Conference misery::feline

    You're sure there's no chance of an obstruction or anything?  The
    suddeness of the symptoms, the vomiting saliva, not eating, etc. make it 
    sound like Spike after he had swallowed a string.  The only way we
    found out was when he threw up a piece of the string after 4 days. 
    When I took him to the vet the first time, he did not show classical
    blockage symptoms, but the medication the vet put him on had no effect. 
    Had he not thrown the piece of string that day, the vet was going to
    start running more  diagnostics, so I don't know how long it would have
    taken us to discover it (depending on which diagnostics we would have
    run). 
    
    I hope your little one feels better soon....
    
    Sue B. + Smokey, Spike & Trouble
    
    ps. BTW, the string was one of the elastic ones from a cat toy...

    Hi Sandy,
    
         No thoughts on this as I haven't had it occur in my kitties; just
    wanted to send some prayers and thoughts your's and C.C.'s way.
    
    					- Andrea

	Good thought on the obstruction - I'll mention this to the vet.
	She does chew on plastic bags, but she'd never bitten any bits
	off before - just sort of gnaws at the plastic.  But when I
	vacuumed on Saturday, I found small pieces of a bag that I blamed
	on one of the other cats.

	Thanks!

	Sandy and C.C.

    Good thoughts and kitty prayers coming your way.  Give CC gentle
    hugs from all of us.   
    
    Please keep us posted....
    
    Sandy

    Have they run a blood panel on her recently? The peeing on the bed and
    having her back end wet would worry me that she is losing bladder
    control.  How's her water intake and output?  Normal?
    
    I might be inclined to get her in for bloodwork today rather than wait.
    
    Jo

	Hi Jo - I was concerned about that too.  She was fine last night,
	though, and peed normally in the litterbox this morning.  She
	seems to be drinking plenty of water, especially after the medica-
	tion.  I'm heading home now, and will check her condition.  The
	vet's office will be open for another hour, so I'll be able to 
	call and touch base with the doctor.

	Sandy

    Excessive thirst can be a sign of kidney trouble so watch for that. 
    Same with excessive urination.  Let us know what the doc says.
    
    Jo

	We dropped C.C. off at the vet's this morning.  She was becoming
	more dehydrated, and when he took her temp, it was lower than
	normal, which he said wasn't a good sign.  He's going to do a
	full blood screen, a barium x-ray in case of a blockage, and he
	will put her on fluids.

	Since her last kidney problem nearly two years ago, this has
	been my recurring nightmare - that it would happen again.  I'll
	be calling the office this afternoon to check up on her, and
	will post any news in here.

	Thanks,

	Sandy

    I think the lowered temperature means that her circulation is slowing
    down.  Not sure though.
    
    I will be sending good thoughts your way.
    
    Jo

    
    
    Sandy,
    
       We'll be sending lots of kitty prayers too...
    
    
    Diana, Tykey & Domino

	Some news:  I just spoke to the office, and while the results
	of the blood work probably won't be in till tomorrow, the doctor
	believes that she has ingested some plastic, and he will be giving
	her an enema this afternoon.

	Sandy, cautiously optimistic . . .

Sandy, this sounds exactly like what happened to Pita a few months ago.  
She became very lethargic and refused to eat.  I had isolated her to
keep an eye on her and had a vet appointment for the next day.  I went
to go give her some food and couldn't find her anywhere.  

I finally found her in the back of a drawer, refusing to come out.  I grabbed
her and RAN her to the vets.  It seemed like she could barely move.  The
only thing that she could find is that she was severely dehyrdated at first.
The vet did an x-ray and found that her stomach was full of gas.  They 
thought that she may have swallowed something small that didn't show up
on the x-ray (possibly plastic.  She loves plastic bags.) and they gave
her an enima.  She was fine in a couple of days.

Here's hoping that C.C.'s problem turns out the same way!!  
We're praying for you!

