Conference misery::feline_v1

    Welcome to the world of every stray finding you!!!!!  I swear
    they know where to go to find the "best" house!!!  
    
    I would like to suggest that you walk around the neighborhood
    (without cat) and just question the neighbors.  If you have
    no luck there...I would call all shelters, vets, to determine
    if someone has a "lost" kitty.   I would also keep your eye on
    your local paper looking for a lost kitty or you could possibly
    put an Ad in the paper about Cat Found....but leave a bit of the
    description out so if someone calls...you can determine if
    he really is the owner.
    
    I have found many strays...well they found me...and I have had
    the luck of finding two of the original owners....so it can
    be done.   And the joy of seeing this little old man come
    pick up his cat ....was more then I could handle....I cried
    myself to sleep.   
    
    Good luck Jo-Ann and keep us posted.    
    
    Sandy
    

    Put signs up on telephone poles, on or near mailboxes, at the local
    convenience store, laundramat, or whatever hangouts you've got in
    your neighborhood.  Let the animal officer, animal shelter,  and/or 
    police know that you've got the kitten.  You might even consider
    running an ad in your local newspaper.

    We had a stray at our home - we posted signs, hung picutres, called all
    the local vets, put ads in the local papers etc...  We never did have
    much luck but my sister finally agreed to keep this kitty.  So we took
    her to the vet had her fixed and took her back to my sisters to recoup.
    At my sisters (this was apx 2wks since we found her) she found the back
    door (which the screen was ripped due to her other cats forcing their
    way out) and escaped.  We searched high and low for this cat and
    retraced our steps with the pictures and changed "found" to "lost" and
    we called Tufts vetrinary school and someone in Westboro (we live in
    Grafton) had found her.  She still had her stitches in so they assumed
    she came from Tufts.  We were so thrilled (the newspapers thought we
    were crazy).  This cat was a toughie!  She did finally pass on with
    Leukemia (sp?).
    
    Just wanted to share this story - and say GOOD LUCK!  You may have a
    very loving (rewarding) friend!
    
    Pam 

    Well, this little guy (I had time to look him over last night) is very,
    very, affectionately friendly.  He also has a demanding, screechy
    miaow.  I also noticed last night that he hadn't used the litter box
    yet.  By this morning he still hadn't used it.  He wanted to go out,
    but now that I'm searching for his home, I didn't want him to escape.
    
    I finally got my brain in gear, and took one of my kitten's lumps from
    their litter box, passed it by his nose, dropped it into his litter box
    and covered it up.  He then jumped into the box and relieved himself --
    finally, after 24 hours.  Curiously, after his litter success, he
    stopped screeching at me.
    
    Yesterday I called a couple of local vets with a description of the
    little guy.  Also, my sister works for WGAW (Gardner radio station),
    and will advertise him during the morning Swap-shop show.  This evening
    we'll start calling some key neighbors to further spread the word.
    
    I have an appointment to get him FeLv checked Thursday morning ... and
    Thursday afternoon my three will get their first leuk shots.
    
    His temporary name for his temporary home is Edgell.
    
    Jo-Ann

    What a wonderful Mommy cat you have become...and you can even train
    them in litterbox use!!!!
    
    So why the name Edgell????  That's cute...and I'm curious why you
    called him that.
    
    Good luck in finding the owner.
    
    Sandy

    Since Edgell managed to use the box this a.m., I dropped his droppings
    off at the vet on the way to work this morning.  Just called -- he's
    full of all kinds of worms...guess where I'm stopping on the way home
    from work ... yuck, worming again.
    
    Since he has fleas and worms (at age 4 months), I'm not so sure I want
    to find his owner...not sure I agree with the way he's been taken care
    of...yet, he's so friendly with people and isn't the least bit
    disturbed about my dog, that I don't think he's been on his own for
    very long.
    
    Why the name Edgell?  It's not really very creative ... we live on 
    Edgell Street.

    I think it is very creative because you found him on Edgell street.
    That's how Dewey got his name...because he was found on Dewey St.
    in Worcester.
      
    So....it sounds like this little guy is already getting to your
    heart.   Ahhhhhh....will this make number 4 in the household.  
   
    Keep us posted....
    
    Sandy

    Well, my vet advises that little Edgell not become #4 in the household. 
    He's got roundworms, lungworm, coccidia.  She feels that, even though
    the worming medication will clean him up, the lungworm will be with him
    for life.  Since my 3 are healthy, she doesn't think I should risk them
    getting infected.  He'll be thoroughly examined and be tested for FeLv
    tomorrow ... hopefully, he won't have any more strikes against him.
    
