well, this sucks - Cat worries

[Lonemagpie]

we took B'Elanna (http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g1/Lonemagpie/IMG0022A.jpg) into the vets today -

Yesterday morning she threw up, which is unusual for her but I didn't think much of it. Last night she didn't want dinner so I started to worry. This morning she won't take milk or tuna put right under her nose... She was starting to hunch slightly, and her abdomen, though not visibly distended, felt taut and harder than usual to us. (We thought maybe a blockage or something - she craps outside so we don't know whether she's having troubles with that) So we called the vet and took her in.

The vet said Bel has a normal temperature and a normal-feeling abdomen. She thinks it's probably gastrities- a stomach bug that will clear itself over a few days, but took a blood test just in case - they usually do for cats over 10 in case it's a kidney thing.

(They also said her teeth are crap, but they always say that about every cat I've ever known, and they did say it wasn't needing treatment.)

When we got back, Bel did have one bite of food and threw up - she seemed to be having the dry heave most uncomfortably before getting some foam up. then she relaxed, with her stomach twitching and bubbling in a way that looks like she's about to go the way of the dog in The Thing, but fits pretty well with how I remember gastritis to feel like last time I had it. It definitely looks like her stomach is reacting against something rather than a kidney thing.

But... the bloodwork shows some signs of an infection, she's very dehydrated - I think the water she drank when we got home might have been the first she's had since Monday - and levels of something kidney related are "slightly elevated".

So, they called Bel back in to be put on a drip to get rehydrated for 24 hours, then will rerun the blood test and do a kidney function test, because they're not sure whether her kidneys wotsit levels are up because she's dehydrated, or whether she's dehydrated because the kidney wotsits are up.

They did say earlier that kidney treatment would mean flushing them, then a change of diet and treatment with tablets, not surgery.

I just want my Bel back, with an un-shortened life expectancy.

 

[RoJoHen]

Aw, sick kitties are never good.

 

[Geckothan]

That's awful. How old is she? I'd assume her kidneys look bad because of dehydration if the majority of her symptoms point to gastritis, but I'm not a vet. Cats are usually very hardy animals though.

 

[Lonemagpie]

She's 10.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

Gah! May need an x-ray. Hope she gets better soon!

 

[auntiehill]

Poor kitty.

Sounds like she's in good hands, though. Try not to worry too much.

 

[Ward Fowler]

I've been through such worries before, so you'll be in my thoughts. Out of curiosity, is she an indoor or an outdoor?

 

[Lonemagpie]

I've been through such worries before, so you'll be in my thoughts. Out of curiosity, is she an indoor or an outdoor?

A mixture, 50-50, like all of ours

 

[KimMH]

My kitty's name is B'Elanna too - I hope the very best for you and yours!

 

[May 20]

Sending good thoughts for a speedy and full recovery for your kitty, Lonemagpie.

 

[Lonemagpie]

My kitty's name is B'Elanna too - I hope the very best for you and yours!

Her sister is called Seven (of Nine Lives)... When we got them, their original owners (who were splitting up and neither could keep the cats) had named them Bronwyn and Megan, but I wasn't bloody having that, and sought names that had similar syllables, but were more *us*...

Intellectually I know I'm overreacting- the vet did say beforehand that a kidney problem would be treated with a flush-out then dietary changes and tablets, rather than surgery or anything like that, but of the four cats, she and I have a particular bond, and, like Data, my emotion chip malfunctions at times like this...

 

[doubleohfive]

Sending good thoughts your way, Lonemagpie. I didn't used to like cats very much have come to see the light. My sincerest hopes for a swift recovery for B'Elanna.

 

[KimMH]

My kitty's name is B'Elanna too - I hope the very best for you and yours!

Her sister is called Seven (of Nine Lives)... When we got them, their original owners (who were splitting up and neither could keep the cats) had named them Bronwyn and Megan, but I wasn't bloody having that, and sought names that had similar syllables, but were more *us*...

Intellectually I know I'm overreacting- the vet did say beforehand that a kidney problem would be treated with a flush-out then dietary changes and tablets, rather than surgery or anything like that, but of the four cats, she and I have a particular bond, and, like Data, my emotion chip malfunctions at times like this...

Cool Names; both!

Cats are funny how they kind of sneak into your heart! Dogs bound in full of fun and cats kind of sidle in as if perhaps they might have something better to do . . .

 

[Lonemagpie]

The names turned out to suit their personalities too- Seven is aloof, often going into communicating-with-the-collective mode, but has a cuddly side too when she decides it's time. Bel is a foul-mouthed (you can just tell, she does those sorts of miaows and snarls) badass soldier-cat who once smashed a locked catflap clean out of the door and concussed herself trying to do the same to a locked top half of a dutch door...

 

[RJDiogenes]

It's always so sad to see Pets get sick; like kids, they don't understand what's going on. Good luck with this. I hope it all clears up and she gets back to normal quickly.

 

[freak]

So sad that your kitty is sick. Hope she feels better soon! And like the name..it's funny how people name their pets after characters from Trek, let alone Voyager. That's cute!

 

[TrekNut87]

Awww, sorry to hear about your baby. Hope she's feeling better soon.

 

[Kitty Worrier]

Good luck, I hope she gets better soon!

It's good she's not needing surgery though. I totally know how you feel about just wanting her back home - my cat had to stay the night at the vets back when they were diagnosing her bladder issues. I hated having her gone.

 

[Lonemagpie]

So sad that your kitty is sick. Hope she feels better soon! And like the name..it's funny how people name their pets after characters from Trek, let alone Voyager. That's cute!

Like I said upthread it's just kind of luck that I needed names that would have the same tonal values as Bronwyn and Megan, their previous names...

Anyway...We heard back from the vets at about 9 this morning. They said Bel was brighter and looking around studying everything, but they thought Bel was Renal Insufficient because of high creatinine levels, i.e. stage 1 or 2 CRF - manageable with tablets and tests but reducing her life expectancy dramatically. They'd taken some more blood samples to test this.

*But* then they phoned back with those test results about 10:30 to say that her creatinine (is this the same shit bodybuilders take?) levels are back to normal! This means it was pre-renal wotsit caused by her being dehydrated from whatever little tummy bug, which in turn had given her excess acid, putting her off her food. They were feeding her as they spoke to us.

So they say we can collect her this afternoon and we need to keep an eye on what she eats, and that even though she's only 10 she should be on a Senior diet balanced to be kidney-friendly. Which I guess means that her sister Seven should be on that too, as they're the same age.

My emotion chip is way malfunctioning...

 

[Yeoman Randi]

Glad to hear she is coming home today! Might be a good idea to get some kitty litter and keep her indoors so that you can really keep an eye on her now. Continued positive vibes being sent her way!!