Fluid Pass!

I got whisked to the vet today so that a vet tech could show Mawmee and Daddy how to give me fluids and keep me still. She was very good and gave us some good advice.

So, I got my fluids, and then I pooped and peed in the carrier on Mawmee's lap on the way home. I cried in the car, but I'm a talker, so they expected some chattiness!

On Sunday, I'll be getting my fluids in the laundry room which they think will trick me into thinking I'm at the vet's office - MOL!

The vet tech said Mawmee should scruff my neck and with her other hand hold the back of my feet because both of those movements are supposed to make me submissive. She said you can tap a cat lightly on the nose too to distract them. Which hand is she supposed to use for that? Maybe we'll have Newman in there helping with the distraction part! MOL!

Daddy is supposed to insert the needle quicker and not be such a pansy about it - sorry Pansy! And someone is supposed to hold the bag of fluids up high so that it flows good.

Dang, we need more people in this house!

Fluid Fail!

Apparently I'm not good like Calvin or Callie (Mawmee and Daddy's first cat). They both sat quietly on Daddy's lap when they got their fluids.

Not me. I'm a wigglebutt! They tried three times to give me fluids yesterday. First I was on Mawmee's lap, then on Daddy's lap, and then again on Mawmee's lap.

They tried the big needle that the vet place gave us because the fluids go in faster. Fail.

They tried a smaller needle from supplies we had left over from Calvin. Fail.

They tried warming up the fluids a little bit so it wouldn't feel so cold going under my skin. Fail.

Today, they are taking me to the vet so one of the vet techs can give me fluids, and they can watch to see how to give fluids to a wigglebutt!

Mawmee bought some yummy foods for me because I'm getting bored with Fancy Feast. The important thing is for me to eat, so I'm getting chicken Tiki sprinkled on top of my food. It is pretty good stuff.

Thanks for the continued support and purrs. Please purr that my parents can figure out how to give me fluids so I'll feel better!

Bloodwork Results - The News Isn't Good

The vet lady called this afternoon with the results of my bloodwork. She had two items to discuss regarding what was found.

1. I have Kid Knee problems. My BUN, Creatinine, and Phosphorus levels are high and my TC02 (bicarbonate) level is a little low. These numbers are significantly different than what showed up in January before I had my dental work. Here are the current numbers:

BUN - normal is 15 - 34 mg/dL and mine is 82

Creatinine - normal is 0.8 - 2.3 mg/dL and mine is 5.1

Phosphorus - normal is 3.0 - 7.0 mg/dL and mine is 8.6

TC02 (Bicarbonate) - normal is 13 - 25 mEq/L and mine is 10

The vet lady said the best thing for me regarding my kidneys is to keep getting the sub-Q fluids.

2. I have a very high WBC (white blood cell count). This usually indicates an infection of some kind.

WBC - normal is 4.2 - 15.6 K/uL and mine is 36.9

Because it is so high, the guys at the lab did some other testing on the individual cells to see if they could discover anything.

Mawmee has a copy of my bloodwork, and of course, it is complicated language. It basically indicates that my neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, eosinophil, and basophil numbers are all pretty high which suggest an inflammatory response.

The number of lymphocytes suggest I probably have subacute or chronic lymphoma or leukemia.

In doing some searching on the internet, Mawmee found this information:

The most common lymphoma sites in cats are the gastrointestinal system, the spine, and the chest cavity. The gastrointestinal type is the most common of the three forms of lymphoma and is not as closely associated with FeLV as are the other two. This type appears in older cats as weight loss and a drop in appetite. Some cats will vomit and/or have diarrhea, depending on the exact location of the cancer. Stomach cancers tend to cause vomiting and intestinal cancers are more likely to cause diarrhea.

The vet lady told us that while she couldn't feel that any of my internal organs were enlarged, there could be enlargement of lymph nodes and other internal things she is unable to feel.

So, while the news isn't good, the vet lady said that hopefully giving me fluids will make me feel better. My urine came back not showing any infection, so the elevated WBC is not necessarily related to my kidney problems.

We'll take one day at a time and see how I do. Eating is also important, and I'm going to do my best to keep on eating. I've definitely lost some of my appetite, but whenever I act hungry, I'm going to get food!

Thank you for your continued purrs . . . . . .

Vet Visit Update!

I'm back from the vet's office. Here is what we found out.

