Pipsqueak needs vibes and so do I........:(

[feralvr]

Originally Posted by Niki_D

Hi Feralvr, I just read the entire thread, and my heart goes out to you. I don't have any advice, just sending tons of healthy vibes to you and your furbabies. Also, I am new to the forums and don't have all the abbreviations down yet. For the life if me I cannot figure out what c/d stands for. I'm curious because I have a female cat (Zip) who has just started showing blood in her urine. I have an appt scheduled for her but am looking for ways to make her diet healthier for her urinary tract. Thanks in advance and ((( hugs))).

Hi Niki - C/D is made by Hill's Prescription diets for cats. You can only purchase this through your vet. C/D is for bladder health and cats with cystitis issues. Thanks for your vibes!!!! And good luck with Zip.

 

[auntie crazy]

Originally Posted by Feralvr

...
I am dealing with this as best as I can. I will be strong and have two very special woman in my life helping me. Laurie and Ellen. Ellen is the animal communicator and she has been a life-saver for me with Wilbur. Ellen got me in touch with a Holistic vet in Florida, Dr. G. Wessner. He is helping me save Wilbur. And, I will be contacting him about Pipsqueak if the ultrasound shows nothing. I don't know what else to do !!!!!!!!! Please pray for me, Wilbur and Pipsqueak. I thank you from the bottom of my heart

Oh, and Pipsqueak's chin acne is now infected and I think he has an abcess starting. So he is on Clavamox.......MY POOR BABY

I am so sorry, Lauren. You really have a lot going on

; I can only imagine how much this is stressing you. I am praying for Wilbur, little Pipsqueak and you, too.

Hang in there, honey!

AC

 

[catbehaviors]

I hardly ever go to the Health Forum, so I just saw this. Just read through the whole thread.

I can't believe what you must be going through with Pipsqueak and now Wilbur! I don't have much help, but I will recommend apple cider vinegar. Wessie had pee pee problems twice, and I switched his food to only wet, totally watered down, with a little bit of apple cider vinegar mixed in. Even if it doesn't help, it will help him to be a healthier cat. Sending many vibes for Pipsqueak... and Wilbur!

 

[carolina]

Awww Lauren

It is so so hard to have our babies in a crisis.... we love them so much, and just want them to be ok... I remember when Bugsy was on his worst time, I was so scared, it had been so long... All I wanted was to take his pain away... If I could make his pain mine, I would... If I could just swallow it like a pill and make it my own.... it felt sometimes like a never ending journey...
With Bugsy, what I learned, is that my battle will be a lifelong battle - his life long - and I will do my very best to be a very long, very good, well fought battle. I am learning how to fight, patiently, but nonetheless fighting.... I have come to accept that Bugsy will never be 100% normal, healthy and careless. He will never be a non-issue cat. I will never be at a point where I will be able to not care about his diet, to stop spoon-feeding his wet food, to mix his ton of supplements a day on his food, and to pill him at least one medicine a day.
He will always go to the vet more than the other kitties, have dentals every year, have extractions, and his poop will never be completely formed.
His care is delicate, his life is a balance... I accept that....
There was a time when I would get completely overwhelmed and afraid... but now I have learned to take a deep breath, and work with him....
I have found, through much trial and error, a WONDERFUL vet who shares my care for Bugsy with me. Who allows me to treat him holistically as much as possible, to use things that we never even though would help - i.e. Align, and who has spent a long long time with me for many weeks throughout this last year of this ordeal on the phone going through his issue, discussing it, trying to find a solution for his problems, and calming me down.
I have learned how to prioritize - there were times when Bugsy had different issues at the same time - potentially life-threatening and serious, or serious and mild, and so on. I had to make a choice..... Now I know how to make choices, attack the most serious issue first, and deal with the subsequent issues as they come....
And all this has been so so rewarding.... we both have fallen into a routine that it is just part of our lives.... I know now how to take care of him in such a manner that it is not stressful at all, for either of us... He has a wonderful, fulfilling life and probably feels he is the most loved kitty in the World

I guess this whoooooole long post is just to say.... hang in there..... be strong.... keep breathing

This too shall pass.... This is a crisis, but crisis come and go... It will get better.... You and Pips will both get into a routine where you will find your "ticket".... Sometimes it takes time....
Me with Bugsy, Laurie with Lazlo and ChumChum, Tammy with Lucas, you with Pips.... We have our special boys....

They are our heart kitties and they just keep us on our toes... They are just so special... have such a way to have their paws all over our hearts....

