Some kind of kitty miracle??

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Message 966769 - Posted: 30 Jan 2010, 0:55:58 UTC - in response to Message 966750.  

I'm pleased to hear of Squirrel's 'fight back' - cats usually 'hide' when they feel very unwell or feel close to death. I guess its instinct. One of my cats, Harry, died on Tuesday evening...he was coming upto 9 years old. No more 'flying head-butts with arched back' when I get in the door, now. My stats have gone up since then, though.



So sorry to hear that, Iona. Squirrel made it through her first round of meds better than my fingers did.....
She is still a little fighter.
"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

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Message 966884 - Posted: 30 Jan 2010, 11:09:17 UTC
Last modified: 30 Jan 2010, 11:40:11 UTC

Another sleepless Joel night........
In the Middle Of the Night...

God Bless that man for all he has given me over the years.

Joel on the box, kitty eating her kibbles by my side.

I sigh and know all is somehow well at the moment.

In the middle of the night.

If you crank this tune, you will know it too.

Such a wonderful vid.
"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

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Message 966905 - Posted: 30 Jan 2010, 12:42:22 UTC - in response to Message 966733.  

I don't know if they make them for cats, but Greenies (www.greenies.com) makes hollow soft treats that my Cocker loves. You can squish them up enough that there is no pill showing, and apparently they taste good to dogs. I say apparently because I'll never try one. They look like .. well, they are soft and brown.

My cocker takes two treats a day, each with 2 pills hidden away. We stick with a routine of him "earning" them, to keep his interest up. He has to come in, or go out, or something, before he gets one.

Before that we tried all the standard vet tricks: liver pate, cheeze whiz, peanut butter, etc. Each was good for a few days or a week at the most, then the dog would spit them out. The Greenies have been working for a couple of months now - touch wood.


So far, so good.

Squirrel's tabs are so small, that it's hard to break them up into the 1/4 tab dosages...you try to break one up, and they just kinda crumble.

So, it's been easy so far to just mix is with her special kibble......and she gobbles it right up. Dunno if she can taste it or will start to get prissy about her foodsies.
I would hope not, the special kibble is, like, $2.09 a freaking tin!!!
Pretty high powered kibble, that.
Recovery RS The vet said is was like 500 calories an ounce or something like that......

She just came and ate the last outta her little kitty dish. So for now, she is happy being treated like the little princess she is.
"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

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Message 967255 - Posted: 31 Jan 2010, 7:14:03 UTC - in response to Message 966884.  

[quote]Another sleepless Joel night........
In the Middle Of the Night...

Thank you Mark
Pluto will always be a planet to me.

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Not to late to order an Anni Shirt
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Message 967335 - Posted: 31 Jan 2010, 18:46:47 UTC - in response to Message 967255.  
Last modified: 31 Jan 2010, 18:48:09 UTC

[quote]Another sleepless Joel night........
In the Middle Of the Night...

Thank you Mark

You are quite welcome.

There is another version from the Billy Joel Youtube site. The official video release. (You'll have to pardon the short commercial intro).

My favorite take on it, I think.

River of Dreams.

Now time for another batch of foodsies with meds for Squirrel.
A little soon to tell if the meds are having any effect. I don't see her slowing down at all. In fact, she still seems to be getting back to her usual perky self.
I'll have to stop by the vet tomorrow and get some more of that high powered kitty food for her to see if she can pick a little weight back up.
"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

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Message 967513 - Posted: 1 Feb 2010, 18:07:12 UTC
Last modified: 1 Feb 2010, 18:12:55 UTC

So far so good with the Squirrely gurl.

Mixing the meds with her food is still working. Just got a few more cans of that high powered canned kibble from the vet this morning...a buck a plate for kitty lunch (half a can). That gurl is eating like a little queen.

Have to keep a watch out for any side effects from the meds (methimazole)...none yet, but indications are that you have to watch for about the first 3 months of treatment. And it may take a week or so for the meds to have some clinical effect. So this means more vet trips to keep an eye on her thyroid T4 levels and make sure her kidney functions stay up to par.

This is gonna put a dent in the ol' budget around here...hope I don't have to shut down some crunchers, but I might once the weather warms up enough to need AC to keep things reasonable in the house.

So far, about $289.00 in kitty bills, and those blood tests are about $185.00 a round......she goes back in about 3 weeks for the first follow-up, assuming she does OK until then.
"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

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Message 967665 - Posted: 2 Feb 2010, 7:46:43 UTC

Ouch Mark! That's going to put a big dent in the pocket - sounds like she's doing good though?

