Happy Cat Family

Hi Furriends, Bugsy here!
As you can see on the video below, I have trained meowmy well!
See, I am hairy.... REALLY hairy... And I get annoyed/distracted all the time cleaning my mane, almost to an obsessive degree... What happens is that I get tired of eating after a while, so much cleaning I have to do.
So, meowmy lets me eat from my plate as much as I will have on my own, then she will spoon feed me the rest....
Guys, I promise, she is not crazy... Or is she? It is just that I get some of my meds in my wet food, so meowmy needs to make sure I eat every bit of it... Plus after my UTI, the more stinky goodness the better!
Thanks for being here with me all the step of the way furriends!

Hello Furriends,
Meowmy here!
Ok, so the results are finally back back from the lab, and they are great!
Soooo....
IBS is either non existing or too mild and he doesn't require steroids...
B-12 levels normal;
No pancreatitis;
Folates are high, indicating the culprit: Clavamox killed the microflora in his gut, which caused an overgrowth of bad bacteria resulting on inflammation from which he is having a hard time recouping.
Treatment: Metronidazole to reduce inflammation, fiber to build bulk and slow down his intestinal tract, and probiotics to rebuild his intestinal flora. Basically, just continue with what we are already doing!

                              **NOTHING SERIOUS, THANK GOD!!!**

On the fecal exam, no giardia, no T.Foetus, no parasites...
Darn clavamox!!  I am sooooooo relieved!!!!!!
Now it is just a matter of time and patience, but my boy is going to be just fine YEY!!!!!!!
I was literally shaking for about half an hour after I hung up the phone with the vet... My heart was pounding, I just couldn't contain myself... I have been so worried for so long... Receiving these news was simply the best thing that could ever happen...
I know it can take a while for his body to come back to normal, but now at least I know he is going to be OK... I know he is going to be OK! HE IS GOING TO BE OK!

Hi Furriends,
Bugsy here!
I finally took the laptop from meowmy to write to you furriends - I missed writing on our bloggie!
Thank you for all the prayers and good thoughts - it really helps for sure!
First the most important update of them all: My bottom is much better, thank you very much! Yes, I still have diarrhea... 60 days of diarrhea, to be precise, but meowmy got a powder to put on my bum-bum that is just awesome, so I no longer have bottom problems! Whew, at least that furriends!
Now onto the technical stuff:
I wish I had more news... But the comprehensive blood test that is testing me for B-12 Levels, IBD, folate levels and Pacreatitis is late and did not come back this week as it was supposed to...
Meowmy had another conversation with the V-E-T, and here is where we are: Yesterday was Day 4 of Metronidazole, and I still have diarrhea, which meowmy thought was strange. Per the V-E-T, it is still early to judge, as this time is the first time I am not taking centrine or amforol with it - my bowels are very inflamed, and it can take a little longer, not to be too concerned with this timeframe. You guys don't know, but Tylan did nothing for me, so the V-E-T stopped that and put me back on 14 days of Metronidazole...
My CBC came back normal except for my calcium levels that came 1 point elevated. He said not too worrisome as if it was lymphoma it would be MUCH higher. My numbers are in line with bowels inflammation.
Meowmy is really gross furriends! Can you believe I caught her messing with my poop and a stick, on the top of a plate? Ewww! She said she was collecting a sample to take to the V-E-T (I think that was really all part of an obscure ritual, but we will never know... Humans are just weird)! Ewwww! Anyway, she dropped it off this morning... The lab will test my fecal sample for the regular parasites, Giardia, and try to test for T. Foetus as well. She asked him if he thought we should go ahead and do a PCR test for T. Foetus, and he said to try this first, as in a lot of cases this lab is able to catch both Protozoa and we might be able to save the expense this way. He has had good results with them. He wants to see the blood test first before moving into the PCR for T Foetus as the next step - he really feels the answer will be in the blood.
I am taking a very strong Probiotic now called Proviable-DC.
Aside from that, the instructions is to continue all as is - Hills Z/D, 1 capsule of Psyllium Husk a day added on my wet food, and at least 9 more days of Metronidazole (yuck). Depending of my blood test results, medications will be added accordingly, or more tests will be ordered.
I continue to do well aside from the diarrhea - my appetite is great, no more weight loss, my mood and behavior are completely normal, coat, skin, everything is a-ok.
I hope this test comes back first thing Monday morning, as meowmy is about to go nuts here!
Anyway furriends, sorry for all the technical talking... Meowmy told me to tell you all everything very carefully... and you know... I tried my best to talk human... I like my simpler cat language better!
Thanks for all the prayers again furriends! Please keep praying... I am tired of all the medication, of a sore bum, and of a tummy-ache... Two months of diarrhea is no fun!

