I'm new and need info & advice

[Toni]

Thank you for taking Whiskers into your home and heart.
The x-rays should give you a much better idea of what Whiskers might be dealing with.

While Whiskers is unable to get up and potty elsewhere, might I recommendsome of the "fake" sheepskin bedding with an absorband potty pad , or such , underneath. The artificial sheepskin is very good at wicking away moisture and will help keep Whiskers dryer and less chance of urine scald.

Many possibilities have already been listed. Another might be a middle ear infection...I had an adult cat that suddenly appeared paralyzed. ..laid on her side...couldn't sit up, etc. Had good appetite and all. She was almost rigid with her front legs, back legs would paddle. I was concened about rabies or tetanus as possibilities...ended up being a middle ear infection that a long term dose of antibiotics and some ear drops cleared up.

Also years ago had a kitten that was dropped. Was paralyzed somewhat like the kitten you have. Couldn't get up, etc. Had to hand feed because she couldn't even control her head enough to get to the dish if she was supported. With some steriod treatment (Steroids are often used to minimize swelling after trauma. This can reduce long term damage if done soon enough(it was done immediately after we found she'd been dropped (she was at our rescue facility and a small child was holding her and dropped her)). She improved slowly over several weeks. She is now 11 years old. the only left overs from her paralysis are a slight drooping of one side of her face and an eyelid that doesn't quite work right. (Actually makes her very cute..we call her Binky)

Also had another kitten that fell out of a cat tree and didn't get steroid treatment until at least 12 hours after the injury...he ended up being deaf in the long run with a little wobble to his head from a slight "balance" issue (hence the name "Wobbles" )but also got over the paralysis and lived a very normal life otherwise.

With both of them it was time and TLC. Hand feeding, a little range of motion therapy every day. Assisting in learning to walk again, etc. Please keep us informed how the little guy does.

[MissWhiskers]

Mari,
Whiskers can pee & poop fine - he just can't stand up to do it. So while there have been a few times when I was there to hold him up - if I'm at work or elsewhere he just has to go where he' s lying and when I come back I clean him up. It sounds like I should be glad that I don't have to express his bladder.
You have given me so many good tips - I'm starting to feel almost confident! Just a couple of days ago I was fearful and wondering, "What have I got myself into?!"
I thank you all!
He really is precious. I did take his picture but haven't developed it yet and I will have to get someone, like my mother, maybe to put it in the computer. He is a silvery tabby striped kitty who looks like he will be kind of medium haired.
He can stretch and he can roll from one side to the other. Unfortunately I don;t have to worry about himgoing anywhere, He is always right where I left him. If he is on a bed or table I would have to be sure he doesn't roll off.
I was giving him KMR, but his stool became soft and a little runny so I backed off. I've been feeding him Iams Dry Kitten food and some canned food. He has strong little teeth.
Just tonight I did get him drinking out of small bowl of water, which was a relief.
And Thank you Carol for the link to "Speedy" - it was fascinating!
Karen

[CarolC]

You know, when I first got my paralyzed dog, after her surgery and crate rest, I wanted to play with her but I didn't know how. I posted a message here "Games to Play With a Paralyzed Dog" and people gave me ideas.

I wonder if there are games you can play with a paralyzed kitten? I have a kitten right now (rescued from where I work) and he is nuts about playing. I'll bet your kitten would be, too. Maybe Mari/Debbie/Toni/Critters/Bendy and anyone else who's ever had a paralyzed kitten would have ideas on games.

I'm just thinking of play therapy. Like, maybe it would encourage him to use his front feet if you dangle a string in front of his paws? Or encourage him to track his eyes if you have a laser pointer, stuff like that? In any case, it would be fun.

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

What would I enjuy?
Silliness, happieness, total rediculousness.
What makes you LOL
What makes YOU happy?
That can make your baby happy.

Poor AmbrrNanaDog deals with deafblinds every day.
AmbrrNanDog is rescue from our local municipal with a very HIGH euth rate.

