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Author Topic:   Don't know what to do.
Lindsey
Member

Posts: 28
From:
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-04-2004 01:04 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Lindsey     Edit/Delete Message
My cat, Smokey has been with my family for 13 years now. My whole family is very attached to him. We really love our animals and often spoil them. It’s one of our weaknesses (or perhaps one of our strengths depends on how you look at it.)
Anyway, my personal opinion is that Smokey is the best cat that anyone could ever hope to have or even encounter. He is very important to me.
I have just recently started attending college away from home and I think that he is the thing that I have missed the most (don't tell my parents that...) Just a few days ago my dad called me to tell me that Smokey has been very lethargic and that they took him into the vet. They discovered that he had a very low white blood cell count. Within a week Smokey had deteriorated to the point where he doesn't have the energy to go all the way up our stairs. They've taken him back to the vet again because he seems dehydrated as well and he isn’t eating. They're still running more tests but they can't pinpoint a cause. I know they're doing all they can back home but they are now talking about putting him to sleep. If he’s really suffering I understand this, but I wouldn't even be able to make it back to see him again. This has all happened within a week and it seems so quick. I guess I was just hoping that someone might have some experience with some of these symptoms and have a guess or two about what’s going on. I feel like I should be doing more for him. Even though I’m not there I’m still trying to do all that I can.

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empressjulz
Member

Posts: 64
From:Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 02-04-2004 01:55 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for empressjulz     Edit/Delete Message
i know exactly how you feel.

fluffy was a turkish van adopted from a shelter. i left home on very poor terms with my family, and she died. i was not even told. i found out a few month later from a cousin... that was such a slap in the face.

i wish you well and i hope that you get to meet your beloved cat. i can understand how difficult it is to be away, especially when something is going wrong.

take care.

///ej

------------------
miao!

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cmr
Member

Posts: 15
From:
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-04-2004 02:03 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for cmr     Edit/Delete Message
Was the low WBC count the only anomalous finding? All of the kidney and liver values were good? If so, he could have an infection or have gotten in to something toxic, but Smokey's vet should know this. Low WBCs can also happen with chemotherapy, but it doesn't sound like Smokey was going through this.

Does Smokey go outside? If so, you never know what he's been into or who he's been around. I did find one site that describes feline panleukopenia (feline distemper):
http://www.epah.net/cats/panleukopenia.html

However, if Smokey doesn't go outside, I don't see how he could contract this. Anyway, please take a look at this site and see what you think.

If Smokey doesn't get much worse, he might respond to therapy or antibiotics/antivirals and these could be worth a try before deciding that he be put to sleep. However, his vet should be able to give the best advice to your family.

I'm sorry to hear about Smokey's problems and I really hope he gets better. If you feel like it, let us know what happens. If you can provide some more details about his blood work or his indoor/outdoor habits, please do so. Perhaps it could help someone on the forum give you more information.

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Lindsey
Member

Posts: 28
From:
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-04-2004 03:03 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Lindsey     Edit/Delete Message
Smokey is an indoor/outdoor neutered male. He found us when we were out on a walk 13 years ago and he's been with us ever since. He's fully vaccinated. When I was younger I actually worked at his vets office and so the first thing I wanted them to check for was feline lukemia and some of the more serious feline diseases that I had encountered while I was working there. He's come up negative for pretty much everything. They are suspecting cancer. They just aren't certain of anything right now. I'm still keeping up my hopes because he is a very tough guy. He's been through a heck of a lot. I'd hate to see this get to him. He's been so healthy.

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Lindsey
Member

Posts: 28
From:
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-05-2004 12:09 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Lindsey     Edit/Delete Message
My family is so great. I just talked to them again and I don't think my cat could be in better hands. We're all the biggest suckers for animals. Sometimes it borders on ridiculous. My dad was up all night a few days ago when Smokey was still home building an outrageously oversized cat box in the garage. You see my cat never has adjusted to litter boxes because he started out as an outdoor cat. They needed to keep an eye on him and couldn't let him outside so my dad was hoping that he would feel like he was “taking care of business” outdoors. Meanwhile my mom was melting a little bit of vanilla ice cream because Smokey has always had a sweet tooth. While most people would probably laugh at that sort of thing I just saw a reason to love my family. They’re really great, very compassionate people.
As for Smokey, it’s not looking too much better, but they’ve sent him to another vet pretty far away from where we live that was recommended to them. Supposedly he is very good and if anything can be done he’ll know. I’m still keeping my hopes up and I think I might even be able to bum a ride all the way home this weekend.

