Tuffy is bleeding!!

[tom w]

Originally Posted by kluchetta

That's why I'm really thinking and hoping that FIP is just not the right diagnosis.

I asked his vet this morning again if there is anything else that could be causing him to be so sick. She said she has been thinking about it for a week when she has time to come up with something other than FIP but she is stumped. I live in a smaller town so all the people at the vets office know Tuffy and feel just as sad as I do about all this. They all say there is just something about Tuffy that just makes you love him. I can't say what makes him different than our other cats, but he has that special something about him.

I would have done as much for any of our cats as I have done with Tuffy, I love them all, even Rusty who for some reason has never really liked me all that well. I kept Rusty here out of a batch of kittens we raised when there mom stopped feeding them to be my cat, but it seems like after I had to take him to the vet a couple times he won't let me get close to him. He likes it when I play with him by rolling his toys or whatever but he won't let me pet him and he never lets me hold him. Tuffy is what I wished Rusty would grow up to be like. After Tuffy Angel is the closest to me, she almost always sleeps next to my legs at night or in the day if I am in bed not feeling good she is there by me. She has never liked Tuffy, I think she is jealous of him for getting all my attention. She goes out of her way to be mean to Tuffy but since all this fever stuff started she has left him alone, She must also know he is very sick.

I went to the vet a little while ago and got some of the prednisone they made into a flavored liquid for him, he was responding to shots of prednisone really well to bring his fever down and it makes him eat and drink better so I hope it makes him feel better at home with me. It was so nice to see him play and talk to everyone yesturday morning even if it only lasted for a few hours. It had been so long since I heard him make a sound. today he is acting depressed again, but he don't feel real warm so maybe he is just having a lazy day, all the others are just lazy today also so maybe he is just going with the flow.

I watched him in the litter box today and when he pooped it was real close to what a normal cat should be. it was all formed, no blood or that thick clear goo so whatever was causing that problem must have healed up. The ultra sound showed a thick ring of tissue around his colon in one spot. His vet wonders if it is scaring from when he had the worms or parasites so bad when I first got him. I keep praying its not FIP and he will slowly start to get better again. I have decided that I won't let them do a exploritory and biopsy on his liver. If he has FIP he won't make it anyway and if it isn't FIP cutting him open when he is so sick can only make things worse. His normal vet in town here said she would not do the surgery either, it would be just to much for him to take for what MIGHT BE learned from it. If it turns out he will not beat this and he dies or has to be put to sleep I think I might have the vet do a autopsy [sp?] to find out for sure what his problem was. I know it won't bring him back but I will at least know what did him in, and maybe if the vet can learn something from it to maybe help some ones cat later it will be worth it.

I have probably said most of this before in this tread or others but it makes me feel a little better to talk about some of this stuff. Sorry to ramble on about all this. Finding this forum a while back has really helped me deal with all this sad stuff. I have to try and stop crying in front of Tuffy or when I am holding him, Yvonne says that can only make Tuffy more sad when I am like that. I am sure he picks up on things like that.

Here is a picture of Tuffy camping with us shortly before he got so sick again. I am glad we got a digital camera and I have all these nice pictures of Tuffy to remember him by if he don't make it through this.

 

[pat]

Tom,

Just wanted to say I hope your wife's test results are good, and that I know how hard it can be to "stay in the moment" when we know they are very ill.

I pushed as much as i could of my sadness away when Patrick was in his last days, so I could just enjoy Patrick, and make every day, as good a day for him as I could.

I know you and your wife will do the same for Tuffy, though it is hard.

 

[enuja]

I'm glad posting this thread has helped you. Your writing is very descriptive and very easy to read, and I've gone back and read through just about the whole thing.

I'm so glad Tuffy felt good yesterday morning, and I hope he doesn't have FIP and gets better. Or at least that is as happy and comfortable as possible for as long as possible.

You truely are going through some very tough times. Good luck on EVERYBODY'S health.

 

[sarahp]

And don't forget to look after yourself Tom!

 

[momto3cats]

I have just read through this whole thread, and just wanted to say I am praying for you and your wife and for Tuffy. I hope he's able to get well.

 

[booktigger]

Your love for Tuffy shows in all your posts, and I know that you will do the right thing by him, and we are all praying that he proves the vet wrong. Talking on forums like this do make the world of difference, and I hope that you and your wife are better soon.

 

[tom w]

Yvonne came home yesturday, the stress test and the ultra sounds of her heart didn't show any problems. But she is diabetic and her blood sugars are high and they couldn't get them back down with what she was taking so now she is on a different med to get them back down. They think her chest pains are from acid reflux and or gas problems.