[critters]

Games: bathtub ping pong!! Laser

[MissWhiskers]

Sorry, It takes me awhile to respond, sometimes. I've been working all weekend - am tired. But I just wanted to let everyone know the little guy is doing well. He seems very stable. I plan to take him to a vet Tues. and will let everyone know what I find out.
Thank you to each and every one of you for every little piece of info!
Karen - with Whiskers

[mumpkees]

Pawds crossed that everything will check out fine and the diagnosis is just a case of 'special kittyness'. Whiskers obviously has a wonderful caring and loving mom and with just a few tips and tricks learned here, he'll live a happy and active life.

Looking forward to hearing from you tomorrow. /mari

[CarolC]

Hi Karen,

I will be waiting to hear also. I'm looking forward to your picture when you get the chance.

[MissWhiskers]

Hi, I just got back from the vet's. The Dr. (who I didn't care much for -by the way) recommended starting with x-rays and bloodwork. So that's what we did. I will get his lab results tomorrow. His x-rays were normal.
What I didn't like about the Dr. : Partly her bedside manner - she seemed a little excitable and seemed to be looking at me like the situation was hopeless - before even doing the xray OR getting the results of the bloodwork! She really stressed that she thought he probably had a poor prognosis. And she warned me a couple of times that he could even have rabies. She may have been having a hard time believing how much I DIDN'T know about his background. But that is the truth of the matter. I think she said there were 2 most likely diseases that could cause his situation. One was FIP and the other was Toxi-something(?). She said that even if he was pooping it was still a little backed up in there. Depending on the results of the lab work - she suggested giving him an enema.
Please give me your feedback. I am pretty scared now.

Karen

[Bendy Kitty]

many vets don't konw what to do with special needs animals. Our vet told us "most people aren't like you, they don't want to care for their animals like you do. they aren't willing to do the extra work. That is why we often tell people to put an animal down or that the prognosis is poor."

But now our vet knows just how dedicated we are, and works with us. We have amazed him with some of our cats, he has admitted it. One of teh vets there even asked mom for her 'sick kitty food recipie' since our sick kittens tend to get better at a faster rate than the ones just on meds.

You need to tell the vet, if you haven't already, that you have been talking to people who have cats and other animals with similar conditions and discussing kind of care and kind of life they will have and that you are willing to try and care for her, to do the extra work.

Mom once got so mad at a surgeon that she yelled that at her (the surgeon kept saying ot put the cat down instead of doing pu surgery on an incontinent cat). the surgeon blinked a few times and said "you have?" it never dawned on her that someone might do a little research on their own.

you can learn to express the bladder & bowels to help keep things empty, even if you don't have to express them every day you can learn to feel so you'll know if he is getting backed up and needs help. enemas are messy, but easy to do on your own too. a little warm water usually does a good job. you migh talso think about stool softeners (if his stool is hard) or warm water soaks to help things move along.

and, if you decide you really don't like this vet's style, call other clinics. you coudl ask if they have anyone there who has helped a person care for a special needs cat before.

many many purrrrs and headbonks!

bendy (the first vet who ever saw me said to put me down because of my bent legs)

[Diana R.]

Karen:

I would consider going to another vet. I think the possible diagnosis of FIP is way off base from your description of Whiskers. FIP involves a mutated feline corona virus. It is almost 100% fatal. There is wet and dry form. The wet form usual results in a pot belly appearance because of fluid accumulation in the abdomen. The dry form has very nonspecific signs such as loss of appetite and weight loss. I had a kitten who was one of three that I got at two weeks of age. Oscar lagged way behind in size and weight gain compared to Felix and Lucy. His eyes had a yellow pigment to them. When he developed problems breathing I did have him euthanized. Do not let a vet tell you that a high titer detecting the antibody to the feline corona virus means that the cat has FIP. A high titer only means exposure to the corona virus. The only definitive diagnosis is a biopsy or necropsy of the affected tissue after the cat dies. I think the vet may have been also referring to toxoplasmosis which is a parasite. I do now know alot about this. Like was said before if Whiskers is content and eating, bright and alert I would just do what you've been doing and not worry if the vet thinks his prognosis is poor because they don't what is "wrong" with him. Diana

[MissWhiskers]

Thank you Bendy & Dianne R. I am nervously awaitting the results of his bloodwork - hopefully later today.
One think definite about Whiskers is he has a great appetite!
I will write back as soon as I know more.

