poor Butterscotch

[nance]

Have you asked if this vet will take payments ? You have come this far...I've been thru this twice in my life with male cats...one had the surgery and lived to be 17....I sure hope he can be saved....I am sorry I just hate hearing such sad stories....brings back alot of memories....I swore I'd never get another male cat ....I did of course years later....for Butterscotch

 

[farleyv]

for taking such good care of your little friend. Oh, it never is easy is it? May you have the strength to get you through this, and bless little Butterscotch. My thoughts are with you.

 

[lynneny]

Thanks Nance and Farley!

As for payments... the organization is making all the payments for him and they have very limited funds. Although they have been know to run a fundraiser for surgeries, the vet pretty much said that there isn't a surgery to fix this, since it's no longer a blockage, but a bladder problem. So it is wait and see, and he cannot stay there endlessly. The vet didn't sound all that hopeful for a full recovery, so we will take this route and see how it turns out.

Again... we don't want Butterscotch to suffer, so we will have to do what is best for him in the end - hopefully living here with us for some time.

 

[nance]

Yes my cat that had the surgery had bladder issues as well.....it was a tough road for him and myself and my bank account....I wish we all had endless funds to help our pets but there are just times when we can't...I totally understand...and I've been there several times....poor Butterscotch

 

[blast-off-girl]

Hi Lynne - I'm sorry that you are going through all this. It would break my heart too. Would you care to share the name of the organization that is helping Butterscotch? I would like to donate some money. I'm sure they would appreciate the financial help if some of us pitched in at least to replenish their funds.

 

[cazlee]

I'm so sorry to hear that he now has the bladder issue... I really hope the medicine helps his bladder.

I am also interested in knowing the name of the organization you've been working with ... every penny helps :/

You'd be amazed at the miracles "one more day" at the vet can produce. Furrball was in a very similar situation (without the bladder paralysis, however he did go into acute renal failure due to the blockage and the vet wasn't sure his kidneys would begin functioning again... and sub-q fluids come with their own host of risks). We gave him "one more day" for his kidney panels to show improvement ..... and they did. I don't mean to instill false hope but miracles do happen.

 

[lynneny]

Oh Blast-Off-Girl

and cazlee

- you made me cry tears of amazement! What a sweet offer to send a donation to the organization - especially since I am new here and hardly know you!

I spoke with Ilene tonight - the woman who heads the organization, to make sure it would be okay to post the information and address online. She said it would be fine, and that she was very appreciative of any donations as well!

The name is: Care About The Strays - CATS

The address is:

C.A.T.S.
P.O. Box 523
New City, NY 10956

And their website address is: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NY481.html

If you do send a donation, any amount at all would be greatly appreciated, and Ilene asked if you would please put the word "donation" in the memo line of your check.

My husband and I are also sending what we can, when we can. It will be a little at a time, but definitely something to help with what they are putting out for Butterscotch.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

 

[breellablue]

You have found yourself a wonderful group there. I have heard nothing but good things about the work they do.

 

[cazlee]

There are too few organizations out there that still help stays and ferals and the people that care for them.

for butterscotch, hoping for good bladder news

 

[lynneny]

I'd like to thank you all for your good wishes for Butterscotch - it really helped me a lot, and apparently helped him a bit too!

Butterscotch is back home for now!

He did urinate last night at the vet's, though did not emtpy his bladder all the way, but the vet thought he would do ok here - at least hopes he will. And no one wanted to euthanize him just yet - mostly my husband and I - we were dreading the late afternoon phonecall!!!

He will be on 3 pills once a day. Two for the bladder issue, and one for another problem that arose today!!! Below the ear that he always got beaten up in fights, apparently was a large absess that the vet had to drain. She said it got badly infected, and he needs to be on an antibiotic for that as well - his immune system is just not good at all right now. My husband also needs to put neosporin on it - he is calmer when doing these things - I am a bit timid yet.

Butterscotch was not happy when we opened the carrier in his room. He came out whining and only wanted out of that room. I think he has had enough of all this and just wants to go back outside and resume his former life - POOR BABY!!! He took 2 licks of wet food and then sat behind the closed door. We left him in there for a few minutes, and then I went back in to sit in the chair, and to take a few pictures. He did come over to me for rubs, but at first gave me his infected ear side - EWWWWWW! He then turned so we got a nice rub in, until he had had enough for then.

It is now 10p.m., and I just sat in the room with him for about 1/2 hour - he ate a good deal of the dry prescription food, and is using the litterbox - YEA Butterscotch! Now we just have to keep him from blocking up again! Hopefully the pills will help do that, and strengthen his bladder to be more normal.

 

[jack31]

Such good that he is home with you and doing well thus far!

Bless you for all you're doing for him--he is finally knowing love and safety, that's huge for him.

