Sick kitty update
Unfortunately the news on James is very bad. On Friday an X-ray revealed that he's eaten something inedible, which the vet thinks it might be kitty litter. This isn't necessarily serious if he can ultimately poop it out, although he stopped eating and that's a very bad sign -- the vet had us force-feeding him Friday night to keep nutrition in him and keep his digestive system working in order to help him poop it out. When cats stop eating they can become very ill very quickly. And if he doesn't poop it out, surgery may be required.
But the bloodwork results which arrived on Saturday show that he's in acute kidney failure. I think everyone was completely boggled by this, as his physical exams on Wednesday and Friday appeared absolutely normal, apart from a slightly lowish temperature. This appears to be a sudden-onset problem rather than a slow chronic progression, or at least that's what the vet said. We don't know what could have caused it. We've now started a therapy of subcutaneous fluids (something we used to give Mitzi during her chronic renal failure, although James is getting a lot more fluid) in the hopes that the condition will reverse itself and he'll recover. It might work, or he might not improve.
Of course this is costing a ton of money when we were already hurting financially. I have stepped up efforts to find a job, although the counter-intuitiveness of leaving the house when my sick cat needs me is obvious. I'm hoping to get seasonal work right now at a store or something. Stan keeps talking about getting a second job, which I will not allow as he works enough at his regular one. And we're cancelling cable TV and other luxuries, which I guess we won't have time to watch anyway :>
Please keep your fingers crossed for James. We've lost three cats in the last 2+ years and I can't bear to lose another. Also, if you know of someone in southern Ontario who wants to adopt a kitten, we're pretty desperate to lessen our expenses even though I adore those kittens and wish we could keep them.
But the bloodwork results which arrived on Saturday show that he's in acute kidney failure. I think everyone was completely boggled by this, as his physical exams on Wednesday and Friday appeared absolutely normal, apart from a slightly lowish temperature. This appears to be a sudden-onset problem rather than a slow chronic progression, or at least that's what the vet said. We don't know what could have caused it. We've now started a therapy of subcutaneous fluids (something we used to give Mitzi during her chronic renal failure, although James is getting a lot more fluid) in the hopes that the condition will reverse itself and he'll recover. It might work, or he might not improve.
Of course this is costing a ton of money when we were already hurting financially. I have stepped up efforts to find a job, although the counter-intuitiveness of leaving the house when my sick cat needs me is obvious. I'm hoping to get seasonal work right now at a store or something. Stan keeps talking about getting a second job, which I will not allow as he works enough at his regular one. And we're cancelling cable TV and other luxuries, which I guess we won't have time to watch anyway :>
Please keep your fingers crossed for James. We've lost three cats in the last 2+ years and I can't bear to lose another. Also, if you know of someone in southern Ontario who wants to adopt a kitten, we're pretty desperate to lessen our expenses even though I adore those kittens and wish we could keep them.