I am very sick myself right now but I am so worried about Yvonne and Tuffy that I am not doing what I probably should be to take better care of myself. I always get stuffed up and sometimes a sore throat from the camp fire smoke but it always goes away in about a day but this time it just got worse till now I am wondering if I have a sinus infection. Or at least I have a very bad head cold. I don't know if I have a fever because the digital thermometer I normaly use I used on Tuffy last Friday so the thought of putting that thing in my mouth after being in Tuffy's butt just don't sit to well with me.

I can always tell when I have a fever because I will get a real bad head ache right behind my eyes, which so far I don't have. I probably got sick because of all the stress I have been under with Tuffy the last couple weeks and because of my depression being bad I don't eat very well so my system is probably all run down.



The DR from the animal hospital called me late last night and we had a long talk about all of this. She was telling me about a new drug that is showing some promise in helping cats with FIP but it is not used in the USA yet so she don't know if she can get it or if she can what it would cost. I asked her point blank if he has FIP or if it could be something else making him so sick, she said it could be a couple of other things, sorry I don't remember what they were because I had never heard of any of them before, but she said from what she has seen over the years she still thinks its the dry form of FIP and all we can do is make him the most comfortable that we can.

She said she has heard of cats making it through dry FIP but it is very very rare. She told me he will probably keep going downhill till we have to end his life just so he won't have to suffer any more. She said its real hard to say but she guessed he has a month or maybe less before he gets to bad to watch him suffer.

He slept beside me all night last night which he hardly ever does otherwise, I felt a cat by my legs and assumed it was Angel but when I looked it was Tuffy in Angel's spot and Angel was in Tuffy's chair next to the bed.

The dr at the hospital is going to type up a report on what options and meds we might try and send a copy to me and to his vet in town here. I asked her if it could be just a bad bactierial infection some place and she is almost positive it isn't, just the same answer my local vet gave me, they both said if he was that sick from that kind of infection they would be able to tell from blood tests or other ways and it shows in the ultra sound that his lympth nodes near the thick part of his colon are not swollen which would mean no infection in that part of him, but his nodes are swollen in the front part of his body and that there is also a problems with his intestines that showed on the ultra sound. She is wondering if it is damage from worms or some parasites. I asked about giving him a broad range antibiotic of some kind just to see if it helped him, she didn't think it would but my point was if she is so sure he is going to die soon what could it hurt to try. I thought it was a good idea to have them on a antibiotic when taking prednisone because they can easily get a secondary infection because of what the prednisone does to there immune system. At least so far the prednisone makes him feel allot better than doing nothing for him. It seems to control his fevers and it also makes him eat and drink allot better than without it.

He pooped on the kitchen floor again yesturday, I don't understand why he is doing this? We changed to a different cat litter because it was cheaper and came in big bags because with 5 cats we go through allot of litter and it gets real expensive to by the good clumping litter from Wal-Mart. So I went and got some different litter yesturday and washed out all the boxes good and got all new litter of a different kind and he is going in the litter box again.

The vet tech gave Tuffy a new toy little white mouse Monday morning before he came home, Panther found it and was playing with it and Tuffy got upset and took it away from him and hid it in his chair next to our bed. I thought that was so cute, I guess that is Tuffy's toy and no one else is going to play with it. They all have there favorite toys that they hide around the house so they know where they are and the others don't. A while back when Tuffy was still doing good we had him along camping with us and up in the store of the campground I found a cute little toy squrriel [sp?] for Tuffy. It is really a small dog toy. I had to laugh because Tuffy didn't play with it, he used it as a soft pillow to lay his head on when he slept. It is amazing what goes on in there little brains sometimes.

This site is great because I can talk with others who understand what its like to be so close to there pets. I can't talk to anyone like my mom or step dad about Tuffy because they have the attitude that its just a cat, why spend all that money on him, so they don't even know about all this Tuffy has been through the last couple weeks. Most of Yvonnes family feels the same way. People that really upset me are the ones that have dogs that will do anything for them but claim they hate cats and are not worth the time of day. I just don't get that kind of thinking. They are all animals and they all have feelings and I think cats are just as loyal to there owners as dogs are, they just show it in different ways.

My little sister and her husband have pet farrets [sp?], they have been through allot of heartache with them because they normaly don't live as long as cats and are prone to allot of diseases, but they still have them and love them as much as I love my Tuffy. I think they are back to 3 of them again.

