The adorable soft grey baby kitty page, or How we deal with CRF in our home
Jan 9, 2008
Whoo hoo! Great news!
We went to a new vet today, and she is awesome. Dr. Horstmeyer is her name, and she is not only a vet, but she
specializes in kitties. Not only that, but she has been a vet since 1986, and continues her education about every 2
years on feline health issues. Not only that, but she is so much easier to deal with than my "ex" family vet. Don't get
me wrong; he is very smart, quick, and extremely personable when you get to know him. Not very patient and
always on the move. And he seems to be all about the money.
Let me explain.
Ever since I was a child, my family had the same vet that my Dad used before he married my Mom and had me.
This Vet was awesome too. We had a little dog (Snoopy) that had heart problems, and when our Snoopy stayed at the vet's, the Dr. geve him his own heart meds, because at that time, the animal care community had not began to care for pets like we do now. As a matter of fact, this vet shared his breakfast with Snoopy too! He was not really a lover of people, this vet, but he would do whatever it took to help a critter in need. And if you couldn't pay all the fees right then, that was ok, just send in a payment monthly.
When this great man passed away, his Dog and Cat Hospital was closed, and stayed that way for many years, until a new Vet bought the practice, building, and property from the widow of the original Vet (he probably made payments too!). This is the present Vet that my Mom and I began to go to the day he opened his doors. As a matter of fact, Mom was his first "customer", and he was very fond of her. He seemed to be prepared to go the extra mile for my Mom, maybe because of his newness at the practice, and his newness of our country,along with his Polish nationality. He had very high regard for older people, as seems to be the case with many European-born people, as opposed to many Americans.
But I digress.
In 1990 I adopted 3 kittens of the same litter; 2 boys (Spike and Scooter), and the runt, a little girl who the mother seemed determined to ignore and starve. This is the baby I have today. Then in 1991, 2 more kittens showed up on my doorstep, little girls (Pepper and PishPosh), so my little furry family became 5, and stayed that way until 2006, when Spike passed.
When they were all young, we went yearly for their collective vaccinations, until one year, they were about 5 or 6 years old, this Vet gave them the 10 minute Feliv test, and they all came back positive. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. So about an hour later, he gave the babies another Feliv test from a different manufacturer, and they all came back negative except for Pish. The first tests were $75.00 each, the second $110.00 each, and it was discovered that the first tests were faulty from the manufacturer. But did I get any financial respite from him because of this? NO.
After this happened, I became sceptical of this Vet. Since my babies were indoor only, I decided to halt the use of vaccines on them, and their health never changed as a result.( Pish ended up being a carrier, and it never bothered her or the other kitties.) .
This Vet has continued to build up his practice, has accounts with the City, the Pound, the Animal Shelter, and they all go exclusively to him. He vacations all over the world many, many times a year, and continues to do well.
I have no problem with having a very successful business, world travel, and all the perks that this all comes with. I had one for a very long time, and I applaud those that continue to do so. The thing is, I guess I thought that he has been there for so long, that he knew what was what in all pet circumstances.health care.
He had referred some conditions out to more specialized clinics before. Not any more.
When, after a battery blood tests, it was discovered that Punkin (one of her many nicknames!) had very elevated BUN and Creatine levels, he came into the exam room and I could almost hear the sound of doom coming in with him. He said Punkin was in the beginning stages of CRF, showed me the test results, and told me to get her some kibbles from the grocery store that were for urinary problems. I made an appointment to come back in about 6 weeks for a follow up blood test to see how she was doing. After I went to the grocery and got the urinary kibbles, chicken baby food (no onions!) for her, and a pint of Brownie Batter Hagan Daas (for me), I went home, and doing what I do, I began to search the Internet for more information.
There are a whole lot of sites that are amazingly helpful (list at the bottom of this blog), and some that may be more charlatan than helper, but that is to be expected. I found out about Sub Q fluids, and the benefits, the need for guality proteins in her diet, not junk proteins, the problems CRF cats can go through (nausea, vomiting, ulcers in their mouths, ect.), and the supplements available, some with no studies done on them, or testimonials from living patients, others being used by advanced-thinking Vets right now. And because of my now-fixed income, I began the "selling Bpal for the kitty" thread.
When the time came for the next blood test, I was more prepared.
