Re: Cotton crisis
Hi Sandy,I don't think I've ever talked with you on the list before, but let me say welcome! I'm an old timer here who mixes my cats and have not had a problem with it in ten years. Not to say I never will, but I never have.I wanted to ask you about the fish with rice. Maybe your vet recommended it, but we always used chicken broth to cook rice in for sick kitties at the shelter.Good thoughts coming your way for little Cotton. I love that name!tonyaDudes [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thank you Terri: I willdefinitely look into Pet Tinic. I can tell byCotton's restlessness and the look on his facemost of today that he's still not feeling all that well. He mostly seems to feel bad right after he eats. I'mthinking he's still having some spasms in his intestines and nausea. But he's asking regularly for the faucet to be turned on so he can drink water, he's eating the fish and rice and I mixed in a little wet catfood today, which he kept down. I started him on his Interferon, also.And he's been to the litterbox with normal results, so I'm just going to keep progressing slowly with his diet, and talk to the vet tomorrow about what we should do from here and possibly a kidney ultrasound.It makes me realize that when he does change foods, he's going to need to do it really slowly. I'm still rooting for my little Cotton-ball. He has such an expressive face, I can tell even when he's a shade off color. And I'm trying to teach my son Kellento watch him closely too, since they spend so much time together. That way hetoo willknow the signs of illness.And I know I probably over-reacted abit when I foundCottonsick, but it so breaks my heart to seeanyone in my care anything but happy. Thanks for talking/listening to me about him. Sandy - Original Message - From: Terri Brown To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2005 8:09 PMSubject: Re: Cotton crisisWell, definitely keep us posted -- I don't write in much (mostly lurk lately since I'm now FeLV free), but I can't bring myself to leave the group.If he seems to be holding his own, maybe try some Pet Tinic if you can find it. Good antioxidant vitamins for the kitties! You could mix it into some wet food for him. Great blood builder. There's another vitamin like it, but I can't think of the name offhand.I know you can get the Pet Tinic from www.drsfostersmith.com if it isn't available locally.=^..^= Terri, Siggie the Tomato Vampire, Guinevere, Sammi, Travis, and 6 furangels: RuthieGirl, Samantha, Arielle, Gareth, Alec Salome' =^..^=Furkid Photos! http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7sgqa/My Personal Page: http://www.geocities.com/ruthiegirl1/terrispage.html?1083970447350 - Original Message - From: Dudes To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2005 12:57 AM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis  Aw, thank you Terri.Iworry so much about my little Cotton- ball, because he's still so young and still growing. Hehas been eating boiled fish and rice today, andI can tell he is not feeling as well as he could, but he seems to be on the mend. He's drinking lots of water on his own, and tomorrow I may let him back on dry kibble. Sandy - Original Message - From: Terri Brown To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2005 5:56 PMSubject: Re: Cotton crisisNo thoughts, Sandy, but I am thrilled that he seems to be okay now. Sending positive thoughts his way!=^..^= Terri, Siggie the Tomato Vampire, Guinevere, Sammi, Travis, and 6 furangels: RuthieGirl, Samantha, Arielle, Gareth, Alec Salome' =^..^=Furkid Photos! http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7sgqa/My Personal Page: http://www.geocities.com/ruthiegirl1/terrispage.html?1083970447350 - Original Message - From: Dudes To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2005 4:36 PM Subject: Cotton crisis  Cotton and I havesurvivedour first crisis together. He is fine now, but last night I thought I might lose him. Friday morning he was his usual bouncy self, just a little less hungry, like he's beensince he started taking the Metranidazole (for his bacteria laden stools). I came home from work, andwondered why he didn't greet me as he usually does. I found him in his favorite boy's room laying by the litterbox with a puddle of watery diarrhea next to him. He was weak, lethargic, straining/cramping, vomiting and shivering from
Re: Cotton crisis