Sorry for rambling on so long again this morning. Maybe Tuffy will live up to his name and prove the vets all wrong and make it through this too. They didn't give him much of a chance when I first got him and took him in to the vet for the first time but he is still here a little over a year later. All I can do is keep loving him and praying that he makes it, or if his time is up that he don't suffer to much. If he don't make it maybe he will get to meet Peanut who was also a special kitty cat to me who passed on a few years back, I think they would have been good friends with each other if I would have had them both at the same time.

 

[renny]

Oh Tom, I'm glad this site could be of some help or comfort. We are all here to support you, Tuffy and the rest of the family however we can. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

 

[booktigger]

I am also glad we can be of some comfort to you. When my Tigger had FIP, the vets did give me some antibiotics and something else to see if it would ease things, and I have to say that if I ever have to deal with FIP again, I would pts fairly immediately once they gave me a good guarantee that is what it is - my neighbours cat has just been diagnosed with FIP, and she disagreed with me on that one, but I did expect it as she doesn't believe in euthanasia.

 

[tom w]

I talked to his vet again this morning because he is starting to sneeze and he has a little yellow stuff from one side of his nose and his breathing is getting noisey just like it was when he was fighting the respritory infection he had when I first got him. He seems weak in his back legs also. My wife is a RN so the vet set me up with all the stuff to put fluids in him under the skin to keep him hydrated. My wife will have to do this because I could never stick him with a needle.

Booktigger, I wish they could say to me he has FIP for sure. All the biopsy's didn't show anything else that could be the problem but also didn't show FIP for sure. Both his local vet and the vet at the animal hospital both tell me that from what the tests show and more from how he is acting that they both think its FIP we are dealing with. I asked her about giving him some antibiotics since he most likely is going to die anyways and she said I could if I want. I have some Albon left but I don't know if that will help if he has a respritory infection starting again.

I was hoping he would live long enough to grow his fur back, but I am starting to wonder if he will now. If he is starting to have a hard time breathing I wonder if is getting fluid in his lungs now. I still can't believe after all Tuffy has been through that I am probably going to have to make the call on ending his suffering. I don't understand why god put him in my life to take him away so soon.

 

[booktigger]

I am sorry he has developed more symptoms, and I truly hope his noisy breathing isn't anything sinister.
I know what you mean about hoping they will be around long enough for their fur to grow back, and I am so sorry you are going through this, it is a disease I truly hate.
I believe that certain cats come into our life for a reason (maybe all, i just haven't figured out the reason for some of mine yet), and I think Tuffy has enriched your life, even if you have spent so much time dealing with illnesses. Your love for him shows constantly, and he is truly lucky to have found such a wonderful person who can give him so much love and attention. Big hugs to you.

 

[tom w]

Tuffy is fading fast today, his breathing is getting worse, he won't poop in the litter box and he just pooped a bunch of old thick blood on the kitchen floor. I am going to talk to his vet first thing in the morning and see if she agrees its time to stop his suffering.

 

[yosemite]

Tom, this is sad news for all of us who have also come to love your Tuffy. My heart goes out to you and your family.

 

[tom w]

I just called his vets office and they had his vet call me back. I called because I took his temp at a little after 11:00 tonight and it was 105.4 on a digital thermometer, she told me to give him half a dose of the steroid and to cover him in a damp cloth and to wipe the pads of his feet with alcohol to get his temp back down. She said they don't have a opening in the morning but to just bring him in first thing and she will work him in and see what she thinks we should do. I don't want to loose him but I also don't want to drag out his suffering either. If he is getting fluid in his lungs and he has not drank or ate anything since about noon and his fevers are getting worse maybe its time.

 

[pat]

Tom,

I am so sorry. Please give Tuffy a kiss from me, and tell him that he's touched a lot of folks here, we all think he's something special. I know you will continue to do what's best for him, and we are all here to support you in whatever you decide.

 

[booktigger]

Oh no, I am so sorry to hear this, I did truly hope that it woudln't have happened so soon. I will be thinking of you today, but wont be able to get on till tonight.

 

[renny]

Oh Tom, I'm so sorry to hear this. I was hoping and praying as hard as I could for a good outcome for you and Tuffy. You'll remain in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[catsallover]

So sorry he is worse- have been praying for you- please let us know how you are doing.

 

[hell603]

I am so very very sorry - my heart aches for you and your precious boy!!

Please let us know how the both of you are doing!

 

[tom w]

Tuffy died about 9:30 this morning. His liver was shutting down and he was bleeding allot from his rectum and he could hardly breath so I said its time.