the mouth issue makes the diabetes worse and vice versa, it's hard to get him to eat, AND they are hesitant to resume his steroids -- we go back in 2 weeks to discuss that issue. Potentially a very sick kitty, but so far he's tolerating all the extra attention and we're keeping a close watch on him.

Then there's rescue #2, Scout, a gray tabby with brown undertones. I picked him up on the side of the road this summer and we fell in love with him. Vet estimated him to be around 8 weeks old at the time, which makes him about 9 months old. We'd noticed that his respiratory rate [at rest] is rapid, and he has low exercise tolerance. We had a 3 y/o Tonk that died a few years ago of heart failure while under anesthesia. He had these symptoms, but we didn't connect the dots until after we lost him. Needless to say, cautious parents. When we had him neutered back in October, mentioned our paranoia to our vet so they did chest films. He has an enlarged heart [cardiomyopathy]! The plan was to watch him for 3 months, repeat the x-ray & if unchanged, have a cardiac work up done. Well, he hasn't gotten any worse, and is growing like a weed, and his x-ray was a little better, but the enlargement is still there. Hopefully it will turn out not to be anything, but tomorrow morning he has an echocardiogram and pulmonary ultrasound scheduled.

Guess it wouldn't be THAT much of a big deal except that of all the cats we've had in the 24 years we've been married, all of the ones we've lost except for 2 [the diabetic cat -- he beat the odds and lived to be 17+ -- and the one I had when we got married] died by or before age 9. We lost 3 to a "genetic" kidney disorder, and the one from the heart problem.

I'm so worried about my babies, and just wanted a chance to get it off my chest.

 

[sissy]

I think that animals getting sick hurts us because they become our children .I believe that some of animals dieing leads back to over breeding and just environmental issues .I sometimes wonder about the food being produced these days .I even wonder how healthy the water is .Sorry to hear they are sick and the heart always aches for our pets because we feel responsible for them :sad:

 

[j.w]

Hope your kitties do well on their treatments and hope you can get through this w/o too much stress TM. I have a smallish size cat that was the runt of a litter and she breaths like she has asthma. She kind of wheezes. She seems fine otherwise other than her size. Her sister was the biggest in the litter and is healthy as can be. They are around 10 yrs old. We just lost a feral cat we let into our lives who was about 16 or more yrs old. She was an adult when I found her in our yard w/ kittens following her. I miss her sweet little face. It's hard to have them in your family for so long and then they leave.

 

[Big Lou]

Best hopes for your kitties. Over the past 33 years we have thought of our cats as members of the family. We now have only one, a female by the name of Sunny. Sunny loves us and we her. In fact, with me being basicall home bound Sunny is a such a great companion.

Always feel free to open up. It's good for the soul.

 

[Mmathis]

Thanks a bunch, you guys! Means a lot. They ARE our babies as much as our human son is (well......you know what I mean). They're always there when we need them, and certainly deserve to have us there for them (whether they think they need us at times, or not).

Now it's time to pick up all the cat food (and any scraps that my 17 y/o might have left out), 'cause baby cat has to fast after midnight.

 

[mrsclem]

Sorry to hear about your kitties. When we moved to our house in 88 we had 3 kitties. Right after we moved in we adopted another on from the firehouse where my husband worked. Then the problems started- blocked urinary tracts in 2 cats. Treated at the vets and put on special rx food. Still had problems. We have lost 5 cats from this problem and have tried everything the vets recommended. We adopted Boo and within 2 months the same thing. As he was so young (5 months) the vet recommended surgery to remove most of his urinary tract. $3000. later we brought him home and then I read about using distilled water for cats that have this problem. 20 years later, no problems!!!! We have lost 3 dishwashers and 7 hot water tanks due to hard water but kitties are healthy. We will ddue what ever is necessary to take care of our furry children-

 

[addy1]

My lil baby is on thyroid meds, only issue she has hypo thyroid, she started having some mental issues. When the vet tested her the only thing they could find was a almost zero reading for thyroid. Not bad lab work for a 13 yr old dog. One lil pill a day, 15 bucks, and she has turned around back to puppy hood.
I can understand tm, I was in a panic when she started acting very off from normal. She is the last of the 5 yorkies I had before I married my honey. Miss each and every one of them.

 

[mrsclem]

Tm- We adopted Big B from the shelter 3 years ago. Someone had thrown him out in a trash bag behind the local Walmart. He was only 3 weeks old. We got him, spoiled him and he grew fast but at age one, he started losing weight. The vet ran test and diagnosed him with a bad immune system. We lsot him 2 weeks before his second birthday. The vet had us using the diet supplement L- lysine to boost his immune system. It does help as we use it when our current batch starts to sniffle and sneeze. You may want to check on it.

 

[Fishylove]

my goodness, I'm gonna use all my "likes" up on this one thread. :cheerful: I too am a cat lover, my charlie is three, and was the "runt of the runt" of litter of 10 :huh:. He was the last one to come out, and by the time I found him, he was still half covered with the sac and cold .
So of course I had to bottle feed him, and the other smallest one. And of course i FELL IN LOVE WITH CHARLES :luxlove: and kept him.
We now have a new kitty, I got from a local rescue agency. Unconditional love, this is the reason we get so attached.
Mmathis, hope your babies will be ok, I'm sure with the love and attention you're giving them, they'll be Fine.

 

[j.w]

TM I bet a fasting cat is pretty upset about not getting to eat anything. Mine go nuts w/ there hollering if their food is not right there when they want it. When my cat Spooky sees me in the evening w/ a dessert of some sort she comes over by my feet waiting for me to hurry up and get done as I always let her lick the plate. Ice cream or whip cream is a couple of her favorites. She only gets a small bit to lick up and she's satisfied :razz: My other cat Boo could care less about it, she's sleek and slim but Spooky is a bit rounder, mostly just a bigger cat, always has been that way.
I've been fortunate neither one has had any health issues but I know as they progress into maturity things can go wrong just as w/ us humans. Dread the day they leave me :sad:

 

[Big Lou]

Do use dry or wet cat food? If dry, what brand and specific type?

Our Sunny will love her food for awhile then turn her nose up as if to say "I'm tired of this food so get me something new.".

 

[sissy]

A BIT ROUNDER JW nice mommy you are

 

[John O]

Hektor says hello

 

[sissy]

true cats are picky dogs just gobble and say more .I gave my cats moist and dry so they had a variety .The dry was always in the dish as long as my chihuahua bandit or the ferret princess did not eat it first .or add the 8 ft iquana into the mixture

 

[Big Lou]

Sissy, is there any creature you do not have or task you can not take on?