At least I thought I was.
When the results came back (within 60 minutes, the well-traveled vet has the testing facilities right on the premesis), Punkin's BUN and Creatine were wayy more elevated. Plus he tells me she is tachicardiac.
That is when the straw broke the Camel's back. This Vet told me that the only thing that could be done was "palliative care".
Death sentence. Nothing more can be done to help, just keep her comfy. No meds for the tachicardia either.
I had to actually make him sell me a bag of Lactated Ringers solution, the tubing, and the needles to use for her, as well as the Kibbles designed for her condition.
Palliative care.
Back to the internet I go.
So now I am looking whatever I can find, how to get those toxic levels down, how to keep her from losing more weight (she has always been like a supermodel, anyway. Eats like a little bird), she is at 8 pounds, 4ounces, has actually gained 4 ounces.
I find a supplement that has been proven to improve kidney function in CRF patients, so off I go to find it and GET SOME.
So I am now armed with Azodel, twice daily, Hills K/D canned food in 2 flavors, Hills, A/D canned food for when she doesn't want to eat (it works!), baby food, Fancy Feast Gourmet Chicken (the new vet says it is actually good for her),
100ml of SubQ fluids every day, with 100 fresh ready to go needles (recommended size by many CRF bloggers), and Potassium supplements the size of horse pills (not being used at this time).
And then.....I come across a website that is dedicated solely to an organization called The American Association of Feline Practitioners, and one of these practitioners is in my area. I think to myself "maybe I should just go interview this chickie", so I made an appointment, and took my Punkin with me to meet her (in her royal carriage, natch!).
Nice little place. 3 Vets work there, very calm inside, unfinished wood interior, lots of windows, seats, not a lot of artificial light in the waiting room. I fill out our first timers' paperwork (Color; Grey. Breed; Alley. Age; 17 years.) In about 30 minutes we are shown into a light filled, smallish, warm exam room (me being 5'10 , built like an Amazon, and claustrophobic, this is nothing new), where within a few minutes a sweet vet tech weighs my baby (8 pounds. sigh. Lost those extra few ounces, gotta work on that).
In about 20 minutes the Vet comes in. She could be in her 60s or 70s, about 5'5, slim, and with a great smile, bright, intelligent, inquisitive eyes, and a calming presence. We shake hands, and she begins to go over the test results I had copied from Mr. Palliative's office. She asks questions about kitty's past health, how long I have had her, petting Punkin all the while, gently feeling around, looking in her eyes, her mouth, no stress at all. She finds plaque on a set of Pumpkin's teeth, and pops it off with her fingernail, no stress.
She has the vet tech trim kitty's claws, no stress and no fighting (!). I tell her about the Tachacardia, she asks me the numbers, which I have no idea, so she has a Doppler there and 2 techs check my baby's heart and blood pressure this way. How cool is this machine! I can hear her heartbeat. Vet says it is 240, and she needs meds to relieve this. She then takes my baby to take urine and blood, comes back very shortly with her, no stress yet, and tells me one of her kidneys is very small, the other one feels about normal. I tell her about the "palliative" sentence, and she looks surprised. She tells me that Punkin's levels are elevated as shown from previous tests, but not so badly as to think she is lost.
Then she tells me I am doing everything right (YAY ME!), that I have started the correct measures waay early on (YAY ME!), and she will call me the next day with the results. Meanwhile, keep doing what I am doing, and get her blood pressure meds filled. I make an appointment for 2 weeks later, and off we go!
The next day, I get the call..........her BUN and Creatine are Wayyyy Down!!!!
She is doing really well, and although they are not in normal range, they are darn close!! However, her Pancreatic enzymes are up for no apparent reason. Gotta check that again next visit and see what is up with that.
I am ecstatic that my baby is doing so well; my boyfriend and I do the very happy dance (with kitty looking on), and
I squeeze the stuffin' out of kitty. Well, not quite all the stuffin'.
Palliative.
My baby love kitty. Palliative. Just like that.
See ya, Mr. Vet.
Don't wanna be ya, Mr. Vet
Why did he say that to me? Was it because he wanted me to put her down? So I would get another something furry, and need shots and other care? Or maybe just because he doesn't want to deal with ME anymore?
Call it Karma if you need to; I call it Blessings from God.