    He's such a good little guy.  Last night we clipped his claws -- he
    neither flinched nor wiggled.  The medicine got squirted down his
    throat and into his belly before he knew what hit him.  
    
    I'm going to ask my parents if they'll take him in.  I'd always assumed
    that the reason we never had cats when I was little was because my
    mother didn't like them.  I've learned (since getting my three this
    past summer) that both my parents like cats, and had a couple when I
    was three or four years old ... one drank antifreeze, and the other got
    run over.  She put her foot down, and said NO to all pets after that.
    
    So, I'm going to ask them to take Edgell...with the understanding that
    he will be an indoor cat, and that I'll take care of his vet visits and
    medication.
    
    
    Jo-Ann

    Hate to show my ignorance but... what are Lungworms?
    
    Hope little Edgell get good on his other tests and your parents
    will make a home for him. He sounds like a sweetie. (Can't believe
    he didn't wiggle all over having his nails clipped.)
    
    Barbara

    I looked "lungworm" up in one of my animal books last night ... don't
    remember all exactly, but as I understand it, they're little
    comma-shaped things that attach to the animal's lungs.  (This
    particular book didn't consider them to be real worms.)  The animal
    gets infested by eating snails and/or slugs, or animals that have eaten
    the same.  The lungworms are then passed through the feces.
    
    An infested animal can have respiratory problems (coughing after
    exercise) and have a tendancy to get pneumonia.  So, Edgell will have
    to have his stool checked for a recurrance at least once/year (or if he
    starts coughing) and be rewormed every time the problem comes back.
    
    If anyone else in this notesfile can give a better description of
    lungworms, please do.
    
    My vet also feels, since he has lungworms and coccidia (intestinal
    parasites that come from a filthy environment), that he's either been 
    on his own for some time, or lived with people who simply didn't take
    care of him.  

    There's no way to get rid of lungworms for good?
    

    
    Lungworms was an outside possibility that my vet discussed with me 
    when Bailey had his latest episode.  The problem with diagnosing
    lungworms is the test itself.  Basically what happens is they inject
    saline solution into the lungs and then draw the fluid out and run
    the test.  It is a VERY high risk procedure.  Luckily Bailey responded
    to the prednisone and the concensus is that it was the litter.
    Personally I would have given consent for the test only after all other 
    possible avenues were explored.
    
    
    

    My dog had coccidia (it's a protozoan parasite, sorry if that info was
    already in the note--and coccidia resides somewhere in the digestive
    system) when she was a puppy.  In fact, the stuff kept her (and me) up
    all night the second night I had her.  She got a pill from the vet for
    it and I was told to clean everything VERY thoroughly with bleach
    solution and rinse well because it's easy for them to get re-infected.
    
    In fact, the veterinarian had me so impressed that this stuff was easy
    to get from your dog that when I had diarrhea a few days later I rushed
    to the doctor and paid forty dollars to be told to take Pepto-Bismol
    (the people-doctor had never heard of coccidia and couldn't reach my
    vet, so he gave me that course of action in case the diarrhea was
    unrelated--which it was.)  So now imagine a sick puppy, a sick human,
    and a disgusted cat.  Not a pretty weekend.  On the brighter side, we
    all lived.  :-)
    
    Lisa Dean and Snoopy (and Koira)

    Jo-Ann,
    
    What do you race?  Please send me mail to CANYON::WARKMEISTER.
    
    Thanks,
    Julie + Heather kitty
    
    P.S. - Moderators, sorry if it is wrong of me to ask this question
    here.

    I have heard of lungworms in horses/mules....but not in
    cats...
    
    

    Little Edgell is at the vet's today for examination and testing.  I
    asked my vet to thoroughly examine him, keeping in mind that we want to
    keep him and allow him to mix with our cats and dog.  So I hope to get
    all the information and all the risks explained this afternoon.
    
    I did more reading about lungworm last night (from two dog books and a
    cat book).  The cat book says worming medication clears it up.  One dog
    books says lungworm is something a dog can get.  The other dog book
    says a heavy infestation can never be completely cleared up.  All three
    explain that the slug or snail is the intermediary host, and the cat,
    dog, or whatever animal gets if from ingesting a slug, snail, or another
    animal that has it.
    
    Regarding Edgell's Coccidia ... he's not on medication for it.  She
    felt that the worming medication would clear it up.  However, I need to
    watch for diarrhea with blood/mucus or vomiting with blood/mucus.  If
    this happens, he'll need antibiotics.  So far, everything's ok.  As a
    matter of fact, his wormy "hard/wide-belly" has shrunk considerably
    after only two days and two squirts of medicine.
    