My 2 have had their vacination booster reminders through, first of all the trouble of getting them too the vets, then the expense of paying. Oh dear :(
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Message 968228 - Posted: 5 Feb 2010, 8:12:37 UTC
Last modified: 5 Feb 2010, 8:13:22 UTC

Still hanging on to hope for my Squirrel kitty. She has been slowly gaining strength. Her appetite is still very strong. So getting her meds into her each day so far has been little trouble...just crush the tablet (once cut into 4 pieces, not an easy task, LOL) and mix it into her special kibble foodsies.

Went to the vet this morning and picked up $42.00 worth of special canned kibble.....24 cans. Half the high octane 'Recovery' formula, and half kitten grade food.

Hoping the meds do their stuff with no side effects.....

She plops down on the couch next to me like she always used to and meows for her special kibbles when I get up and when I get home from work.
She has been getting more vocal again and is sooooooooo very affectionate. As I have experienced with every kitty I ever had that was sick and got better. They know that you are the one that helped them. And show it without reservation.
"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

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Message 968734 - Posted: 6 Feb 2010, 18:08:27 UTC

She is some kinda kitty, my Squirrel......

Since she has been feeling better, she is just soooooooooo clingy.
Love is just too simple a word to cover it. If you could see the look in her eyes when she is on my lap and glances up at me.............priceless.

And then she goes over and sits on the plastic bag with the special kibble in it.
She knows what's in there....

Now if I can just get over feeling like a coke dealer every time I dice up her meds with the razor blade....LOL.

"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

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Message 968736 - Posted: 6 Feb 2010, 18:19:17 UTC - in response to Message 968734.  

She is some kinda kitty, my Squirrel......

Since she has been feeling better, she is just soooooooooo clingy.
Love is just too simple a word to cover it. If you could see the look in her eyes when she is on my lap and glances up at me.............priceless.

And then she goes over and sits on the plastic bag with the special kibble in it.
She knows what's in there....

Now if I can just get over feeling like a coke dealer every time I dice up her meds with the razor blade....LOL.

Well all I can say Mark is that She's very grateful, Maybe She doesn't understand everything You do, But She does know someone is there and as a result She feels better and not so on edge as It were.
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Message 968741 - Posted: 6 Feb 2010, 18:27:32 UTC - in response to Message 968736.  

She is some kinda kitty, my Squirrel......

Since she has been feeling better, she is just soooooooooo clingy.
Love is just too simple a word to cover it. If you could see the look in her eyes when she is on my lap and glances up at me.............priceless.

And then she goes over and sits on the plastic bag with the special kibble in it.
She knows what's in there....

Now if I can just get over feeling like a coke dealer every time I dice up her meds with the razor blade....LOL.

Well all I can say Mark is that She's very grateful, Maybe She doesn't understand everything You do, But She does know someone is there and as a result She feels better and not so on edge as It were.


She knows......kitties always know.

I feel so blessed to have her back after the traumatic experience I had with her a couple of weeks ago.

If she were to pass tomorrow, I would still thank the Lord for these last couple of weeks I have been able to share with her. It is sooooo precious.
So precious.

"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

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Message 968787 - Posted: 6 Feb 2010, 20:02:29 UTC

LOL....my gurl.

There she is, passed out on the foodsie bag.
Gawd, I just luv her so.
"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

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Message 969963 - Posted: 12 Feb 2010, 8:47:23 UTC
Last modified: 12 Feb 2010, 8:48:09 UTC

The 'miracle kitty' is sleeping by my side as I speak.

Not quite sure what is going on with her.......
She has regained much of her former strength and demeanor.......still grooms herself, and has just in the last couple of days, been seen rather actively engaging the scratching post.....
Her appetite has not diminished one iota......when I got home from work tonight, she was actually sleeping on the couch where she usually gets her kibble treats (with meds mixed in) waiting for me.
The only trouble I see, is that for a couple of weeks on the highest-protein kitty kibble I can give her, she does not seem to have picked up any weight.

Hope that things are better in kittyland than I can see. A vet visit in the coming week or so should tell the tale.....or is that tail?