I'll pray that he continues to eat and continues to use the litter box!

Leslie

 

[lynneny]

Thanks so much, Leslie!

It's been such an emotional rollercoaster with him this week!

 

[farleyv]

to open the thread. But suprise! good news!! So glad for you and Butterscotch! Take it one day at a time. Thank goodness he has people like you all watching out for him! God Bless!!

 

[cazlee]

I would ask the vet about trying to get him to take some KMR if he's not eating his prescription food - Dehydration and poor nutrition is very bad for him right now, and cats bodies are designed to get alot of their fluids from their food. They don't have a very strong thirst drive. Did they tell you what kind of blockages he was getting?

I wouldn't feed him anything without vet approval right now, and don't have a can of KMR handy to check the ingredients to try to figure out if it's even a viable option. Another option might be organic no sodium/potassium/magnesium solutions/no preservatives added boiled chicken to get him to eat SOMETHING. Furrball wouldn't eat his c/d formula when he first came back from the vet but he needed some kind of nutrition. Being on the bladder pills isn't going to do him any good if he's not getting enough fluids from somewhere to encourage his kidneys and bladder to do their job.

Just my 2 cents from my experience with blocked up furrbabies.

 

[nance]

Its hard enough to get a cat to drink enough.....but with these kinda kitties its life or death at times....I bought a fountain for my kitty that is prone to troubles....He won't go near it....only 2 outta my 5 will drink out of it....But when my cat was sick like yours....I would mix a splash of milk in his water and it did wonders to get him to drink...Mine had bladder issues for awhile after he had surgery but eventually he came around....it just takes time...I know what your going thur...just hang in

 

[lynneny]

Thanks again for your concern, farleyv, cazlee, and nance!

He does have an appetite and ate about 3/4 of a can of the s/d yesterday, and 1/3 cup of the dry food. He was not happy when my husband crushed 2 of the pills and put it into a small amount of the wet food - DUH! I had told my husband NOT to do that, as Ilene had said... but talk to the wall, you know?!? So I mixed lots more of the wet food in to disperse the medicine better and he finished it off within an hour.

He also went to bite at my husband again, and I think it's because he pets him down the lenght of his body and up his tail. I tried to tell him that, but again... talk to the wall.

The vet told us yesterday, that since Butterscotch bit my husband and broke the skin, that even if they had to euthanize him, they'd have to keep him alive for at least 10 days after the bite? To be able to check him, IF the bite got infected? It is healing well and looks to be no problem, but the vet got very concerned when I reminded her of the bite. Butterscotch was given a rabies shot when he was originally brought in 2 weeks ago.

She also suggested putting the medicine in some baby food meats. We are going to get some of that, so he does not associate his prescription food with the bad taste - he needs to be eating the prescription food no matter what. He did gobble up the baby food on the rare occassions that I put it outside for him when our other sick cats would have no part of it. So hopefully this will do the trick in getting the meds into him.

 

[cazlee]

Avoid any baby foods with added sodium, magnesium, potassium and calcium for the time being unless otherwise recommended. All of these minerals are associated with the production of uroliths IIRC.

I do continue to encourage you to discuss the c/d formula over the s/d formula also. I don't mean to question the advice of your vet, this is just based on my experience and knowledge of the prescription formulations and what the building blocks are that lead to the uroliths and blockages.

 

[nance]

The last time I was at the vets for this problem....I had asked about a prescript diet for this cat...We tried a few they had but my cat totally refused to eat it....Then the vet ended up telling me ....he would be better off eating any kinda canned compared to dry...So my cat gets no dry....And he also told me something I had not heard b4 about cats who do get crystals..as it being a virus...So they are finding out new things all the time...Knock on wood I've not had to deal with this in about 2 yrs....He eats wellness canned grain free...usually chicken or beef or turkey...and I try to get him to drink alot more....I sure hope Butterscotch continues to get well

 

[lynneny]

cazlee - there were only 2 baby food brands that had meat in our store, so we got the one that was only the meat and broth. We put the contents of the capsule in it and Butterscotch ate it lickety split.

I did ask the vet about the c/d verses the s/d and she insisted that he was on the correct one - s/d.

Nance - he does like the prescription s/d both canned and dry - he just didn't care for it much with the pills crushed into it this morning. We are going to use the baby food for the medicine from now on since he liked that, and save the prescription food for his "regular" food since that is all he is supposed to eat and he does like it so far.

He is being very affectionate and attentive today, and follows me all over that little room when I go in there. He rubs his body against my legs inside, outside, and all around and that is great. He has also used the litterbox all day - also great!

We just hope that he doesn't get blocked up a few days from now, as that is what happened last week. He was great for 3 days and then shut down. Hopefully the medicines will help prevent that from happening again.

 

[cazlee]

Very glad to hear butterscotch is doing better!