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Dear Nanny Fran,
My kitty is kind of lethargic and I wonder
if I should go to the vet right away?
Yes, indeed you should. Cats are much like
birds in that they hide their illness. Yes, birds and cats are
famous for hiding illness. I recently noticed that my kitty was
"not his usual self." He seemed lethargic and when he stood up I
noticed that his coat even looked like the coat of an "ill" cat. I
followed him to his litter box and noted that even though he
visited the box, there was no urine deposited. His posture and
everything in the box indicated that he was urinating; however,
there was no urine.
This kitty has never been ill in the five
years he has been with me. However, within 24 hours a urinary tract
blockage can be fatal. I immediately took him to my veterinarian.
My dear one was indeed ill. Both kidneys and liver were not
functioning properly. My conversation with my vet after analysis
was good and bad. He did not have a urinary tract blockage from
FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease).
However, analysis of his blood and urine
revealed a very low red blood cell count, very low white blood cell
count and his other blood values were extremely elevated to very
dangerous levels. In fact, reading between the lines in my
conversation with my very wise and kind vet, I understood that he
was saying, "You might consider letting him go to heaven."
This news was so sudden, I was devastated.
I was not ready to "say goodbye" and I am a fighter for all my
children, so I asked: "What can we do?" The result is that I have
been able to bring him home and give medications. He is getting an
antibiotic and B vitamin liquid, B.I.D. He is getting subcutaneous
fluids daily and every other day he is receiving a shot of Procrit.
Another name is Epogen. It is a hormone that stimulates the red
blood cells to be produced by the bone marrow.
I am have been praying and administering
the above medications. God has been listening. My dear one is much,
much better. We may be dealing with kidney failure or cancer or
both. At this juncture we are uncertain; however, we are slowly
bringing my sweetheart back to his former healthy and happy self.
He may be with me a month, six months, year... all I know is: each
day is a gift and I am grateful for each moment he is with me.
© 2007 Francene Mattucci. All Rights
Reserved.
Francene Mattucci founded Never Say Good
Bye Pet Sitting Service in 1994. Call 727-512-3206, visit
www.TampaBayPetCare.com or email
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
with
questions for this column.
Casper died Wednesday, November 14, 2007
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