Mr. Spock has been sick!

A couple of weeks ago, Mr. Spock was sooo sick. We think he had another stroke and I didn't think he was going to make it. He got really off balance, then later that night was just lying on his side. He wouldn't get up to eat, drink or even to go to the bathroom. He didn't even pick up his head, just laid there looking straight ahead. I called his vet and she felt the same as me, so I just laid in the floor with him on a soft blanket so I could be with him. (I am still paying for that with my back!!) So, for 2 days I didn't think he would pull through. The only thing that gave me hope is that he began to eat the next day. Not much, but a little. And he would let me feed him water from a syringe. He wouldn't get up for it and wouldn't drink from a bowl if I brought it, but he would drink from the syringe. That was a week ago this Monday and now he is starting to get around. He improved a little every day. One of his back legs is still week and he still stumbles around, but he is getting around pretty good today. And when he is in a deep sleep, he kicks and moves his paws around and I have to watch him because he wants to sleep on the couch and sometimes tries to slide off. (He fell off last night and it didn't even wake him.) I am so scared he is going to injure himself! He continues to amaze me...I watched him closely to make sure he wasn't in any pain. Yesterday I was singing along to Christmas songs and he climbed into my lap. I may not be the best singer, but he appreciates it!

I guess now is a good time to tell you about his kidney disease too. A few years ago he began to lose weight. At one time he weighed 18.5 lbs and I always tried to get him to lose weight. But when he started to lose, I worried! He takes benazapril and prednisone (or prednisilone, a liquid form) every night. The prednisone is partly for his arthritis, partly to prevent another stroke and it helps with his appetite. He has actually done well considering we found out that he had CKD in June 2009. This year I started giving him IV fluids every night and that has helped him a lot. I found a great website with a lot of info about CKD:

http://www.felinecrf.org/

Sometimes he gets aggravated when I give him fluids and there have even been a handful of times he got too upset and I just skipped a night. (I believe only 3 times) I have my husband help me. I screwed an eye hook in the ceiling above the bed and hang the fluids there. The higher they are, the quicker they will flow. I'd put him on the bed and my husband would start the fluids once I had the needle in and turn them off when he got the right amount. I really don't think i could do it without him! After a while, Mr. Spock didn't even want to come in the bedroom and certainly didn't want to get on the bed. So now, I give them to him in the living room and my husband just holds them up high. I wait until Mr. Spock is relaxed. Instead of picking him up and putting him where I want him, I let him get relaxed and go to him and that seems to work better. And I try to stay calm and relaxed. That was hard in the beginning because, as you can imagine, I really didn't want to stick him with that big needle. Sometimes it seems like a needle isn't sharp and doesn't want to go in. the other night there were 2 in a row like that. If they don't go in, I just toss it and get a new one.

I am paying $15 per bag of fluids at the vet's office. I get them every 9 days and that adds up! I found I can get them for $5 per bag at Dr. Fosters & Smith (online) along with other supplies. I haven't ordered yet since I just bought a bag yesterday, but it should still be cheaper even with shipping. Some people said they got them at CVS, etc. for $30 per case but I can't find anyone who sells them. Maybe if you are in another state (I'm in Alabama), you will have better luck.

Mr. Spock does have sores on his tongue now so sometimes he doesn't want to drink. I have some small syringes without needles and I squirt a little water on his tongue and that seems to get him started drinking. I can tell when he is having a problem drinking because he will stand over the water bowl and paw at it or just lie beside it. Before I gave him fluids, I tried everyting to get fluids in him--wet cat food, broth, feeding him the juice off canned cat food or tuna, etc. I even squirted water in his mouth from the syringe through the day, sometimes up to 75 times a day! So the IV fluids were a blessing to me and him both!!

If you find out your kitty has CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease), sometimes called  CRF (Chronic Renal Failure), that doesn't mean the end is near! Discuss treatment options with your vet...do reasearch online or at the library, talk to other pet owners that have been through the same thing. I am certainly no expert, but would be glad to answer any questions if you are going through the same thing. I know it is scary to find out, but it has been 3½ years since we found out and he is still hanging in there. Yes, he is skinny and he does have problems sometimes, but he still enjoys his life. He still likes to eat, get petted, snuggle under my sweater and curl up with his kitty brothers.I know I can't keep him forever, but as long as he is happy and not in pain, I will do what I can for him. I will even sing for him!!

R.I.P. Cricket

Yesterday was a sad day...I had to say good-bye to Cricket. We found out about 6 months ago that she had leukemia. Although she had lost so much weight, she still seemed to have mostly good days. She liked to eat canned food (3 times a day!), come inside to be petted, she even caught a bird not too long ago. (sorry little birdie!) Even the night before, she stayed in and snuggled with me a long time and enjoyed getting petted. I was a little worried that she didn't eat much, but didn't notice anything else. Yesterday morning she didn't come to eat and I found her lying behind my neighbor's bushes. She answered me when I called but I could barely hear her, she was so weak. She didn't get up and I could tell she was in pain when I picked her up. So I knew it was time to let her go. I am glad I was able to be with her until the end and hope that I made things a little easier for her. I sure will miss her squeaky little meow. She was a fixture on my porch, always there to greet me. RIP little girl!

My kitty stopped eating!

A few days ago, Strawberry got sick. He threw up his breakfast and then after that, he just didn't feel well at all.  He wouldn't eat the rest of the day. The next morning he licked some juice from some canned food, but nothing else. When he wouldn't even eat his snacks, I knew something was wrong. He never turns down a snack! Also I noticed his belly was really swollen, but it wasn't hard and he didn't seem like it was painful if I mashed it, he didn't have a fever. I called the vet's office and she was already gone, so I made an appointment for the next morning. Later that night, my husband called me at my studio to say he was throwing up again. I called the vet and she had me give him some hairball remedy (in case it was a hairball and to give him a little nutrients since he wasn't eating. I worried myself to death over him all night! He did eat just a little the next morning, but I took him on to the vet. The problem was he was very constipated. The vet said they won't eat if they are that constipated. She gave him some Lactulose before we left and sent me home with a bottle. So, $71 later (yes, that lactulose cost almost $50!), Strawberry was already feeling better by the time we got home. A couple of days later, and he is feeling good again. I will definitely be holding on to that liquid gold just in case of emergencies! I don't guess I realized how sick being constipated can make a kitty!

Sookie

Here's Sookie...she's about years old and is mostly outside.  She used to come in a lot in the winter, but since all my inside cats got really sick with an upper respiratory infection one year, she hasn't been back in. Its kind of sad, but I've been trying to introduce her to Rusty so she can come in my studio and stay...if she wants to! I found Sookie in Wal-mart parking lot one fall, just sitting there in a buggy! I looked around and saw some people watching and asked why she was there. They said she was under some cars and they were afraid she'd get run over. I still don't know if they actually just dropped her off, but I really don't think so. But she was just sitting there like she was waiting on someone. She was so sweet, just let me hold her while I put my groceries in the truck and went home with me. I was afraid my husband might not be too happy to see me bringing home another cat, but all he said was how pretty she was. (whew!) What a sweet girl she is--I feel like maybe she got lost from someones car in the parking lot because she was healthy and not underweight, just kind of small because she was young. I did try to find her owners, but no one came looking for her. That's okay, though. I'm sure she feels like this is her home by now!