Happy Cat Family

Hi Furriends, Bugsy here!
Thank you so much for the vibes and purrayers! My Goodness, a truck hit me and I didn't even see it! All I know is meowmy put me inside of that carrier and the rest is no good. I just don't understand why... Why my mouth is in so much owy...
Meowmy already told you what happened, so I will just update you. That night she fed me with a syringe... ouch, it hurt so badly! I didn't want to eat, I was telling her, but she wasn't listening to me furriends! The next morning though I woke up hungry, so I ate on my own.... Well... not exactly - meowmy fed me with a spoon, but still, it was better than the syringe thingy. I can only eat stinky goodness, so she feeds me all the time, like 5 times a day.
There are also the injections :( Meowmy has to give me injections twice a day (antibiotics) and pain meds three times a day. As you can imagine and see on the pictures, my favorite place is under the bed.
I really really don't like this situation... I hope I am all better soon, back eating crunchies and stinky goodness, and more importantly not taking these injections - I hate them, they hurt furriends!
Anyways, I am doing much better... Now I feel I have been hit by a VW bug instead of truck hehe.
Thank you so much for checking on me furriends!

Hi Furriends, Meowmy here!
Bugsy's dental ended up being today instead of Monday, and was pretty rough... he is not doing "so sexy"... He had three extractions, the roots were very weak and brittle, and came out in pieces, so they had to go into the bone to clean it up. He did get a bone implant put in... His records show he had a small hemorrhage... He had little problem being intubated, and with pain after the surgery (they had to up his meds).
I spoke to the clinic later today as Bugsy was still not eating, and they said he had a "rough, big day". They said I might have to force feed him, but his mouth is SO sore...
I gave him more pain meds and he freaked at me touching his mouth the poor thing.
I am hoping he will eat soon now that he is medicated again. So far it's been about 24 hours since his last meal, and all he did was take a few licks of my fingers moments ago.
I hate the thought of force feeding him- he is clearly traumatized and in a lot of pain.
I will be giving him clindamicyn injections 2x a day for the next 6 days, as he can't have any more antibiotics with his digestive system messed up as it is...
To top it all off his glucose came high- 180 out of max 159. They ran a second panel and second test was 177. I was told by someone that this slight elevation could be explained by stress.
My poor little baby is a mess...
If you pray, say a little prayer for him... At least for him to eat... If you don't, send him some vibes... I am getting ready to mix some food to force feed him...
My poor baby boy :(

Hi Furriends, Meowmy here!
At last I have some good news... all around! sounds like this is the beginning of a much deserved break for all of us here, finally!
Let's start with miss Gracie: She made a full recovery from her tooth surgery, and we were since she got here working on getting her on the right level of thyroid medication - she was for a long time off meds, then was way over-medicated. Finally her test last week showed she stabilized right where she needs to be: she is now taking 1/3 of the dosage she was taking when she first got here!
We were doing blood tests every 2-3 weeks, and I am sure glad she doesn't need to go through that anymore, as she had to be put under every time and that is always risky for an old gal like her. Let alone the stress of constant vet visits! But now she is doing great, and that is behind her - ahhhh relief!
Now Lucky: After her blockage she was put on a hairball formula, and is eating like a champ. She is still constipated from time to time, but I am managing it with hairball treats as needed. She is doing very well and happy! I am glad she turned that corner - those were some scary days of not eating and being completely blocked... I am watching her like a hawk!
Now our prince boy Bugsy!
I am sure you all remember the months and months of diarrhea ordeal Bugsy went through. All the meds he was given took a toll on his little body and affected his liver - his ALT level went way up and kept escalating so he had to be completely off drugs, even of his stomatitis treatment. Yesterday we went to the vet for his liver panel, and he checked all clear! All his numbers are good - ALT and enzymes -all good!
He is now back on his stomatitis meds and has a dental scheduled for Monday, as being off meds made his gums suffer and now we need to bring him up to date on that. But he will be a-ok.
He still has soft poop, but not diarrhea, and certainly not explosive liquid diarrhea like he was having before.
His vet examined his belly and said he could feel no gas and he showed no signs of pain - he was not jumpy like he was before during examination. Also, during his diarrhea he was rapidly losing weight, and he has gained some weight back - even though he is overweight, that is a very good sign given the circumstances - a sign that he is absorbing the nutrients better.
So, the vet said for now, no meds - just continue with the probiotics and change his fiber to pumpkin - he read some studies that pumpkin works better than psyllium.
Hope went for her annual/vaccinations and checked in with flying colors. The vet said he could not hear the murmur she was once diagnosed with. He even tried to listen with a pediatric stethoscope. His protocol is to do only the rabies annually and the distemper vaccine once every 3 years - I like that.
So furriends, there you have it - for once I have great news all around! whew! All I want is a healthy 2011!
Now if you can spare a few purrs for Bugsy's dental on Monday, that would be great - I am sure in my heart he is going to be just fine though.... He is my boy,the love of my life!
Thanks for reading and for being there for us!

