prayers for Scrappy........feline distemper

[shadoww]

Hi everyone,
This is my first time posting here. I would just like to ask everyone to say a HUGE prayer for Scrappy. He's a very sick kitty with distemper that I rescued from a feral litter of 4. He is one of 3 males and 1 female who I suspect someone dropped off at our house. My aunt took the female home to SC from visiting here, (Fl). Since there were 4 of them, I listened to my aunt and took them to a discount neuter place. About a week later, the first one started getting sick and had such a low white blood cell count, it was unreadable. Our regular vet started on him with intensive antibiotics and fluid therapy. In a couple of days, he was almost back to his old rambunctious self. Then I lost the next one in a matter of hours, and at that same time, took the remaining one and his survivor brother back to our vet for more treatment. Now the last one out of the remaining 2 I have is so sick, I'm afraid he may not make it.

It's right now almost 4:30 a.m. eastern and I just checked him again. I'm so upset, I can't go back to sleep. Our vet has been fantastic and isn't even charging us for the fluid therapy right now. All I'm paying him is for the antibiotics he's giving Scrappy. As soon as it gets 8 a.m. I will be taking him back for his daily fluid treatment. If he survives for that long. I would just would love all your prayers for my baby. I don't know how I will be able to take losing this sweet kitty, if he doesn't pull through. So far he's into his 4th day and is hanging in there, but he's still so dehydrated and still vomiting. Sorry this is so long, but there was no other way to explain things.

 

[jenng]

Shadoww, I'll be keeping Scrappy in my thoughts. I hope the little guy pulls through.

 

[linka]

shadoww,

You have the prayers and crossed fingers of everyone in my household.
We send you love and strong healthy cat vibes to Scrappy and you. I really really hope he feels better soon.

As a side note, I'd just like to say I'm so happy he found you to take care of him, at least he's getting all the love and help he needs. And as for your vet, he sounds really great.

Once again, our prayers and thoughts are with you.

 

[shadoww]

Thanks so much to both of you for your thoughts. He's such a sweet baby, that its killing me to see him so sick. I tamed them down til they're just like babies and the first one to get sick has recovered almost completely. I'm not sure Scrappy will be so lucky. Our vet is a no punches pulled vet, who is so good its fantastic. This little fellow was the runt of the litter and is just adorable. All this time, even though he's so sick, he's still purring like an out board engine. I'm pretty sure they contracted this disease from the discount neuter place because they were fine until after they went there. I have 2 other cats, and 2 dogs, in our menagerie, but couldn't let these 4 little babies suffer on their own and refused to take them to the animal pound. I've been praying for him night and day and so far he's held his ground, even though he is very weak. He's into his 4th day now, and I read somewhere that those that make it through the first 48 hrs. will usually survive. Although in his case, I'm not so sure.

 

[mom of 10 cats]

Bless you for taking these kittens into your home and heart.

My prayers and those of my kitties are with you and Scrappy. Please keep us posted!!!

 

[hissy]

Mary-

Some people do not know this, but purrs can indicate pain as well as comfort for a cat.

I posted in your other thread about this courageous kitty. Best of luck!

 

[shadoww]

No I didn't realize that purrs could also indicate pain. I really hope that this isn't the case with him. He's such a little fighter, he's still hanging on, although I don't see how. I feel that if he can just pull through these next couple of days, that he just may make it. I'm saying prayers for him constantly. I hope people don't think that I'm a big baby but I love my animals so much, it hurts me when they hurt. I talked to Dr. Stone this afternoon and we're going in first thing in the morning for some blood work and more subcu fluids. I thought that by rescueing the babies from the wild, I was doing them a favor, but now I'm not so sure I did, since one died and the other one is so sick. I feel partly to blame I guess for taking them to that discount vet and not our usual one. Even though I know that realistically they could have gotten the virus anywhere. Just keep up all the prayers for him and I'll keep everyone up on whats going on.

Mary

 

[linka]

Mary sweetheart,

Please don't do this to yourself, don't blame yourself. You DID do the kittens a favour, a GREAT BIG FAVOUR and if they could talk human I am SURE they'd tell you that!