Holly

	Poor Pita! (Poor Holly!)  I can relate, and I'm so glad that
	she's feeling better!  C.C. also seemed to be moving gingerly,
	like she was in pain, and was hiding under the waterbed head-
	board.

	I'll probably call the office once more today - maybe they'll
	have more news after the enema.  I don't usually like to be a
	pest, but this is my baby we're talking about! :^}

	Thanks again,

	Sandy

Sandy,

See note 4625 in FELINE_V1.  It's not exactly the same, but quite close.
That's the note about PITA's illness.

HOlly

    Sandy,
    
    Sending good thoughts and kitty prayers your way.  I hope C.C. is
    feeling much better.
    
    Steffi & the 4 kids
    
    

    Prayer and power for you from Hungary, from Nat who you do not know
    yet. I have a Si-Sawat, and she thinks good to C.C., too.
    
    Nat & Smokey

    Any news Sandy?????  It would be great to hear some about a sick kitty.
    
    Michele & Nippa (who's not quite right either)
    
    

	C.C. update:  after two enemas, she still hasn't passed the piece
	of plastic, or whatever it is that's in her intestines.  He said
	that you could tell from the xray that it was definitely not
	feces.  Right now, they're waiting for the results of the blood
	work from the lab.  If everything looks good there, he's going to
	go ahead and do surgery on her today to remove the obstruction.

	She's such a tiny little thing (5lbs.) that I worry about her
	going under, but as the vet said, it's more of a risk to not do
	anything.  My greatest fear, though, is still the kidney problem.
	She seems to be enough of a fighter to withstand almost anything
	else (I hope!).

	Sandy, hoping to report better news later today...

Sandy,

We're keeping our paws crossed for you, too!  Little Beth was only 5 pounds
when she had her eye surgery (and spay and partial declaw) and was under
for 2 1/2 hours.  She did just fine, although she was out of it for a couple
days.  Hang in there....

Mary

	Thanks!  The news this morning isn't good.  Her BUN and creatinin
	levels were way up, indicating that her kidneys are shutting down
	again. :^(  The vet is postponing the surgery until and unless he
	can get her functioning again.  The last time, he forced fluids
	through her, and gave her a diuretic, and her kidneys kicked in - 
	don't know if it'll work this time.

	Right now, I don't know what to do:  prepare myself for the worst,
	or try to stay optimistic.  We won't know anything for a couple
	of days.

	Your prayers and thoughts are *really* appreciated!

	Sandy

Oh My goodness Sandy!  This is absolutely auful!  We're all praying for you
and C.C.  

Lots of kittyhugs...

Holly and the gang.

    I am praying very hard for you
    
    Giudi

    
    	Sandy 
    
    	Lots of kitty hugs to you and the little one....
    
    	JJ and the gang
    

    We have everything crossed too.....
    
    Karen, Sweetie, Holly, and Little Bit.
    

    Sandy...my heart and prayers are with you.  Please stay very
    optimistic and strong for you baby.   There were many times
    that I thought I would give up on VG...or he would give up
    on me...but it is truly amazing how we both pulled through
    and hopefully we are on the road to recovery.
    
    Please keep us posted and all well wishes are with you and CC.
    
    Sandy                                        

	Just off the phone with the vet, and C.C. is a bit perkier this
	afternoon.  Of course, the doctor feels that this is because her
	BUN is coming down, as they're pushing lots of fluids through
	her.  She's showing a bit more interest in food, although she
	hasn't eaten yet - he was going to try a different type of food
	to see if he could tempt her.  Of course, everything depends on
	her kidneys being able to function on their own once she's off
	the fluids, and we won't know this for a while.

	He's also starting to doubt that there's an obstruction in her
	intestines.  She seems to be very gassy and bloated, but he 
	can't *feel* anything, and he palpates her regularly.  He's now
	thinking that it may be another result of the kidney problem,
	but he's not sure at this point.

	We also had an interesting chat about kidney transplants in
	animals.  Has anyone ever read anything about this?