    So I've got my fingers crossed about his FeLV test today.
    
    And this is the second morning that I've had my morning coffee and
    paper out on the cool porch with HIM.  He's such a screamer.
                                                                

    One of my babies had Coccidia, first sign that I saw was the bloody
    mess in the litter box.  As I recall (this was 4 years ago) Coccidia
    required a different medication than the regular worming stuff.  Stitch
    did not have any worms, by the way, just the Coccidia, which was
    enough.
    
    Any body out there know if a specific medication is used for Coccidia
    alone - I'm trying to remember but I seem to be brain dead today.
    
    Giudi

    Whatever the worming stuff is, the vet said it may take care of the
    coccidia...if not, Edgell will go on antibiotics for it.  We'll see.
    I'm outa here now ... pick up the three Maine-iacs and off to get
    their 1st FeLV shots and collect Edgell and his prognosis.

    Albon is usually used by my vet to treat coccidia.  She generally
    dispenses it in liquid form - thick yellow liquid that smells kind of
    like fruit (can't remember if it is bananas or pina colada, but I do
    remember liking the smell).
    
    Jo

    Edgell's current status.
    
    Leuk negative, a couple of fleas.  His only problem is the lungworm.
    
    Our status regarding Edgell -- weighing the risks.  
    
    	Do we let him stay?  ...and risk our three getting lungworm too?
    	Do we try to find him a home (my parents have said no)?
    
    Can someone give me a number to call at Tufts so that I can hear more
    about the long term effects of living with lungworm?
    
    Jo-Ann

    Hi Jo-Ann,
    
         Tufts' number is (508) 839-5395.  That's the main switchboard;
    you'll have to ask for the Foster Hospital (for Small Animals) to get
    to the kitty vets.
    
    					- Andrea

    I believe Tribrissan, an all-purpose antibiotic, also works for
    coccidia.
    

    There isn't much in the file about Lungworm...so I'd appreciate
    it if you would keep us updated with what you find out!!!!
         
    Glad to hear little Edgell was negative!!!
    
    Sandy

    What my vet said yesterday ...
    
    She rarely (never) sees lungworm in indoor cats.  Outdoor cats can get
    it from eating little animals, or even from eating grass.  Cats can
    then spread it through their feces, or through a sneeze or cough
    (lungworm is a parasite).  This lungworm is specific to felines, so 
    there's no chance Omega the dog can get it (Omega is obsessed with 
    keeping lumps out of the litter boxes).  It can be controlled through 
    regular stool checks and wormings, but it can never be eliminated from 
    the cat.
    
    She has cats that are 9+ years old that have had it all their lives,
    and has never experienced or heard of a cat that has died because of
    lungworm.
    
    
    So what happens when a cat has it?  A dry, hacking cough is a sure sign
    that there's an infestation...if the cat coughs, bring in a stool
    sample and worm the cat.  A heavily infested cat may be prone to 
    pneumonia.  

    Thanks, it was Trib along with a shot that we used for the coccidia.
    
    BTW Trib worked wonders on Stitche's Rodent Ulcer - we would put him on
    a serries of pills for 10 days when he had a break out and over a
    period of time the flare ups got to be less and less and further apart. 
    They don't know why it works on RU but it does and it seems that
    Stitch's has gone by-by.
    
    Giudi

    Now that I think about it, I'm astounded my dog never got something
    like lungworm while we were living in California--I usually walked her
    the same place everyone else walked their dogs in the apartment complex
    (the alternative was letting her poop on the sidewalk--ick).  Most
    people didn't pick up after their dogs there, and there were garden
    snails galore.  My efforts to the contrary could not prevent the dog
    from eating some of that stuff.  I believe it was Albon (sp?) that the
    vet sold us for the dog's coccidia.
    
    Snoopy generally prefers more exotic or more geriatric kinds of
    ailments these days--she's too dignified to have really close contact
    with the dog, so hopefully we're both beyond feeding her toxins
    designed to kill worms.

    For more information on Lungworm, refer to topic number 5030.
    
    Jo

    After deliberating for days, our decision was to bring Edgell in and
    add him to the family.  He's delighted with our decision.  
    
    Now Silverado, Sharlimar, and Jabba are deliberating.  No conclusions
    have been reached, but as of this morning...
    
    	Sharlimar thinks he's kind of curiously cute.
    	Silverado thinks he's disgusting.
    	Jabba thinks the dog's not that bad after all.
    
    
    Jo-Ann

    That a boy Edgell...you found a wonderful family!!!   
                                                       
    Sandy

    EDGELL, congratulations on your new home and wonderful new mom!
    
    Giudi + Pippin, Gino & StItCh