Hello Tonya! And thanks for the welcome! With Cotton's fish and rice, Ichose that because I thought it might be bland enough, and I know he loves fish and Ididn't have any chicken broth at the time. So I saved the fish water that it was boiled in, and poured it over the rice to make a slurry, which he ate great. Of course all of the other cats had to have a taste. ;) After he was feeling a little better, I added the juices from wet cat food, and bigger chunks of fish and wet cat food, and progressed slowly from there. If he were to not like fish, I would have probably done chicken broth. Thanks for the idea, I will keep it in mind for the future. Sandy --- Original Message - From: catatonya To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2005 1:09 PM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis Hi Sandy,I don't think I've ever talked with you on the list before, but let me say welcome! I'm an old timer here who mixes my cats and have not had a problem with it in ten years. Not to say I never will, but I never have.I wanted to ask you about the fish with rice. Maybe your vet recommended it, but we always used chicken broth to cook rice in for sick kitties at the shelter.Good thoughts coming your way for little Cotton. I love that name!tonyaDudes [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:  Thank you Terri: I willdefinitely look into Pet Tinic. I can tell byCotton's restlessness and the look on his facemost of today that he's still not feeling all that well. He mostly seems to feel bad right after he eats. I'mthinking he's still having some spasms in his intestines and nausea. But he's asking regularly for the faucet to be turned on so he can drink water, he's eating the fish and rice and I mixed in a little wet catfood today, which he kept down. I started him on his Interferon, also.And he's been to the litterbox with normal results, so I'm just going to keep progressing slowly with his diet, and talk to the vet tomorrow about what we should do from here and possibly a kidney ultrasound.It makes me realize that when he does change foods, he's going to need to do it really slowly. I'm still rooting for my little Cotton-ball. He has such an expressive face, I can tell even when he's a shade off color. And I'm trying to teach my son Kellento watch him closely too, since they spend so much time together. That way hetoo willknow the signs of illness.And I know I probably over-reacted abit when I foundCottonsick, but it so breaks my heart to seeanyone in my care anything but happy. Thanks for talking/listening to me about him. Sandy - Original Message - From: Terri Brown To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2005 8:09 PM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis Well, definitely keep us posted -- I don't write in much (mostly lurk lately since I'm now FeLV free), but I can't bring myself to leave the group. If he seems to be holding his own, maybe try some Pet Tinic if you can find it. Good antioxidant vitamins for the kitties! You could mix it into some wet food for him. Great blood builder. There's another vitamin like it, but I can't think of the name offhand. I know you can get the Pet Tinic from www.drsfostersmith.com if it isn't available locally. =^..^= Terri, Siggie the Tomato Vampire, Guinevere, Sammi, Travis, and 6 furangels: RuthieGirl, Samantha, Arielle, Gareth, Alec Salome' =^..^= Furkid Photos! http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7sgqa/My Personal Page: http://www.geocities.com/ruthiegirl1/terrispage.html?1083970447350 - Original Message - From: Dudes To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2005 12:57 AM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis  Aw, thank you Terri.Iworry so much about my little Cotton- ball, because he's still so young and still growing. Hehas been eating boiled fish and rice today, andI can tell he is not feeling as well as he could, but he seems to be on the mend. He's drinking lots of water on his own, and tomorrow I may let him back on dry kibble. Sandy - Original Message - From: Terri Brown To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2005 5:56 PM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis No thoughts, Sandy, but I am thrilled that he seems to be okay now. Sending positive
Re: Cotton crisis
Sandy, I would think that if he had lymphoma in his kidneys to the point that they are enlarged, that something would be off in his blood work. I could be wrong, but when Josephine's kidneys got big enough for me to notice (which is probably bigger than Cotton's are right now), her kidney values were terrible. So maybe it is a good sign that his blood work is normal, and maybe there is something else going on. Michelle In a message dated 11/21/2005 2:20:32 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi Michelle: My theories were for the stomach issues, not the kidneys. I am afraid that his kidneys being enlarged is a new finding. However, I agree with you, he may very well have lymphoma in the kidneys and intestines. His labs were all normal. So I still need to talk to the regular vet about his kidneys. Sandy
Re: Cotton crisis
