Badger Animal Fund

Though word of mouth we found a local Animal Fund that might be able to help Smokie with the Radio Active Iodine treatment which would cure him.  We submitted an application about 2 weeks ago with records from the vet.  We found a treatment facility about 2 hours away that would do the treatment for about $1200.  Smokie would be in their facility for about 3 days and then he'd be able to return home.

The fund committee meets the 2nd Thursday of every month.  We are now waiting to hear the outcome.  Hopefully they will be able to help us to cure Smokie!

Charlie's Quandary

For Some time Charlie our orange and grey tabby has been chasing the females around and pouncing on them.  Lately it has gotten worse.  Pouncing roughly on the female cats and leaving big scratches and other small wounds.

I had talked to a behaviorist.  She brought up a point that male cats bond closely.  Charlie and Smokie are very close and always snuggle with each other.  Charlie will follow Smokie around if he moves and cuddle with him.  They groom each other all the time.  So I realized that Charlie's behavior is because he senses that something is wrong with Smokie (hyperthyroidism) and it is causing him stress.  I often give the cats cat nip as a treat.  Cat nip is also the cause that he is more aggressive in his play.  Since stopping the cat nip, he has calmed down some.  I've also gotten some calming chews which I give to him at night to keep him calm and relaxed.

The behaviorist also thinks that since Charlie can sense that Smokie is ill, he is also trying to be the dominant male now.  Since Smokie has been sick he isn't as pushy towards the other cats.  He lays around and sleeps.  Plays once in a while.  So being that Charlie is the only other male cat in the group, he is trying to fill the dominant male void.  Between those two things, Charlie is stressed out.  He is a very sensitive cat.  You look at him the wrong way and he'll run and hide.

So, the course of action right now is to give him calming chews nightly to help.  Will be getting some calming oil to put him on him to see if it helps.  If it doesn't then, we may have to go to the vet to get medication to help him during this time.


So far so good though! ;)

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It's been a while since I've last updated this blog. Things have been busy over here. Finally I think all the urinary tract infections have finally gone, I am focusing on other things. Smokie is now considered stable. His T4 is now at 2.4 with the range being from (1.9 to 4.8) So he is in a good place. His next vet appointment is not needed for another 6 months!

I have applied for the Badger Fund to hopefully help me with the cost of the Radio Active Iodine treatment for Smokie. I filled out the application and will not hear the result of that decision until next Thursday or Friday. I am hoping for good news. If they can help with the amount for the procedure then all that's needed for him to be admitted is x-rays (2 views of the chest). Then I can send them to Radiocat and hopefully they will say he is a candidate for the treatment. Once he has the treatment then, he'll be cured! No more vet appointments, no more blood tests! It will be a relief!

The other kitties are doing well. The protien found in Sassy's urine when she had the UTI is now gone. There is no protien in her urine. Her urine is healthy and shows no kidney issues. YAY! She still has the red ears, and the vet attributes it to old age. But I am keeping an eye on that.

So all is going well at this point! Good news all around!

Feline Hyper T Support Group

Just wanted to let those of you know who may have Hyper T kitties as well that there is an awesome support group for hyper t kitties through yahoo groups.  It's called Feline-Hyper T Support Group.  It was started in 1999 as a result of an overdose of HT medication.  Since that time, many many cat owers have been apart of this wonderful group.  They ask questions and report symptoms as well as blood test results and other information from their vets.  This
group has become the single larges source of experience with HT and information on the subject anywhere in the world.  There are no vets in the group, but there are nurses in the group though. But they have long-term daily observations of symptoms, reactions and general behavior with test results people get from their vets.  This type of information is not something a vet can get in an office visit, and even longterm studies don't get.  Not too many vets are aware that starting at too high of a
dose can lead to many problems healthwise with cats who are on medication.  They go by the standard dosing instructions from Plumb's Veternary Drug Handbook and what they read in other books.  The dosing guidelines are based on what they give HUMANS for a Thyroid disorder.  Through people posting about sideffects and reactions etc. They have realized that 2x a day dosing of thyroid medication is best and to start out really low at 1.25mg or 1/4 of a 5mg pill 2x a day. It has saved countless cats
lives including Smokies! The vet originally prescribed him 2.5mg to take once a day, and then upp it to 2x a day!  While 2x a day is what is at now, it was WAY too much to start him out on.  His original numbers were 12.7 for T4.  And with just 1/4 of a pill 2x a day it went down to 7.9!  The drugs given to cats for Hyperthyroidism are one step short of cancer drugs! So it's important that dosing be watched and monitored VERY carefully. Low and Slow is the best way to do it!

