It has been a while since the last post. Things have been busy, and I have been horrible about updating. So I am going to update with all that has happened since the last post!


Sassy was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism, as you know.  She has now been diagnosed with CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease).  Her Phosphorus and potassium were very high.  She was also diagnosed with metabolic acidosis as well as a heart murmur.  So she is now on benazapril for her heart, coQ10 for her heart, Phosphorus binders, baking soda for the metabolic acidosis.  Her T4 had increased so she now gets 1/4 of her methimazole AM and PM.  She gets Ondansetron for her nausea and gerneric Zantac for tummy acid.  She seems to be doing well on this combo so far.  She has not gone back in for more diagnostics as I have run out of money. So now I take it one day at a time.

Lucky went in for dental this year again and gave the vet a scare. Her lips started turning blue, and after the procedure the vet found she had arrythmia.  And so she too now has been put on Benazapril for her heart.  The vet had suggested I get an ultrasound for their hearts to see what type of heart issues they had and how bad they were.  However at $400 a piece I do not have the money for that, and they are being treated just with the benazapril at this time.

Smokie on and off after being stabilized with Hyperthyroidism, had thrown up.  I'd change the food, and he would stop throwing up.  His vomiting spells had gotten worse. He went from weighing 12lbs to 8.5lbs.  About what he was when he was diagnosed with HT.  He was taken into the vet and diagnosed with IBD  which is Inflammatory Bowel Disease.  He was put on prednisone. 5mg to start and 2.5mg there after.  This has stopped the vomiting but he has had some nausea, and had to be put on Ondansetron for the nausea.  This helped with his appetite. 

It has been a very busy and stressful time trying to figure out what their medical issues were and trying to figure out if I could afford it all.

Now 3 cats are strictly on a wet food diet, and have multiple supplements to help them.  It's getting harder to be able to afford what they need because their medical conditions seem to broaden with each passing year.  Normally my tax money would be more than enough to pay for medical treatments as needed. This year I ran out by November.  2 of the 3 cats really need blood tests to monitor blood levels for treatment adjustments and there is just no money unfortunately.  On top of all those developments we have had car problems. Our cars are over 12 years old, and with all of the cats medical needs we can not keep up on our car repairs.  We really need money to buy newer cars that are in better condition than the ones we currently have.  We do the best to keep them maintained and do a lot of the repairs our self, or have a salvage yard friend help us find parts for cheap repairs.  But the vehicles are getting to the point that they are getting more costly and more invasive than we can do ourselves, and it's really time to get newer vehicles.  But in order to do this, I'd have to use at least 1/2 my tax money and half of my fiance's taxes to purchase a newer vehicle.  Unfortunately I need ALL my tax money and then some for the cats medical care.  If we do not get newer vehicles then when they finally do have a major break down, we will not be able to afford to fix them.  We live in a rural area, and the roads in the winter are plowed but never salted, and when plowed are plowed last.  So all wheel drive, or 4 wheel drive vehicles are a must.   If I can not get out to get to work, I will not have a job.  And it's needed for the cats' medical expenses. We can not live on one income.  As it is my fiance drives 1hr and 10 minutes to work.  To cut gas expenses he's stayed in town where he works, and only comes home 1-2 nights out of the week.  We've given up a lot of our daily needs to make sure the cats get theirs, and we are at a point where we can not give up any more.

I rescued these special needs cats because no one else would.  And at the time their conditions were manageable.  Now they are getting older and need more medical treatment and supplies.  

I have worked so hard to keep them in a safe environment, and give them a warm and loving home.  I am now starting to struggle, and it is very difficult when I know they need to go to the vets to monitor their medical conditions, and I can't take them in.  I am doing the best I can, but the way things are going I may not be able to properly care for them if their medical costs go any higher.

Therefore I'm creating a fund raising website, to try to raise funds.  If I can raise at least $2000 that will free up my taxes and we can get a newer vehicle that has less miles and will be more reliable and less expensive to fix for a while.

