Wordy Wednesday

Stinky : I'm all better now. LET ME OUT!
I know you are feeling better from all your mewing but you can't go until you stop sneezing. I don't want you to spread your germs to the neighborhood cats. It's bad enough that your germs made Ling and Tutu sick and everyone has to be quarantined from each other

Stinky : I made my friends sick? Oh. I'm so sorry, Ling and Tutu. I didn't mean for that to happen

Boomer : I get to be downstairs, all on my own. I'm so bored. I miss Tutu

Cosmo : I'm in Mommy's office and I get the chair all to myself though I do miss my sisfur, Ling

Tutu : I hate being sick though it's kinda nice to have Mommy and Daddy fuss over me. PLUS I get to sleep with them on the bed every night (Daddy usually doesn't allow us on the bed but now he just lets me sleep wherever I want, even on HIS side of the bed)

Ling : Well, lucky Tutu gets the bedroom while I am stuck the bathroom. Hrrummpf
That's because you'll make a huge fuss to get out and no one will get any sleep. We still fuss over you, right?

Whisky : I have a QUESTION for you!
So we have Ling and Tutu sick at the moment and both have lost their appetite. Who do you think is the good patient and who's the bad patient? Take a minute to think about it then scroll down for the answer....

We found that if we left the plate on the floor, Tutu would struggle to eat due to the congestion. So we hold the plate up for her and she is able to eat better

Her appetite isn't great, but she does make an effort to eat on her own

And then we have Ling.  :)
She'll be sleeping but as soon as we open the door with her food, she does this. We don't think it's because she can't wait to eat, but rather as a sign of disgust because we have to force feed her (she refuses to eat on her own)

And this is AFTER being force fed. Sigh
Did you guess right?

Ling and Tutu are on antibiotics (both had fever) and Lysine (they caught a cold). I am guessing they should make a full recovery by this weekend. Until then, everyone will continue to be quarantined to ensure the situation remains under control. Cosmo, Meow-Me, Coco, Felix and Boomer are all alright.

Stinky the stray will be released once he stops sneezing, possibly in another day or two.

We're sorry for being scarce the last few days but it's really stressful at the moment. We'll come by to visit as soon as we can!  

In the meantime, if you have purrs to spare, we'll appreciate if you could send them over!  :)

Tutu Sunday

Sunday, day 5. Tutu is showing definite improvement. Yesterday, she did her pee and poo after taking the valium. Today, she presented me with the best ever Mother's Day present. A perfect poo and pee WITHOUT valium. She is clearly in less pain as she wanted very much to go exploring but I had to stop her and put her back in her cage. She made it vocally clear she didn't like that!

Her vet called on Saturday to let me know the blood test results were back and all her levels look very good. Her calcium is also within the normal range, but that could also be due to the supplement she had taken before the blood was drawn. What is important now is to keep her on her meds and supplements and strict cage rest. I try to alleviate her boredom by taking her for "walks" while she sits in her potty. She says hello to all her furblings, she sits with me while we watch TV and I bring her outside for some sun therapy. She seem happier and actually started to purr again.  :)

I think the worst is over, and that Tutu will make a full recovery. Thank you again, for all your purrs, woofs, prayers and positive vibes. I know that definitely helped!

We're sorry for not coming around the last few days, and now that Tutu's recovery is on track, we'll be visiting everyone to say thank you personally.

PS / I'm so glad we went for a second opinion. The first vet made me feel like a total failure and in his words as he looked at her xrays still ring in my ears, "Ohhhhh. Your cat is hypocalcemic and can die anytime!". All these without even suggesting a blood test to confirm his diagnosis. How irresponsible.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the wonderful mothers out there!  :)

Ohhhh...what a lot of things to see and smell!
Tutu getting some sun therapy

She put me back in here just as I wanted to go exploring.  Spoil sport.  :(

Maybe if I look cute she'll let me out?

How about now?

No? Still nothing?  Dang, she's strict
As much as I can restrict her movements outside the cage, I cannot stop her from rolling around in the cage. I suppose she would know not to do it if it hurts.  So to see her this way just means she feels better (she couldn't do this yesterday without crying)

Tutu Update

I brought Tutu to my regular vet for a second opinion on Friday afternoon. I asked for his interpretation of the x-ray and after looking at the images carefully, he said there is a fracture on her lumbar (almost at the center of the back). He also observed that her bone doesn't seem as dense for a 4 month old kitten. However, he does not believe it is hypocalcemia. And he says it is "fixable" with proper supplements, nutrition and cage rest.  He stole some of her blood to get a full blood profile done. We should get the results by Monday.

Tutu had also not urinated since Wednesday night (11:30pm) so we decided to express her bladder (it was very distended and she was very uncomfortable). We had to sedate her in order to do this (muscle relaxants did not work). The vet is a little concerned that there might be some nerve damage from the fracture, causing her not to urinate on her own. She is already on nerve supplements so he prescribed valium (2 days worth) to see if it will help. She did scratch at her litter before we left for the vet and assumed the pee position but gave up after a few seconds. Depending on the situation, I may set up a few acupuncture sessions for her.

Tutu's appetite is very good. She ate 2 helpings each for lunch and dinner, and drank water all on her own. She's really such a trooper and I'm so proud of her. She did walk a little after dinner then lay down with her back plastered to my leg.  :)  I informed Tutu's rescuer (the lady who rescued her from the trash) about the situation this evening and she came right over with her husband to visit Tutu. They still care very much for her.

Thank you everyone for your purrs, woofs and prayers. We truly appreciate all our blog friends. You guys are the best! We aren't out of the woods yet, so do keep her in your prayers!

Waiting for the sedation to wear off

Tutu : You promised to carry me when we got home. We're home now. CARRY ME!
I have to carry her straight like a plank with her entire body on my forearm and her feet dangling down to keep her spine stable

Eating her dinner

Resting after taking her medicines

I can stand AND walk...but not for too long.....yet.
Thank you for all your prayers and purrs and woofs. I can feel all of it and I know it will help me get better.

Please Say A Prayer For Tutu

We would appreciate it very much if you could send Tutu some purrs and keep her in your prayers.

I brought her to the vet on Thursday morning after she screamed out in pain on Wednesday night and would scream when I touched her. After a physical examination and xrays, the vet suspects she is probably hypocalcemic, based on how faint her bones looked against her organs. A blood test was not done to confirm this.  However, the vet says she is able to see some "fractures" on her spine, along with some bone chips, one of which is close to the spinal column.

She is home now and is on Prenisolone, Clavomox (antibiotics), Daneuron (nerve supplement) and also calcium gluconate. There is no pain killers as the Pred should help with pain control. The vet says the situation is "salvageable" (since she is still so young - 3.5 months), unless it turns out to be something genetic. That would come with a very grim prognosis.

Tutu is now confined in her cage and only allowed out to walk under close supervision (she is not allowed to jump or run around). She still has some discomfort but is able to get up and take a few steps (she couldn't stand last night). She cries when I have to move her.

If anyone has any experience with this, please do share. I would appreciate it very much. As you can imagine, I am a total wreak. :(