decisions to be made........

[The FlyerFly]

hi everyone.

i just wanted to give you all an update on our Alex. things are getting very difficult, and i am becoming heartbroken. i can barely see my monitor right now through the tears. Alex seems to be depressed, and is showing that he may be tired of the struggle.

his specialized litter box has made things very easy for Alex to get to the bathroom...perhaps too easy. while he does well getting in and out, he doesnt seem to be able to manage his activities and movements well at all when he is unsupervised. even with help, things can be very difficult because of the bowing of his legs. they curl back to an almost 180 degree arc from his hind end, and too often get in the way of his waste.

being unsupervised is the main problem though. both my wife and i work, and we are forced to leave him alone in the house for up to 10 hours a day, and in that time he ventures to the litter box at sometime or another. we have had to wash him 3 times in the last 3 days, and numerous times in the last 2 weeks prior. he is visibly upset when he has a mishap in the litter box, and gets even more down in the dumps after being washed up. he often will sulk under the couch for most of the day, only coming out when hunger urges him to.

he is obviously depressed, and we are powerless to do much to prevent it. the only remianing option i can think of is to try to schedule his litter box trips. getting him on a schedule may be of help, but im not sure how much i can rely on him being unable to use the litter box for 10 hour stretches daily, and to hold his urge to relieve himself. Besides all this, we also recently discovered that he still has roundworms, and that the 15 or so total doses of various dewormers hes had over the last 9 months havent cleared him. i cant imgine what that has done to him internally. and i have to believe that he has some pain because of his misshapen legs and wrists.

has anyone else had luck getting a handicapped cat on this kind of bathroom schedule? any training tips? does anyone have suggestions on routes to persue for Alex's well-being? honestly, if we are unable to get him to adhere to a set schedule, im afraid we are going to be left with no other option than the last option. we cant continue to allow him to become more and more depressed because of his bathroom problem. and hes been through such an incredible ordeal in his short life, that we want to make sure that he can live happily. he wont have even that much if this last effort fails.

this is really agonizing because he is still showing my wife and i so much love. he kisses and cuddles, but he is not playing much at all. his attitude is not nearly as upbeat as weve always seen.

along with all the heartache, im also finding myself angry. im angry because this little bundle of unconditional love deserved better than what he got. out of all the health problems and difficulties, why couldnt he at least be left with the ability to walk? its so incredibly unfair. at laest if he had the ablity to walk, the litter box wouldnt be such a chore, and he would probably be fine emotionally. ive seen cats who are perfectly healthy not make half the effort to get to the litter box that Alex does. but this is his reward? why? i cant stand it. he was given a heart of gold and a body of broken glass, so to speak. and its not right.

i certainly hope that you wonderful people have some ideas on where to go next, because im almost out. and Alex is depending on me. you have all been so wonderful to me over the last few months, and i need to lean on you again. my wife and i are broken-hearted and feel that we have nowhere else to turn. our baby's quality of life is dwindling away.

thank you all so much for all your help before, and all you may be able to offer now. in desperate times like this, its nice to know we can turn to people like you. God bless you all.....

:'(


The FlyerFly

[RichB]

Hang in there FireFly, all you can do is your best. Some things are out of our control.
Your emotions and reactions are normal for such a situation.
All I can offer you is my support and I commend you for caring for this great cat so well!
Take care-
Rich

[critters]

Hmm. Gee, that's awful, after all that. I'm assuming poop is the problem, and it probably would be, even if you put pee pads and the like in his box. Have you tried diapers? But, again, he'd still get poop in his hair. Would butt wipes help prevent a few baths? Could you put him in daycare during the day, so maybe somebody could help him before he wallowed in it too much?

I'm sure Bendy will be by, but I'll ask Alisa and Jan, as well.

Good luck. :*(

[CarolC]

Will write mid-morning.

[Bendy Kitty]

but we didn't want to mention it because it IS extreme.

Have you thougth about having his hind legs removed?
They are clearly just getting in the way now, and causing problems. They aren't useful as legs.

If he didn't have hind legs, he might be able to pull himself along with his front legs, or maybe some kind of cart that would just sit under his hind end and make it easier to roll along?

Believe me, we understand the heartache. When 'Gumie was clearly going downhill we searched everywhere for alternatives for our sweet little guy. as you said, a heart of a gold.

I imagine the surgery would not be cheap, either. I don't konw what arrangements you have with your vet, if you could pay in stages.

I do think that it woudl improve his quality of life, tho.

many many mega purrrrrrs to you and Alex.

Bendy Kitty

[Judy]

If you go to Bendy's web site she had splints on that as I understand enabled her to walk a bit?? Bendy can tell you more.Would either of you be able to take her to work on occasion or maybe a responsible young person that could pop in for a few minutes. Hang in there.

[CarolC]

First, let's start out by being thankful that he can move his bowels.

You are not dealing with megacolon. You are dealing with a hygiene problem. This is not to minimize the problem, but still there is that to be grateful for. Right?