Hi, Meowmy here...
So, after 15 days of unsuccessful Tylan, and almost 60 days of chronic daily diarrhea, Bugsy went back to the vet today.
Anyways, here is where we are today:
The vet discontinued Tylan and he is now back on Metronidazole for 2 weeks. Tylan just didn't do anything for him.
Bugsy lost one pound this last month - while it is not a huge weight loss, it can mean something else is wrong... Two different blood tests will be run - one, which I get tomorrow, is a full blood panel, plus electrolytes.
The other one, which I get Thursday or Friday, is a PLI, Cobalamin, and will also test for Folates - aiming to catch early stages of pancreatitis, Confirm IBD, Folate deficiency, etc. A comprehensive fecal will also be done testing for Tritrichonoma and giardia.
The vet said since his appetite is good, he is acting normal, and everything else is normal as well, there is no reason to be very worried at this point... If he was lethargic, losing massive amounts of weight and not eating, then he would be concerned about lymphoma and would order a biopsy immediately (he said this is the only case he will order one, or if the tests indicate anything that is related to lymphoma).
He said that the weight loss might be due to nutrient mal-absorption, and the diarrhea too (folate or B-12).
Also, it might be the beginning of hyperthyroidism, but since he is so young, the chances are slim. A symptom of it is, however, chronic diarrhea.
In any case, we should know more with the blood tests... hopefully
I just pray my baby gets well soon... I am so very worried...
Thank you for your continuous thoughts and prayers...

Hi, Meowmy here -
Hi Friends, thank you so much for all the purrs and prayers, it really means a lot to us...
So, today was his 6th consecutive day on Tylan, so far no throwing up... The vet said he should be much better in one to two weeks - God, I hope so... I see no significant improvement yet - I guess some, but not too much... don't know if it is wishful thinking... (graphic description ahead) His poop went from completely liquid, explosive diarrhea (once a day) to the consistency of soft pudding, also once a day. No where close to be formed yet... I guess I'll wait to day 10 and call the vet again for his thoughts depending on how he is.
His belly feels a little softer, so I guess it is good news...
His appetite was low for a little while and he lost some weight, but then I can also attribute the weight loss to removing the high calorie food from his diet (EVO/Origen, removed since his UTI). I guess I should say he actually lost some considerable weight, which worried me yesterday when I weighed him. On his consult on the 8th he weighed 18lbs, yesterday he weighed 16.7lbs. That is over a pound in a little over 2 weeks; not healthy for an overweight cat. There are several things that come to mind - a different scale can be one - the vet scale versus mine at home; loss of fluids is another consideration... I don't think he is eating so little fo me to be worried... He is eating his two wet meals, and is still eating his dry food - thankfully, these last two days his appetite seems to be perking up - I have been watching him very closely...
I hope this works... It sure is slower than Metronidazole.... But then again, if I can keep him on it long term with no side effects, and it can take care of the problem, it will be a much better medication in the end.
He does seem to be more alert and have more spunk to him, yesterday and today he has been getting into everything around the house, probably a sign that he feels better... He has had diarrhea for so long, that it is hard to see the little changes on behavior - his behavior had sort of become "normal" to me. He was not lethargic or anything, but this last two days he has had extra energy, and It has definitely been noticeable...
I am just taking it day by day... I have a calendar on my fridge that I mark off the days he takes the meds and how he is doing - I do this every month so I can keep track of him for vet visit's purposes... Every check mark that he doesn't throw up is a victory... That is how I am taking it right now... One check mark at a time...