Hi Furriends, Lucky here!
Thank you for all the purrs and purrayers, I really need them... We had a busy busy day here, lots going on... I am not eating on my own yet so meowmy is feeding me with a syringe until I feel hungry enough to eat without her help. I do eat treats, but unfortunately meowmy doesn't want to feed me only treats, so I guess I need to comply with her "force-feeding" plan. Feels like all we did today was this force feeding thing, but oh well, right? I am no longer throwing up - that is the good noos. Bad noos is that I am still very constipated. Meowmy checked my poop and didn't like what she saw. She said it looked like a witch from a Disney movie, but tiny. Got the picture? Yep, no good. So meowmy gave me some hairball treats as they are a good laxative, to see if I get some of that stuff out. Lets see if I do better next time around!
On another note........................ Today is the last day to enter the Photo Contest!

Did you see that mom ML increased the prize? Yep, now the Prize will be a HUGE Goody Bag paw picked by little KC… you know how much fun she has making up her goody bags!
So Furriends, today is your last chance! Hurry up and choose those cute pictures already - we know you can do it! :)

Pee Ess: I have been so cooperative with force-feeding, meowmy asked me if she could make an "educational video" to help other meowmies and kitties who might have trouble eating out there... I said yes, but really, I think I might start charging royalty from now on! The video is below - am I a good actress or what?

Hi Furriends, Lucky here!
Well, guess what? I was tired of being in the background with Bugsy's and Gracie's health issues, and decided to pull a number on meowmy. A couple of days ago I started turning my face away from the food... The little I ate I threw up too. When I want to do something furriends, I do it right! So meowmy took me to the V-E-T today... The verdict? Severe constipation due to hairballs. Furriends, my V-E-T trip was not fun - it involved injections, things stuck on my both ends to make me eat, to make me poop... I felt embarrassed and violated! Those V-E-Ts sure are mean!
Then to top it all I get home for a bath and for what meowmy calls it "force-feeding" uhg! Can a girl just be left alone? Meowmy said she will keep feeding me and giving me this water until I eat and drink on my own... I hope I get hungry soon... The V-E-T gave me some good meds for it.
Purr for me furriends - purr for me to unplug so I can start eating! Isn't that ironic - Bugsy poops too much.... I poop too little.... Maybe if we just meet in the middle?
Update from meowmy, 11:45pm, Saturday: Lucky seems sad and "under the weather", she is not eating at all on her own, so I am not leaving up to her - I am syringe feeding her 1oz of A/D every couple of hours. I also started her on Appetite stimulants 2x a day - first dose this morning, with her vet approval. So far she hasn't thrown up, which is the good news. Please keep the purrs and prayers coming....

Hello Furriends, Gracie Here!
Had a pretty stressful day today... Imagine my surprise when the morning started to go by and there was no food for me! Everybody got fed but me! Then it happened - meowmy's lunch break was doing you know what! yep - taking me to the V-E-T! It was a quick in-and-out trip though; they just had to steal my blood for another thyroid test. Thing is, they had to give me that zoom-zoom gas so I would sleep (I am fierce), so I got really sick on the trip back home... I was drooling all over the place, feeling really nauseous, and to top it off, I pooped myself! Thank goodness the V-E-T is close by because being stuck in the carrier in a pool of drool and covered in poop, dizzy from all that gas is no fun at all! I got home and ate some food but it took me a little while to get better... I am all good now - not to worry!
Results should be in soon - I will keep you all posted. Hopefully soon enough we are going to have my medication dose straighten out.
By the way furriends, we are only two days away from the photo contest! Have you gone through your compooter and chosen a good picture to submit yet? Make sure to choose a good one! This is going to be fun fun fun! We can't wait to see all the pictures!
Meowmy will not be posting the pictures until the contest dates by the way, until then they will be saved in meowmy's compooter.
Here are the rules again:
Contest Rules:
Love is in the air... Send us a photo of what you love the most: It can be of your favorite hooman, your favorite fur-sibling, an activity you love, your favorite thing to eat, your favorite place to sleep, your favorite toy, etc.

