cat update

[rm]

Photo by sykii Note kibble strewn all over the floor behind GIANT FUCKING CAT.

Okay, the x-rays came back and her liver looks enlarged, but there don't seem to be any growths or tumors or anything. Additionally her teeth look fine, and the growth on her face remains something non-intrusive and not worth worrying about. They now think it's cystic instead of a slow-growing cancer. This is good. They suspect that the liver problems are secondary fatty liver caused by whatever it causing her not to eat enough. We'll know more tomorrow when the blood work comes back. Right now she is being started on antibiotics and various vitamins to support liver function. Her blood sugar is all wacked out, which sometimes happens from stress, but she might have become diabetic, which I've been worrying about for a while. We may decide to do an ultrasound soon to see what else is going in internally with her (gall stones are a possibility). The hope is that she comes home tomorrow with symptoms we can manage either in the short term until a diagnosis is more clear (i.e., if we need to do the ultrasound) or in the long term (i.e., if we know it's diabetes). Originally they were going to let her come home with me tonight, which I thought seemed odd, so while I'm worried they want to keep her over, it is also what I expected. The vet doesn't seem more concerned than she should be considering the cat's age and obesity, but she is old enough a cat that this could be a final illness thing, although the vet isn't talking about that yet as anything other than we talk about that in cats this age. Yeah. So, I'm a little stressed out. Little is an evil monster who I love very much. I'm just grateful I have the $$ for the vet bill, which isn't going to be pretty (I paid $450 earlier, then we added x-rays ($300) and with the boarding and shots and drugs we're probably in the $800 - $1000 total range right now, and she may need an ultrasound as a soonish later date which is SCADS of $$). Ah well. She sorta does this like once a year, and whatever it is, I'll be glad to sort it before the cruise and we'll board her for that if we have to if she's going to need constant observation or lots of shots or something. Poor kitty.

Comments

[gairid.livejournal.com]

Much kitty love to Little -- I feel your stress, as three of our six are elderly cats (two are 18 and one is 19) who we love dearly. The problems increase as they age (of course).

Blessings on her, you & Patty.

[xpioti.livejournal.com]

I'll keep my fingers crossed that she doesn't wind up with hepatic lipidosis. We lost a cat to that, and basically it's what happens when a fat cat stops eating. (We joined households, his two adult overweight male cats with my "senior kittizen" female cat. I did not realize she was in the early stages of dementia, nor did I realize that she would decide that the two male cats were both The Anti-Kitty. After two days we permanently separated them, but it was too late. :|)

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

Oh man. I wish I was up there so I could take care of Little for you.

[schmidtybooger.livejournal.com]

Oh Little. Hoping she gets better ASAP.

[tod-hollykim.livejournal.com]

It might be diabetes, which would not be much of a problem. My folks' cat Bruce was diabetic the last three years of his life.

And giving a cat a shot is *muuuuch* easier than giving him pills or nose drops. Just put in the scruff of the neck- where the mama cat would carry him- and it's no problem

Bruce used the same insulin humans use (think my roommate Eppie uses the same stuff) and one bottle of it will last 6 months. And cost only about $25 when I was getting it, about 6, 7 years ago.

Mom even got Bruce to come when it was time for his shot. And when I had to take over when Mom got sick, he would wait for me to come over to Dad's to give it to him, morning and night.

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

hugs
my cat was so very sick, and we didnt have the money... but shrug. crushing debt is good for you , right?


one thing that helped was changing my Small Kidd to a wheat free diet. turns out (he woudlnt eat the prescription stuff) that fancy feast fish (no gravy) 4 varieties are wheat free.....

[drfardook.livejournal.com]

Poor Little. She looks just like Pooka. Including the physique.

If you need any advice on diabetes, feel free to email me. I'm on the second month of insulin injections to try to stabilize fuzzbutt's glucose levels. The good news is that its totally manageable and after you get them stabilized its even somewhat flexible.

[nicoli-dominn.livejournal.com]

Oh no, poor kitty. :-( I hope whatever she has is treatable. She looks like an awesome cat.

Vet bills are enormous...I remember when my old cat was getting treated for his heart condition and had to have his lungs drained every few months, the bill for that was somewhere in the $600 range, including medications. But you do what you can for the people (or cats) you love, I guess.