1. I've lost 2 pounds since January.

2. I'm dehydrated. I got fluids, and brought home some fluids that Mawmee and Daddy will attempt to give me 2-3 times a week. The vet lady said this should make me feel a little better, and it should also help my hard poopies.

3. My breath stinks. Since I just had dental work in January, my breath shouldn't be stinky from my toofies. The vet lady said this usually indicates problems internally.

4. I had a lot of pee in my bladder. They decided they wanted some of it, so I gave it to them, and also pooped on the floor just because I thought they might want some poop too! Besides, Newman said you can't go wrong by leaving poop behind!

5. They took my blood! They are going to check my Kid Knee values and also my Thy Roid values to see if there has been any change since we had that done in January. I should get those results back tomorrow.

6. The vet lady gave me a Convenia shot which lasts two weeks. She said that will help with any infection that might be going on which could be causing the stinky breath (and the bacteria living in my stinky mouth).

7. The vet lady didn't feel any masses in my tummy, but you can still have the nasty C and not have masses. Mawmee said we would not be doing any ultrasounds, chemo, or other stuff like that. Mawmee told her she has been down that road before, and didn't want to put any more cats through all of that.

8. We left lots of money there.

9. We made an appointment for Inky for tomorrow because he is due for his yearly check-up.


I came home and ate a little bit of dinner, so that was good. I'll keep you all updated when I know anything more. Thank you so much for all the purrs and good wishes. It means a lot to me (and Mawmee).

Purrs Please

It's been awhile since I've written in my diary, and I wanted all my pals to know that if they have a few purrs they could send my way, I'd appreciate it.

I've not been doing very good lately. Mawmee says based on her experience with Calvin, she thinks I most possibly have some type of intestinal cancer.

I have lost quite a bit of weight, and just like Calvin, I am starving most of the time. I stopped eating my dry food a long time ago, and since I'm only eating wet food, she feeds me 4 times a day.

At first she thought I might have diabetes, but when I had my recent tooth resorption surgery, all the pre-bloodwork came back normal.

The other issue I have been having is pooping outside the litter box. The litter boxes will be clean, but I don't want to poopie in them. My poopies are small and sometimes hard which means I'm probably dehydrated. I do drink water like I'm supposed to, but I'm almost 13 years old, and sometimes us Olde Furts can't get enough fluid on our own. Pooping outside the box can indicate a cat associating the box with pain.

Mawmee is going to make a vet appointment to see if they can feel any lumps in my tummy and to see if they could give me IV fluids. She has felt my tummy, but doesn't feel any lumps. Sometimes lumps aren't there and you can still have the nasty C.

This morning I didn't eat much at all which is not good. And my breath is pretty stinky considering I just had my toofies cleaned.

We've been down this road before, and it is a road we don't like. Mawmee said she has learned some things by going down this road with Calvin, Spunky, and Sugar.

She recently read something that Jackson Galaxy wrote in his new book. His advice to someone who was asking him about knowing when the time is right concerning the Rainbow Bridge was this: Don't let it be your cat's worst day. In other words, don't wait until your cat has suffered for days just because you're being selfish and don't want to lose them. Mawmee thinks she probably waited too long with Calvin.

I'll let you know what the vet says, and thanks for the purrs. I hope it's not my time to journey . . . . .

A Special Day!

Today is the 5th anniversary of Autumn's journey to the bridge. Something special happened today, and you can read all about it in Autumn's diary!

We all miss her, and we think maybe she had a paw in Mawmee finding that special bell today!

Strollin', Strollin', Strollin' . . . .

We got our stroller out, and we've been taking turns going out in the backyard! The stroller came in the house, and Newman was the first one to get in it.

But Inky was the first cat to get zipped in it and taken out into the backyard. When he came inside, he told us it was pretty nice out there. He heard lots of birds chirping, and he said it smelled good too.

Today was supposed to be Newman's turn. But when Mawmee tried to zip him in, he jumped out. Gleek got lifted in but he made a mad dash out of it! So, I got lifted in, zipped in, and taken out the door!

The sun was shining and it felt so good on my fur. Then I heard all the birds talking to each other. I didn't see any lizards or bunnies, but it was fun being outside!

I wonder who will get a turn tomorrow?

DDP!

Wowza, I'm a diary pick today! Thanks, Diary Gal. I thought I'd give you all a DBC for my DDP today!