• For a donation of $5.00 per photo your name will be put into a drawing. The winner will receive a personalized gift $20.00 for your pet!! (Prize donated by Gracie and paw picked out by KC)
• Make donation through the pay pal button. Put the name of your pet and your blog link.
• Send photo, no smaller than 1000 pixels in jpg to carolina (@) happycatfamily . net
• It would be great if you could tell us what you love when you send us the picture, so we can use it as a caption! Oh, and don't forget to send us a link for your Bloggie with it as well!
  
• You can enter as many times as you want but each photo must have a $5.00 donation.
• Contest Begins at February 13th 11:59pm, and ends February 20th at midnight.
  
• Winner will be announced on February 23th
• Good Luck!!
  

Hello furriends, Meowmy here!
Friday I took Gracie back to the vet as she was still not eating well and it was concerning me there could be something wrong besides the medication (she had been over-medicated for thyroid)... Gracie would be an impossible cat to force-feed, so I wanted to get an appetite stimulant if all else was ok. By Friday she hadn't eaten well since the Saturday before :(
The vet ran a CBC and the results came back stellar - everything was perfect, not one number off range; GREAT for a 12-13 yr old little lady!
Her vet examined her mouth, which is good, told me to continue to give her temptations hairball treats as a laxative since she was constipated for the last few days, and put her on an appetite stimulant. I also grabbed some cans of Hills A/D.
As soon as we got home she gobbled down some A/D - that food is really great for kitties who are off food... I don't know exactly why, but it beats Fancy Feast by much!! I gave her appetite stimulant for a couple of days just to be on the safe side, but then she became TAZ-Gracie
I had to take her off of it.
For now I am feeding her A/D and Kibbles, and she is eating well. I am also continuing the Temptations Hairball treats.
Not this Wednesday, but the following she will have another T-4 test to check her levels and see if we need to lower her medication even more, or if this is ok for now.
Nothing really new going on with Bugsy... He is still having diarrhea, and yesterday marked 110 days. He was weaned off of Sulfasalazine and did not take any medication Sunday; today, Monday, he starts a new steroid called Budesonide. We are all praying this will be the one that makes a difference! He is doing great aside from the diarrhea though, and for that we are thankful! He is eating well, playing, running around, and not acting sick at all... That is what keeps me going... That is what helps me keep the faith!
I am sorry furriends if all we do is post health updates, but these two kids, especially Bugsy, are going through a long journey towards health; Gracie due to a long time of neglect, and just now having proper care... Bugsy due to a bad digestive tract that was thrown off with Clavamox and for some odd reason he just can't seem to get back on tract.
We will get there for both of them though, I have faith we will!
Thanks for all the purrs, prayers, and good wishes furriends, have a wonderful, Healthy Monday!

Hello Furriends, Hope here!
It's been a long time furriends! With all the health problems with Bugsy and Gracie, sometimes I feel sister Lucky and I are a bit in the background around here... So, today I decided to take over the compooter to give their health updates and also leave you with a picture of me, so you don't forget who I am!
Here are the updates, let's start with Gracie:
Meowmy got the results for the T-4 tests we ran Saturday...
She always thought she was way over-medicated - Her old vet, who we left and never looked back, put her on 3 (THREE!!!!!) Methimazole pills a day; at the time she was just 7lbs!
Because she was steadily gaining weight, which she needed, and doing well, and also because meowmy was pretty kinda broke with all Bugsy's issues and her surgery, she waited until this past weekend to have the test done - of course she had discussed with the new vet waiting and as long as she was eating and doing well, the V-E-T thought it would be ok to wait.
This week however, her appetite started slowing down, which is completely out of the ordinary for her. She went from being a great eater to being finicky even with Fancy feast. When looking at the side effects of Methimazole, one of the first ones is Lack of Appetite - Bingo. Her mouth has been checked, so it is not it. She doesn't have diarrhea... She is not stressed, or lethargic... Her thyroid numbers, below, can shed a light:
T-4 NG/DL Range 0.7 - 2.6 Gracie: 0.3
Free T-4 TMOL/L Range 9.0 - 33.5 Gracie: 3.9
T-4 Overall Range 0.8 - 4.7 Gracie: 0.8
Below, on the back, there was a note that said something along the lines of "Numbers below the range in cats almost always represent over-medication".
The V-E-T called meowmy and told her to immediately lower her medication to 2 pills a day, one in the morning and one at night, and that her appetite should increase in a few days time. Since she is not eating well, we should take her to the V-E-T for an appetite stimulant on Friday too... She will also have her blood stolen for another test in two weeks to see if her medication needs more adjusting.

