Conference misery::feline_v1

    Lisa -
      Correcting Hernia's requires surgery.  That's why they're waiting
    until she's 6 months old.  Since they'll be openning her up anyway
    for a spay they'll just do the hernia repair at the same time.  Also,
    I'm sure they'd rather wait until she's older and bigger and therefore
    better able to stand the stress of surgery.  If your vet thinks she's
    ok then other than finding out what, if any, problems to watch for, I
    wouldn't worry about it.
      Nancy

    Lisa, I would not worry too much.  A breeder friend of mine had a
    newborn kitten that she had taken to the vets with a hernia.  He had
    never tried it on a kitten not an hour old but said "let's give it a
    shot!"  Today this little kitten has survived and is doing wonderful,
    you can't even tell it had surgery! I think it only took one or two
    stitches.  Your kitty will do just as well, especially because it is
    older.
    Karen Ruby Stinky and Wing
    

    I had a cat with an unbilical hernia that the vets repaired when
    she was spayed, as Nancy suggested.  I'd keep a watchful eye on
    her and maybe bring her in maybe every 4 weeks for a quickie 
    look.  She's 17 weeks I believe you said - so you won't have
    too long to wait before she can be spayed and it can be repaired.
    
    E.T.

    I have heard that human babies sometimes have hernias that
    heal themselves.  It must be nervewracking having this
    going on, however.
    

    More news ....
    
    Apparently its not a real hernia. Its one of her ribs poking out of the
    muscle wall. This leaves one of her lungs unprotected which is
    dangerous :-( We will get it fixed when she is spayed. Orientals mature
    early, so we should be able to get her done soon - the sooner the
    better. It doesn't seem to cause her any pain/discomfort. It's still a
    bit of a worry though.
    
    Lisa plus PR&F
    

    The last word (I hope!) ...
    
    Florence was spayed on January 11th, but the vet didn't fix her rib :-(
    Apparently it would have been a major op in addition to the spay and
    the vet said it wasn't worth the risk. We will have to be careful with
    her in case she gets an injury there - the rib could just pop out! The
    reason they can't do much is because the ribs are held together at the
    ends with cartilidge and its this bit thats too flexible so the rib
    pops out although its joined by cartilidge. Its not just a question of
    stitching up up a hole or cutting something off - yuk!!
    
    We had a bit of a nasty moment when Florence pulled out two of her
    stitches and the wound popped open - we had to get her a collar to stop
    her pulling any more out. We called her cone head! She managed to eat
    with it on by shovelling the food up in the cone and then scoffing it
    from her "shovel"! An amusing sight!!
    
    She has fully recovered now, although she still has a pop out rib!
    
    Lisa plus Pookie, Rolf and Florence.
                                    

    This must be nervous making for you.  I do know that
    operations in the lung/chest area are really hairy stuff.
    Is it worth asking another vet, mayvbe at Tufts if
    s/he agrees with the diagnosis?
    

    Karen,
    
    Thanks - I am in the UK, so Tufts is a bit of a trek! One of the main
    problems with her rib is that it refuses to pop out on demand. We had
    to take her to the vets four times before they saw/felt it! When
    Florence gets a bit upset the rib doesn't come out! Irritating!
    
    Lisa.
    

    Lisa -
      I think its probably safe to take the collar off at meal time -
    of course, that would deprive you of your nightly entertainment
    :-))))))))))))))))))))))))

    I did take the collar off when I first put the food down - she only
    used the shovel for seconds, that way she got more!!!! Wish I'd taken
    some pics!!
    
    
    Lisa plus Pookie, Rolf (in his first show on Saturday!) and Florence.