He loves Kitties too.
picture taken March 2008
3:25 PM 1/12/2008
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HOW OLD IS THIS CAT ANYWAY?
tuesday, jan 15oooooooooo sometime before dawn.....
So I am sound asleep in a big warm bed with flannel sheets and my favorite white quilt, and gradually I am awakened by a continuing "meow" of unknown attitude or reason (cat people know what I am talking about). So I start talking to my baby kitty, thinking she's getting ready to upchuck (acid in her tummy sometimes), when she continues to meow and pace the bed. So, I sit up in the bed, and turn on the bed light, preparing to get the towels and cleaning products for the cleanup, when I spot something on the foot of the bed. Doesn't look like any of her toys, so I put on my glasses, and to my amazement, the little darling has brought me a mouse. A real mouse. A recently dead mouse.
My little precious 17 year old baby cat has just caught her first mouse.
O.k., I know, I should be disgusted, grossed out, upset, running, whatever.
But......I was so....proud. Just like a Mama.
My neighbor has chickens on his property. Chickens feed = mice. They have found their way to my home.
Mouse poison cats = NOT EVEN GOING TO CHANCE IT.
Back to the "gift". She was so pleased with herself, I had to tell her how good whe was for a good hour or so.
She didn't beat it up, no blood or gore. She didn't want to eat it. She batted it around as I took a few pictures for posterity.
She was just sharing with me.
I just love this cat.
I did dispose of this grand show of stealth and complete catness a little while later in a ziplock bag directly to the outside trash.
I can't wait for my next surprise.
RAAWWR!!!
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Thursday, Jan 17, 1:52 a.m.
....she did it again!......
Except this time, I was in the dining room, doing the computer thing. I hear the scrambling of little paws on the floor to my right, and another unfamiliar "meow" that is kind of muffled, and there she is with another little rodent in her mouth. Alive, this time. And she trots off into the bedroom, onto my bed with the white quilt and stands there, waiting for me. When I get the light on, she lets the mouse loose and begins to chase it across the bed. We both thought it had escaped over the side, but NOOOooooo.....I smoothed the quilt over a little bit (it had gotten messy during a play session earlier), and out comes little mousie! I thankfully had a little container ready this time (!), and quickly cornered the mouse in the clear plastic box. Punkin', meanwhile, is trying to figure out why she can see the mouse but can't get to it. Once again I am praising the heck out of her, brushing her and watching her strut around (yes, I AM the Man, Meow!), and after quite a few knocks around the bed, little mousie and I go into the dining room again, where I am now looking at the cute little thing, and just got done putting some lettuce and tomato bits in there for it to eat, which it is doing (come on, it's a Baby one, for cryin' out loud). I put a piece of paper towel in there for it to hide in, and I will figure out how do dispose of it when the sun comes up.
I am such a weenie.
But Punkinhead kitty Rocks!!
April 2, 2008 4:30 A.M.
Kitty update
I had every intention of writing something in here every few days, but the thing is, I would rather spend time with my baby than write about her right now. However, I am going to try to do better.
Some time ago, on a Sunday evening/Monday morning, I thought her time was up. She was lethargic, heart racing, breathing very shallow and fast, and she was laying on me like a limp rag doll. As soon as I could, I called her vet, and flew over to see her. It was decided after tests and lots of watching that she had had a reaction to one of the blood pressure meds prescribed. After giving her fluids at the office and keeping an eye on her just about all day ( I never left either), we went home, and she was much more alert and her heart rate, BP, and breathing were MUCH more normal. We have not had an episode like that since. Her current weight is 8.8 pounds (yay!).
Last month, at her now-monthly checkups, her blood cultures and urine came back altered. Her BUN and Creatine had went up. A few other issues concerned her Vet a little, so she now is using Normosol R for her sub Q treatments, and a phosphate binder in her food. It is called Epakitkin, it is a powder that can be mixed into her food, and I was giving it to her religiously twice daily in her "assisted" baby food feedings. However, she seems to get ill when I am so dedicated to this routine, so ill that we went on another emergency "flight" to the vet's office on another Monday after another 24 hour puke and dry heave fest. Plus she had some sort of reddish, crusty goop in/under her right nostril and had been sneezing as well.