Now onto Bugsy:
Bugsy felt nauseated last night furriends, I thought he was going to throw up all over the bed! Luckily he didn't, Yuck! The V-E-T called for a follow up and told us with this news and the results of the blood test, it is time to wean him off of the Sulfasalazine. So, from Wednesday through Saturday he will take 1/2 dosage, Sunday he has a day off, and Monday if he still has the runs he starts the new Steroid Treatment.
Then in a couple or few weeks he goes back to the V-E-T for more testing.
Whew! Thank Goodness at least Sister Lucky and I are healthy furriends, I tell ya, if just dictating the updates makes me tired, imagine taking care of those two high maintenance babies! (Meowmy says shosh Hope they are your brother and sister!)
Have a wonderful Thursday Furriends!

Hi Furriends, Meowmy here -
Gracie went for her post-op check up Saturday and she is doing GREAT! So Great in fact that she won't need a second surgery! She had such fantastic results from her first surgery, and her mouth is doing wonderful - for now that's all she needs! They said it is always a potential problem, and she might need to have a second surgery in the future, but for now she is a-ok!
We also re-tested her T-4 values as we (both I and the new vet) think she is grossly over-medicated - she takes 3 methimazole pills a day! The results are in, but I am waiting for a call from the vet to discuss. I will post as soon as I know.

Bugsy on the other hand... We went for a liver and kidney panel on Friday as Sufasalazine, his current medication, can affect the liver. Well... The results are not too good - he will have to be pulled from the medication this week in a few days. On his previous test his ALT was 165 of a high normal of 132. This time his Alt was 207 with a high normal of 100 (different labs).
His vet wants me to pay very close attention to his appetite and call him Wednesday - until then he will be taking it. All the other enzymes and kidney values are normal. He is stopping on Wednesday/Thusday because that's when we end his food transition... He wants to keep him on it until then.
Next step will be a newer Steroid, called Budesonide. He said it has much less side effects than pred and other more common corticosteroids, and it is very good; not really used as a first choice due to cost; it is very expensive. Oh well... I am just crushed right now... Just crushed...
We will keep checking his liver values often and if it doesn't go down we will do an ultrasound to see what's going on...
Please send my boy some purr and vibes... And if you can send me some too, I would appreciate it... My heart is on the floor right now, I am just so so sad... I have been going through this for 104 days, and it is just killing me... I just don't know where to get strength from to keep the hope up sometimes... Sorry to be a downer... Today was a sad day for me... I just want this to be over and my boy to be ok... :(
Thank you for listening friends!

Hello Furriends, Lucky here!
Sorry it's taken so long to update the bloggie, but meowmy was away on a business trip and the lack of opposed thumbs makes it quite complicated for us to type... She is back now and ready to have our thoughts dictated to her. Auntie Kelly was here to take care of us while she was away and we had a great time - she loves us and we love her too; time goes by fast when you are having fun!
Here is what is going on with brother Bugsy and sister Gracie: Brother Bugsy is still having the runs, so the V-E-T changed his medication for Sulfasalazine. He will be on it for 10 days and if he doesn't get better he will go to a specialist to see what else can be done... He took many different medications already and at this point one solution being considered is that he might need to go into a special diet which makes things complicated since he is already on Z/D and he is also allergic to chicken; another complication is that sister Hope can only have Z/D or else she has BIG problems! We might need to be put on what mom calls a feeding schedule; doesn't sound too fun for me, but we will see... We all hope this new medication works and he doesn't need a food change.
Sister Gracie had a fantastic recover from her first surgery. She took her last antibiotic shot on Tuesday, and is eating like a champ! She is also grooming again and is in great spirits! She can't have a follow up visit until later in the month since the opening was not sutured for the infection to drain, and if they mess with her mouth it can split open again. She still can not eat dry food for the same reasons, but she loves her stinky goodness, so she is a happy camper! Her second surgery should be in the beginning of February -  this one will be a bigger surgery with a longer recovery, but taking from how well she did on this first one, we have high hopes for her!
Well furriends, I will go cuddle with meowmy now... We have been missing having her around... Thank you for visiting and for all the prayers, purrs thoughts and kind words!
Hugs,
Lucky ~