I have been doing research and look what I discovered- all the signs that your kitten or cat might have panleuk

Abdominal pain
Abnormal behavior, behavior change
Abortion
ANOREXIA, HYPOREXIA
Ataxia, incoordination
BLINDNESS
Cachexia, weight loss
Cerebellar signs
Coma, unconsciousness
CONVULSIONS, SEIZURES, FITS
Cutaneous necrosis
Dehydration
Depression
DIARRHEA
Dysmetria
Exercise intolerant or reluctant to move
Fading kitten syndrome
FEVER
GAIT ABNORMAL
Hair coat poor
Hematochezia
HEMORRHAGE, BLEEDING SITE UNSPECIFIED
Hepatitis, liver inflamed
Hypermetria
Hypersalivation
Hypopyon, anterior chamber eye pus
Hypothermia
Icterus
Infertility
Intention tremors
Intestines thickened
Lymphadenopathy
Malaise
Menace response absent or decreased
Mental dullness
Nausea
NYSTAGMUS, EYE MOVEMENT RAPID
Onset gradual, progressive
Onset sudden, acute
Oral mucosal ulcers
Oral mucosal vesicles
Pale mucous membranes
Polydipsia
Sudden death
Syncope
TACHYCARDIA
Third eyelid, nictitating membrane prolapsed
TREMORS
ULCERS
Unable to stand
Visual deficit
Vocalization
VOMITING
Walking difficulty
WEAKNESS, PARESIS, ASTHENIA

With Paris right before she died, she suffered neurological damage. She couldn’t seem to figure out how to move forward on the floor and would instead try and squat then move backward until she reached a wall or other obstacle. Then she would sit there before she threw up. 🙁

Both cats show severe signs of panleukopenia (feline distemper) however you want to say it, the virus is here and stubbornly this virus sticks around waiting for the next victim.

Paris went to the vet today and I was nervous because she hasn’t been able to poop now for three days. But apparently she was just heavily constipated and now she is going like a champ. Other than an URI which most of the kittens are now fighting- she “appears” to be in perfect health. But- that can change in any moment and I pray it doesn’t.

Nothing has come back yet. Am I worried? you bet, two more kittens are looking “off.” I wonder what is taking so long here?

I was privleged to recently receive an advanced copy of Does This Collar Make My Butt Look Big? by Cat Author Dena Harris. This book could not have arrived at a better time, but it completely fooled me. It touts on the front cover that it is a diet book for cats, and as I have a few owner-surrendered tubbies laying about my sanctuary, I thought what better way to help them back to health by writing down recipes.

There I sat, pen poised at the ready (fat kitty on my lap becoming a paperweight for the notepad I would use to write down fabulous recipes)…opening up the book, I began to read.

What a revelation. Did you know that it isn’t Jenny Craig Diet but Catty Craig Diet? It’s not Weight Watchers, but Weight Stalkers, but the all time favorite diet of cats is apparently The South Beach Diet because of the promise of a large, warm litterbox waiting in the end for all the waste management that comes from a good, cleansing diet. Who knew?

With quizzes for all types of kitties ADD, OCD, even those who believe they might slip into a coma at a moment’s notice. Does This Collar Make My Butt Look Big? IS a recipe book. A recipe for laughter- so you can escape the ills that ail you and gain a bit of insight into the tongue-in-cheek humourous look at the cat world. (Just watch out for the hairballs.)

Highly recommend you pre-order this book through Amazon and stick it in your bag for some on-the-go giggles.

Does This Collar

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.

Seems a strange growth has cropped up overnight on Mike’s neck. Hmmm- maybe he needs a CAT Scan?

JediNight

Not the best possible look into my world- but here is the video of the interview. I don’t think the law will change any time soon though

http://www.kezi.com/new-law-regulates-animal-rescuers/

You will have to copy and paste for some reason, I can’t seem to post links.

Reese’s preemie, Cricket has just gone to the Bridge. It was quite sudden. She was walking wobbly across the floor, then she just fell over and was gone. She didn’t even have time for a hug goodbye.

Reese had several strikes against her apparently. Even though they say cats have nine lives, she had expended all of hers. The results are in- she had a large gastric ulcer in her stomach. There was diarrhea within her digestive tract and lower intestines. She had hemobartenella and sadly, she had feline panaleukopenia also known as feline distemper. So this means that I stand to lose her kittens and will begin their vaccinations next week as they are not quite old enough yet to receive them. They will need to be boostered every three weeks until they reach 16 weeks of age, and I stand to still possibly lose some of them.

I have two actively sick this morning, so I will fignt my best fight, offer supportive care and TLC and see if there is another miracle around the corner for this litter. My hope is God will stay in control and not take any more kitties from this home.

I inform all of you cat lovers that Reece is dead. It happened quite suddenly late Friday and I thought it might be because of the dewormer they gave her at the vet, so I didn’t pay that much attention when she went off her food. By Saturday night, it was clear she was suffering and had lost a huge amount of weight virtually overnight! I had pulled the kittens off of her days ago because as I said in an earlier post, she had given them everything she had and then some. Her kittens are fine and playing with all of the others downstairs.

This morning, I found her near-dead and rushed her to the vet. The suspicion is that she ruptered her uterus while giving birth or that she had severe pancreatitis which is why she couldn’t keep weight on. It was to late to save her, so we let her go. I went ahead and ordered a necropsy (despite the cost) because for the sake of her kittens, I need to know why she died. The vet did not think it was distemper (thank you God) again, he believes she had an internal bleed somewhere.

Bless you Reece, you leave behind five beautiful, roly poly kitties who knew you were dying as well. When I was carrying her downstairs to take her to the vet, her kittens were lined up at the bedroom door, in unison screaming. Reese was inside the carrier, almost already gone and didn’t make a sound. I get goosebumps thinking about that moment when they were collectively saying “Goodbye” to their momma. So hang the damn vet bill. I need to know why this beauty suddenly plummeted into a place where no one could reach her.

Goodbye Beautiful