Those were the words that followed me this morning as I went to the vet with more kittens to be put to sleep. My friend Haley helped me through the ordeal by encouraging me before the visit via phone.
My vet is worried. The kittens are dropping like flies and not all the kittens are dying from the same symptoms.He has been in contact with the Head of Histology at OSU and two of the kittens (who died from diffent symptoms) will be sent in and necropsied and tested. I gave them a cap of $300.00 and although I can’t afford to do this, I can’t afford not to. I need answers. Steve said when he told the expert everything that has transpired in the last few days- the man just kept going “Hmmm.” I don’t think it is a good thing for an expert to not weigh in on what he even thinks might be happening in my house of horrors.
The following kittens are now over the Bridge: Mannix, Cricket, Amber, Drake, Pirate, Morgan, Reece, Barnabus, Sullivan and KC.
I want answers, I need answers. This started happening a few months ago with kittens dying mysteriously and it was chalked up to FOUO (Fever of Unknown Origin).
The other four kittens still at risk are all healthy (so far) but that the thing about what ever the hell this is- the kittens were all healthy then they wobble and fall over dead or start dying. I take nothing for granted anymore.
I am shutting down now for five years or until at least we have some answers. I cannot risk anymore innocent, loving lives.
Not that I need any more complications but this morning on the way to town, I noticed on the highway a dog was teetering and stumbling. It was a large, white dog and no one was stopping. They were swerving around it, but not stopping. I found a safe place to stop and with great effort got this dog into my car. It was a yellow lab and he fell fast asleep in my back seat. I was going to the vet, so I just took him along. On the way to the vet, he woke up and fell off the seat and couldn’t get back up so he started to howl. Great, I have dying kittens and a howling dog in my car. What a spectacle.
We get to the vets, and with help I get this dog out of my car to be seen. He is about 8 years old. No chip- he has lumps all over him (vet suspects fatty tumors but also cancer) One lump near his rectum is really worrisome. He is 87 pounds and he is dead weight on his back legs.
I will try and find his owner in the next 30 days- but for right now, he has been given a pain shot and he is asleep at the feet of Mike. He doesn’t bother the cats or Brandy.
The remaining surviving kittens are: Paris, Lacey, Kojak, Cagney, Sofia, Roscoe, JediNight (although she is looking peaked) Bentley, Chauncey, Ashley and one other black kitty whose name escapes me at the moment. It’s been a rough couple of days. If you can help CATS Inc., financially right now- please do. I hope to not add anymore names in the coming days to the Bridge Count
The stray
Placed an ad on CL and “Aztec” has been reunited with his owner! They just picked him up. Apparently, the dog has a brain tumor and had a seizure the other day and went missing. They have been frantically looking for him ever since. God is good even though my carpet needs a good shampooing now! Poor boy can’t control himself and my carpet has been thoroughly baptized. NOT like that has ever happened here before! 🙂
Just learned that Aztec has gone over the Bridge. They took him into the vet and it was determined that his best days are now behind him. Beautiful dog, no more pain except for the owners.
Oh, so, so sorry. We are all purrrraying that you can at least find out what is causing all these problems.
If that was happening to us, we would probably be hiding in a closet crying and pounding the walls about now.
{{hug}}
oh no…….please know that you are doing the best that you can. we hope that you can find some answers – but those kittens were given every chance and knew love before they left. better to let them go than let them suffer. but it never gets easier (though I had a friend say that IF it gets easier, it is time to find something else to do).
Oh I am so sorry! Some of those kitties just got here, and they are already gone. Prayers to you that this ordeal will be resolved quickly and that the remaining babies are saved.
Bless you for saving that doggy too.
I can help a tiny bit. Good luck to you and strength to kits and Mr. Dog.
Ahhh, what a sad sweet old guy. Maybe it’s the photo but it looks like a big difference between the size of his front and back legs? I sent a little bit, sure wish it was more.
I know this might sound odd but have you a carbonmonoxide detector for the kitten room. Also what food are you feeding them for there has been alog of the major brands havign a recal of late.
Aztec was the name of the dog? Thank goodness you stopped for him. He may not have long to live, but now it’ll be with his family.
This must be a terribly anxious time for you. I hope you find answers to the mystery of the kittens. Good luck to all there.
Yes Aztec turned out to be the name of the gentle giant. We have carbon monoxide testers all over this house and I feed food that is donated to us from a local shelter. I check expiration dates carefully and there is some food donated that I don’t feed (because it is of such low-quality) Those bags are given away to a lady who feed a large colony in town.
I watch the website that monitors pet food recalls closely and do all I can to insure these cats stay healthy. I haven’t had this type of situation happen before. Distemper hit me over six years ago. I lost 12 kittens in a week BUT all the kittens died from the same symptoms. Here, we have some vomiting, some with diarrhea, others are constipated, no one is eating or drinking. We have high fevers, sub-normal temps, we have URI and others with clear eyes and no runny noses. Some are lethargic before they pass, others are scampering across the floor wobble twice and die. my fear is that a lethal form of calici has snuck in here. But I will hold off until all the results come back. The necropsy results will be back today- the other tests will take a few days if they decide the necropsy gives more questions than answers.
I’m holding it together but just barely. I have to keep going and pray that the remaining cats and kittens are safe. If it is the mutated form of calici- then even the cats vaccinated are at risk so I am just sitting her holding my breath, awaiting answers.
A friend of mine who runs a sanctuary in Nevada had several cats die last year from what was probably vitamin D poisoning – an excess of it in the food. They had different symptoms, but mostly an overall “wasting away” type of effect. A couple did just die suddenly without warning too, and it seemed to hit the boy cats much worse than the girls.
I’ve been getting horror stories (privately) from shelter workers, volunteers and others in the cat field about similar instances in their neck of the woods. One shelter in Utah had to close down temporarily due to a virulent strain of calici that hit and took no prisoners. The problem is the germs are getting smarter and the vets (God Bless them ALL) can’t keep up. One gentleman who asked to stay anon- said that he believes that the outbreak is caused by several factors: natural disasters and cat/dogs left to fend for themselves (sometimes in toxic waste) animals being shipped all over the United States to be rehomed- and even animals coming from the Middle East to be rehomed here.
I don’t know, I am not a vet. But right now, my kittens and cats are at the mercy of vets and other experts. I will let you know what happens. Other than Paris sneezing this morning, all the kittens in the bedroom are healthy and running amuck. But again, as I sadly found out this week that could change in an instant.
One of the TNR groups I volunteer with had a horrible spring. We lost kittens on a daily basis, and some moms too. It is heartbreaking.
you can rest easy knowing that he had a loving home to the end. You were able to see that and as sad as it is at least they knew it was time and were able to release him. Run Free Aztec, Aztec will watch over the kitties for you. I am convinced that he was sent to you for a reason. God watches out for you and he had a plan.