The vet took blood and a little of her "boogers" (for lack of a better word) for testing, and we waited in the best exam room I have ever had to spend time in. I had a comfy padded seat way big enough to lounge in with my baby, and baby was curled up in her favorite pink blankie from home with my arms around her. >sigh<
About an hour later, the Vet comes back in with no outstanding results, no foreign matter in the nostril, no fungus, bugs, whatever, Blood was same. So, because of Kittie's compromised system, the Vet sent home antibiotics to use (yucky pink stuff), and told me she agreed with me that although the Epakitkin was important, it was MORE important that Baby eat and keep the food down. The reddish color of the "boogers" was possibly from the eye draining down into the sinus area, kitty tears have copper in them (?), and that I didn't have to worry.
She still has some sneezes and yellowish/whitish sticky "boogers", and the problem with a stuffy nose is that if she can't smell the food she does not want it. Brat.
There are sure some smelly fishy Fancy Feast goodies available!
Her birthday is this month, about the 10th, and I was so afraid she wouldn't make it.
Her appetite is still like a supermodel, and I hate to "assist" feed her, but she takes it pretty well, fights me about half the way through, and I wouldn't want it any other way. As long as she fights, we are still in it for the long haul.
photo taken july 2007
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Kitty Update
Today was our monthly appointment. Kitty still has a cold, sneezing in threes, and still collecting boogers in her right nostril. I have been keeping her in the bathroom while I hot shower, and for at least an hour after, for the steam (yes I stay in there with her and she has a comforter on the floor to lay on :) ), but it appears to be doing no good. And she really doesn't want to eat much of anything, poor baby. I am thinking it is because she can't smell anything appetizing, so "forget it, mom"!
When we get into the exam room, the doppler is ready to be hooked up already, so kitty is hooked up and her heartrate is 140, the Vet comes in and checks her blood pressure, and it is excellent as well (YAY), and she is at 8 pounds 11 ounces (YAY!). She then continues to physically examine kitty, feeling around her insides and such, when she discovers something I had found a week ago; a hard, kind of small apricot-sized something on the left side. She asks me if kitty is defecating o.k., I tell her considering how much she eats, yes. Then she continues to feel kitty, going down towards her hips, and she can't seem to find kitty's left kidney. She continues to probe with her fingers, very gently, very throughly, for about 10 minutes, but to no avail.
I am very worried at this point.
I ask the Vet how much this all will cost, and she goes out to get me an estimate.
The Vet tech comes in and hands me this sheet of paper with all the procedures and their costs.
The Vet suggests an Abdominal Ultrasound ($413.00), Ultrasound FN Biopsy ($82.00), a Cytology-Antech, ($110.00), and the possiblilty of needed tranquilizers ($83.00), coming to $713.00.
I can't afford it.
I keep my tears in as I ask the Vet tech if I could please talk to the Vet.
I started crying while I am holding my baby in her blankie on the exam table, I just felt like I was in the hardest place I had been in a very long time.
What could I do? I don't have anything really left to sell. And if I could sell anything I didn't have the time to wait.
So I pull myself together a little before the Vet comes in. I tell her the truth, that I can't afford this, what do I do? I really asked her "what do I do?"
We talked a little, I sniffed a lot, and she said, "you know, before we had Sonograms, we did x-rays and Fine Needle Aspirations. I can do that and get pretty much the same results".
My fear then was what about the tranquilizers? Needle aspirations can be painful, having had a few in the breast area myself. And kitty is not a spring chicken.
After a little more conversation, I agreed and signed the Authorization for procedure.
Cystology-Antech ($110.00), X-Ray ($70.00), Fine needle aspiration ($22.50), possible Tranquilization ($41.00). >sigh< $248.50. Well, the mortgage may not get paid on time, but at least we will know what is up with kitty.
I was told that I would have to leave her and pick her up later in the day, around 4 or 5. It was noon at this time. I told the Vet tech that I would just stay and wait. (This kitty has never spent a night or day away from home, and has never been alone without either her littermates ( all deceased now ), my precious mom (also deceased now), or me (not gone yet!), and I was not going to leave her there. Besides, what was so important that I could not stay and be close? So I settled in with a gossip rag and waited).
Believe it or not, it was less than 2 hours. and she was back in my happy arms! No tranquilizer needed, she was just a perfect angel, the Tech said (but of course!), and we will be getting results in the next few days.
