Critically Ill

The other day, I found my eldest (3yrs) Keylah laying in the cat tunnel. I thought she was dead and panicked. Pulled her out gentle, and she was still alive but she was obviously very ill. She had lost a lot of weight in the few days before that, rapidly, and now she couldn't stand for long, she couldn't balance. She was pooping and peeing everywhere.

I rushed her to after hours vet care, and the student doctors found she had low body temperature, so warmed her up. They then discovered, she was having balance problems as well as something diddn't seem quite "right". They rang the vet and what the vet told them, was that it diddn't sound too good, and I was warned she may not last the night, but they'd keep her in on strong antibiotics as well as fluids directly into her body.

The next day, the vet called, she had done the blood tests, and her heart, liver ect looked fine, but more bad news. The vet thinks it's neurological. That it's toxic. That she was something toxic in her body or a severe virus in her brain. Just before the vet called me, my baby had a seizure. She's still not eating. Although she's a little better now, it's touch and go. More blood tests are schedueled for Monday when she can first do them, to find out what's wrong with my baby's brain.

The Vet says if she's no better by monday that she's going to refer us through to a Feline Specialist. Just the fact that i'm being refered to a feline specialist makes me absolutely terrified. I've never had a vet ever refer me through to someone specific, I diddn't even know they existed. So it must be very bad.

The worst thing, the thing that terrify's me most, if the fear of my baby dying isn't enough, is that, the vet thinks it's probably contagious. My cats have been indoors with Keylah. I could loose all eight of my other babies to the same thing.

I'm just so scared right now.

Oh hon, that must be terrible for you! My prayers are going out to you. If she may be contagious, you may want to put in her a room by herself to keep her away from the others. I know the damage could already be done, but don't panic about that yet...you need to find out what is going on with Keyleh now.

Seizures are very scary I know. My Monster has seizures at times (she is on phenobarbatial every night) and our vet told me to let her go as long as she wasn't going to hurt herself, as in fall down the stairs or something like that. I still try to hold her still...because she digs her claws in the carpet so deep I'm afraid she is going to rip a claw, break a leg, something when she goes into a fit. If she goes into another seizure, you may just want to throw a towel over her and just hold her down the best you can.

I hope they figure out what is wrong soon. Let us know what the doctors say. If you want to PM me go right ahead. I'm going to bed now but I'll be online first thing in the morning.

Oh hon, I hope your baby gets better and they find out that it's not anything contagious. vibes to you and your little one.

Oh darlin, I'm so sorry -- wrapping you and all your babies in healing light...

I'm so sorry,

I hope everything starts to settle down soon. praying for you and your baby.

How is Keylah today?
I hope she`s making some progress

How frightening for you. I'm sending lots of recovery vibes for Keylah. Please keep us updated on her condition.

I'm sitting here crying as I feel like I'm falling to pieces. Life is falling apart as much as I am right now inside.

Keylah thankgod is getting better, she's well enough to come home tomorrow night. They think she has toxoplasmosis or something like that, and she's been treated and is getting better. Apparently, I might have it as well as it's bi-zotic and is contagious, and I've been ill repeatedly myself.

However, the reason I'm crying, is because, since I took keylah to the vet, I've kept a vigilant eye on my other pets, and my other cat Skittles went downhill in the past 2 days, no interest in food, and lost so much weight that she's skeletal. I could feel her bones. Feel her spine, even thought I could feel her organs. She was crying pitifully, and just got so much worse in 2 days, so I rushed her to the vet.

It turns out she probably doesn't have the same thing, but that she's worse. They can't even put her on intravenous fluids, because her blood cell count is so low, and that it would thin her out too much and kill her. She has ulcers in her mouth, and she can't even eat herself.

The doctor said, that she's bleeding internally. They think something is wrong with her bowels. Either that, or it's a nasty parasite but they think it's most likely a rare form of cancer.

The vet doesn't think she's going to live much longer, and if she's not better in a few days, the vet recommends euthanasia because she doesn't want to prolong her pain.

I'm falling to pieces, I may not have had her long, but she's the most beautiful cat and doesn't deserve this. I feel like it's my fault, as if I should have caught it earlier.

I'm so sorry she's not doing well May I ask where you live?