Keep going Lauren, be strong, we will be right here with you.... It's going to be ok

 

[libby74]

Carolina, your last post was excellent! It made me think of my special needs boy, Winston. He had health issues his entire life, from the night we picked him up by the side of the road to the night he passed on our sofa 14 years later. It can be a battle to find the right routine for you and your kitty, to prioritize the health issues, to find a balance/routine that you can stick to that won't affect the quality of life of your special needs kid. At first, it's so stressful---are you doing everything you can, are you doing too much, are you just a tad obsessed, are you not paying enough attention---but eventually you discover that you can handle whatever your fur-kid throws at you. Honestly, for weeks after Winston passed I didn't know what to do with myself. I was so used to caring for him. especially the last few months of his life.

Lauren, I guess what I'm getting at is this: you may never fully know what the problem is with Pips' bladder/urinary tract. It may end up being diagnosed as idiopathic, and you'll be treating the symptoms without knowing the root cause. You are a wonderful cat-Mom and are obviously doing all you can for Pip. I just know you'll find a solution that both you and the Pipster can be happy with. In the meantime, I believe today is the ultrasound? Sending your boy tons of that the vet can figure out the problem.

 

[calvin&i]

Lauren, I was dealing with my issues and it is now I saw these updated posts. Am so so so sorry for you

Please hang in tight. Hope you get some answers from the specialist. for Wilbur and Pipsqueak and also you.

 

[ldg]

Just adding more vibes today. Thinking of you and Pip.

 

[feralvr]

First off, Carolina,

and alot of

for your words of supreme inspiration. Very, very kind and caring of you to spend the time expressing your experience in dealing emotionally with Bugsy, and honestly, just this last week, with Wilbur, I have come to that realization. His life will be in balance everyday from now on, the homeopathics, the medicines, trying to get him to eat, his care IS delicate

and now Pipsqueak, the same thing. But I am accepting each day knowing I will get through it just like I did the day before. I think I am just getting stronger lately with SO much going on in my life with my mom, daughter, Pipsqueak and Wilbur. I am learning that I am strong and at times also must allow myself to be weak too. But I always pick myself back up and go on, Pipsqueak and Wilbur are relying on my strength and they need me to be there for them and I will take on this challenge head-strong and accept each crisis at it arises. I will be re-reading your post in my times of weakness. I do think that these serious health issues with our babies, makes us stronger and teaches us that we can handle these crisis'.

a milion times for your words of wisdom....

Libby - sweetie - you have always been here for me these last few months during ALL of my issues

. Yes, the ultrasound is this morning at eleven. In fact, I must get off of TCS and get ready to go. Will post later with news......

THANK YOU everyone, your posts of support to me and Pipsqueak mean SOOOO very much to me and I certainly do not feel alone with this. You all are very dear and I appreciate your friendships!!!

 

[feralvr]

OK GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The ultrasound showed a very normal bladder with NO inflamation at all and a very normal bladder wall. No stones anywhere, no crystals in bladder or bladder wall, and the kidneys are very good. The one kidney is just a bit odd shapen and will in no way cause him any troubles as he ages. All of his organs are just beautiful and healthy. The bladder wall was not enlarged and not inflammed. So here is the explanation and this was what I and my vet thought initially. Pip does have FIC but we know the cause - his personality, temperament and the fact that he is so high strung. Brain - bladder issue. Poor baby has probably had some "episodes" of blood in the urine on and off for the last few years

. He never goes outside of the box and I only noticed more frequent visits to the box a couple of months back. He is having another "episode" at the moment and I know why

...

Dr. Harrington (whom I just LOVE!!!!!) was just excellent and throughly explained why this is happening to Pip. When Pip gets himself worked up something, his brain gets stressed (there is a term, can't remember) it goes directly to the lining of the bladder. Tiny microscopic cells open up the bladder wall and allow some urine to penetrate where no urine should be and then this causes the lining to bleed slightly causing blood in urine and mild inflammation during an "episode". These episodes can last about two weeks and the cat is better for the time being.