The possibillity is that the hard, small apricot sized mass may be her swollen kidney. This is not good either.
I told the Vet in my tearful mess that I wasn't ready for "this" to happen while we were talking about testing options. She responded firmly, saying ' well, you may have to".
Kitty and I had a great trip home. It takes about 20 minutes, and we pass by a huge open golf course (full of interesting sniffies), fast food row (more sniffies), and a canal with frogs and things around ( sounds AND sniffies). I know her nose is stuffed; what is up with the nose in the air now?
Who cares! She has new antibiotics (Baytril, yay!) to help get rid of whatever bug is bugging her, and we are HOME! She is on her favorite pink blankie on her heated pad on my... I mean HER bed, and we will spend the afternoon listening to something on the radio and cuddling. You betcha.
Picture taken March 2008
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Thursday, April 17, 7:00 p.m. 2008
Baby Kitty doesn't want to eat. Anything. I am sure that all that snot in her right nostril isn't helping any, and I know that she is tired of me cleaning that nostril every time she turns around, but all that
gook is literally drying in the front of the nostril and sealing it up entirely. And she sneezes a bit, but she is so snotty on that side. >sigh<
Is this what is going to be her undoing?
She has no energy, no real interest in much. I am "assist feeding" her twice a day, she has her blood pressure pill and half of her big Baytril pill in the A.M. with the first feeding, then fluids in the late afternoon, and more feeding and the Azodel in the later P.M. I have fresh wet and dry food for her daily, more than one flavor, and she doesn't even give it a second sniff. I follow her across the bed with her wet food, and place it directly under her nose when she sits, she turns her head away.
I don't know what to do.
I don't have enough funds to go to the vet right now and pay for all the tests she will want to give my baby.
Is it time to let go? Is this what she is telling me?
She has chosen to sleep without me for the past 4 nights, choosing instead to sleep on a stack of blankets I have placed by a window for her viewing pleasure.
Is she letting ME go?
I wish I knew.
She doesn't seem to be in any pain.
I have read that when the toxins get too severe in her body that she will have a different, possibly unpleasant smell. I don't smell anything different when I stick my nose in her fur.
And the nose boogers aren't going away. The Baytril should have handled that with no problem.
I am just sitting here, looking down the hallway at her on her blanket hill.
Any Ideas, gentle reader?
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April 18, 2008 1:00 p.m.
It is over.
My precious baby kitty left me this morning about 11;30. She was breathing very quickly and shallowly late yesterday afternoon and all night. This morning, she jumped off the bed to go to her catbox, and she couldn't pee. She yowled at me, then, got back up on the bed, where she just fell down onto her side, panting, toungue out and all.
Bad tidings.
I had been watching her all night, and she never closed her eyes, she couldn't seem to get really comfy most of the night, and I just had this terrible feeling of dread.
I called the Vet at 8 AM and told her the situation. She responded by telling me that a panting cat is not a good sign at all, and I really should bring her in.
Being extremely low on funds, I had to ask fees. She told me $55.00 for the Emergency visit and exam, and if euthanaisa was called for, an additional $51.00.
I would rather not eat or pay some bills (again) than see baby in crisis, so off I went.
We got there, and kitty was panting again. The tech wanted me to give her to them to check her vitals, ect, but I told them that wherever baby goes I GO, so just take us to a room and do it there. No problem.
Vet checked baby kitty, and her lungs were filling up. She also discovered that one kidney was no longer palpable, and the other one was tiny and hard as a rock.
She said we could put her on a diuretic and let her stay in an oxygen tank for awhile and see if she improved.
I couldn't do it. My baby's eyes told me what she wanted.
Rest. Peace.
Kitty was suffering.
I had no real choice.
Call me chicken, or whatever you choose.
I just pray that I didn't make her suffer just because I didn't let her go sooner.
I have her here with me right now. I have placed her on a bed of dried lavendar flowers in a good sized plastic, drawer-type box, with freezed dried pink and white rose petals and hydrenga flowers under and around her. She is curled up just like she liked to nap, and I am hoping that she understands the need for all the prettiness in her casket.
Thank you , gentle reader, for all your help and moral support. I can only hope that I can do the same for another in need sometime.