Hi Everyone.
It's been crisis central here since Sunday!
As some of you may remember, we have been dealing with Sam and his urinary tract infection. Well, we discovered last week that Bilbo has one too. So, both of them are on antibiotics, wet, wet food and lots of love.
On Friday I had a crisis at the office… not mine…. a few levels above me. This meant working the whole weekend. Sunday I started at 6am and finished at 10-pm. I spent very little time with the cats. I fed them, cleaned littered boxes, etc. and then carried on with what I was doing.
When I went to bed I noticed that our old grumpy aka Merlin (who is 17 by the way) was just not himself. I decided to call the vet first thing Monday morning and see if they could take him in. Never realizing that by Monday morning he would be on death's door. Literally. He was hours away from dying. Monday morning he looked dreadful. I called the vet at 8am as soon as they opened and rushed him in. They called me about 10 minutes after I had gotten home to tell me that he was in very serious condition with a uterine obstruction. Now… cats are funny things. If their bladders fill and they can't empty them within three hours, it starts going into the kidneys. The longer this happens the more kidney function they lose. If the obstruction is not removed with 24 hours the cat goes into chronic renal failure or heart failure. Often the stress on the cat is not seen until 12 hours post blockage.
When I got Merlin to the vet, the belief is that he was somewhere around the 20 hour mark. It was touch and go. They operated immediately and put him on an IV to flush out the kidneys and checked his bloodwork. It did not look good at all. By Tuesday morning he was no better and, in fact, his kidney values had increased – absolutely the wrong direction.
I had to take the other boys for their urine checkup on Tuesday evening and when I got to the vet I was presented with a little better news. Bloodwork had been taken and Merlin's values were much improved. Now…. cats who have gone through this lose a majority of their kidney function in the region of 60-70%. However, they can manage very well -in fact normally – if the values can be brought in line and kept with 30-40%. If they cannot be brought down, euthanasia is generally the option. The vet was very pleased that the numbers had dropped, as was I!!!! However, Merlin was a long way from being out of the woods. I spent about 90 minutes with him cuddling and snuggling before he went back in his cage.
Last night he was obviously beginning to feel more like himself. He tore out his catheter. The vet put a collar on him and put the catheter back in. 40 minutes later – around 2am – he went back in and found the collar on one side of the cage and the catheter on the other! Mmmm… Merlin must have been feeling much more himself. So.. a larger, stronger collar was put around his neck and the catheter reinserted.
I was able to bring him home tonight because we felt he would be more comfortable here and may start to eat. He's still a long way from being out of the woods – and I am on constant watch every time he goes to use his box. For a cat who is as insanely private about his "toilet" time… he hates that I stand over him!
Anyway, I wanted to pop in and tell you all why I was AWOL. I cannot tell you how difficult the last few days have been. The fact that I didn't eat from Sunday night to Wednesday morning must be an indication!
Mr Grumpy is not within sight… so I had better go and check where he is and what he is up to. It may be a couple more days before I post.
I hope you are all having a wonderful week. Warm hugs and prayers for those of you who need a lift tonight. Pammie – big hugs for you, my friend.
Jaydee
17 Responses
Oh, Jaydee. Hugs to Merlin. We almost lost our Bandit a few times last year from that same problem. He finally had to have surgery to keep him unblocked. It is so scary when they get sick like that. I hope everyone is on the mend soon.
Oh no Jaydee, I am so sorry to hear about your sweet cats and that they have been unwell. I know how hard it is when they are sick, they are like children. You have definitely had a rough go, with work too. Thinking of you…
Lesley
I’m so sorry to hear about your kitty crisis. But I’m very happy to hear that Merlin is home & improving. Hope the bad is over & everyone is on the mend.
Oh my goodness. What a terrible time. I’m so glad Merlin is doing some better. I’ll be thinking of you, hoping that things continue to improve.
Well, you’ve had quite a time of it. Poor Merlin. Hope he continues getting better.
Hello my friend, sorry to hear of all the kitty troubles you are going though. Glad to hear Merlin is better and hopefully the others will rid of nasty bugs. Sami’s cat Casper was going though the same thing about a month ago. Vet said it normally happens in the winter.
Just worry about your *children* and yourself, we will just hang on on the limb until you get back : )
So sorry to hear of sick cats. Pets are so attached! Hoping they will be better soon (and you too).
I am so sorry that you have been dealing with this. Poor Merlin! We had our own crisis here last night when W’s friend’s mom called about ickies in his hair. Sure enough, W has them too! Yuck! Everybody is a bit tired around here today. Hope Merlin continues his upward swing.
So sorry to hear about your beloved pets. I hope by now, they are back to their norm. I have 2 German Shepherds and I lost the 3rd one and my oldest June 12th and know the importance of having them and the love they give us. Take care, and hello to the kittys! Thanks for the beautiful cards you give us! I really appreciate them!
So sorry to hear this news Jaydee. Our furry friends are our furry children and we worry so when they are not well. I will keep your kitties in my prayers, and especially Melin. Glad to hear he is improving and I pray each day finds him stronger. You stay well so you can take care of them! We will all be here when things settle down for you. Big hugs!
Oh Jaydee!!! Oh, I’m SO sorry. Poor babies. All of them. Poor you and all you have been dealing with. Everything seems to go to sixes and sevens at once, don’t they?
Prayers for you, and healing prayers for the furbabies.
Hang in there.
Hugs!
Thinking about your kitties and hoping they get well quickly. I imagine how stressed you must be. Hugs to all, cats and you, Jaydee.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I’ve been there myself with our cats. Funny – they don’t mind watching YOU go, but they don’t want you watching THEM. I will say a prayer for Merlin.
Good thoughts for you and your kitties! I hope all are feeling better soon.
I do hope your kitties are doing better…we’ve have been through that with a past fur-baby of ours. As current cat-staff for two, I know how stressful it is when they are not well. I hope you get some rest and feel better, too!
Oh, Jaydee…You and your kitty kids are in my thoughts and prayers. I know how much we stress and worry when our furbabies are not well!
Oh Jaydee, I’m so sorry to hear about everything that has been going. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Big hugs sent your way!