My Furry Family

[wondergeorge]

So I thought I was going to have one kitty without chronic health issues, but I was wrong. Basil, a kitten I adopted with Darwin, my fecal incontinent little boy, began coughing about a week after I got him. Knowing that this is uncommon for cats, I took him to the vet. It turns out that he has bronchitis and possibly pneumonia. Poor baby. Even worse, the vet says he believes this to be caused by allergies since none of the other 4 kitties is coughing. I love my furry kids and am glad that Basil is in my home rather than with someone who might night care for the issue, or might have thought it was hairballs and not have noticed the rattling in his chest that resembled a purr.

On a humorous note, the vet asked if I'd rather have the antibiotics as an injection so I wouldn't have to administer medications to Basil. I explained to him that I have no problem giving meds to cats and am quite experienced at it. I told him I wanted to give Basil pills or liquid since that would be the treatment he would get to manage his allergies; might as well get him used to it now. I told him about George with chronic unrinary issues, Silas with CH, Darwin with incontinence, and Kaidyn with chronic yeast infections. His eyes seemed to get slightly bigger as I described my family and he commented that I ended up with the unusual issues. He seemed very compassionate about Basil's issue and even brought me in the back to show me the xrays he took of Basil's lungs. With the chronic nature of my furry kids' issues I am always looking for a good vet. I have one for Darwin, Silas, and George, but wanted to find another office since their vet is closed on weekends. I think this one has passed my test. It will be nice to have a 2nd vet to call if the 1st is closed.

I don't know how I end up with these special needs kitties without even trying, but I am thankful for them every day! (Even though meal times are a bit hectic)

[CarolC]

Yeah, it's really helpful to have a second vet clinic, especially if sometimes you need to get someone an appointment right now and the first clinic is booked up. I have been lucky, I've never had to deal with bronchitis or pneumonia in a cat, much less a kitten. How old is Basil? How soon will you know if the medication is working. Pneumonia sounds kind of scary. The only cat I've have that coughed was heartworm positive, did they do a heartworm test for him? Or maybe he's too young for that, I don't know?

[critters]

With the disabled/disfigured herd here, we've certainly found that some vets just aren't interested in a puzzle; some seem to just want to do vaxes and spays, which is fine, but we always have to dig around for something more. Sounds like you found it!

[wondergeorge]

Basil is only about 5 months old. He was found at an estimated 10 weeks and was very underweight so he was bottle fed for a few weeks before going to the shelter. He is heartworm negative. I can already tell that the medicine is working. I haven't heard him cough for a day now and he is much more active than he was the last few weeks.
I was really worried when the vet gave me the diagnosis, but he was very reassuring and made me feel better right away. I do feel very lucky to have found 2 vets who are eager to help me out with my special needs kiddos.