Prayers for my kitty!

[derbygal]

One of our sweet kitties is sick with pancreatitis. I am a wreck right now. All of the cats we've ever had were former strays of some kind. Unfortunately, that means they often come with health problems from their previous lifestyles. We lost one to feline leukemia. A week and half later we lost one to bone cancer. One of our most loved kitties died a few years ago from a horrible infection around his heart. The vet basically makes it out that that is the risk you take adopting strays. It is still hard to take when you love them so much.

This kitty's name is a funny transformation. We originally called her Honey. From there we started calling her Honey Ham. Eventually, we ended up calling her Hambone, which is what she goes by most of the time now.

Any prayers/dust you can send her way would be much appreciated! She will be at least overnight at the vet on IV antibiotics. What has me stressed is that our cat that had the heart infection was on IVs at the vets for a week. We kept praying he would get better, and the vet was optimistic, but it was all for nothing. I feel like we let him suffer there for an entire week, and I won't do that to another pet again. The vet says pancreatitis is very common in younger cats and other than change/stress there is no known cause. (Nothing new or stressful at our house). The vet says this is very treatable and we got her there within a few hours of her acting sick, so that will help things.

I'm attaching a few pics for you. Hambone and Jasper. Jasper is the sweetest cat we've ever had. He was wild when we started feeding him outside. He is HIV positive, so we have to keep him segregated from the other 3 cats.

Thanks for letting me vent. I've often found comfort in reading other's pet stories on here.

 

[Missy]

Oh no derbygal, I am sending bucketloads of healing ***dust*** to dear Hambone!!! And tons of good wishes and thoughts to her as well!!! Keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers! {{{hugs}}}

 

[derbygal]

Thank you missy!

 

[bunnycat]

I'm sorry to hear Hambone is sick! Here's loads of dust and well wishes for her! *DUST DUST DUST*

FWIW, all of the cats I have ever had have been adopted strays and they can live just as long as any other so please don't let people tell you it's because they are strays! My longest lived one made it to almost 20 and I took her and her sister as a kitten from a truck yard.

 

[kenny]

Love, kisses and good wishes to Hambone.

 

[minousbijoux]

Dust, dust, dust! Of course with that last story of your beloved on IVs at the vets for a week, no wonder you're a wreck - but despite that, you do trust your vet, right? And he/she says prognosis is good? I'll be sending thoughts and prayers Hambone's way. It seems that there are (sadly) many animals needing prayers these days...

 

[Matata]

Sending bucket loads of dust to you and Hambone. I have one bit of advice for you to think about. Oft times, vet's will recommend a prescription diet for pancreatitis, usually one produced by Hills Science Diet. The poor quality of ingredients in these foods could cause more harm. Proper balanced nutrition is important for supporting cats with this disease. There is a wealth of information at catinfo.org; catnutrition.org that will provide diets for your cat that are far superior (IMHO) than anything commercially produced. It may mean that you have to prepare/cook the food from scratch. In particular, a cat with this disease should not be fed a kibble diet.

 

[rubyshoes]

So sorry to hear Hambone is not well. My prayers and cuddles to him to get well soon.

 

[derbygal]

Thank you everyone for your kind words and support.

Bastetcat: Thank you for sharing about your cats; made me feel instantly better.

Kenny: Thank you so much!

Minousbijoux: yes, I trust our vet(s). They specialize in cats and they truly seem to care about the animals.

Matata: Thank you for the info about the diet. I will be sure to do my research about what will be best for Hambone if she is lucky enough to recover. Much appreciated info!

Rubyshoes: Thank you for your kind words!

 

[NOYFB]

Oh sweetie - I am so sorry to hear about Hambone! And I love how her name progressed. We do that with out kitties, too. She is beautiful, as is Jasper. I will keep her and you and your family in my thoughts and prayers and sending airplanes full of dust to you all!

PS dust is an amazing thing.

 

[minmin001]

Sorry to hear what you have been through and it's really wonderful of you to adopt them. Lots of dusts coming your way and I hope hamebone will get well soon~~

 

[lulu]

I'm sorry to hear Hambone is sick! Here's loads of dust and well wishes for her! *DUST DUST DUST*

FWIW, all of the cats I have ever had have been adopted strays and they can live just as long as any other so please don't let people tell you it's because they are strays! My longest lived one made it to almost 20 and I took her and her sister as a kitten from a truck yard.

I have a nineteen year old stray who has survived numerous illnesses including cancer. Strays are survivors.

Sending Hambone baskets of kitty dust!

 

[yssie]

Lots of hugs and prayers for Hambone derby!! Having an ill pet is so awful I hope her treatment goes smoothly and works quickly!!

 

[ForteKitty]

Lots of good luck kitty dust coming your way, Hambone!!

