Little Ginger girl

[lrosewiles]

thanks Teatoe, I will mention that when I finally get her to the vet.  I believe he just did routine blood work; she come back negative for FELV and FIV and everything else was "within normal limits", I'll check the report again.  Her URI is much better, but there is some lingering snuffly-ness when she hisses or gets alarmed.  However it is encouraging that she is no longer having any nasal discharge or runny eyes (wow, she actually has quite pretty eyes now they are clear) and her breathing at rest is clear, likewise on the (rather rare) occasions that she purrs.  We've moved on to an odd kind of love-hate relationship with my hand, she likes her neck and head and even shoulder petted, but after a short while will suddenly start grabbing and biting it.  But - maybe this is wishful thinking - it's almost a game now?  Like she chases my hand and grabs it with her paw and bites it, but gently .. and then either huffs and puffs and turns her back "go away and leave me alone" or pokes her head out for more pets.  She is terribly confused, but I think she's finally got the message that I'm not going to hurt her.  I would love to know what happened to her to make her like this, but suppose I never will, we will just have to persevere.

On another delightful note, the other day my car was in the shop getting an oil leak fixed and my husband had to pick me up from work at 9 pm in his truck.  Lo and behold there he was with Mr. Patches sitting on the front seat!  Apparently he jumped in the truck and refused to get out (he does like to get into the truck) so my DH drove the 10+ miles to my work with Mr. P in place, and then back again with both of us.  Unbelievably he was mellow and good the whole way, sat next to me (with me lightly holding him and petting him in case he decided to dive under the gas or brake pedal) purring and occasionally looking up to see what was going on.  No way I'd recommend doing this with most cats, but wow he's a born traveler.  And he's an adopted feral-born kitten, no chance he has had prior experience with vehicle travel other than going to and from the vet in a carrier - and me briefly letting him out while driving in the park.  When we got home and I got out of the truck he calmly jumped out with me and came in to tell his mom and sisters about his big adventure.  what a guy, wish I'd had a camera with me. 

 

[ondine]

I have  friend who has a small colony in her yard.  On occasion, cats come to eat and she'll get them fixed and let the go.  One cat, Trouble, was so sick when he arrived, she wasn't sure he would survive.  The day he arrived, she came home from work and opened her car door.  He jumped into her car and sat next to her on the front seat, meowing and looking at her.

Once he was fixed up, she let him out to join the colony.  Every day when she came home, he'd jump into her car and nap until dinnertime.  If she had errands to run, he went with her.  He wouldn't get out of the car between the time she got home and dinner time!

He was later diagnosed with FIV.  She brought him inside, where he was a grumpy little guy for a bit.  But he's now adjusted to being an inside-only cat.

 

[teatoe]

Glad to hear Ellie'better . Doesn't sound like cryptococcosis now. That article is the Feb. issue of Catnip. Bless you for your patience with her

 

[lrosewiles]

A huge breakthrough today - Ellie briefly played with a wand toy, chasing and grabbing the feathers on the end

I've been giving her various toys during her rehab but previously she has just ignored them or hissed at them, the only thing she would tolerate is a small stuffed rabbit that she's had as a companion from the get go.   But finally, playing!  And purring while playing!  Also this evening during feeding, a slow blink back from her.  I am so thrilled, she is finally interacting a little with the outside world.  Now if I can just get her to the vet for her follow up - she is still a bit congested and I want to get that sorted, plus I worry her aggression may mean she is in pain and I want to get her x-rays.  I have the felaway diffuser plugged into her chosen spot on top of the shelving unit and have been giving her probiotics, which seem to have helped a bit.  She is using the litter box regularly (everything seems normal) and occasionally she comes upstairs for a short visit.

But playing, oh actually playing yeah yeah yeah

 

[ldg]

I LOVE the story of Patches big adventure!

And as to Ellie playing and purring..... AND the slow blink? She's come SO FAR!!!!! Reason to celebrate, indeed! :bigthumb:

As to the love/hate with your hand - this is SO normal with cats that haven't had a lot of touching (and it sounds like she hasn't for some time at the very least!) They can enjoy it - but get overstimulated very easily. I'm sure you already know the signs if you look for them. All you have to do is stop moving your hand, or slowly withdraw your hand. If she reaches her head out - she's ready for more.

Aw........ things are moving along so nicely! Keep up the good work! :rub:

 

[rubysmama]

Continued progress is good.  Especially playing, I would think.   Thanks for the updates.  Good luck getting to the vet.

 

[angels mommy]

Aww, Yay! Such good news. Playing AND a blink back?!  Can't ask for more that that! Great job mom! 