I have a bunch of ideas--maybe one will give you some thoughts on a way to go. My first dog got hip displasia and couldn't get to his feet without help. I gave him Rimadyl for it. After 6 months the Rimadyl did something to the lining of his GI tract so he was getting diarrhea (really umpleasant stuff, too--yech!) all the time. When I asked the vet the first time, they didn't suggest it was the Rimadyl--this was when it was a new product and I don't think they'd had a lot of clients using it. It wasn't until I asked another vet later that I learned the medicine was probably causing the problem, but by then I had already had a dog who could not get up and was having diarrhea for a couple of months. The worst of it was, he would have diarrhea and try to get up to pull himself *away* from it, but instead he would push himself back into the puddle every time. I would come home at lunch, with only half an hour before I had to go back to work, and he'd be a mess and I'd have to bathe him. He weighed 37 lbs. and I'm skinny. He had long beautiful hair. He had to be blow-dried. Of course he did not like being a mess. BEEN THERE, DONE THAT! OK. So finally I took him off the Rimadyl. As time went on (it did take time), his stomach lining improved. I asked the vet and they suggested that Science Diet W/D would give him a good stool. It did. Made all the difference in the world. His "doodles" didn't smell bad, they were well formed, and if he pushed himself backward for some reason when he had doodled in his bed, they would basically roll away. So IDEA NUMBER ONE: See if you can improve the quality of his stools. Then if he drags his fur across them, you'll have a no clean-up or a simple moist-washcloth wipe-down when you get home. I'm not saying Science Diet necessarily, but you'll find something that will give you excellent stool quality if you try a few brands. As your vet. IDEA NUMBER TWO: Give me the name of the roundworm medicine he has taken repeatedly. I have a book on veterinary medications and I will look it up and copy the information into a message for you. If it says anything about effects on the GI tract, then you will know for sure instead of wondering. Or ask your vet if s/he knows. I'd rather look it up in the book just to be sure. IDEA NUMBER THREE: Do a little judicious temporary shaving in key areas of his hindquarters so clean-up is easier. As his stools improve, the fur will grow back--he's an admirably handsome cat. IDEA NUMBER FOUR: Do not rule out the possibility that he may have a problem totally unrelated to his disability. He's a cat, after all! There's no reason why he couldn't have some other run-of-the-mill garden variety intestinal upset, viral or parasitic. Shoot, he could have even picked it up during one of his vet visits! I had a cat who had AIDS and got diarrheal infections easily. We used a product called FLAGYL which cleared it up every time. You might ask if you could try Flagyl. IDEA NUMBER FOUR: As your vet if they can provide a product similar to Kaopectate to firm up his stools in the short term. I've had it for one of my animals but I can't remember if it was a cat or a dog. IDEA NUMBER FIVE: I'm not sure where you live (Philadelphia maybe?) but consider moving when your lease is up so that one of you can go home at lunch. I live in a city of over a million, but I am 12 minutes from work. If I get transferred across the city I will have to move, and I'm a homeowner. I do not feel you can have pets and be unable to go home for lunch, because in my experience I have had one or another animal on medication often enough, and you need to be able to dose them at lunch--it's a fact of life of being a pet person. In your case, you don't have Alex on medication but you'd feel better if you could check up on him. I have already moved once in order to get a house without steps for a dog. IDEA NUMBER SIX: I'm sorry--this may not be your style and that's fine--but at this point I would seriously consider going in and telling your vet in No Uncertain Terms that you do not want to ****LOSE**** this cat because state-of-the-art modern veterinary medicine could not cure a "simple" case of roundworms (insert expletive here)!!!! (Leading to messy stools, messy cat, depressed cat, depressed household, and a long-term final solution to what SHOULD be a short-term problem!)

FF, whatever's going on with Alex, you may have to try a few things, but once you arrive at the key, you'll have the tools to handle it every time from now on. It may be Flagyl, it may be Kaopectate, it may be diet, it may be something else you figure out. In the meantime...hang in there. You've made such good decisions for him all along.

Other little ideas while working on this problem are...hmmmm....I guess wash him in the funnest way possible? Don't let him know the mess bothers you? Tell him how handsome he is when he's cleaned up? Assure him you'll never throw your baby out with the bathwater? And you know he didn't do it on purpose. And it's going to get better. Sympathy communicates very well with cats. You're doing so well with him--keep up the good work!

[Alisa G]

I was going to say-what about a cart but animals aren't supposed to be left in them unsupervised. As far as the diapers go--what about Bendy's suspender idea for the diapers?
Sorry-- I missed what are all of his health issues?

Trixie the handicat

[The FlyerFly]

that does seem a bit extreme, and im not sure if i would be willing to put him through so much. his legs arent much of a hindrance, except in the potty. that seems like so much pain and recovery that im not comfortable with putting him through that much. like ive said, i want to be careful what i put him through, because hes already had so much happen to him.

if we can establish times when we are available to help him, that should be enough to get him over this hump.