	Again, thanks to all - and Sandy, I'm so glad about Van Gogh!

	Sandy

    I have heard that UC Davis has performed kidney transplants.  The
    program requires that the owner of the cat getting the kidney must also
    be willing and able to adopt the donor kitty.  Reach an article about
    this in a cat magazine a year or so ago.
    
    Jo

    There was an article dedicated to the transplan in either the Examiner
    or Chronicle a year or two ago - had a picture of the kitty and his
    owner.  I never heard anything further - I'm wondering if it was
    completely successful and how the kitty is doing.
    
    Giudi

	Just a quickie, as I'm off to a staff meeting.  The vet assistant
	told me that CC ate something last night, and that she seems yet
	a bit better this morning.  They will be still pushing fluids into
	her today, so I'll call this afternoon for an update.

	She's still not out of the woods, but I feel a bit better knowing
	that she feels better!

	Sandy

    
    I just talked with the vet, and C.C. can come home tomorrow!  We're not
    sure that she's okay yet, but he said that she ate enthusiastically
    this morning and again this afternoon, so we'll bring her home and
    monitor her over the weekend.  If necessary, he'll do some more blood
    work at the beginning of the week.  But whatever happens, at least I
    have my baby home to love a little bit longer!
    
    Thanks for all your good wishes - they've helped her come this far :^}
    
    Sandy
    

	Update - and still up the air...

	CC came home Saturday, and looked really good right through last
	night.  She was eating, drinking, and urinating pretty much as
	normal, although not eating as much.  She seems a bit weak, and
	wants to sleep quite a bit, but that's probably not unusual,
	considering what she's been through.  The purrs were back, and
	so was the bounce in her step.

	She's been sneezing since yesterday, though - don't know if she's
	picked up a URI from the vet's or not.  This morning she drank 
	and urinated, but wasn't too bothered about eating, and seemed
	a bit down.  She did purr for us, though, which is usually a
	pretty good sign.

	I'll be taking the afternoon off to keep an eye on her, so I may
	be able to add more to this later. 

	Sandy

    Kitty thoughts and prayers still coming your way...please keep us
    posted daily!  CC has been through alot for a young cat...so she
    is quite the trooper and will pull through this one too!   
    
    Sandy

	Sorry I haven't been too good about these updates, but it's been
	a rough week for CC and us.  She was pretty good right through
	Monday, but seemed really low on Tuesday morning.  I took the day
	off to stay home with her, but I couldn't get her to eat anything
	until late in the day.  She was very lethargic all day, drank water
	only a couple of times and urinated only once.  Andy managed to get
	her to purr that night, but she mostly kept to herself.  Wednesday
	morning was even worse, as she refused to come out from under the
	headboard.  I could have yanked her out, but I know how much she
	hates that, so I left her alone.  We were both afraid of what we
	might find when we got home last night.

	We were a bit surprised to find that she was a bit perkier last
	night.  She ate some more, and spent most of her evening on my 
	lap or near me on the couch with the other cats.  This morning,
	she came downstairs with me, had a good drink of water, visited
	the litterbox, and ate a bit of baby meat.  We're not getting our
	hopes up too much at this point, though, as she's very skinny and
	weak.

	The vet feels that there's not much more he can do for her.  Either
	her kidneys will pick up spontaneously or they won't.  If they
	don't, and she's not in pain, we'll keep her at home until the end,
	rather than leaving her at the vet's in a cage.  We won't let her
	suffer needlessly, of course.

	Sandy, wishing she had better news to report . . .

    I'm glad she's able to be home with you.  I'm sure she feels very
    loved.
    

	Talked to the vet today, and he wants me to bring C.C. in 	
	tomorrow morning for a 're-evaluation'.  She's still drinking
	and urinating, although not at a great rate.  Her appetite is
	minimal, though.

