Hi Nina,
Thanks so much; it's great to be back among my friends. He definately had lots of good kitty vibes going on; in fact, he said one of the things that made it hard to sleep in the hospital was the absence of cats on the bed!
I may have written about Tater Tot; he's from the litter of the sickest kittens ever born. He had all his teeth pulled at 1 year of age because he had such sever and aggressive stomatitis. He's only 6 and he's such a little clown; I miss his antics.
Tommy is my IBD kitty and he has good days and bad. Earlier this summer we tried him on a course of Flagyl and prednisone and there really was no change. We also tried him on a course of antibiotics (he had a slightly elevated WBC count and Wendy thought there was a possibility he had some minor infection along the tract somewhere) which really had no affect. I've been giving him raw hamburger lately and he loves it and I think he may have marginally better digestion when he eats it.
Brownie is such a wonder! He's such a happy fellow despite everything he has endured.
Julie
Nina <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Oh my Julie, you and hubby certainly have been through it! I'm so
pleased to hear he's back at work and doing so much better. So very,
very scary. The scene you painted of him in bed surrounded by furry
loved ones reminded me of when my husband was bed-bound recovering from
an auto accident. Aren't our kids wonderful? Rehabilitative love works
both ways!
I remember Brownie and what a trooper he is and has been. I'm pleased
to hear he's not in any pain and enjoying his life more. Poor little
Tator Tot. Try not to dwell on what the vet says about "it not looking
good". "Looks" can be deceiving! I'm pulling for him. Have you spoken
about him before? I'm sorry I can't remember. I know you have an IBD
kitty too. How is he doing? Welcome back Julie!
Nina
Julie Johnson wrote:
> Dear Friends,
>
> I tried to get thru my overflowing (months!) of email and it just
> wasn't going to happen. I can see that we have suffered some terrible
> losses and my heart goes out to everyone who has lost a beloved
> companion; I hope your memories will comfort you. It also seems that
> we have new members; the reason for finding this group is always sad,
> but you will never find a group of more loving, caring friends.
>
> Some of you might remember that last winter my husband was diagnosed
> with multiple aneurysms; the most serious was in his abdomen and after
> weeks of tests and referrals, he was scheduled for surgery because the
> abdominal aneurysm was felt to be in danger of rupture. He had that
> surgery and came through it well. He was home for about a week and
> one morning we were up having coffee and he suddenly got this really
> strange look on his face; I asked if he needed pain medication and he
> said, "no; I'm blind". OK; bit of a heart-stopper there. He was rushed
> to the ER and it was finally determined that his left carotid artery
> was completely blocked and he'd actually had blood flow stop
> temporarily. He was transferred by ambulance back to the hospital in
> Hartford where he had his prior surgery (we live about 30 miles east)
> and had emergency surgery to clean out the artery. I repeatedly asked
> how this could have been missed after all the screening that was done
> pre-surgery since he is a high-risk patient (diabetic and known
> cardiac blockage). I really got no answers and I am angry to this day
> that he could easily have died or been left permanently impaired. His
> sight did return and we feel fortunate, but once again, I feel my
> trust in the medical community erode a bit further. We absolutely did
> not intend to sue anyone; we simply wanted to be sure that absolutely
> everything that he SHOULD be screened for (how can you ask for it if
> you don't know about it?) he was screened for. He's left with some
> numbness on one side of his face that primarily bothers him when he
> trims his beard (says it feels weird), and a big scar from behind his
> ear to his collar bone; big deal, right? I told him it just makes him
> look tough! I was out of work for a bit caring for him (he's now back
> to work, too) and came back to a nightmare of project deadlines,
> office moves, a new boss, and a generally toxic workplace!
>
> On the kitty front, Brownie (FIV+) had both his eyes removed and he is
> like a different cat! He rubs his head all over now; it obviously
> hurt too much to do it before. I will never use the vet who initially
> screened him again.
>
> Tater Tot is in the hospital on an IV and being evaluated. He had a
> mild cold about 2 weeks ago and I took him in and we decided to give
> sub-q fluids and Lysine since he does have herpes and it just seemed
> to be a particularly bad flare-up (I was given a sample of a new
> veterinary lysine gel to try and evaluate; thumbs down! It was way
> too think and 500mg worth was a really big blob that he was having no
> part of; so stick to the capsules until they reformulate, is my
> advice!). Since then, I've observed him straining to poop and passing
> tiny little stools and by this weekend it was obvious that fluid was
> collecting in his belly. The aspirate didn't look like typical FIP
> fluid, but it's being sent out and bloodwork and many other tests are
> being done. My heart is just breaking for him; he's only six years
> old and been sick so much of his life. They've already warned me that
> whatever is going on is not good but I just pray that it's treatable.
> Please think good thoughts for him.
>
> It's been a hot, muggy and miserable summer here in the Northeast and
> I am having a terrible flea outbreak; I swear that I have some mutant
> strain of super-fleas that nothing will kill! I've used Borax
> successfully for years, and at one point (in a room I have sealed
> off) they were jumping out of it! I'd left an absurd amount on the
> floor (like half an inch; thinking, "I WILL kill you") and I went in
> to check and vacuum it up after a few DAYS and they were leaping out
> of it biting me! I swear they were bigger and stronger than before I
> put the Borax down! I've had to use Frontline on everyone (Program
> for the ferals because I can slip it into their food) which I hate to
> do because I think it's so dangerous (it takes fingernail polish
> off!!!) but I have 3 cats who get terrible dermatitis from flea bites
> and I couldn't let them be miserable, but I really, really don't like
> using it.
>
> So, that's what I've been up to! 2005 officially sucks!
>
> A big, group hug to everyone and headbutts to all the kitties!
>
> Love, Julie
>
>
> "I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is
> to protection by man from the cruelty of man. "
>
> "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged
> by the way its animals are treated."
>
> Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948)
>
>
> Paws Come WITH Claws!!!
>
> If you're thinking about de-clawing your cat, you need to re-think
> your decision to acquire a pet.
>
> __________________________________________________
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>
"I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is
to protection by man from the cruelty of man. "
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged
by the way its animals are treated."
Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948)
Paws Come WITH Claws!!!
If you're thinking about de-clawing your cat, you need to re-think your decision to acquire a pet.
__________________________________________________
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