The FlyerFly

[The FlyerFly]

actually splints were considered when Alex was a tiny kitten yet, but its not possible now. he cant even get his feet under him due to the shape and curvature of his bones. his joints arent built properly, and his kneecaps are actually on the sides of his legs. walking is unfortunately a physical impossibility.

and work is not an option because we both work in a factory doing semi-management work. safety regulations are so strict that they are forced to treat everyone as if they are 5 year olds, so letting an animal in is out of the question.

The FlyerFly

[Bendy Kitty]

kaopectate changed their formula and is no longer safe for cats!
you can get "pet pectate" from www.revivalanimal.com or other similar sites (kvvet.com valleyvet.com etc) your vet can also give you something similar.

bendy

[The FlyerFly]

well, i up by 4:30am, and out the door by 5:30am. this morning in that time frame, i gave him two chances to relieve himself, and he seems to understand that he should do what he can while hes there. he peed a little both times, so im confident that he is starting the day with an empty bladder.

ive heard alot of talk around here about expressing the bladder. what exactly is involved? i dont see us having to go that route just yet, and i dont really anticipate Alex becoming incontinent. but i thought id ask just in case thats something i have to consider in the future.


The FlyerFly

[Bendy Kitty]

before you go to work?
then at least he'd be starting the day with an empty bladder.

don't know why i didn't think of that before!

bendy

[The FlyerFly]

a thousand thanks for the advice, but unfortunately, i think you had the wrong idea.

the main portion of his problem isnt his bowels...its urine. his stool his fine, for the most part. i think the persistent worms occasionally give him some stomach and intestinal irratation, but nothing that is ever a major ordeal. when he has a bowel movement, he does ok to keep himself away most of the time. and the rare mishap only results in a quick wipe. i little smear of poop hasnt and doesnt really bother me much, especially since Alex is so mindful of it.

my apologies for my lack of detail in my first post. i should have been more specific. but Alex's problems mostly have to do with urinating on himself. his legs get right in the way almost every time, and they are starting to knuckle from the lack of use. they curve down and out away from his butt, and his ankles and feet are usually in the way of his urine stream. he is getting better with staying sitting up while in the box, but the angle is still touch and go, so to speak. when he is supervised, my wife or i am able to help by moving his legs out of the way, and by building up the litter into a little mound behind his butt to pee into, so it doesnt go any further. but his accidents with his urinating become a problem because the smell is so much harder to remove. as i said, Alex becomes visibly upset with himself, and feels that hes done something wrong. thats whats causing the depression, along with having to go through a washing every time this happens.

as far as the deworming meds, he has had Drontil the most often. he has also had Droncit and Strongit at other times. we are probably going to request some more Droncit at his vet visit tomorrow, because we have heard numerous times that Droncit has a great success rate in situations like Alex's. we only gave him one regimen of Droncit in the past, and it may have taken more than that right from the start.

as far as moving, that is just not possible. im only a 20 minute drive away from work, but i only get 3 fifteen minute breaks. and being in a semi-management position, i often dont get any break at all. it all depends on the workload and the demand at the time. its a casualty of my job that i cannot change. however, i do have enough freedom to be able to leave work for an hour or so if need be. in fact, since this was Alex's first day as we try to establish a litter box schedule for him, i took a little time to come home and make sure things were ok.

also, i am a homeowner, but i live in central PA, well away from the cities. my wife and i are working hard toward being able to have children in the near future, and we are both in our late 20's. moving and buying another home would delay that goal for god knows how long. i honestly think its commendable to move for the sake of your pet, but i am unable to do that.

my deperate feelings really came through in my first post, but now that ive had the chance to sleep on it, and Alex has succeeded with his first day on his schedule, i feel a bit better. i guess the thought that we were on our last option for improving his quality of life was a scary one.

if you do have any suggestions where it relates to his urination issues, please dont hesitate. i cant really consider diapers, because he drags himself around and would pull them right off in the process. i also want to keep in mind, that its not about whether or not i want him here, its about whether or not he wants to keep fighting. suffering to me is not limited to physical pain. it can be a deep depression brought on by the anxiety of his difficult situation. hes so young, but has already endured a lifetime of discomfort. he has in fact rebounded incredibly well, but i have to know that he wants to keep fighting. he absolutely didnt look like he wanted to last night, and that broke my heart. but his spirits and attitude were better toward the end of the night.

perhaps he will adapt and continue to live a happy life. it just really didnt look that way 24 hours ago.


The FlyerFly

[Bendy Kitty]

you are fortunate that Alex is a co-operative kitty.
expressing is tricky the first few times, but gets much easier.
Mom expresses mimosa twice a day even tho she is not incontinent. She has trouble getting in and out of a litter box, so at about the same time each day, mom picks her up & expresses her over the box.

You put your hand just below thier ribcage and squeeze, moving down towards the hips. YOu can usually feel the bladder as a hard roundish lump. the bladder is slippery and can get out of your grasp easily. For months Mimosa knew just when to wiggle to make us loose her bladder.

When the bladder is against the hips - and so doesn't have anywhere to escape to - you squeeze the urine out.

it does sound like you have a good routine with Alex!

bendy kitty