Not a problem! I don't think you overreacted -- it's so hard to know how seriously they're sick especially when there's a FeLV issue. Although I don't post much, I do read them all, so don't be discouraged if you don't hear from me! I'm always here, lurking in the background! Terri - Original Message - From: Dudes To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Monday, November 21, 2005 12:02 AM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis Thank you Terri: I willdefinitely look into Pet Tinic. I can tell byCotton's restlessness and the look on his facemost of today that he's still not feeling all that well. He mostly seems to feel bad right after he eats. I'mthinking he's still having some spasms in his intestines and nausea. But he's asking regularly for the faucet to be turned on so he can drink water, he's eating the fish and rice and I mixed in a little wet catfood today, which he kept down. I started him on his Interferon, also.And he's been to the litterbox with normal results, so I'm just going to keep progressing slowly with his diet, and talk to the vet tomorrow about what we should do from here and possibly a kidney ultrasound.It makes me realize that when he does change foods, he's going to need to do it really slowly. I'm still rooting for my little Cotton-ball. He has such an expressive face, I can tell even when he's a shade off color. And I'm trying to teach my son Kellento watch him closely too, since they spend so much time together. That way hetoo willknow the signs of illness.And I know I probably over-reacted abit when I foundCottonsick, but it so breaks my heart to seeanyone in my care anything but happy. Thanks for talking/listening to me about him. Sandy - Original Message - From: Terri Brown To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2005 8:09 PM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis Well, definitely keep us posted -- I don't write in much (mostly lurk lately since I'm now FeLV free), but I can't bring myself to leave the group. If he seems to be holding his own, maybe try some Pet Tinic if you can find it. Good antioxidant vitamins for the kitties! You could mix it into some wet food for him. Great blood builder. There's another vitamin like it, but I can't think of the name offhand. I know you can get the Pet Tinic from www.drsfostersmith.com if it isn't available locally. =^..^= Terri, Siggie the Tomato Vampire, Guinevere, Sammi, Travis, and 6 furangels: RuthieGirl, Samantha, Arielle, Gareth, Alec Salome' =^..^= Furkid Photos! http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7sgqa/My Personal Page: http://www.geocities.com/ruthiegirl1/terrispage.html?1083970447350 - Original Message - From: Dudes To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2005 12:57 AM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis Aw, thank you Terri.Iworry so much about my little Cotton- ball, because he's still so young and still growing. Hehas been eating boiled fish and rice today, andI can tell he is not feeling as well as he could, but he seems to be on the mend. He's drinking lots of water on his own, and tomorrow I may let him back on dry kibble. Sandy - Original Message - From: Terri Brown To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2005 5:56 PM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis No thoughts, Sandy, but I am thrilled that he seems to be okay now. Sending positive thoughts his way! =^..^= Terri, Siggie the Tomato Vampire, Guinevere, Sammi, Travis, and 6 furangels: RuthieGirl, Samantha, Arielle, Gareth, Alec Salome' =^..^= Furkid Photos! http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7sgqa/My Personal Page: http://www.geocities.com/ruthiegirl1/terrispage.html?1083970447350 - Original Message - From: Dudes To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2005 4:36 PM Subject: Cotton crisis Cotton and I havesurvivedour first crisis together. He is fine now, but last night I thought I might lose him. Friday morning he was his usual bouncy self, just a little less hungry, like he's beensince he started taking the Metranidazole (for his bacteria laden stools). I came home from work, andwondered why he didn't greet me as he usually does. I found him in his favorite boy's room laying by the litterbox with a puddle of watery diarrhea next to him. He was weak
Re: Cotton crisis
Michelle, I think you are right, and I think the prudent thing to do is to watch for a trend in his labs, which might indicateimpaired functionor disease in the kidneys.Sandy - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Monday, November 21, 2005 1:29 PM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis Sandy, I would think that if he had lymphoma in his kidneys to the point that they are enlarged, that something would be off in his blood work. I could be wrong, but when Josephine's kidneys got big enough for me to notice (which is probably bigger than Cotton's are right now), her kidney values were terrible. So maybe it is a good sign that his blood work is normal, and maybe there is something else going on. Michelle In a message dated 11/21/2005 2:20:32 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi Michelle: My theories were for the stomach issues, not the kidneys. I am afraid that his kidneys being enlarged is a new finding. However, I agree with you, he may very well have lymphoma in the kidneys and intestines. His labs were all normal. So I still need to talk to the regular vet about his kidneys. Sandy