Meow meow.
"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

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Message 970839 - Posted: 16 Feb 2010, 7:43:58 UTC
Last modified: 16 Feb 2010, 7:52:41 UTC

Squirrel the miracle kitty went to the vet this morning.......
Not real great news yet. She seems happier than before her episode a few weeks ago, but she has lost a little more weight and her heart rate was still very high. She went from 6.3 pounds to 6.1 even with the high power kitty food she has been gobbling up for the last couple of weeks, and her heart rate was still close to 250...
I am still hoping that increasing her meds dosage will help, and that no further complications will arise...the danger is that her kidneys may be failing, but have been kept bolstered by her hyperactive heart rate and blood flow...but you know the kittyman, where kitties are concerned, my hope lives eternal.
The blood tests (another $85.00 worth) are due back tomorrow, so we shall know then if her T4 levels have started to drop at all.
The reading I did from the pharmaceutical manufacturers led me to believe that her dosage was much too low, especially considering how far out of whack her thyroid levels were, but the vet would not increase her dosage based on the empirical evidence alone, so I had to agree to another round of blood tests.
Although I do not agree, I guess I must place my trust in the vet for starting out on a conservative level.

Will report back soon.

Sad but hopeful. I am so scared for my precious kitty. But will do anything I can for her.

Meow meow.
"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

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Message 971034 - Posted: 18 Feb 2010, 1:40:10 UTC - in response to Message 970839.  

That high power kitty food you are using may be a little low on fat and that could be the reason for no weight gain. You might ask the vet if you can add a little butter or olive oil to the food to up the calorie count of the food. I saw that cats are unable to taste sugar but they crave fat instead. As old as the cat is I suspect you can use most any fat that the cat craves without risk of causing much harm.
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Message 971116 - Posted: 18 Feb 2010, 7:27:53 UTC

Well...
Some heartening news yesterday about Squirrel the miracle kitty.
I got a call from the vet concerning her blood test results from Monday, and things are pretty positive so far.
Her T4 thyroid level with the meds dropped from 10.7 to 4.3...still in the 'high normal' range, but much improved. And the rest of her readings showed no great change from where they were, which is very good.
The problem I was fearing would raise it's head, given her age, is that high thyroid sometimes masks kidney insufficiency, due to the increased blood flow caused by the thyroid level making her heart race. And sometimes when you correct the thyroid levels, the kidneys start to crash as blood flow returns to a more normal level. So far, so good.

Her general demeanor since her 'near death' episode has improved markedly...she is very active, grooming, using the scratching post, and meows like crazy for her special kitty food and gobbles up every morsel. This is good.

The vet increased her meds dosage from 1/4 tab twice a day to 1/2 a tab in the morning, and 1/4 tab at night. Trying to reduce her T4 just a little closer to a normal baseline. She obviously thinks things are on the right track, because barring anything unusual that I detect, Squirrel's next appointment is not for another month.
Her special kitty food is Royal Canin 'Recovery RS' one day, and 'Growth DD' kitten food the next day....1/2 a can in the morning and the other half at night (with the meds mixed in). I would have to check the analysis to see what the fat content is....but they are both supposed to be very high in calories.

Don't know if I should try to sneak her anything else. She does munch on the dry kibble that the rest of the kitties eat in between her treats.

So...I am very hopeful right now that my miracle kitty shall remain at my side for some time yet. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.


"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

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Message 971117 - Posted: 18 Feb 2010, 7:35:30 UTC

Good to hear Mark. This is sort of the "perfect" recovery every pet owner hopes for. Keep us updated.

By the way, do your cats like catnip?
- Luke.
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Message 971120 - Posted: 18 Feb 2010, 7:46:06 UTC - in response to Message 971117.  

Good to hear Mark. This is sort of the "perfect" recovery every pet owner hopes for. Keep us updated.

By the way, do your cats like catnip?

LOL...oh, they've been known to snort a line or two and get kitty crazy...
"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

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Message 973977 - Posted: 26 Feb 2010, 8:02:14 UTC

Update....

Squirrel the miracle kitty has been amazingly bouncy the last few days.
The high calorie diet and the meds are obviously making her feel much better.
I can only hope that her medical condition 'beneath the skin' is doing as well as her demeanor would indicate.

Even if it is temporary, I am very happy and thankful that she is having some wonderful days again.

Meow meow.
"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

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Message 973995 - Posted: 26 Feb 2010, 9:53:56 UTC - in response to Message 973977.  

Update....

Squirrel the miracle kitty has been amazingly bouncy the last few days.
The high calorie diet and the meds are obviously making her feel much better.
I can only hope that her medical condition 'beneath the skin' is doing as well as her demeanor would indicate.

Even if it is temporary, I am very happy and thankful that she is having some wonderful days again.

Meow meow.


Great to hear Mark. You have a PM :).
- Luke.
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