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kimmie
New Member

Posts: 9
From:oregon, usa
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-05-2004 10:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kimmie     Edit/Delete Message
Oh Sweetie, my heart goes out to you and your family. Poor, Smokey. I wish the little guy all the best. Hang in there, I know it's hard. Please keep us posted on his condition.

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cmr
Member

Posts: 15
From:
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-06-2004 02:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for cmr     Edit/Delete Message
I've run across a supplement that is supposed to do wonders for the immune system. I'm not sure if it works, but I'm trying it on my two kitties as of yesterday for chronic conjunctivitis. It could be worth a try since it isn't supposed to hurt anything.

I found a page of testimonials for this stuff, called transfer factor (people, dogs, and horses can take it, too):
http://www.wasatchhealth.com/Pages/TestimonialsAnimals.html

Like I said, I don't know if it works, but there are some vets out there now using it in their practice. You might try putting this on your kitty's food twice a day, since it couldn't hurt. What it seems to be is a collection of stuff you can find at a health food store bound up in a capsule.

I'm trying it because I have nothing to lose except some money by doing it. If it works, it was worth more than I paid. If not, it was worth a try.

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FMgurl43
Member

Posts: 107
From:fort myers, fl. usa
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-06-2004 09:56 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for FMgurl43     Edit/Delete Message
i am so sorry to hear about ur baby i knwo what u r going thought my cat that i have had since i was 3 years old just passed away 6 months ago he was very old and he had the same symtoms that ur cat did and it all happened in a matter of days i have worked at many vets and have seen the same cases happen many of times and sometimes that happens in old cats b/c they r highly likely to get many diseases at that age.. my cat jason disappeard 4 3 days and i thought he was gone and then one day he came home and looked really bad he drug himself home and the next day my family were talking about putting him down but i couldnt bear that thought and by the next day at 7 am i heard him crying (he would follow me everywhere and meow till i gave him attention or whatever he wanted he knew if he meowed i woudl come runnin) and i went in to check on him and he crawled to my lap and started purring and passed away it was a very hard thing on me there will never be another cat like him when he was a baby they said he had aids and would not make it but maybe 2 more years and he hung on w/ us alot longer then that. he was 17 when he died...so be strong 4 ur baby and as long as he is sick do not let him outside.... i dunno if that story helps but u r not alone....i wish u the best and ill keep ur baby in prayers...

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sweetieRobin25
New Member

Posts: 5
From:Metairie, Louisiana, USA
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 02-06-2004 11:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for sweetieRobin25     Edit/Delete Message
I'm so sorry to hear about your Smokey. I just had my cat Lilly put to sleep last week and she started out with the same problems. you know i think that your cat misses you and is just depressed..maybe that has triggered this illness. Lilly ended up having some sort of blockage in her intestines and they said that her stomach was moved to the side and that her kidneys were enlarged from being so severly dehyrated. We never found out what the real problem was. Best of luck with your little kitty. I know what u are going through and its hard. -luv robin.

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madraggs
Member

Posts: 14
From:toronto, Canada
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-07-2004 01:30 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for madraggs     Edit/Delete Message
Hey Lindsey!i was just reading about animal behaviour and the thing is animals like humans get very attached to their family members i.e. YOU!so the reason he might be ill is because your had to go to college. Its not your fault...he just misses you, probably as much as you miss him. I know this might not help...but i t hought id let you know....I hope he gets well soon....and hope he gets to spend another 13 years with you

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Lindsey
Member

Posts: 28
From:
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-08-2004 12:50 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Lindsey     Edit/Delete Message
Thank you very much for all of your posts. I didn't get to see him this weekend as I had hoped. I bought a train ticket and then my dad ended up getting pretty sick due to a minor surgery he had this weekend (talk about everything at once...) and I didn't have anyone who could come and get me at the station.
The vets finally found the problem though. Smokey has cancer of the spleen. He's in tough shape right now but they're thinking he can pull through if they remove his spleen. It's iffy, especially because he is in such a poor state of health right now. They are talking about doing the surgery either monday of tuesday. If everything goes well he might have as a good two years or more. Of course that's a best case scenario so we're all worried. All we can do is wait to see how things fall together and hope we have made the right decision.

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