Re: Cotton crisis
I don't think any of your theories explain the enlarged kidneys. Did the vet rule out lymphoma? That can occur in the kidneys and intestines, is common in FeLV+ cats, and responds well to dexamethasone (it shrinks lymphoma). It might not have anything to do with lymphoma, and I hope it does, but if it does chemo might help in addition to dex. What were his kidney values like on his blood panel? Michelle
Re: Cotton crisis
Hi Michelle: My theories were for the stomach issues, not the kidneys. I am afraid that his kidneys being enlarged is a new finding. However, I agree with you, he may very well have lymphoma in the kidneys and intestines. His labs were all normal. So I still need to talk to the regular vet about his kidneys. Sandy - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2005 5:03 PM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis I don't think any of your theories explain the enlarged kidneys. Did the vet rule out lymphoma? That can occur in the kidneys and intestines, is common in FeLV+ cats, and responds well to dexamethasone (it shrinks lymphoma). It might not have anything to do with lymphoma, and I hope it does, but if it does chemo might help in addition to dex. What were his kidney values like on his blood panel? Michelle
Re: Cotton crisis
Well, definitely keep us posted -- I don't write in much (mostly lurk lately since I'm now FeLV free), but I can't bring myself to leave the group. If he seems to be holding his own, maybe try some Pet Tinic if you can find it. Good antioxidant vitamins for the kitties! You could mix it into some wet food for him. Great blood builder. There's another vitamin like it, but I can't think of the name offhand. I know you can get the Pet Tinic from www.drsfostersmith.com if it isn't available locally. =^..^= Terri, Siggie the Tomato Vampire, Guinevere, Sammi, Travis, and 6 furangels: RuthieGirl, Samantha, Arielle, Gareth, Alec Salome' =^..^= Furkid Photos! http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7sgqa/My Personal Page: http://www.geocities.com/ruthiegirl1/terrispage.html?1083970447350 - Original Message - From: Dudes To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2005 12:57 AM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis Aw, thank you Terri.Iworry so much about my little Cotton- ball, because he's still so young and still growing. Hehas been eating boiled fish and rice today, andI can tell he is not feeling as well as he could, but he seems to be on the mend. He's drinking lots of water on his own, and tomorrow I may let him back on dry kibble. Sandy - Original Message - From: Terri Brown To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2005 5:56 PM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis No thoughts, Sandy, but I am thrilled that he seems to be okay now. Sending positive thoughts his way! =^..^= Terri, Siggie the Tomato Vampire, Guinevere, Sammi, Travis, and 6 furangels: RuthieGirl, Samantha, Arielle, Gareth, Alec Salome' =^..^= Furkid Photos! http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7sgqa/My Personal Page: http://www.geocities.com/ruthiegirl1/terrispage.html?1083970447350 - Original Message - From: Dudes To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2005 4:36 PM Subject: Cotton crisis Cotton and I havesurvivedour first crisis together. He is fine now, but last night I thought I might lose him. Friday morning he was his usual bouncy self, just a little less hungry, like he's beensince he started taking the Metranidazole (for his bacteria laden stools). I came home from work, andwondered why he didn't greet me as he usually does. I found him in his favorite boy's room laying by the litterbox with a puddle of watery diarrhea next to him. He was weak, lethargic, straining/cramping, vomiting and shivering from pain.He seemed to have the most pain in his back. When I picked him up, the look on his face was a mixture of fear, pain and sadness and broke my heart. I will never forget it. My son and I rushed him to the Vet ER, where he had xrays, bloodwork, etc. He didn't have any urine to analyze, nothing but gel in his rectum.He was found to haveenlarged kidneys, left greater than right(enough to be pushing on his stomach), an elevated white count, a very slightly high calcium level, which concerned the vet,and a density of some sort in his colon which the vet wasn't sure about, because it wasn't clear on xray. She said she wasn't sure why he wasvomiting and straining to defacate, but she said it didn't really look like a