Our bathroom is now fixed. It has been opened up to the point that when Mike does come home, he can just free wheel into the room and take care of business. I had to contain three cats for the day yesterday, because Molly, Pigeon and PITA were continually jumping into the guys work trucks. I am glad the contractor turned out to be one of the good guys after all.

Pigeon- who I put on antibiotics three days ago, is doing so much better. No more retching or avoiding the litter pan. He had some sort of an upper airway infection which is now on the run. He’s lost a bit of weight and he really needs a bath- but right now, I am fighting a bad cold and getting wet while bathing a cat doesn’t appeal to me. I am just grateful that Dr. Vicki nailed it on the head when she said she suspected an infection was causing all the issues.

The vet has talked to me, and it seems that Pigeon is no better, but he is no worse. He is however having major tantrums and holding strong in not delivering back not just one enema, but three! The vet is hoping that in releasing Pigeon back to me, he will return back to a normal routine and deliver the goods before the end of the day. Apparently, he has wrecked his cage overnight and is protesting loudly that he wants out of that cage and wants to come home. Other than a barium study, which the vet said would be a waste of time and money, they have done all they can do for him. They will send home with me a pill that will prompt him once he is home to eliminate all the stuff still piled within. That is the hope at least.

I know I missed him last night and his brother PITA looked for him all night long. I am on my way to go and get Mr. Tantrum Thrower and bring him back home, praying all the while that he is fixed and will be healthy from here on in.

Earlier, Pigeon, who normally sleeps with me every night with his paws wrapped around my neck, started to moan and groan in his sleep. If you haven’t ever heard a cat moan in pain, count yourself lucky. It puts you in concern mode right away. He was trying to retch but couldn’t. I quickly flipped him over and using a pen, I opened his mouth to do a quick sweep of foreign materials. Nothing found but I got bit for my troubles. I carefully lifted his tongue looking for anything, string, wire, thread wrapped around it but nothing. He was not a happy boy, so I put him upright and was stroking his throat when he screamed and tried to retch again.

I took some white bread and cut the crusts off and tore the bread into small pieces letting them soak in milk until they were almost dissolved, and using a syringe, squirted some back in his throat and waited. Within twenty minutes, it all came back up, but nothing but the food returned. Often if you use this trick, the cat will swallow whatever is obstructing his throat, and if unable to swallow, it will come back up sometimes with the object in tow.

So he is in the bedroom now, clearly in pain and the vet opens in a few minutes and off we go to see what is wrong. Thankfully, he isn’t a feral- far from it so hopefully the visit will go without having him sedated through it. He’s my boy, he has to be okay Even though there are no available funds right now, this is something a vet needs to address immediately or it can go wrong very quickly.

3:00- The vet just called and sadly, Pigeon is quite sick and they are likely to keep him overnight. He is extremely constipated and full of gas and if there is an obstruction- the gas is so thick that it obstructs their view. They said that because he is so impacted he is trying to throw up the pressure because it has to come out to make him better. They are going to attempt to give him an enema and see if it makes things better for him. They will call me back if they are successful enough to let him come home tonight, but said that due to all of the impaction, they don’t see that happening right away. I’m glad I took him in despite what it will cost. These cats are keeping me together right now. They are my life.

My husband stood up! He was wearing his prosthetic leg and he only could stand for 30 seconds before he started shaking and had to sit down- but he stood! He can’t walk (yet) but they are trying to get him to the point that once he has his leg on, he can be fairly self-sufficient.  He still needs help with his leg- but it’s a start and a far cry from where he was a few weeks ago. He likely won’t be able to walk for months, but if he can at least stand on his leg and get into the truck- then we are ahead of the game! That’s the goal, to stop all the expensive transport to doctor’s offices and get him to the point where he was before this infection took hold. I was so proud of him- especially considering how badly I know he is hurting. He’s also off the pain pills after being on them for years now. One of his good friends became addicted to pain pills and did some really dumb stunts to hurt himself to get more. I think Mike saw then the danger of hydrocodone in the body.

