I have held off on reporting too much about Tigger because of his condition. He has been a very sick little kitty. My last report was that the vet showed me how to give fluids to him with an injection. It has been a long 2 weeks for us with Tigger. Of course it has been more difficult for Tigger than for me and I have to admit it certainly hasn't been easy for me.
Wednesday, October 3rd - 3 of the cats went to the vet to be fixed and declawed.
Thursday, October 4th - 3 of the cats came home and everything was fine.
Friday, October 5th - Tigger very sick. Tigger had to go back to the vet. He had to get fluids via an injection.
Saturday, October 6th - Tigger even sicker. He had to go back to the vet and stay over the whole weekend.
Monday, October 8th - Tigger came home and I had all kinds of instructions on giving him fluids. He just laid around as if he had no will to live. He would not eat or drink anything and he was throwing up (a lot). By process of elimination that Tigger may have eaten some of, one of our house plants - we believe it may have been our Peace Lily. Needless to say that the Peace Lily now lives out side. I am still considering getting rid of the plant completely.
Tuesday, October 9th - Tigger getting worse. The vet ask me to come in and he would show me how to give the fluids via an injection. I got sick in the vets office and thought that I was going to pass out. This has happened to me before at the vets office (LOL). It's only me feeling sorry for the animals that I was with at the time, including Tigger. I started giving him fluids via the injection this evening.
Wednesday, October 10th thru Friday, October 12th - Still giving him fluids via the injection twice a day. He is still throwing up. He is still not eating or drinking anything at all.
Saturday, October 13th - Tigger walks to the water dish and takes 2 laps. He will not drink milk or anything else. He will not eat canned cat food, tuna or anything else. All this time he had been sleeping in the shower in my bathroom. He didn't want to be away from us today, he wanted to lay in the hallway near the den. So we let him stay out all day and be near us.
Sunday, October 14th - No more throwing up. During the night he learned how to open the shower door, somehow get under the bathroom door and under my bedroom door. Today he ate about 5 little niblets of dry cat food. He also went to the litter box by himself. He drank a few more laps of water. He meowed and showed some response when I put my finger gently in his ear.
Monday, October 15th - A few more niblets of dry cat food. A few more laps of water. He drank a little bit of milk tonight. Used the litter box by himself again. He meows a little more now. He is walking kinda funny...Putting his head down and swinging it back and forth as he walks. It looks like he is drunk. I am still giving him fluids via injection. He purred a little bit.
Tuesday, October 16th - His appetite is really starting to pick up. More trips to the food bowl and to the litter box. His litter box trips are clearing up. There was blackish blood and then red blood, now they look more like wet cat food. Today he fought the injection and I made a call to the vet. Per the vet...as long as he is not dehydrated, I can hold off on the injections. Tonight I managed to get him to drink some milk and some chicken broth. I also got him to eat a little bit of canned cat food.
Now he walks very weird. His back legs don't want to work. It's almost as if they were asleep. I kinda feel sorry for him but I have to give him credit because he certainly is trying.
I tote him to the food dish and take food and liquids to him. I take him to the litter box and generally he uses it. The reason I am carrying him is because of how he is walking.
Tonight he is starting to perk up his ears and eyes when he hears certain sounds. He still wants to be close to us and we are still letting him be close to us.
Wednesday, October 17th - The girls get their stitches out and Tigger is getting a check up. I will update more when I get back from the vets office.
Update - The girls did get their stitches out. The vet and his assistant was pretty impressed with Tigger. The vet said that the way Tigger is walking is a sign of diabetes. However, he doesn't believe that it is diabetes because Tigger's walk has improved since yesterday. Not much but there is an improvement. To give you an example of how he is walking - it's kind of like one of the raptors on Jurassic Park.
I am trying to let him walk more on his own now. I do help him to the litter box because I want him to be able to make it on time. He is drinking more chicken broth and milk. He is eating more dry cat food and canned cat food. Tonight he showed an interest in 2 very important things. Those things are his play cubicle and a piece of yarn. He really perked up with the piece of yarn and batted at it. The vet has him on medication now, which I am sure will only help.
Just to let everyone know, the vet said that there is still a chance that he may not make it. Also, the vet wants to see him again in about 2 weeks to monitor the improvements.
Oh yeah - lots of purring now too and he is bathing himself.
Thursday, October 18th - I am amazed at the progress that Tigger makes overnight. He is sitting at the shower door this morning, asking to be let out. When I let him out, I immediately notice that he is walking a little better. I follow behind him to make sure that he wants his breakfast. I give him milk that he smells of and is done with it. He don't even want his chicken broth. I kinda get concerned about it. He heads off in the direction of the dry cat food. That's what he wanted. He starts eating and I begin to wonder if he is going to get full. I offer him a little canned cat food and he wants only a tiny bit of it. He hurries off to the litter box, does his business and off he goes again. He gets to his cubicle and there he lays for a couple of hours. Later on he lays by the window and soaks up some warm sunshine. He chased his ball for about 2 feet today. Tigger was laying on the floor today and did a long cat stretch. Throughout the whole day you could see his walking improve. Now he walks with his legs straighter and more like a slinky type of cat walk, his tail up in the air. Purrs and purrs. He ate more canned cat food this afternoon. More long cat stretches and even one where he rolled over onto his back wanting a belly rub.
Friday, October 19th - We can see his improvement from hour to hour today. His walking has improved so much. It's almost as if there has never been a walking issue. I called the vet to get a refill on the meds that he was just started on. The meds are to help his liver heal. The liver damage is caused from the plant he ate. When I called the vet, I had to tell them all about how much he has improved and still improving. They were all so extremely happy. No more fluids through the I.V. Tigger is now eating like a horse and begging for more. He actually chased one of his little bell balls today for about 5 feet. Once he got to it, he had no interest in playing with it.
Saturday, October 20th - Now that Tigger is so close to being well, I just may stop updating daily on him. I will let you all know what the vet says when I take him back in a little less than 2 weeks. Today Tigger is back. Walking normal and in to everything. He hides under the bed and waits until someone walks by and then he pounces on them. He played with his bell balls today for a long time. He also played with one of our other cats (Biscuit). Long, long cat stretches and so much more cat personality.
Hang in for the vet report in a few days.
2 comments:
Im glad to hear he is picking up. It must be all your love and care. You are one special lady Alta.
We go through this stuff periodically (we're cat people). I had one cat who picked Thanksgiving (no vets open) to eat a blue-tailed skink. He was sick and staggering around in circles and couldn't eat. We took him to the emergency vet (can you say VERY expensive?) and many days later, my cat was back.
Cats are kind of like children. They explore the world with their mouths as much as any other part of their body.
I'm glad Tigger is okay. I was really getting worried there for a bit.
Thanks for visiting me!
Post a Comment