foreign body, and there was a lot of gas. Poor baby. The night before he was seen carrying around a dropped piece of lettuce that was probably unwashed and fallen from the trashcan. He was batting it aroundand playing with it, but I took away from him, fearing he might eat it. In his vomit on Friday, I noticed that there was little bits of green, and pieces of what I thought might have been worms, but were little pieces of red string from a decorative sword tassle. I wish I had thought to examine it more closely. Anyway...mentioned all this to the vet,who said worse case scenario is that he might need an exploratory laperotomy to investigate the colon, and perhaps while he is under, to biopsy his kidneys. The vetdid some further labwork, and wasn't too concerned with the findings, and soshe agreed that outpt therapy was the best. He got sub-q fluids, a dex (steroid) shot, some Zantac, and something else I can't remember for nausea.I came home and put a cold compress on his poor little bottom, which was all red and swollen and put him to bed withhis favorite boy. This morning, he was his usual self! Loudly meowing to be allowed out,jumping, running, being naughty, complaining when I picked him up to look at him. He is bright and cheery
Re: Cotton crisis
Thank you Terri: I willdefinitely look into Pet Tinic. I can tell byCotton's restlessness and the look on his facemost of today that he's still not feeling all that well. He mostly seems to feel bad right after he eats. I'mthinking he's still having some spasms in his intestines and nausea. But he's asking regularly for the faucet to be turned on so he can drink water, he's eating the fish and rice and I mixed in a little wet catfood today, which he kept down. I started him on his Interferon, also.And he's been to the litterbox with normal results, so I'm just going to keep progressing slowly with his diet, and talk to the vet tomorrow about what we should do from here and possibly a kidney ultrasound.It makes me realize that when he does change foods, he's going to need to do it really slowly. I'm still rooting for my little Cotton-ball. He has such an expressive face, I can tell even when he's a shade off color. And I'm trying to teach my son Kellento watch him closely too, since they spend so much time together. That way hetoo willknow the signs of illness.And I know I probably over-reacted abit when I foundCottonsick, but it so breaks my heart to seeanyone in my care anything but happy. Thanks for talking/listening to me about him. Sandy - Original Message - From: Terri Brown To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2005 8:09 PM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis Well, definitely keep us posted -- I don't write in much (mostly lurk lately since I'm now FeLV free), but I can't bring myself to leave the group. If he seems to be holding his own, maybe try some Pet Tinic if you can find it. Good antioxidant vitamins for the kitties! You could mix it into some wet food for him. Great blood builder. There's another vitamin like it, but I can't think of the name offhand. I know you can get the Pet Tinic from www.drsfostersmith.com if it isn't available locally. =^..^= Terri, Siggie the Tomato Vampire, Guinevere, Sammi, Travis, and 6 furangels: RuthieGirl, Samantha, Arielle, Gareth, Alec Salome' =^..^= Furkid Photos! http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7sgqa/My Personal Page: http://www.geocities.com/ruthiegirl1/terrispage.html?1083970447350 - Original Message - From: Dudes To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2005 12:57 AM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis Aw, thank you Terri.Iworry so much about my little Cotton- ball, because he's still so young and still growing. Hehas been eating boiled fish and rice today, andI can tell he is not feeling as well as he could, but he seems to be on the mend. He's drinking lots of water on his own, and tomorrow I may let him back on dry kibble. Sandy - Original Message - From: Terri Brown To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2005 5:56 PM Subject: Re: Cotton crisis No thoughts, Sandy, but I am thrilled that he seems to be okay now. Sending positive thoughts his way! =^..^= Terri, Siggie the Tomato Vampire, Guinevere, Sammi, Travis, and 6 furangels: RuthieGirl, Samantha, Arielle, Gareth, Alec Salome' =^..