Hi, Meowmy here...

Let me just say it is a fine, complicated balance to keep Bugsy's health in check... Lately, taking care of him has been keeping me on my toes :(
He was taken into the ER 2am Oct 10th for a very bad bladder inflammation - my baby boy was covered in blood, couldn't pee; it was really really scary... He was then put on a 7-day course of Clavamox and painkillers for a couple of days.

Since the day he started Clavamox, he also started having diarrhea....... and it never stopped. . I spoke to his vet and he wanted to put him immediately on metro and Amforol, I decided to hold it off since he had just been on antibiotics, and he said it would be ok to go on without medication, as long as he was ok otherwise (which he was) - all he would have was a sore bottom.
His bum-bum got so bad it was raw... I mean really raw... Poor baby would cry going potty

On Monday November the 8th I took him in to a new vet (unhappy with old vet, and the vet I really like, also his dentist, was temporarily closed until about now). He was given a shot of Centrine, put on a course of 5 days of Metro, and given Centrine pills to be used as needed.

Except for that Wednesday, when he had one episode of soft poop, he was good the whole week........ until the following Saturday.... when he had bad diarrhea again

I called the vet and we spoke in length about the possibilities...
He thinks this is really an IBD flare and we can try 3 different things. 1- Metro long term, 2x a day, eventually slowly taking him off of it... 2-Another similar antibiotic, with anti-inflammatory properties, given once a day (called Tylan), also long term, also tapering him off slowly after a while... or 3-prednisolone.
Given the fact that he already takes daily medication for stomatitis, on his opinion options 1 and 2 would have the least amount of risks and side effects if used long term. I chose option #2, as it has the lowest side effects, and it has to be given only once a day.

He said he expected him to be much better in a week or two, and if not we will have to go in for blood work. If something shows, x-rays and ultrasound.

Besides the diarrhea, Bugsy does not have a fever, is eating well, drinking, playing, and being completely his normal self. His bottom is back to normal too, thanks to Neo-predef and to mom' daily cleaning with cotton and warm water

Prior to this his IBD was always under control with diet and his LPS medication, which has an immune-mediator, probiotics and anti-inflammatory in it.

I am at a complete loss of what is going on... This never happened for this long...

On a good note my other vet is reopening, and now there are two excellent hands to take care of him...

It is now the 24th, which means he has had diarrhea for the last 43 days or so :(. I had to suspend giving Tylan for a few days last week as he started throwing up on it. Three days he took it, 2 he threw up. The vet thinks it is not because of Tylan, but Bugsy never ever throws up with anything, even taking meds daily, so I am pretty sure it is the medicine - he is my "lovely lemon kitty", and if there is a 1% chance of a side effect, well... you can bet he will have it.
So, effectively, he has been on it for only the last three days... I pray that he doesn't start throwing up again... I am doing my best to make sure he eats a meal before giving him the meds, but it is not always possible...
I really, really hope this works, because if it doesn't it seems we will be entering a wild ride here with blood tests, ultrasounds, and perhaps a biopsy.

If you could please spare some vibes and prayers for my boy... I would really appreciate... I love him more than words can explain... I just want him to be alright... I love him with all my heart and then some...

Hi Furriends, Bugsy Here!
Now it is for Real! The gate is finally down, Gracie is in the house!
Today marks the 4th day of Gracie coming down to explore the house and meowmy finally feels secure enough to let her out for good...
Days one and two she came out for only about 10 minutes each time, and the reaction was pretty much what you saw on the video.
Day three, yesterday, the gate was down for about 3-4 hours. She came out a couple of times, explored the house, hissed a few times and went back to the bathroom on her own.
Today the gate was down the whole day. She came out a few times, but this time she hung out in the living room for a while. She did hiss a few times, but also laid down in there with all of us for about 30 minutes just relaxing "watching TV"... She did this twice! All of us kitties were in the room, everybody relaxed, just laying in there... We were not playing or running around, but didn't flee the room either. She did hiss at us a few times whenever one of us approached her, but there were no threats, no claws showing, no movement towards us, no back arching, nothing that would indicate a fight...
After a while she just got up, stretched and went back to her bed in the bathroom, where she is now.
On the health front, she is doing wonderful!
She is gaining weight, meowmy says she can feel much less of her spine bones now! She seems much much happier now and soooo much sweeter! Sometimes meowmy goes in there to give her love and she just meows meows and melts in her hands. It is sad to realize that she might never had this kind of love and care before :(
Even though she came infested, covered with fleas, there are no fleas to be found on her now - she must be feeling much much better without those pesters on her too!
Anyway, just wanted to update you all! It seems we are on track here... Wish us good luck!