I wish it were more positive, but the mass that he has that is expanding is a direct result from the infection he got after the “routine” procedure on his leg. Under normal circumstances, they would remove the mass- but in Mike’s case, they cannot. The surgeons said based on the complications Mike fights with after surgical procedures- if he did not die during the surgery (which they liken to fixing a big shark bite to the stomach/groin). He would surely not survive the recuperation process which puts healthy people in a tailwind of a 10 week recovery period. So it is inoperable and they will try and keep it from spreading further but they couldn’t promise they could keep it in the future from becoming infected.

On a personal note, my thanks to the individual who made a direct donation to my vet recently. Thank you for helping to lower the vet debt and taking one more stressor off my shoulders this month. My hope is that I can stay out of the vet’s office until the debt is completely paid in full.

First off, thank you to those of you who have sent what you can to make one stress a little lighter. I was able to knock down the vet debt by a few hundred dollars. That helps because they do let me make payments, but I am charged based on how much is owed every month 1.5% of the outstanding balance.

Life is overwhelming right now and I just need to step down and stay quiet, sort through the information that my new lawyer has given me and stay the course. Adding to the mix is major issues with emails and this blog has a glitch. With everything going on right now, Mike’s upcoming visit with the specialists and his fight to get better and trying to find placements for the cats here- Solo is finally in a new home. My emails and blog fall short on the list of what to fix first. I will say that after meeting with my attorney, the darkness has a glimmer of light in it and I am running toward that light hoping to break through.

I will sign in again when I’m not so bogged down with all these other issues. Thank you again so much, those of you who opened your hearts and pocketbooks/wallets to help relieve some of the pressure regarding the vet debt. Onward and upward- Those of you trying to send me emails with questions or what have you. If I don’t answer- I am not ignoring you. My emails are ending up in some internet black hole at the moment- kind of where my brain is at the moment!

Mary Anne

They did an ultra sound on Mike yesterday and sent the results to the specialist he is supposed to see on the 17th. This morning, the specialist called the PC doctor and said that this is out of his league and Mike needs to be referred to someone else. The specialist is a gastrointestinal surgeon. Now we have to wait additional days until another surgeon is lined up. I felt the mass and it feels now like it had a baby? There is an additional mass on top of the last one that is smaller? It makes no sense to me and it is scaring both of us with just the unknown aspect of what the devil is going on?

I know when I go to see him now and come in quietly just to observe him, he is pensive and quiet and looks very worried. I wish I could go see him every day, but right now, that is not possible. I know he feels quite alone right now, and I know that I do as well. Sleeping is difficult for me- I am usually wide awake by 3:00 a.m. my mind will not stay quiet. The doctor told me today that they are working very hard for him to be home by Christmas, but he doesn’t think it will be possible.

There is much sadness in my days now, and they seem to move in slow motion. Mike is getting progressively worse and he can’t move on  his own speed. Now it takes several attendants, a sling and a winch. Instead of being able to get in the truck on his own- he now has to be transported to appointments. The mass is growing inside of him and the last specialist kind of threw up his hands and referred him to someone else. Although he is barely eating- he now weighs 370 pounds and I can see the growth of the mass inside him when I gently feel it. It feels like a soft lump of clay. 🙁 When he went into the hospital on Aug 3 following his “routine procedure” he weighed 354. I can’t believe that someone who can only eat a few bites of egg, some dry toast crumbles and drink half a cup of milk is gaining weight from eating. He goes to see an Gastroenterologist next week.

I try to send the vet a payment every Friday. This Friday, I can only send him $12.00 which doesn’t touch what is owed. Should anyone want to contribute a bit more and send the monies towards the cats- we would be grateful.

When you have a cat, who has lived on the outside edge of your life for years. One, that comes to eat when food is offered, but when a hand is extended, either bolts or hisses or swats, you do worry. Outside life is not easy. Not even when food comes at regular times every day, shelter and warmth are provided along with fresh water and other felines for companions.

But when these strays are in trouble, all the effort you have made on their behalf pays off because they do trust you when they are in trouble. This morning, MK (Mystery Kitty) was in trouble. She has been here now about eight years I believe. Not one to be confined, she showed up in the middle of the night years ago and never left. She is along haired Persian mix- looks almost like Dash and they were great friends. Now her and Magoo seem to have forged a friendship and I often see them snuggled together in the yard.