If your cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, please visit the Feline Hyper T Support group at Yahoo. The link to the page is:

 

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/feline-hyperT/



Please visit this page and join.  It will help you and your kitty to master the rollercoaster called Hyperthyroidism! ;)

Long Time No Post - Update

 It's been a while since I posted.  Things have been crazy around this house.

Sassy is doing well and has finished her antibiotics for her urinary tract infection.  But since she was being treated, I spotted more small clumps of pee in the litter box that were not from her!


I had suspected it was Charlie my orange and grey tabby.  Smokie was going in for a blood work recheck and I brought in Charlie as well. I noticed him throwing up, and I thought that maybe he had a UTI that was causing him to throw up.  Well good news he didn't have a UTI.  Just hairball issues.  YAY another cat with hairball issues. He's been started on 1/2 a tablet of Walgreen's version of Fibercon.  This has helped with his constipation due to the hairballs.  He's also getting 2x a week hairball paste.  So far this has helped him. Though some days he doesn't want to take it. So I have to keep trying until he's in a good mood ;)  Same with Sassy. She doesn't always like to take her hairball paste either. I have to keep trying until she's ready to take it.

I thought that the UTI's were over, until Smokie started peeing in small amounts and not squatting down in the litter like he was supposed to. So I got a urine sample and brought it to the vet.  Sure enough there was some blood in his urine, and she put him on antibiotics.   He just finished up his last course.  And of course I thought this was it for the UTI's in this household.  Apparently not!  This past Sunday I spotted Callie squatting to pee, but nothing coming out!  She kept going into the litter box and trying to pee but it was dribbling out or didn't come out at all.  So of course, I started her on the left over antibiotic I had from Sassy.  The first antibiotic that the vet gave me for her she couldn't take so there was some left over.  Thank goodness, because I started her on it right away. I noticed a great improvement within 24 hours.  So into the vet she went this past Monday 3/28!  She's now on something to acidify her urine to help her out and, on antibiotics.

I am really hoping that is the end of the UTI's here.  If it were not for the $500 I got back in tax money I don't know where I'd be!  That has pretty much been eaten up with UTI's and Smokie's Blood test.

By the way the last time he had his blood work done, his T4 was at a perfect 2.1!  So he's now in the normal range. He goes back into the vet for more blood work in June!  Hopefully then his Kidney and other numbers will be good as well!

Update on Sassy

 

Since being put on Baytril, Sassy's eating went down and you could tell she didnt' feel well.  Her ears get pink and warm from time to time still. Not sure if that's due to the infection or something else going on inside.  I had to go to walgreens to pick up some vitimin B12 for her. Have been giving her 1/2 a 500mcg tablet once a day. She seems to be happier, and last night she ate 1/2 of a 1.5cup bowl which was almost full of the new cat food I got. It was just
a small sample pack of Purina One Smart Blends with Salmon and Tuna.  She seems to like it, as well as the other cats here.  Smokie and Lucky I had to fight off because they LOVED it.  Right now they are on chicken soup for the pet lover's soul cat food. It's a good food with no fillers, but it's a senior formula which there's not a whole lot of smell to it being it's made for seniors.  So that could be why they like the other stuff better.  Will be calling the vet this AM to have her
give another antibiotic.  So she seems to be improving nicely so far.  Her ears have been turning red on and off a little bit.  It could be fever, or blood pressure related to her infection. Hopefully once her course of antibiotics are done and the infection is gone, then the red ears will disappear. Praying they disappear. If not, then there is another underlying condition which I hope we do not have!  Sassy is not easy at the vets office. or to give her medication when she doesn't want to
eat.

These are what her ears look from time to time. They don't stay red, but lets hope that this is just because of the infection!

 

Smokie Update

So, got the bloodwork from the vet. Smokie's T4 has gone from 12.7 to 7.9 just on 1/4 of a pill 2x a day. YAY. So she upped his thyroid medication to 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 in the afternoon.

After the increase he did gain 2lbs in the first week! He was up to 11lbs. Which is 1lb shy of his normal weight. However this past week we've had ups and downs which means he's still not stable. He's lost a pound. But hopefully he'll gain it back. He'll be going into the vet on March 10th for a blood work recheck before any upping of the medication. We'll see where his T4 readings are then.

She said his kidney's look good, so she doesn't feel there is any underlying kidney issues. This is good news! YAY.

It's been a busy week as the last post indicates. Many cats going into the vet. Glad that they were only minor things and will be healthy otherwise.

So all around good news. YAY!