Karen

[mumpkees]

I will second (or third) what the others have said. PLEASE talk to another vet. Some vets have little or no experience with special needs cats. When they have had an opportunity to care for one they have had clients who didn't want to expend the effort to help that kitty so when vet said it was best to pts and they took the easy way out. What is bad however is that many times there are those that like you haven't had the experience of a special needs cat before so you don't know if what the vet is saying is really true or not. Thankfully, you found us before you and Whiskers went to the vet the first time so you already know that you have many options and with guidance from us and your care and love the chances that Whiskers will live a happy fullfilling life are very very good.

It is great that his xrays came back good. You have had Whiskers for quite some time now and if it were rabies you'd be seeing very serious symptoms. I have had way more experience than i would like to have had with FIP in years past and nothing you have described in regards to Whiskers even remotely makes me suspect FIP. As one person said, regardless of whether the titre shows positive for corona virus, it does NOT mean he has FIP. FIP is a mutation of the virus and you will not have a happy, eating well alert cat if you have one with FIP.

I imagine she is talking about toxoplasmosis. Toxo is a parasite that can be gotten from polluted water, the ground or most often from eating raw meat. It can cause a variety of symptoms but more often they are flu like symptoms not the inability to walk. For it to have progressed to Whiskers not being able to walk he would have many other very sick kitty symptoms. However, even if it is toxo, this is curable with a long course of antibiotics, most often doxycline.

Please if blood work comes back positive for FIV or feline leukemia do NOT let vet convince you of euthanasia because these two viruses also are not death sentences. And as I think I told you before the test they would have used to test for FIP, FIV and leukemia would have been the ELISA test and the track record for that test giving false positive results is VERY high. More cats have lost their lives to a false positive test result in a vets office than ever have died from the viruses.

As to Whiskers being a 'little backed up' down there - this is very common with cats who are mobility challenged. The movement of the body walking helps the colon to move feces thru it. It is often the case with humans who are mobility challenged. Add more water to his food so feces will be softer, add pumpkin to his food - it naturally will help with constipation and diarrhea. If this is still not enough, there is a product called lactulose that many use for their rear paralyzed or other bowel issues. You can also learn to feel when the colon is full and gentle massage will help to move the feces downward. We used this technique with maxman who could not sit, stand or walk on his own from time to time. Enemas from warm water or with just a drop of dish soap can help, but you don't want to use them any more than you have to. NEVER use a commercial human enema product.

Don't be scared Karen. You are doing a wonderful job for Whiskers. Remember no matter what a vet says about quality of life and poor prognosis and adamently suggests pts, you do not have to make a decision in the office right there. If a cat is not in serious crisis or life threatening pain, you do not have to follow the vet's suggestion no matter how serious he is. You can take Whiskers home and talk to us. Everyone on this forum has been where you are right now - unsure of what is wrong with your baby, often listening to a vet's dire diagnosis, not wanting your baby to suffer, but we have come to find out that there are many ways we can help our furkids live a good life. The suggestions, ideas, tips and support on this forum is fantastic. And after several rocky weeks, many write in w/ a progress report filled with wonderful news and joy.

We are here for you and Whiskers. Please stay in touch with us. /mari

[mumpkees]

One more thing that makes me know it is not FIP - a cat with a GREAT appetite does NOT have FIP.

[Toni]

I agree whole heartedly with all the other "Try another vet" recommendations. It is difficult enough to deal with the situation you have...
And as for FIP! It is very difficult to confirm the disease. Also, the symptoms your kitty shows are NOT typical FIP syptoms. In our shelter I have had several encounters with FIP, both in cats and kittens in the shelter program and with cats and kittens my pet store customers have had. I don't want to get into the big disertaion about FIP here...the best site I have found for it (to confirm that your kitten DOES NOT HAVE FIP) is http://www.dr-addie.com/ .
As Bendy mentioned, many vets find it difficult to believe someone will "go the distance" for their fur family. HOwever, once your vet knows this and accepts it and will work with you, it is amazing everything that can be done.
And if the blood work comes back less than perfect, don't give up hope. FIV and Feline Leukemia do NOT mean you need to euthanize....IF you get positive blood work, we will council you on the MANY options available...
And blood panels and CBC's can look less than perfect but still be correctable. Believe me, I have had enough cats and dogs turn around after the vets thought we were looking at the end.

Keep up the good work and giving the kitty all the love you have been. In your heart you will know what is right for you and the kitty.