Hi furriends, Lucky here!
After 10 days in the bathroom, meowmy thought Gracie was ready to explore the house and meet us face to face.... WRONG! It was a hiss fest!
We are all doing better with her here, but furriends, we got to admit, we like her better in the bathroom, thank you very much!
Meowmy even put some stinky stuff under our chins to make things easier - some cake baking stuff called vanilla or something like that... She sprayed the house with Feliway.......... and out Gracie comes... to OUR house!
The whole thing lasted about 5-10 minutes or so and luckily Gracie seems to have some common sense (apparently unlike meowmy); she went back to the bathroom on her own...
Meowmy says she is going to take it slowly... let her out a little everyday.... Thank goodness!
You know, Gracie can be a sweet thing, but gee, her hiss is reeeeaaaalllyy scary!
The video of her first explorations is below -
Happy Friday furriends!

Hi Furriends!
Lucky here to report TROUBLE! I am the one posting today, since I am the only one who can seem to be able to say anything nice about this situation.
This little "lady" below (meowmy calls sweetie), is Gracie... She has moved into our bathroom last Monday, and has been there ever since.
See, her old meowmy can no longer take care of her due to Alzheimers and Gracie was doing very poorly outside... Gracie has lived in our building for the last 12 years (she is 12) as an inside/outside kitty, but she has been outside lately without her much needed thyroid medication.... Apparently our meowmy got softy and couldn't see Gracie doing badly any longer... So.... Long story short, here she is, in our bathroom since Monday.
Meowmy says that aside from the thyroid, she is doing fine... She is just very very thin... She lost 1.8lbs since April, last time she took her meds.
She also came in covered with fleas (ok, THAT is not cool), so Meowmy took her today to the groomers!
Let me tell you one thing furriends, I don't know how the groomers survived... This girl is MEAN! She hisses like no kitty - she sounds like a LIONESS! HHHHIIIIISSSSS! Even meowmy is afraid of her - you can believe it furriends, it is true!
She hisses hisses hisses.... Very scary.... I hope we all survive this thing called introduction...
Anyways, here is the lean mean eating Gracie machine! :)
<edit by Meowmy> Gracie is a sweetheart with me, lets me pet her, and everything... She is sure appreciating love, plenty of food, a warm bed, her meds, and the safety of a home... She doesn't seem depressed at all - I was very afraid of that, since she seemed to love outside so much. She is hissing less and less, but still hisses when I touch her in the wrong places, or try to put her in the carrier - or when I am with her and she sees the kitties. Like Lucky described, her hiss is scary, super scary actually :) something I have never seen before, specially considering she is tiny - but she doesn't show claws or anything like that. She gets her point across though, LOL. I am taking the introduction very slowly and will let her out of the bathroom only when she is comfortable with the kitties, as I don't want her to be stressed out and I want this to work - I want her to be happy here... I want her to have a pampered, sheltered and happy life forever and ever... She is a special little lady!

Hi furriends, Lucky here!
So, is this the look of tiredness or boredom? If you guessed boredom, you guessed right furriends... It is just that meowmy has been working so so much for the last few days that we kitties feel a little left out ("little" is really an understatement furriends)... We know she has to work to buy our stinky goodness, pay our vet bills (well, mostly Bugsy's and Hope's, I gotta say), buy our toys, and do all the things she does to spoil us, but sometimes we just miss her, you know? At least she works at home, but sometimes it feels like she is many many miles away...
Well... Hope things slow down bit so she can cuddle and play a little more with us everyday!
Happy Tuesday Furriends!