What is a DBC, you ask?

Well, it's a dead bunny count! As you probably already know, we have a swimming pool in our backyard. We've never had a swimming pool before, but did you know that swimming pools are dangerous?

If you have a swimming pool, you have to keep your gates locked so that some stupid kid doesn't get into your backyard and fall in the pool.

Bunnies ignore the gate. They jump over the wall. Gleek is in charge of bunny patrol, but he must have been sleeping a couple of weeks ago when a baby bunny fell in the pool.

Mawmee found him and it sort of freaked her out and made her sad. He was a tiny baby and didn't realize the danger of swimming pools.

So, this week, we had a really windy day. Mawmee went out to use the big net and skim leaves and stuff out of the pool. She is constantly looking out the window now to make sure no bunnies are in the pool.

She got all the leaves and stuff out of the pool, and then decided to lift up the lid of the little area where the leaves go and get stuck in a basket.

*key scary music*

Yep, you guessed it. She took of the lid and saw fur! She ran back into the house, and told Daddy he had a job to do.

DBC = 2

Gleek has stepped up his patrol. How did you like that story, Diary Gal?

9th Sponsored Cat!

Since Calvin wrote in his diary today about our friend Sissy journeying to the bridge, I decided to do this entry for him.

As you all know, when ever a Calvin Collar is sold over at The Cat in the Clover, we set aside $1. When $25 is reached (which = 25 Calvin Collars), we sponsor an orange cat at Best Friends Animal Society in memory of Calvin.

Since Calvin journeyed to the bridge, here are the cats we have sponsored:

2009 - Cheeze and Sebastian

2010 - Homer, Sunny, and Yellowstone

2011 - Saigon, Parker, and Fredrika

I'm happy to announce that we have just reached the 225 Calvin Collar mark, and we sponsored another kitty yesterday! Our pal, Tigger, bought the 225th collar!

So, we checked out the available cats at Best Friends Animal Society, and we sponsored . . . . . .

Juniper Blue

Here is Juniper Blue's story:

She deserves a break!

Juniper came from a horrible situation. She was one of dozens of cats trapped in a hoarder's house in Pahrump, Nevada, without love, attention or basic care. Juniper arrived at Best Friends with a slight wiggling limp in her hindquarters and also with feline leukemia. But that hasn't stopped her from getting over her fears and learning to trust people again.

You should see Juniper now. She purrs with satisfaction in your lap, relishing all the personal attention she can get. She likes the company of other cats, too. Either way, she'll be a wonderful addition to anyone's household. Won't you consider her for yours? It would mean everything to her. And if you can't take her home, make her your special sponsor cat instead!

If you click on Juniper Blue's name above, you can scroll down until you see her picture. Also on that page, you can see Fredrika and Homer!

We sure hope that pretty Juniper Blue finds a forever home soon! Thank you to all our pals who have continued to purchase Calvin Collars in his memory and for helping us sponsor these kitties!

Coud it Be?

Wowza, I'm a diary pick today! When I went to my page to put this honor on the list, I discovered that I haven't been a diary pick since 2008??? OMC, could that be true? Maybe I need to write more in my diary so that the diary gal will pick me more often.

Thanks to all my pals who are making this a pawsome day. I have been having some problems with my Clavamox. It is giving me runny poopies. Mawmee is going to call the vet today to see if they want to switch me to another antibiotic. I still have three days left for the Clavamox. I've been eating better, so I guess my mouth is feeling better!

I wanted to tell you about the visitor we had to our Beagle Dog Rock. BDR is a big rock outside out backyard. It looks just like a beagle dog. We see birds on the rock a lot, and the other day, Daddy looked out and yelled for all of us to come look at the coyote!

Mawmee ran to get the camera, went out in the backyard, and he was still sitting on the rock - probably looking for a bunny for breakfast. Here are a couple of pictures of Mr. Wiley!

On a different subject, please keep Ko in your purrs. She found out at her dentist visit that she has a large mass in her jaw that has destroyed some of her jawbone. The biopsy results will be back this coming week. Her brother, Orvis, is keeping us all up to date in his diary.

I'm glad to see that Tate had a good dental visit, and he now has a microchip too! Way to go, Tate!

February is dental month, and most vets offer a discount if you need to get your toofies cleaned.