If the only thing they got out of this is love then that is worth it!! It's so sad and upsetting (for you especially) that they are sick but you're right they could have picked it up anywhere and at with you they're getting love and tenderness and the care they need, rather than being out there alone where they would have NO chance of surviving. You are doing a WONDERFUL job and I pray and hope against all hope that they will get better. But whatever happens, and I am sending only good health-inducing vibes, they've had in their lives someone to love and care for them and that is the biggest gift you could give them.

Well done girl!!

 

[shadoww]

Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm not taking this at all well, and I guess I know deep down that blaming myself is not the answer. I got up this morning about 3:30 after going to sleep about 1 a.m., to check on him and he had had diahrrea. This is the first time that's happened, plus he had vomited a couple more times. My first impulse was to panic because I just knew that hypothermia was going to set in, then it would only be a matter of hours before he died. Even against my vets wishes, I got the syringe and gave him tiny bits of water, til now we're up about 10 cc's without him throwing it back up. I don't know if it will do any good, giving it to him in such small amounts, but he has kept it down for over 2 hrs now. Plus I've had him on a heating pad to try and keep him warm and keep the hypothermia at bay. I have to keep him going until we see the vet about 7:45 some kind of way. He is in his 5th day and if he can make it another day or so, I think he might pull through. His will to live has to be so strong or he'd never have made it this far. He was the wildest one of the bunch and the scaredest one, so he has really grabbed me by the heart and he just has to make it.

Between April and May we have had 3 deaths in my family, and now this. If I sound a little "nuts" at times, I guess that's the reason. I've been under so much stress it's a wonder I have 2 brain cells to rub together. I don't want to sound like I'm whining, because I really can't tolerate the "poor pitiful me" syndrome. It's just the way things have worked out. My poor husband has been teriffic thru it all. He's a real gem! But now I'm ready for things to turn around and start going right again!!

Anyway, thanks so much. It's really great to have someone to talk to who knows where I'm coming from.

Hugs,
Mary

 

[linka]

Mary,

You don't sound nuts at all, you sound like a caring kitty-mum going through a hard time at the moment, with a scary illness in her kitty babies to deal with. Everything you're feeling is normal in my opinion, you sound in fact like you're being very strong for little Scrappy.
I'm keeping all fingers and toes crossed that he get's through this, that you get him to the vet and he manages to hold on.

Hold on Scrappy!!!!!

 

[lorie d.]

Mary, I'm sorry you had such a difficult night with poor little Scrappy. I was wondering if you were able to get him to the vet this morning, and if you had anymore updates for us?

 

[dragonlady]

Any news?

 

[shadoww]

Hi all,
Not much of anything new to report on Scrappy. We had our vet appt this morning and aside from the vet doing his white blood cell count, which was very very low, and giving him more fluids and antibiotic shot, there isn't much to tell. He was quite a bit more active and vocal when they were using him for a pin cushion than he has been. Which I'm trying to take as a good sign. Usually he just takes it pretty much without a fuss because he is so weak, but not today. I guess they really were causing him pain when they were trying to find a vein to get the blood sample from. Anyway, so far I haven't seen any more diarrhea and he threw up once so that's about all I can say. I went to WalMart and got some Pedialyte and diarrhea & nausea medicine and a nutritional supplement and gave him a tiny bit of the Pedialyte and the nausea medicine with a syringe. If he can hold it down, then I will try him with a little bit of the Pedialyte and the supplement mixed later on. At this point, with him throwing up several times a day even without me giving him anything, then how can it hurt to try a little diluted medicine? The vet was in a hurry because he had a heavy surgery morning and must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed as well because he was more brusque than usual and a little impatient with me, or so I thought. I mean he didn't say anything, it was just the impression I got. He keeps telling me that I don't understand the disease and what it's doing to Scrappy. I get the feeling that he doesn't think he is going to survive, no matter what we do. He hasn't come out and said that but its what I'm picking up from him. I guess only the next few days will tell. In the meantime, I'll keep on doing what I can and praying a lot. Thanks for everyone's concern, it means more than you know.

Hugs,
Mary

 

[jcat]

Glad to here Scrappy is hanging in there: maybe "nomen est omen" in this case. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for him. Please continue to keep us up to date.

 

[mzjazz2u]

Mary,

So sorry to hear about Scrappy. I sure hope he pulls through for you. Sometimes the runts can really suprise you and end up being some of the strongest! Keep us posted.

Tammie