  

Yes, good luck getting her back to the vet. You might want to take a little of the Feliway & put some on your hand & rub it around inside the carrier. I save the bottles when it's time to put a new one in, because there is still a tiny bit in the bottom of the bottle. I just work the seal & stick off w/ a pair of tweezers or whatever, & you have access to it. Angel is going to get his teeth cleaned on Friday, & I am going to rub some on his little mat in the carrier, sense he can't have a treat. (no food after midnight!) (& cheaper than paying $17.00 for the spray!) 

 

[lrosewiles]

Oh that's a great idea, thanks Angel's Mom.  I feel conflicted because I want to get her to the vet for her follow up, she is still intermittently snuffly and I worry she still has a lingering URI (I keep giving her a steamy kettle of water which seems to help, and I also have her on probiotics) but then I worry about the stress of capture causing a set back in our slow progress with trust, plus we keep having snow which makes it difficult to get there, plus my work schedule makes it difficult to make appointments.   But she is coming along, slowly, the play and blink were big breakthroughs.  One amazing thing is that she always uses the litter box which is quite far away in the basement, so she comes down from her adopted perch when we are not watching!  I worry she is not warm enough but she does have her snuggle bed (which she spends most of her time sleeping in) as well as a blanket on her adopted shelf, and it is not really "cold" down there, just not as warm as upstairs.

 

[angels mommy]

Your welcome!  Continued luck w/ her! 

 

[lrosewiles]

Well we had a big set back this week, Ellie's URI returned very suddenly and she went from slowly socializing to miserable stuffy sneezy and hissy in a few days.  Today was the first day I could get home from work a bit early to get her to the vet as I had a lot of late meetings and busy-ness going on.   I got her into the carrier ok and she dozed on the way in the car, but freaked out once there and had to be sedated again.  This time we got  x-rays, her lungs which were clear except for airway inflammation, which could be just from the URI but it's possible she has asthma. I didn't know cats got asthma, does anyone have experience with that?

I also had her teeth checked as I was worried she seemed to have trouble chewing the past few days and hadn't been eating well, but teeth are ok except some tartar, so the problems (including the hissy aggression because she's miserable again) all seem to stem from the URI.  No sign of broken bones or other damage either. I'm hoping it's not asthma and will respond to antibiotics; after the 14 day shot she had last month she improved quickly and seemed to be doing well until the past few days when everything went downhill fast.  So she had a flush of her nasal passages and face cleaning, another antibiotic shot, a follow up dose of Revolution, and  oral antibiotics to continue if she is not completely clear in 2 weeks, plus some Enisyl-F lysine treats to help her immune system. 

Right now she is resting comfortably in her carrier in front of our electric fireplace, I'm hoping maybe she will stay upstairs as the basement is dusty as basements are, and would not be good if she does have asthma.  Will get an air purifier for down there anyway.

If she does have asthma, would the Feliway diffuser aggravate it?  I turned it off for now just in case.

Anyway, after yet another big vet bill hopefully we will back on track.  Instructions to call with any problems or questions or just to see how she's doing - I am lucky to have a wonderful vet practice not to far from us who take the care of a rescued feral who hisses and bites just as seriously as a pampered house cat, maybe more so as they see what she has suffered and they are sooo kind to me and all my brood! 

So, we hope onward and upward.

 

[ldg]

Yes, cats do get asthma. Our Flowerbelle likely has it, but she has a heart murmur, so the typical treatment (steroids) are contra-indicated. I looked up alternatives, and found that curcumin extracts (from turmeric) are just as effective as steroids: http://www.livestrong.com/article/472654-turmeric-asthma/

An overview: http://www.raysahelian.com/curcumin.html

Now - this discussion is in relation to FIV but it discusses potential doses for cats: http://www.fivtherapy.com/curcumin.htm

I really don't know if the Feliway diffuser would affect the potential asthma! But I'm glad you got her to the vet. I hope she responds to the antibiotics again. :heart2:

 

[jodiethierry64]

Hi Lrosewiles, yes felines can have asthma. They tend to get the same as we humans. My Perkins, who passed in 2004, was asthmatic. He lived for 16 1/2 yrs so don't let that diagnosis scare you. All they did back then was a steroid shot. My Perkins became diabetic as a result but now they can give inhalers, just like for people. Each asthmatic has their own triggers so I don't know if feliway is Ginger's but household cleaning sprays can trigger. I hope it's just her U.R.I that's causing the inflammation but asthma can lower her resistance and make her prone to U.R.I.'s. The lysine is great for boosting her immune system. Prayers, kisses and hugs to Ginger..

 

[lrosewiles]

Hey LDG thanks as always for the great research and advice, I will check that out.

