Tuxedo seemed despondent and wasn't nearly as active or social as he "normally" was. His nose and gums looked white, not pink, and it seemed like he'd lost more than just his "winter" weight. He was eating and drinking like normal though. The changes were very subtle - enough to make us think there wasn't a problem. But we just weren't sure.
So we took him to the vet. The initial tests came back and he was extremely anemic. The next batch of tests came back, and the vet feared FIP (which is "highly infectious" and often lethal within a fairly short period of time). Of course we completely freaked.
We rushed all the other cats to the vet, and everyone was in isolation for several days until all the tests came back from Cornell. Fortunately, Tuxedo tested negative for the corona virus (FIP is a corona virus). Everyone else had negative or very low titre counts.
But given the extreme anemia, Tuxedo obviously has a health problem.
He went in this morning for a blood transfusion and they took a bone marrow sample. He's back home with us, but very woozy, with one hip shaved and with staples in it, and his front leg partially shaved. He is SO loving right now, just purring and headbumping Gary to no end - we just want him to lie down and get some sleep!
Anyway, there are a lot of things that could be causing the anemia, but of course the first test is to see if his bone marrow is working properly. We're really worried about cancer, though if his bone marrow is working properly, it could be some type of autoimmune problem.
But no matter what the problem is, it's not good! He looks even thinner this week than last, though he appears to be eating normally (and it has appeared so all along) and he is definitely drinking like normal. Even without the effects of the anesthesia, he has no energy whatsoever, and spent the past few days doing not much but sleeping.
Gary's very special little boy appears to be wasting away, and Gary is out of his mind. He's worried to distraction, cries frequently, and is just completely sick about this. And that's an understatement. This isn't to say I'm not upset - but - well - here's Tuxedo's story.
He's Daddy's boy. And we so need him to get well! Any good thoughts, prayers or vibes you could spare for Tuxedo, we'd all so appreciate it!
So we took him to the vet. The initial tests came back and he was extremely anemic. The next batch of tests came back, and the vet feared FIP (which is "highly infectious" and often lethal within a fairly short period of time). Of course we completely freaked.
We rushed all the other cats to the vet, and everyone was in isolation for several days until all the tests came back from Cornell. Fortunately, Tuxedo tested negative for the corona virus (FIP is a corona virus). Everyone else had negative or very low titre counts.
But given the extreme anemia, Tuxedo obviously has a health problem.
He went in this morning for a blood transfusion and they took a bone marrow sample. He's back home with us, but very woozy, with one hip shaved and with staples in it, and his front leg partially shaved. He is SO loving right now, just purring and headbumping Gary to no end - we just want him to lie down and get some sleep!
Anyway, there are a lot of things that could be causing the anemia, but of course the first test is to see if his bone marrow is working properly. We're really worried about cancer, though if his bone marrow is working properly, it could be some type of autoimmune problem.
But no matter what the problem is, it's not good! He looks even thinner this week than last, though he appears to be eating normally (and it has appeared so all along) and he is definitely drinking like normal. Even without the effects of the anesthesia, he has no energy whatsoever, and spent the past few days doing not much but sleeping.
Gary's very special little boy appears to be wasting away, and Gary is out of his mind. He's worried to distraction, cries frequently, and is just completely sick about this. And that's an understatement. This isn't to say I'm not upset - but - well - here's Tuxedo's story.
He's Daddy's boy. And we so need him to get well! Any good thoughts, prayers or vibes you could spare for Tuxedo, we'd all so appreciate it!