 

[derbygal]

Thank you Psers for your thoughts, dust and well wishes. Hambone is up and about and acting almost normal, but she still will not eat, so she is still at the vet on anti-nausea meds. The vet seems to think she is on the mend. I can't thank you all enough for the support.

Lil Misfit, I agree that PS dust is amazing! Thank you!

minmin001, thank you for your kind words!

lulu, I agree that strays are a special breed of cat. Lots of love in these kitties!

Thank you Yssie and Fortekitty for your thoughts.

I will keep you all updated on my little girl!

 

[tyty333]

Lots of dust for your sweet babies.

 

[LAJennifer]

Sending lots of healing *dust* to your sweet, Hambone. Never doubt the power of PS Dust. Hugs and kisses to your kitties.

 

[mary poppins]

Aww, Hambone is a beauty. Sorry to hear she isn't feeling well. Sending lots of healing dust her way.

 

[justginger]

What a gorgeous furbaby - she'll have a special place in my thoughts while she is feeling under the weather.

 

[LAJennifer]

Jasper is the sweetest cat we've ever had. He was wild when we started feeding him outside. He is HIV positive, so we have to keep him segregated from the other 3 cats.

Thanks for letting me vent. I've often found comfort in reading other's pet stories on here.

Derbygal - My Wellington is FIV+ like your Jasper. He was a feral on the streets that we tamed and brought inside almost 3 years ago. When I discovered his FIV status, I kept him segregated at first - but I SLOWLY integrated him with my other 2 cats. It was a difficult decision, but I don't regret it at all. I talked to a lot of other FIV cat owners (they were volunteers for a rescue organization that I was also a volunteer for). FIV is a very slow progressing virus and, on average, takes at least 8 - 10 years to cause immunosuppression (there are exceptions). Considering my other 2 were already 11 years old, it was an acceptable risk for me.

The President of the rescue org, currently has 7 FIV cats in his home (the oldest is about 19 years old). He has had hundreds of foster cats and kittens come through his household over the years - he has never had a negative cat turn positive.

Wellington just turned 4 years old and had a vet visit with full blood work. I was so nervous, but his blood work came back absolutely perfect! He is a very strong, healthy boy.

I am also a member of an FIV online support group. It is a wonderful source of information (tons of studies, treatment plans, and real life experiences) and I encourage you to join. I'm so proud because Wellington was just named "Cat of the Month" for March 2013. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/fiv-healthscience/

Please don't hesitate to ask, if I can be of any assistance regarding your sweet Jasper.

 

[LAJennifer]

Just wanted to add that my other 2 cats (Electra and Seth) remain FIV negative. Wellington and Seth wrestle with each other and play fight (sometimes very roughly) every day. It makes me nervous sometimes, but they are inseparable now.

 

[derbygal]

LAJennifer, thank you so much for your input on the FIV. Our worry has been that one of the other cats will give him a cold or virus and that it will affect Jasper badly. I have been gradually allowing more and more contact between them lately as I know Jasper feels left out a lot of the time. Thank you again so much for posting your experiences! I will share your info with hubby tonight.

Hambone came home this AM. She is pretty sleepy from the morphine they were giving her. She still hasn't eaten, so fingers crossed she will continue to improve.

justginger, marypoppins and tyty333, thank you also for your kind comments. We love our cats as if they were our kids!

 

[derbygal]

Just a little update: Hambone had a little bit of food earlier. I am so happy to have my girl home!

 

[mary poppins]

Just a little update: Hambone had a little bit of food earlier. I am so happy to have my girl home!

That's a great sign! I hope she continues to improve.

 

[NOYFB]

Just a little update: Hambone had a little bit of food earlier. I am so happy to have my girl home!

So glad to hear it! Is she on any meds at this time?

 

[LAJennifer]

Yay! So glad Hambone is eating. Sending continued *hungry dust*.

Regarding Jasper, how old is he and has he shown any signs of illness? There are some supplements that boost the immune system (that could maybe help when he is with the other cats). Wellington takes Lactoferrin daily in his wet food. I use the Jarrow brand and he gets a half a capsule daily (125 mg). I also give him 500 mg L-lysine daily (to help with the herpes virus). I use the Whole Foods brand or the Solaray brand.

Here is some good info on Lactoferrin: http://fivtherapy.com/lactoferrin.htm

 

[derbygal]

LAJennifer, we aren't sure how old he is, but we think 4 to 5 years old. He has not shown any symptoms as of yet. Vet suspects he may be just a carrier. We do give him Lysine every day. We get a powdered form from the vet that we sprinkle on his food. Thank you for the info on the Lactoferrin. I will definitely look into getting some for him.

 

[bunnycat]

Just a little update: Hambone had a little bit of food earlier. I am so happy to have my girl home!

That's great to hear Derbygal!

I think they do so much better recovering at home where they are comfortable than at a vet, where they generally are not, especially cats since they don't like change.