Osee comes inside

Oh how terrible, Victor. Is she still in the hospital? How severe wasit? Has she lost any mobility? What a sad thing to hear, and a heart wrenching thing to go through.


Mo, how about Pywackett like the cat in 'Bell, Book and Candle'?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051406/

Yes, she is in the hospital. Originally lost all movement/sensation on her left side. She has gotten limited return in her leg and upper arm, and improvement in her speech. She has lots of rehab ahead of her.

So sorry - will keep you all in our prayers. Hopefully she will have a full recovery.

Thank you Nance.

Victor, My most heart held best wishes for your SIL...and you. That is too young. I sincerely hope that she has a full recovery!!

Thank you, Weeze.

Oh, my Mo Mo Mo
You Go Go Go
The kitties you love
come from above
Sent on an angel's wing
To hear you sing.

I'm thinking your song consists of food and lots of love!!

Victor - OMG! How terrible! Prayers for her from me.

Thanks, Cat.

Victor, Sorry to hear about your sil. I'll keep her in my prayers.

Thank you Jen.

Prayers and best thoughts for your SIL continue Vic. Can't count the kitties, as some are still waiting to come in! The kitten Magick, and a former barn cat who is a Siamese Snowshoe mix named Schuyler.

Victor,prayers here for a complete recovery for your SIL, Edie. It's not easy when the ones we love are hurting. Strength for everyone.

Thanks ladies. Progress continues, but slowly. She will be moving to a rehab hospital soon.

Probably too soon to tell what recovery she will have.
Crossing my fingers it will be good news in a few weeks.

It is a bit early for that but indications are hopeful and her age helps.

Victor: My prediction: slow, but steady progress for Edie, to a complete recovery, with time, patience, and the love of her family. If I am right, you owe me a bucketful of seeds! Much love, please if possible communicate to her that everyone on DG is praying for her.

Thanks, mo. Some good news to report of both fronts - Edie and Crash. Edie has had more return of feeling/function. Last night she moved her fingers for the first time. Today she was transferred to another facility for intensive rehab. Crash has been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease and his left kidney shows some scarring and shrinking. The plan is to change diet to k/d and to medicate with a cortisone (indefinitely) and an antibiotic.
So I will go ahead and adopt the two kittens, which we saw to day when we went to pick up the food and meds. Very cute and playful. We'll get them next week. I'll have to figure out how to keep Crash from their food since he is now on a restricted diet - no more free feeding for him. I'll also look for a more inexpensive source for the food - expensive stuff!

Thanks to all of you for your support, thoughts and prayers. It's greatly appreciated.

So happy to hear this news, Victor. I'm sure as you said, Edie's age is a huge factor.

I'm so glad they were able to diagnose Crash. It's so much worse when you don't know what the cause is. Good luck finding the 'prescription diet' (k/d) any cheaper. The vets have that one pretty much monopolized.

Great News Victor!

Thanks ladies. Uh oh - is that true, Nance? No cheaper online sources??

Here are some options, but after postage and having to prove the prescription, I don't know if it's worth it.

http://www.nextag.com/hills-prescription-diet-k---d/search-html

Thanks, Nance. I did find a few cheaper, and didn't see anything about the RX. Actually, quite a few charged more than my vet. I was charged $17 for the 4 lb bag. I saw it as low as $14 online. As much as $23!

Interesting article. I would think it would the other way around...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1047481/Living-humans-taught-dogs-morals-say-scientists.html?printingPage=true

Glad your cat is doing better.
Your sister also.

Great news Victor! You see, I knew something was going on with crash. Although I am surprised by the diet. If his main problem is IBD, K/D is food for serious kidney problems. Did the vet say Crash has CRF (Chronic Renal Failure)? I would be thinking that he should be on one of the diets for intestinal problems, like I/D. Why don't you look at the website for Whole Dog Journal (yes its dogs, but you can extrapolate) and search articles on IBD. Then look at the website for Pet Alive and Nature's Farmacy. There may be some remedies that are easier on the system and just as effective. Much love, and give Edie the green-thumbs up from all of us at DG!

Thanks. Yes, they believe he has both, with the kidney the more serious. The IBD diagnosis comes from a slight thickening of his bowel. His left kidney shows scarring and is somewhat shrunken (didn't say how much). He liked the canned (into which I try to hide the meds. He ate the steroid last night, but not the antibiotic this AM), but does not seem to like the dry.

You are probably not going to get away with hiding his meds in the food. Cats are too picky for that old trick! :) I was reading where clumping litter can cause symptons like IBD. Also not chewing a mouse well before swallowing does the same thing - but Crash doesn't go out side, right?

No, inside only. And I don't have the clumping stuff - I use pine. Thanks. What if I crush the pill up? Not sure I can shove it down his throat!

Crushing might work if you crush it into tuna juice. :) (But probably not.) Laurief - DG's cat whisperer says to give the cat a drink of water or broth then the pill and another drink to flush the pill down. She uses a syringe for the liquid. I used to coat the pills with butter to help them slide down the throat after pushing them in with my finger. There are plastic pilling devices - sometimes they cause more harm, though at least my finger was padded and bent. Cats are fairly delicate creatures and you have to be careful not to hurt the throat with pilling. Did you get a perscription for yourself?

You guys are making me cry over here.

Victor - I'm glad to hear Crash's condition is treatable. And best of luck to Edie!!

I'm on my first cat, and I can't imagine the day she is no longer with us. I started working from home about a month after we got her, so we're quite bonded. And she looks like Topper (black, though not a true black).

If I weren't allergic to cats, I'd probably end up being a cat lady. So maybe it is good I'm allergic!!

Victor, it actually becomes easy to get the pills down their throat, but it does take practice. I tried hiding Dexter's pills in his food, most specifically in human food. He is just now willing to eat pepperoni again:) He would spit it out for a couple of months after I tried that one. And he's a LAB! They eat anything.
I worked for a vet for a few years and everyone let me do the pilling. A quick slip down the side of the throat, close their mouth and rub throat. When you get good at it, it's much easier than trying to fool them and they are not even aware that it happened.

The steroids have a naaasaty taste, so the butter trick could work if he is easy to pill. Otherwise, try PillPockets, they are made for cats and dogs. I have found them to work with cats that are eating fine. Of course, if that's not the case, then once they know they are going to get what they hate, its time to play WILD KINGDOM!!!! Move over Marlin Perkins, here I's comes.......you should see the scratches and bandaids I am donning these days!!!!!!!

I've been shoving. Not easy - he really does not like it - but I'm getting it done so far.

Just spit it out twice! Do the pill pockets work well?

they worked great for my yorkies Victor.... they are squishy... put the pill and and smash it closed... like a hot fruit roll up feeling

Thanks!

Victor - you will get better. Try giving Crash a very special treat after the pill goes down - every time. Then taking a pill means getting a extra good treat and that is a good thing.

The problem is he hates the new food and is not eating it at all. I just mixed a but of his old food in with the new dry food. He is not eating the canned nor the dry. So I have two problems.

There are other companies that make comparable foods, Victor. Try Purina Rx brands. He might like those better.