4:00 a.m. I go out to feed and MK is crouched under the feeder. Normally, she would run the minute I walked over, but not this morning. Sensing something was not right, I bent down and taking a deep breath, scooped my hand under her belly to pick her up. No resistance! I felt under her belly for wounds, sponginess, anything amiss, she was fat, healthy and on fire. I took her inside 105.3- called the vet asked if he could meet me at his office in a half hour, he said yes.

Turns out, MK has been hit by a car. Bounced off a tire according to the vet, due to the swelling and tenderness on her hips and legs. When I explained that with this cat confinement would make her injure herself further, it was decided to just crank up the meds on her- antibiotics, painkillers, a steroid shot and take her back and just release her. So we did all of that flea-treated and de-wormed her, and I just put her back with Magoo (who was inside one of the large heated carriers outside.) There were no wounds, we were able to remove all her mats without finding anything nasty underneath- being part Persian she mats if you look at her sideways.

Through it all she was a trooper, and only once when her purring got really loud as I was working on removing a mat on her with a seam ripper- did I almost get nailed by a bite. Cats don’t just purr when they are happy, especially strays. The purr when they are in discomfort (this was a big mat) I’ve even had some who purr while the end of life juice is being introduced into their veins. I believe, they are responding to their primal instinct at these times, calling out to their mom for help. As the purr got louder, I looked up, saw the head starting to turn and the mouth opening, and I jumped back just in time.

But she’s home, no broken bones, no wounds, just a bad night with an encounter with a car. She is one of the lucky ones.

I went and saw Mike yesterday. They finally figured out the right antibiotic to give him and he looked so much better. He is still in a great deal of pain- they said they get him up every day but he can’t stand more than 30 seconds before he is begging them to go back to bed. His face was a normal shade of color and not gray and he knew who I was this time. We talked for awhile, he realizes he has to make some great changes if he wants to come home again. I hope that he can.

Woke up this morning at my typical time 4:00 a.m. to the sound of rain on the roof. With over twenty-seven forest fires now burning here in Oregon. the smell of smoke has been prevalent in the valley for weeks now. I just hope it is raining with a vengeance over those fires as well.

Cats are so intuitive- had some disturbing texts from Mike yesterday and so to say I am a bit shook up would be an understatement. He texted me that they located a hard mass in his abdomen- and that’s all he said. My heart racing, I called the nurse and spoke to her. She said that he has lymphedema which is a hardening of the fluid retention of the body in people that have complications with Diabetes or obesity. It can be handled medically- really nothing to worry about, but apparently Mike is obsessing over it thinking it is cancer.

I texted him back trying to ease his mind (didn’t work) Finally, I just shut the phone down and went to bed. The cats have been shadowing me ever since. Pidgeon has figured out if he leaps up on the bathroom door and jiggles the handle when the door is shut, he can come in and keep me company. He scared me when I got out of the shower! The door was open and he was sitting in the bathroom sink looking at me as if to say: “Mom are you okay?”

Even the outside kitties know, I am walking on edge right now. I was able to yesterday pet two of them- who have never invited contact before. Pretty amazing when you consider they are still “feral’ in nature. But they just know. I needed that contact.

Solo is still with us. I have turned down five homes for him and one would think with the issue of cat-juggling I have to do here now, to keep him with us and keep the rest of the cats safe, that I would just jump at the chance to put him anywhere. But his issues, his PTSD I firmly believe are not his fault, but the fault of his previous owners who messed him tremendously. He has to go to the right place, or he will stay here until that place is found. With winter approaching, I know the system here that I have come up with isn’t going to work. The indoor/outdoor kitties are not going to want to hang out in rain and thunderstorms during the day. And I have a feeling, this is going to be a brutal winter for us. So he will have to stay in the bedroom for the most part- unless a suitable home is found for him.

I keep trying to give him a chance, and let them all out to roam the house freely, but he keeps attacking the other cats. Even with pheromone collars, feliway diffusers, and calming powders- he’s an attack missile on a mission! He’s one of my toughest challenges in a long time which is so sad because he loves people. I have a new ad out for him, I hope  it works and someone who is truly qualified with a lot of patience will call and we will go from there.