 I think I figured out her trigger. We are doing ongoing home improvements and over the weekend my DH took some cement backer board down to the basement to cut, ironically to cut down on the dust upstairs - so that was probably it.  My bad, never thought of it filtering up to Ellie on the stairs.  So, no more cutting and sawing in the basement while she's down there, plus I will get an air purifier.

She is a lot better today, though her breathing is still congested and one eye is running a bit, but last time it took a few days for the antibiotic shot to really kick in. She has been very affectionate (for her) since coming back from the vet, allowing a lot of head and neck pets, trying to purr, looking directly at me which she usually avoids, and seems to have finally got the idea that I really am trying to help her. This morning she reached out her paw to me not to slap like she often does but to hold my hand and ask for more pets. Very heart breaking as she wouldn't eat, just wanted loving and talking to.   I've been so very worried that she wouldn't eat or drink since her return from the vet  (she had to be sedated for her exam and x-rays, I'm thinking it traumatized her) but today I got some Gerber's chicken (the famed Kitty Crack) and she lapped up a whole jar and licked the plate clean, so I'm hoping this will get her over the hump and eating again.  I worry that she chews oddly, like sidewise, but her x-rays and teeth exam showed nothing wrong except a bit of tartar build up, so I don't know what's up with that.  I talk to her and ask her what's wrong, but of course she can't tell me, we'll just have to work through it.

So prayers, vibes, thoughts for my lovely Ellie girl much appreciated that please she will start eating and breathing normally again soon.  I've come to love her dearly even though she will soon be the thousand dollar cat! 

Oh one more thing; this morning when I was trying to get her to eat (before the kitty crack) I went up to try a different food and came back with it to find Mr. Patches sitting on her shelf while she was in her cuddle bed.  Not doing anything, just sitting there offering comfort.  What an amazing cat he is.

 

[rubysmama]

Oh, poor Ellie baby. She's definitely having a hard go of it.  But she is also so lucky that she has you.  I can't imagine how she could have survived if you hadn't rescued her when you did.   I truly hope she can get over this health hurdle and be able to live the comfortable spoiled life your home will give her.

 

[angels mommy]

That's great news that you figured out her trigger.  I'm also happy to hear she even asked for more pets! 

 

I know what you mean about the baby food. I have one I found that I use when Angel needs a little more entising to eat, like this weekend, sense he just had his teeth cleaned Friday, & had a small extraction. I found a Beach Nut one that is only turkey & turkey broth. Nothing added. I mix a little in w/ his food, & that works! 

 

 

[lrosewiles]

Ellie seems to have turned the corner!  Last night while we were watching TV and the other cats were  peacefully sleeping (worn out from the treat of an evening outside playing in the warm weather) she came upstairs and spent a good 5 minutes eating from a dish of their leftover food.  This morning she devoured a can of her favorite Fancy Feast purring happily.  She kept looking up at me while she was eating as if to make sure I was still there, so lots of reassuring head and neck pets, and she even allowed a brief full back stroke!

I'm not 100% sure that the sawing dust caused the relapse but it seems very likely, so will have to keep an eye on dust etc.  Meantime I am so happy she is on the mend.   About to see if she would like a little more food ...

She seems happy

 

[vball91]

That is such a terrific update on Ellie. Awesome! Vibes that she continues to improve.

 

[angels mommy]

 Yey, good news!!

 

[lrosewiles]

Happily Ellie continues to improve, and I think I may have another insight.  Despite the antibiotics making her URI much better, she has still been a bit congested and snuffly, making me think yes maybe she has asthma.  But last night we had fish for dinner and I gave her a few small pieces (raw) which she devoured with her canned food, and some more with her canned food this morning and tonight just  the fish.  Her breathing is 100% better.  So I'm thinking, maybe she has food allergies not asthma and I maybe I should transition her to raw?  Experiment continuing, but this looks hopeful.  She LOVES the fish, just devours it from my fingers .. purrs and purrs while eating.  I'll continue to give her some canned because (a) that's the last of the fish til we get some more and (b) I'm not sure it has all the nutrients she needs - I'm still adding the lysine treats supplement. 

Also this morning she permitted me to put my face near her and gave my hair some sniffs before hissing, first time that's happened.  We are making progress with this confused, hissy spitty antagonistic kitty.  One day soon I hope she will learn to love.

 

[tammyp]

It's been so good reading your story!

You are correct to think Fish hasn't all the nutrients she needs.  Generally 1-2 serves per week of fish and that is it.  Especially raw, as raw fish has an enzyme that destroys thiamine (cooking the fish kills this enzyme, but fish doesnt have thiamine, and cats must have thiamine, hence limit it in the diet and feed meat as the mainstay).  BUT you could very well be onto something with the raw thoughts...I'd investigate that further!