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Tully's Tales

I'm Home!

Hi Furiends! It’s true! I’m finally home! I’m so happeeeee!

After five long days in ICU, my vet said I could go home – yippee! Mom was ecstatic when she got the news and could hardly wait to come and pick me up. I have staples in both sides of my chest where the drainage tubes were placed and I’m missing a lot of fur on my chest and belly, and on the leg that had the IV in it, but I otherwise look pretty good. I lost some weight, so we’re hoping my appetite improves and I eat like a little piggy now that I’m home.

Thanks for the outpouring of purrs, prayers, and love while I was sick. I know all those purrs helped me to recover from my illness. All the love and support helped my Mom out, too, she has been pretty stressed for the past week.

I also have to thank my pawsome doctors and the great vet techs at the Animal Hospital ICU who took such great care of me – I am one lucky cat.

Much love and gratitude,
Tully

On the Road to Recovery

We received the best news ever today - Tully is continuing to improve in ICU and may be home as early as Thursday! The vet told me earlier today that the x-rays look good and they are not draining much fluid out of his chest so she feels confident that his condition is continuing to improve. She plans to pull one chest tube out later today and the other one tomorrow if all goes well and then he can come home.

Purrs of love and gratitude to all our Catster pals who have been rallying for him. Power of the paw and love can work miracles.

Much love, Tully and Mom

P.S. MOL ~ I just discovered that Da Tabbies O Trout Towne dropped in to post a comment on Tully's last diary entry earlier today. I should have titled this diary entry "on de road ta ree coveree" in their honor. Miss you Doods!

Update on Tully

First of all, I want to express my heartfelt love and thanks to all of our dear Catster friends for the outpouring of purrs, POTP, and support for my sweet boy Tully who has been critically ill in the ICU since Saturday. He has a condition called pyothorax which refers to pus in the chest cavity caused by a bacterial infection. We have no idea how he got this. The vet said it can be caused by ingesting a foreign body such as grass awns, a penetrating wound to the chest wall, a migrating foreign body that enters the body elsewhere, or an extension of an infection from the lung. It’s very difficult to determine the cause of this from what I have read.

After I posted in Tully’s diary yesterday, I received a call from the vet saying that she wanted to insert a second chest tube on his left side. They were not able to pull enough fluid off from the side that already had the chest tube and the x-ray taken yesterday showed that the pus had shifted to the other side of the chest and was filling both sides of his pleural cavity. He was having increasing respiratory distress and his white blood cell count was climbing. That was an unexpected set back and made me very scared that he may not be able to recover from the bacterial infection that was invading his little body. The vet was very encouraging and said she had seen many cats recover from this illness, so that gave me hope. She thought Tully was young and healthy enough that he could still pull through this and she believed that the second chest tube would make all the difference. I agreed to have another chest tube inserted on the other side. She called me back about 45 minutes later after the second tube was in and said they drained “a lot of gunk” from the left side. He was in recovery and said I could come by and visit him later.

My husband and I went to see him around 5 p.m. yesterday and when we greeted him in his cage the poor little guy looked exhausted but reasonably comfortable. His belly is shaved and there are tubes everywhere. Of course he is getting pain meds, so that helps to keep him comfortable. I kissed him on the head and told him I’d be back to check on him today. He’s been through so much since Friday and needed to get some rest. They were draining his tubes every 4 hours and syringe feeding him a few times a day him so I’m sure he was worn out.

When I went and visited Tully today over my lunch break, he purred very loudly while I stroked his neck. His eyes are clearer and he is starting to act more like his normal self. He’s still not eating on his own but he takes his syringe feedings very well and is getting nutrition. He’s a very finicky eater even at home and the stress of being hospitalized doesn’t help. I’m going to take him some of his favorite food and treats tonight when I visit and see if I can encourage him to eat. The vet came and spoke with me while I was there today and said things were “heading in the right direction” so that was very encouraging. The fluid they are pulling off his lungs is looking clearer with less “gunk” in it so hopefully the infection is clearing up.

Thank you again for all the healing purrs, POTP, and support. I’ve always been touched by the love and compassion of the Catster Community who always rally and support those who are sick and in need of purrs – thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Much love, Tully and Mom Kelly