	Still holding my breath,

	Sandy

	She's still hanging in there!  On Saturday, the vet didn't offer
	much hope - said that at the rate she was going, she'd be in a coma
	within a few days.  He thinks that giving her fluids may enable her
	to live a little while longer, so that's what we're trying, as long
	as she doesn't seem to be in pain, or to be disoriented in any way.
	He said that persistently high levels of ammonia in her blood could
	make her start acting differently, like walking around in circles.

	But here's the good part:  when I brought her home Saturday, she
	was still pretty slow and quiet - slept most of the afternoon.  Then
	at dinnertime, she suddenly started to perk up - ate with the other
	cats without any coaxing.  By yesterday, we almost had our little
	cat back!  She was eating nearly normally, purring, following me
	around, and even trying to play a little bit.  I expected her to
	go down a bit by this morning, as she was due for more fluids, but
	she acted quite normally - ate, drank, and used the box (she's also
	getting Electrolytes in her water).

	The vet said that we (and cats) can survive with only 25% of kidney
	function.  There's no way of knowing what % of CC's kidneys are
	still working, if any.  So, we're going with the fluid therapy for
	a week, and then we'll evaluate her again.  It's wonderful to have
	a little more time with her, though!

	Sandy

    Sandy:
    
    Is she on a low protein diet as foods high in protein really tax the
    kidneys.
    
    Giudi

	Hi Giudi - she's on K/D, primarily, with a bit of canned to tempt
	her (and supplement liquids).  My vet seems to feel that it's not
	the proteins so much as it is the quality of the proteins.

	Day 4 of fluid therapy - she ate breakfast, drank water, had a 
	normal bowel movement (had diarrhea before), purred, gave head
	butts, and played a bit - I find myself hoping that this could
	last forever :^}

	Sandy

    My thoughts are with you.  One of mine was diagnosed with a congenital
    kidney problem.  Sometimes when I look at her playing so hard and being
    just her busy self I find it hard to believe that there's anything
    wrong.  She's gained all her weight back, and some, has adjusted
    beautifully to low protein food and her water intake and urination seem
    perfect..
    
    All we can do is hope and pray
    
    Giudi
    
    P.S.  Try some clam juice on the K/D or a bit of low sodium chicken
    broth (I called the nutritionist at Hills and that's what they
    recommended)

	So far she's eating the K/D just fine, but I'll keep that in mind
	if she starts to slip - thanks!

	How old is your cat, Giudi?  C.C. was just over two when she had
	her first bout with kidney failure, in August 1990.  This one is
	far worse, though, and we don't know how much her little body can
	take.

	Hoping and praying help, but as my husband says, just enjoy every
	day that you have with her.

	Hugs,

	Sandy

    Pippin will be 8 this March.  She's never gone into failure - the first
    signs of a problem showed up like typical FUS.  We had blood and urine
    work done, a double study and finally ultra sound.  She's on a very
    small dose of amoxi every day and a diet low in protein.  We've decided
    to have blood work done twice a year and an ultra sound once a year.  
    She's due for the BUn in March and we're keeping our fingers crossed. 
    The readings were just slightly above normal in October.  I entered a
    note under Kidney disease that has all the info in it.
    
    Bless her, I have this special prayer I say for her every night.  So at
    bed time I call her and she sits up on my chest and I put my hands on
    her back and she starts to purrr and we say this affirmation 3 times, 
    I swear she knows we're saying somethng "special" cuz then she hopps
    off and goes to sleep between me and Richard.  Sigh!
    
    Giudi

	Aww, she sounds like a sweetie :^}  Here's wishing her continued
	good health!

	Sandy

    Gentle hugs to both CC and you!  Your in our thoughts and prayers!
    Just keep very positive thoughts....and spoil her with love!
    