^= Furkid Photos! http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7sgqa/My Personal Page: http://www.geocities.com/ruthiegirl1/terrispage.html?1083970447350 - Original Message - From: Dudes To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2005 4:36 PM Subject: Cotton crisis Cotton and I havesurvivedour first crisis together. He is fine now, but last night I thought I might lose him. Friday morning he was his usual bouncy self, just a little less hungry, like he's beensince he started taking the Metranidazole (for his bacteria laden stools). I came home from work, andwondered why he didn't greet me as he usually does. I found him in his favorite boy's room laying by the litterbox with a puddle of watery diarrhea next to him. He was weak, lethargic, straining/cramping, vomiting and shivering from pain.He seemed to have the most pain in his back. When I picked him up, the look on his face was a mixture of fear, pain and sadness and broke my heart. I will never forget it. My son and I rushed him to the Vet ER, where he had xrays, bloodwork, etc. He didn't have any urine to analyze, nothing but gel in his rectum.He was found to haveenlarged kidneys, left greater than right(enough to be pushing on his stomach), an elevated white count, a very slightly high calcium level, which concerned the vet,and a density of some sort in his
Re: Cotton crisis
No thoughts, Sandy, but I am thrilled that he seems to be okay now. Sending positive thoughts his way! =^..^= Terri, Siggie the Tomato Vampire, Guinevere, Sammi, Travis, and 6 furangels: RuthieGirl, Samantha, Arielle, Gareth, Alec Salome' =^..^= Furkid Photos! http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7sgqa/My Personal Page: http://www.geocities.com/ruthiegirl1/terrispage.html?1083970447350 - Original Message - From: Dudes To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2005 4:36 PM Subject: Cotton crisis Cotton and I havesurvivedour first crisis together. He is fine now, but last night I thought I might lose him. Friday morning he was his usual bouncy self, just a little less hungry, like he's beensince he started taking the Metranidazole (for his bacteria laden stools). I came home from work, andwondered why he didn't greet me as he usually does. I found him in his favorite boy's room laying by the litterbox with a puddle of watery diarrhea next to him. He was weak, lethargic, straining/cramping, vomiting and shivering from pain.He seemed to have the most pain in his back. When I picked him up, the look on his face was a mixture of fear, pain and sadness and broke my heart. I will never forget it. My son and I rushed him to the Vet ER, where he had xrays, bloodwork, etc. He didn't have any urine to analyze, nothing but gel in his rectum.He was found to haveenlarged kidneys, left greater than right(enough to be pushing on his stomach), an elevated white count, a very slightly high calcium level, which concerned the vet,and a density of some sort in his colon which the vet wasn't sure about, because it wasn't clear on xray. She said she wasn't sure why he wasvomiting and straining to defacate, but she said it didn't really look like a foreign body, and there was a lot of gas. Poor baby. The night before he was seen carrying around a dropped piece of lettuce that was probably unwashed and fallen from the trashcan. He was batting it aroundand playing with it, but I took away from him, fearing he might eat it. In his vomit on Friday, I noticed that there was little bits of green, and pieces of what I thought might have been worms, but were little pieces of red string from a decorative sword tassle. I wish I had thought to examine it more closely. Anyway...mentioned all this to the vet,who said worse case scenario is that he might need an exploratory laperotomy to investigate the colon, and perhaps while he is under, to biopsy his kidneys. The vetdid some further labwork, and wasn't too concerned with the findings, and soshe agreed that outpt therapy was the best. He got sub-q fluids, a dex (steroid) shot, some Zantac, and something else I can't remember for nausea.I came home and put a cold compress on his poor little bottom, which was all red and swollen and put him to bed withhis favorite boy. This morning, he was his usual self! Loudly meowing to be allowed out,jumping, running, being naughty, complaining when I picked him up to look at him. He is bright and cheery, and hungry now! I'm still reeling!Any advice on what happened, what might be the best way to proceed to feed him? I am so glad he's better, and I know you are not all vets, but so much of his severe symptoms kept coming back to his FeLV+ status.I'm concerned that he might have something going on with his kidneys, and may consider ultrasound of them in the future. Here are my theories, in order of probability: 1. The lettuce might have been a source ofbacteria that might not have made a normal cat ill, but because of his weakenedimmune system,Cotton got sick. 2. The string causedhim to have his symptoms or contributed to his symptoms. (but that doesn't exactly explain the diarrhea) 3. Since he went to the vet last week, he might have been exposed to a stomach virus.(He was all over the exam room and was beginning to eye the tops of the cabinets.) 4. ? Does anyone have any thoughts? You all know how new I am to all of this, and if there is something I can do to preventsuch occurances in the future, I will do whatever it takes. Sandy