[graene.livejournal.com]

Thinking good thoughts toward Little. She is a very lovable monster, queen of the shedding. If it is diabetes, remember I've got one into remission and tips to share - the only one I'll put out there now is ask about PZI insulin if insulin is mentioned, it's got the best effect for putting them into remission.

[tearsinger.livejournal.com]

When we went wheat and filler free we started making our own cat food and it really made a world of difference. We are sans money right now too and that stresses me with kitties around.

[tearsinger.livejournal.com]

Poor little.

Let me know if there is anything we can do to help.

[marchek.livejournal.com]

Oh god. Let me know if there's anything I can do.

[miep.livejournal.com]

poor kitten.

gosh, that's an awesome photo.

[crimson-bride.livejournal.com]

Best wishes to Little.

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

Best wishes from my slow renal failure kitty (now three-and-a-half years since diagnosis and doing well) to your big Little Kitty.

[neifile7.livejournal.com]

Poverina.

Hope the next 24 hours brings some diagnostic clarity for your Little monster, and you get her back home and in your lap (or bed or wherever) ASAP.

Sometimes we love the evil ones the most. The kind that spill their kibble and never clean up after themselves. :D

[ophymirage.livejournal.com]

you have my sympathies on the vet bills. Gomez is edging towards 10 (possibly over) and fat, and so i watch him carefully for UTI signs and hip pain (which was what the last "UTI" was diagnosed as, after $450 in exams and xrays.) I usually tell him he's the most expensive cat in the whole household, because he's cost me probably $3000 over the 9 years I've had him...

[ladyaelfwynn.livejournal.com]

I hope your kitty gets well, quickly!

[st-aurafina.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear Little kitty. I hope she's feeling a bit better and can come home soon.

[alabastard.livejournal.com]

Sending good thoughts to Little, and to you.

[better-late24.livejournal.com]

She is gorgeous in that pic. Hope she's OK!

[rm.livejournal.com]

She's actually fat, ill-groomed and stinky as a rule. But she's very funny, and very loving and still makes the kitten face. She wins everyone over in part by being entirely awful.

"Oh hey, are you eating? I'm going to put my paw in your food and TOUCH YOUR BROCCOLI! TOUCHING YOUR BROCCOLI! FUCK YOU!" that's how she is.

[better-late24.livejournal.com]

That's exactly the kind of cat that would win me over. All of my animals are weird. My husband thinks we make them this way by how we behave with them, and that we'll do the same thing to kids, one day.

My Sydney demands to be in the bathroom whenever I'm in there, sticks her paws in my water glass and licks me in the face with scratchy cat tongue while I'm trying to sleep.

[rm.livejournal.com]

The cats are now allowed in our bedroom, in part, because my ex trained them as kittens to bite my toes.

[nisaa.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking good thoughts for your giant kitty.

[teaboyfan.livejournal.com]

Here's hoping she recovers quickly and completely without bankrupting you. We used to call our late Arthur the Six Million Dollar Cat, for his vet bills and for the queen-sized mattress we had to replace after he became sufficiently annoyed at us for one surgery to piss all over it. But he slept on our laps and chased treats and rode around with my husband in his golf cart for 17 years. They carve themselves a huge and unique place in our lives.

[sahiya.livejournal.com]

Poor kitty! My Caz has chronic health problems as well. They are worrisome and expensive. I hope everything turns out well!

[coyotegoth.livejournal.com]

I wish her the best.

[abnormal-apathy.livejournal.com]

This.

My mother and her cat share their insulin, but thankfully, she hasn't started sharing the needles. My mom is a little Like That...

[gwyd.livejournal.com]

I do hope it comes out alright. i live in fear of my guys coming down with something serious.

[ladyofthelog.livejournal.com]

I will keep Little in my prayers. Perhaps the Christ Child will bring her a liver...

[alycewilson.livejournal.com]

I hope the condition turns out to be treatable. Keep us updated.

[sykii.livejournal.com]

Also with the massive headbutting with ALL of her considerable weight behind it. This cat has actually knocked me over more than once.

[sykii.livejournal.com]

We could start the greatest urban legend ever told...

[timelady.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to say, that is a gorgeous picture! (when one doesn't notice the kibble on the floor in the background) Love the expectant/hopeful look on the cat's face and the way the light hits her face.