I haven't been on here much for the past few days, but Marshmallow is very sick. He is sneezing, his breathing sounds bad, he is lethargic, and has blood in stool. This was a rather sudden onset, starting out as what seemed like a cold a few days ago. I slept on the sofa the other night, because he has taken to sleeping in my place on the bed. (Truthfully, I usually move him aside, but I didn't have the heart to since he was sick.) We took him to the vet first thing this a.m. and he had a temperature of 104.0. ( I don't know what a cat's temperature is supposed to be, but the vet said he had "quite a temperature".) The vet kept asking if he goes outside, but no, Marshmallow is strictly and indoor cat. He said it seemed like a viral infection, though none of my other cats are sick.
They gave him an I.V. (I had a mental image of them hooking him up to a little IV bag, but actually they gave it as a bolus under his skin...he had a hump on his back until it absorbed into his system.) He also gave him an antibiotic and something to reduce the fever. We have to continue the antibiotics for a week and give another dose of the fever reduction medicine tomorrow. Marshmallow seems to be feeling significantly better already. He went straight to the food when he came home and then had a drink of water. He's not a big eater anyway, so I thought this was a good sign. The only thing the vet couldn't explain was the blood in the stool, which he saw himself when he took his temperature. I am hoping it is just an aspect of the virus that will resolve soon. If not, there will be further testing.
Also, DH's office cat, Buster, has a tumor in his ear. He doesn't seem to be feeling bad (he's eating normally, etc.), but his ear started bleeding. He went to the vet at the first of the week. The vet prescribed medicine in hopes of shrinking the tumor. DH has to make a decision about whether to have surgery to remove Buster's eardrum and have his ear sewn shut. Our vet knows someone that can do the surgery. It will cost $1,300. I don't want this to be a factor. I told DH the decision was between him and Buster. He doesn't want to have him PTS, but there is the issue of Buster having the surgery at his age. He is 15 years old.
Sorry to be so long, but if you can spare us some prayers and vibes, we would appreciate it. Thanks.
They gave him an I.V. (I had a mental image of them hooking him up to a little IV bag, but actually they gave it as a bolus under his skin...he had a hump on his back until it absorbed into his system.) He also gave him an antibiotic and something to reduce the fever. We have to continue the antibiotics for a week and give another dose of the fever reduction medicine tomorrow. Marshmallow seems to be feeling significantly better already. He went straight to the food when he came home and then had a drink of water. He's not a big eater anyway, so I thought this was a good sign. The only thing the vet couldn't explain was the blood in the stool, which he saw himself when he took his temperature. I am hoping it is just an aspect of the virus that will resolve soon. If not, there will be further testing.
Also, DH's office cat, Buster, has a tumor in his ear. He doesn't seem to be feeling bad (he's eating normally, etc.), but his ear started bleeding. He went to the vet at the first of the week. The vet prescribed medicine in hopes of shrinking the tumor. DH has to make a decision about whether to have surgery to remove Buster's eardrum and have his ear sewn shut. Our vet knows someone that can do the surgery. It will cost $1,300. I don't want this to be a factor. I told DH the decision was between him and Buster. He doesn't want to have him PTS, but there is the issue of Buster having the surgery at his age. He is 15 years old.
Sorry to be so long, but if you can spare us some prayers and vibes, we would appreciate it. Thanks.