Here are some examples of some of his behavior:

Pipsqueak has always been a very strange, high-strung with odd behavior, sensitive and intelligent!! He is very intuned to me and follows me around the house to make sure I am behaving myself and staying safe

. He guards the house (very bizarre). He sits on the kitchen table and will growl if even a car or a person is in front of the house. If they come to the door, he hisses/growls and get all upset. If the dogs bark, he will come out of the blue and give it to them, scold them. Just a few weeks ago, I knocked over a cup of coffee in the kitchen and yelled "OH SH**" Pipsqueak came tearing into the kitchen and attacked Wilbur. He blames everything that goes on in the house on the dogs

. Poor dogs.....they are terrified of that cat and rightly so. He also has separation anxiety when I leave. He gets all upset when I get my purse/keys to leave and I have to throw his toy before I leave the house. He yowls and mews for me, I hear him when I am in the garage and sometimes wait to see how long this goes on for. It can go on for fifteen minutes or more. He keeps the other cats in line too

. If they get too rough in playing amongst eachother, he will come in like the tazmanian devil

and knock the perp off of the other cat. These are just a few of the many examples to tell you about his behavior. We have also had workers out front of the house lately re-doing sidewalks in our neighborhood and this has been a problem for Pipsqueak, alot of growling going on from the kitchen table....

Dr. Harrington told me also that because I have been so stressed out about Wilbur and crying ALOT. This has brought on another "episode" for Pipsqueak because Pip has been worried about me and stressing about how I have been acting

. I feel terrible that I have caused this next episode... and actually knowing this will force me to get a handle on my emotions in regards to Wilbur

. That is why in the last week I have noticed him going to the box a little more, but his urine clumps have still been a decent size, just more frequent visits due.

Dr. Harrington is recommending Pipsqueak be put on an anti-depressant called Elavil. He is sending the report to my vet, Dr. Mark, and then we will start him on this medication. Pipsqueak probably will already be recovered from this episode by the time the medication kicks in, but it will help to stop (hopefully) future episodes by calming the brain a bit. He said there is no side effects (but I will do research, of course

) and he might not even have to stay on it forever. After a month of being on this medication, we will do another urinalysis, and it is easy for me to get that sample at home (he is such a good boy

). If still blood we will continue on the meds, but there is a good chance this will control any disruption of the bladder wall caused by his stress. When the urinalysis' are finally normal, we will cut back on the meds and maybe down the line stop the meds. He said that Pip might calm a bit as he ages too.

I am just so relieved everything is normal internally, no cancer, no surgeries, etc.

I am sure he has been dealing with blood in the urine on and off for quite sometime.

I am a very happy, happy

:

meowmy today and glad we at least got to the bottom of what is causing the blood. I am absolutely positive that this is the culprit now, his temperament.

Thank you all, again, so very much for your kind words and support.

Of course, we will be dealing with this for probably the rest of his life, and I will have to try to foresee any possible stress causing issues and divert them immediately. At least the dogs have learned not to bark anymore

.

 

[calvin&i]

That's such great new, Lauren.

Now that you have been able to narrow down the source of the problem, am sure things will improve with the meds.
Continued

 

[carolina]

to mommy.......

Wonderful news Lauren!!!!!!
P.S: Do you have Feliway on your walls? Spray too?
Hugs*

 

[ldg]

First of all Lauren, GREAT news about the ultrasound!

That is a HUGE relief!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sorry it is stress based, because that makes it more difficult to treat... but you're right. There's been a lot of stress lately, and in combination with him being so highly strung....

Poor little fella!

The good news is, now you know for sure.

I know elavil, because of Spooky.

It is an old anti-depressant for people. It is not an effective anti-depressant, but it is safe and has some interesting characteristics. It works as an anti-inflammatory in the bladder (even though his isn't inflamed, this can't hurt). One of the side effects is that it causes people (and cats LOL) to retain their urine. (So you may see Pip go down to one GIANT pee a day.

). In fact, it is used for children that wet their beds.

It will make him sleep a lot at first as he adjusts to having it in his system. Some members really didn't like seeing their "zombie" cats, but Spooky got back to playing after about three weeks (it's one of those drugs that takes 2 weeks to get to proper/steady levels in the blood stream).

We used it for Spooky's peeing-outside-the-box problem. We weaned her off of it after something like 3 or 4 months.

(It is also one of those meds you should not stop without tapering down).

Once you're less stressed about Wilbur... you may be able to wean Pip off of it, and only use it when he has flare-ups, even though it's not a med that makes a cat respond RIGHT away, you don't necessarily have to keep him on it all the time.

 

[catbehaviors]

Originally Posted by Carolina

to mommy.......

Wonderful news Lauren!!!!!!
P.S: Do you have Feliway on your walls? Spray too?
Hugs*

That's what I was going to ask! I've definitely heard good reviews about Feliway, while actually not having any experience with it myself. It's good to hear that nothing is seriously wrong with Pipsqueak. I'm sure going to the vet is very stressful for him as well! Maybe you should try playing classical or relaxing music. It can be very soothing for cats as well as humans. I find that playing Yanni relaxes Wessie.