    Sandy 

	C.C. update - all the postive thoughts and prayers must be working!
	It's been three days since C.C. last was administered fluids, and
	she's still holding her own.  She's quite thin, but is now eating
	and drinking normally, and has already begun to put some weight
	back on.  She's pretty much her happy, bouncy self - full of purrs
	and head-butts, and is even playing again.  The only other outward
	sign of her illness is a small bald patch above the corner of her
 	left eye.  If I look really closely, she appears to have lost some
	fur in the corners of her eyes too - perhaps from the acidity of
	her secretions?  I'll ask the vet when I call him later to let him
	know how she's doing.  Her eyes have always teared a lot, especially
	her bad one.

	We know that she's still not out of the woods, and also that another
	episode like this would most likely finish her, but we're enjoying
	every extra day that we get! :^}

	Thanks to everyone,

	Sandy & C.C.

    Warm kitty thoughts still coming your way.  What a little Trooper
    CC really is....hopefully the good news will keep coming.
    
    Sandy

    Maybe it's not bald but just damped down?
    

	No, it's really bald - but very small, just about the diameter
	of a pencil eraser, if that big.  Funny thing about it is that
	if it were a burn of some type, you'd expect to see a mark on
	the skin as well, but her skin is clear.  

	I was only able to leave a message with the vet this afternoon,
	so I couldn't ask him about it, but will try again later.

	Sandy

        The final  update:    we  kissed  our  little  CC  goodbye this
        afternoon - her kidneys  finally had nothing left, although her
        heart was as big as ever.
        
        Thanks to all for the  best wishes for CC and especially to M-L
        for the beautiful flowers.
        
        the screen is so blurred
        
        Andy & Sandy
        

        NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY
        
                Nature's first green is gold,
                Her hardest hue to hold.
                Her early leaf's a flower;
                But only so an hour.
                Then leaf subsides to leaf.
                So Eden sank to grief,
                So dawn goes down to day.
                Nothing gold can stay.
        
        
                        - Robert Frost
        

    Sandy,
    
    I'm so sorry about CC.  I went back and read this string of notes. 
    What a fighter she was, and what a sweetheart.  She knew how much you
    love her.  She will always be in your heart.
    
    Steffi

    Andy and Sandy, my Dear Dear friends;
    
    I will miss that little love whenever I stop by..... she will always be
    in my heart, and in my thoughts... as are both of you!
    
    I love you both!!
    
    Mary-Lynn

    CC will forever be golden in your heart and memories; a gold more
    precious than leaves in fall or what's stored at Fort Knox; a gold
    that will never tarnish and will only grow more precious as the
    years go on.
    
    My heartfelt sympathies go to you,
    Carl

Sandy,

I'm so sorry to hear about CC.  Hugs and sympathy to you, and may she rest in
peace.

Laura    
    

    Sandy,
    
     I too am so very sorry that CC has lost the battle that she fought so
    valiantly and with so much love. Keep her in your heart, and she will
    never truly be gone from your life.
    
     CC has been added to the Silver Lining Memorial.
    
     Love,
    
     Yonee

    Sandy and Andy....
    
    I too want to send you my sincere sympathy for the loss of CC.  I
    remember reading her stories for a long time.  She was a fighter...
    and I'm sure you have many wonderful memories to hold close to your
    heart.
    
    Sandy 

    So sorry to hear of your loss of your beloved CC.  Take heart in
    knowing she's in a better place now.
    
    Pam

        
        Hi - and thanks to all for your kind thoughts and loving words.
        Even though we knew for a while that we'd have to let CC go, it
        was still very difficult.  While we kept hoping that she'd turn
        around again,  we  knew  the chances were slim.  Yesterday, she
        was more tired  and  weak  than we'd ever seen, and we couldn't
        bear to let her  go  on  like  that any more.  She brought much
        love into our lives, and we returned that love yesterday.
        
        Sandy (tfso last June) & Andy
        
        

    I'm so sorry.
    
    Deb

         So sorry to read of CC's passing ....
    
    					- Andrea

    I'm so sorry to hear about CC. My deepest sympathy to you.
    
    Linda