There is a link below where you can donate.  I have also created cat related t-shirts and other items. I will also create dog related t-shirts to sell.  I have teamed up with an animal rescue in Michigan who makes the shirts and items and then ships them out. So, each purchase also helps them with their animal rescue and sanctuary as well! It benefits both of us. All money raised  by purchasing t-shirts and other items will go for veterinary care for the cats, and their medications and supplements.

I ask that you forward these links as much as you can through social media websites such as twitter, Facebook etc.  It would really make Christmas a happier time if we knew that these wonderful cats would have the proper medical care that they need and deserve. 

We pray daily for the answer to our situation, and hope you will do so with us as well.

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!

Purchase items to help us raise funds:
http://blujay.com/TheFanDepot

Where to go to donate money:
http://www.gofundme.com/5catsvetfund

Lucky is Diabetic

Since April of 2013, I have had a very terbulant time with my cats. One cat was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism, and As of August Lucky was diagnosed as Diabetic.

I started noticing Lucky waiting by the water dish if another cat was drinking. Something she did not normally do. I also noticed that she went frequently to the water dish many times during the day.  She had also lost some weight.  So I put her in a room and monitored her. She wasn't eating very much, but was drinking well over 1 cup of water a day.  I  noticed that her urine didn't have that distinct ammonia smell that most cats urine had.  I made an appointment with the vet as soon as possible.  She had blood drawn and a urine strip test was done. There was a lot of sugar spilling into her urine, and her urine was very dilute.  Her blood sugar came back at over 300.

The vet was very optimistic that only a diet change may be needed.  So she was then put on an all wet food diet of Fancy Feast as it was the lowest in carbs and the cheapest.  At first her numbers went down a little but they were still above normal.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Looking into insulin, the best for her was Latnus. However Latnus cost around $200.  Which I did not have.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do for her.  I was referred by someone to Diabetic Cats In Need, and they were quick to help out by sending a pen of Latnus to get me started. Luckily by the time that arrived. She started having blood sugar readings in the normal level, and they stayed there for 14 days. After which she was considered in remission, and controlled only on food.  This was a BIG relief to me.

Since being diagnosed, she has had to have one dental cleaning and was put on antibiotics.

Hopefully she continues to be controlled simply by diet.

Another Diagnosis of HT

As of April 4, 2013 I have another diagnosis of Hyperthyroidism. Sassy was officially diagnosed and put on medication.  However, after a few days of the medication she started to scratch her face and had sores all over :( Poor Sassy!

A small percentage of cats have an adverse reaction to the Methimazole medication.  I did not want to give up so I did try stopping it for two weeks and then restarting it while giving her Zyrtec for the itching.  She was restarted on her once a day pill treatment and so far the itching has not returned.  However I feel as time progresses and she needs more, this may not still be the case. For cats like Sassy they need the radioactive iodine treatment which is a 100% cure for this disease.  So ultimately I have to start raising funds for this.  The radioactive iodine therapy costs around $1500.

If you would like to help, I have opened a Bonanza booth where you can purchase a wide variety of items from Toys to Android Tablets.  All proceeds will go to getting her radioactive iodine therapy.  If you can not help with a purchase, please forward the link to the store on your facebook, twitter and tumbler accounts.

Here is the direct link to : Koshkonong Treasures .

She as done nicely so far, and does need to go back in for lab testing to make sure her T4 is where it should be.  Hopefully this will be done within the next month or so.

Recovering Nicely!

Charlie is recovering nicely from his Dental surgery. Have not seen any red ears since the day after surgery.  Hoping the Dental surgery solves this issue.

The others cats are doing nicely (knock on wood). Today they are being lazy as I am too!  Soon I will be changing food.  I will be changing back to chicken soup for the pet lover's soul. Hopefully it takes care of the dark waxy build- up in smokie's ears and the vomiting.  Smokie has another three months until another blood draw for updated T4 readings.