 

[libby74]

Lauren, I'm so happy for you and Mr. Pip, I actually gotten teary-eyed

Stress sucks. Who would have thought Pip was such a high strung little guy?
At least now you know, and that has to be a huge relief. If the Elavil doesn't do the trick just remember, it's not the only anti-anxiety drug out there.

So, what does this mean as far as a special diet for him? Is that necessary since this isn't actually a bladder problem, but a brain problem? (sorry about that, I just didn't know how else to word it)

Again, I'm so very happy for you and your fur-baby. Head skritches all around!

 

[momto4kitties]

Lots and lost of vibes for both of you


I hope he gets better soon!

 

[auntie crazy]

Originally Posted by Feralvr

OK GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The ultrasound showed a very normal bladder with NO inflamation at all and a very normal bladder wall...

...

I am just so relieved everything is normal internally, no cancer, no surgeries, etc.

I am sure he has been dealing with blood in the urine on and off for quite sometime.

I am a very happy, happy

:

meowmy today and glad we at least got to the bottom of what is causing the blood. I am absolutely positive that this is the culprit now, his temperament.

...

This has been one of the best updates and most interesting posts I've read in a while. I can only imagine how some of the weight you were carrying just slipped off your shoulders.

And Pipsqueak sounds like such a wonderful and interesting - if high-strung - character.

I'll bet he keeps you engaged all day long!

I'm so glad for you, Lauren!

AC

 

[feralvr]

I want to respond to all of you separately but don't know how to do the quoting to more than one person in a post

,..... that's me.

I wanted to also add, since I was reflecting back on the past six weeks and all that has happened in my life.

My mother's accident was on July 5. I left for Door County on July 6. My daughter was to watch ALL the cats inside and out and keep things quiet. You all know how that turned out. We have her on video in the kitchen with her (now

) ex-new-boyfriend waving at the smoke detector. They burnt the pizza. Heather was holding Pipsqueak because he was absolutely going nuts with the smoke detector going off

. Her idiot boyfriend didn't even have the sense to take the stupid thing off the wall and pull the batteries.

. So Pipsqueak had to deal with that LOUD SIREN for God knows how long. Then I get home a few days later, exhausted and totally drained physically and emotionally, and find she didn't take care of the cats (as you already know) and had at attitude on top of it

!!! Anyway, remember when I said I had a nervous, screaming breakdown???????????????????????????? I am certain that sent Pipsqueak into another bladder bleeding episode.

And the days to follow were not too much better. OH, and the two rescue/abuse boys came in to the foster room also. My point being, I have been a crazy woman for the most part of the past six weeks

..... Something very good is coming out of all of this misery my poor baby Pip has endured, it is that I have to get a handle immediately on controlling my emotional ups and downs. I know I have been through a lot these last six weeks and most people would have some good cries too, but from this day on, I have to think about how closely Pipsqueak monitors my every move and mood. I think that is a blessing!!! Don't you???? Pipsqueak, my little man, my little hall monitor, my little savior of my mind

.. I must keep the PEACE

catbehaviors/Carolina - YES!!! I have Feliway plug-ins all over the house plus the spray. Great stuff and I think it really works. Laurie also suggested Rescue Remedy under his chin by his neck, behind his ears and at the base of his tail. So I started that yesterday.

Libby - The diet doesn't matter, well, of course diet does matter. He said the C/D will not help or hinder his issue. Even before today, my own vet didn't think the C/D would correct his problem, because from the beginning he was already thinking the blood in urine issue was from him being so tightly wound. I was the one who suggested trying the C/D in the first place and he just went along with it. If there was a food for stress/anxiety in cats, then we would be in business

.

Laurie - SUPER information on the Elavil. Thank you and I did look it up and do some research. It is used for anxiety in cats along with other urinary issues as well as you said. That will be strange not to have him urinate so much anymore. Worries me a bit, but that might be just what he needs

. Will discuss further with Dr. Mark when he calls me to go over the meds. THanks SO much for that information about Spooky. Will add those things to my list of questions to Doc when he calls.

Auntie -

Your not kidding about the "heavy weight slipping off of my shoulders". I am taking many deep breaths this afternoon and it feels so good

.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND KIND WORDS!!!!!!!!! Be still my beating heart

:

 

[momto4kitties]

Ohh I'm so glad he is doing better and that tehn results are good! Yay!!!!

 

[catbehaviors]

I hope Rescue Remedy helps out a bit!

 

[my4llma]

I'm so glad that Pipsqueak is ok!!! That's great news

I hope the medicine works to stop all his stres