I`m so sorry your having such a rough time. It must be dreadful for you.
I will keep you in my thought and prayers and hope your kitties will recover from this.

So very very sorry also. Breaks my heart hearing this.
Prayers to all of you.

Sending lots of good vibes to your babies and you.

Skittles died today. I went to collect Keylah and to visit Skittles, and she could barely move. She was so cold, and the vet said she wasn't responding to antibiotics, that she wasn't getting better and that she diddn't think she ever was. The vet said she was in massive pain and that she recommended euthanasia. So, I had no other choice, I wasn't letting her suffer, so I held her as the vet euthanised her, and falling to bits. She died in my arms. The vet thinks she had some sort of cancer, tottally different to Keylah, I was just unlucky that they both got sick at the same time. i'm devastated, because although I only had her for 2 months, I loved her, that's why I took her back when my ex housemate Kim couldn't keep her. Although it took a while for her to settle in at first, she was so beautiful. I feel so guilty that I diddn't catch it sooner, that she was in pain for so long and I just diddn't realise. She was so active until the last day, very nearly jumping into my arms every day. Life is just sucking at the moment. On the brighter side, Keylah is home with me now and is looking better every day. thanks for the support.

ps: i'm in australia.

im so sorry to hear of the loss of your kitty , it is terribly hard to watch them suffer i am going through the same thing at the moment , my kitty phoebe has just been dignosed with leukemia to you

So sorry to hear about Skittles RIP little one. What a horrible time you've had with both things happening at once Is Keylah ok now?

just found this post and it has made me cry i feel so sorry for you but dont blame yourself you did every you could and im glad keylah is doing better consider your self hugged from us

With everything being as hard as it has been today, with losing Skittles, one thing keeps haunting me, and that's what the vet said to me. She was explaining the process to me, intending to soothe me by letting me know how it was going to happen, but every time I remember the words she chose about how the needle would enter an organ and inject the drug there, it haunts me. I mean, I thought it was into the blood stream, or into the body itself, I never really thought on that - wouldn't that hurt? I mean, I know she was in pain, but I'm shuddering at the thoughts running through my mind from her choice words.

Originally Posted by Autumnblueangel

With everything being as hard as it has been today, with losing Skittles, one thing keeps haunting me, and that's what the vet said to me. She was explaining the process to me, intending to soothe me by letting me know how it was going to happen, but every time I remember the words she chose about how the needle would enter an organ and inject the drug there, it haunts me. I mean, I thought it was into the blood stream, or into the body itself, I never really thought on that - wouldn't that hurt? I mean, I know she was in pain, but I'm shuddering at the thoughts running through my mind from her choice words.

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I'm not sure how they do it where you went, but here in Canada they are given a sedative first to calm/quiet them down before euthanasia. I'm assuming that sedative would dull any pain of the final needle. At least that is how the vet who looked after our Simba did it. She gave him a sedative first, brought him to me so that I could talk to him and say my goodbye and then when I was ready (not that anyone is ever really ready), she came in and administered the lethal injection. If I remember correctly she had put a shunt(?) in with the sedative needle and just needed to place the second needle in the shunt but that was done through a vein and not an organ.

Oh Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m so sorry, you post made me cry. I really do think the vet was right, dying is more painful then the final moments of being euthanasied so just think that it is not likely, the vet caused her more pain then she was already in. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m sure if she was in pain from being euthanatized she would probably cry out. I also believe cats already know what is going to happen. I sometimes think that is why so many cats are scared to go to the vet. When they are sick. It makes me think of when my kitty was so sick; everything you said sounded a lot like what she had. But a blood test told us what was wrong; we did blood tests on everything, and found that everyone in her family had it. But they were all healthy, my other cat Pandora is 4 and still healthy, it haunts me to think that this may also come in her future. So I am crazy about her diet, and try to keep her in as perfect health as I can get for long as I can. If you breed I would strongly suggest to not breed any of the cats related to her until you can do blood test on all of them and find out exactly what is wrong. And if they have it, but do not show any signs, get them fixed and enjoy the time you have. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m sorry what happened. And I hope the rest of your kitties are healthy. I also hope you are healthy, so tell you doctor what your vet told you and keep yourself on a good diet and as healthy as you can, because there is only so much doctors can do.