I have found a toy that they all love. It's a hybrid that I put together.  It's a dabird attachment feather or mouse and put it on a child's fishing rod. OMG they go nutty for it! It's the only toy that they want to play with!

It's Been A While

It's been a while since I last posted on any of the cats.  Since taking the 2nd Job, it's now my main job. Smokie is still on the medication, all though he started throwing up again about 8-9 months ago.  He went in to check his thyroid numbers and they were good. He's also had a lot of brown waxy build up in his ears as well. I'm thinking it could be allergy related on both accounts due to food.  It could also be the medication. But stopping the medication is not going to be the answer. He'll start throwing up without it. So I won't know either way. So, I'll be changing food to a limited ingredient food. Trying to find one that is within my budget is not an easy task as they are all really expensive. So the search is continuing.

Smokie is a very interesting cat.  He knows the time at which he gets his meds and he will be next to me crying away and it's usually two minutes to 7 (he gets his meds at 7am and 7pm).  There have been times I've been busy doing something and have not heard my alarm go off for his meds. And I know if he's pestering me persistantly it's one of two things if his bowl is full it's because it's past 7 and he has not gotten his medication. HE reminds me! He's such a unique cat, and that's why I love him!

One of my other cat's Faith had to cross the rainbow bridge due to a stroke on December 27th 2011. I was heartbroken but I knew it was best for her. It's been a hard year without her. I miss her tiny squeeks. :(  Many people have tried to send other cats my way, but unfortunately I have a limited income and can not afford at this time to take any more in. It's sad, but true. I see a great many cats that I'd love to rescue, but the funds are just not there.

Many of the cats, in 2012, had lots of dental work done. All of my cats accept the youngest Callie, has had teeth removed.  Charlie the recent one, had 4 removed. One was one of his canine teeth. He is genetically predisposed to having them just drop out.  The one that was taken had a pocket in it, so it had to be removed.  He's doing fine. I initally brought him in for the very red ears he'd get.  We're thinking it was from the teeth, but not completely sure right now. If it doesn't resolve with the teeth removal, then we'll be looking at blood pressure next.

Sassy used to get red ears and now it's been quite some time since I've seen them red like the picture's I've posted in my blog previously. I'm thinking the tooth removal might have been the issue with her. And I'm hoping it's the solution to Charlie's red ears.

The other thing that prompted me to bring Charlie in was that he has been pouncing on Lucky. Just after Christmas he bit her leaving her with a bite mark and a nice wound. That has healed over, and he does seem to be calmer since the dental surgery. I'm hoping that stops the agressiveness towards Lucky and the other female cats.

That brings everyone up to date on their lives thus far and their journey in life.

Update With The Cats

It's been some time since I last posted.  I did not get accepted for the animal fund because his condition is treatable with medication.   However,  since the fundraising aspect was not panning out, I took a 2nd Job.  I've been working hard to save some money up so that Smokie can get his Radioactive Iodine treatment.  He has been doing well on the Methimazole.twice daily.   I'm trying to save up at least $100-$200 a month to put away for Smokie's treatment.  Though right now I've had two cats with urinary tract infections which have eaten up any money I was putting a side for Smokie right now.   So hopefully next month will be better for Saving some money.  Right now I have saved $100 currently.  So hopefully the cats will stay healthy! ;)

Charlie was doing good until this past Tuesday July 5.  In the morning I heard a commotion at the bottom of the basement steps. Charlie's tail was all poofed out and he had pounced on poor Lucky who was in a corner.  She had a cut below her eye which I treated.  Had to separate him for a bit. So far so good. Her scratch is healing nicely.   If his behavior doesn't change soon he'll be going into the vet to be checked out.

All the rest of the kitties Faith, Callie and Sassy are doing good! ;)  Will try to update the blog more often.

Till Next Time
Melissa

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!