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Wonderful news...little miracles happen somewhere every day.
QUOTE=Katzpur;50417103]Oh, my gosh! The vet just called. She said, "Allie looks AMAZING this morning!" Both of the vets who had treated her figured that there was about a 12%-15% chance that their last ditch treatment option was going to make much of a difference. They all put told me that I needed to prepare myself to say goodbye to her today. Instead, I'm bringing her home! She's alert, eating, and anxious to get out of the kennel she's in. The gave her a fast-acting steroid that they said wears off in a few days. Well, it obviously worked. She's also been on IV antibiotics for her UTI. They're going to give her a shot of a long-lasting (i.e. probably 3-5 weeks) steroid and a shot of a strong antibiotic since she won't be able to have it by IV any more. I am overjoyed.
On a side note... I typically do not post things of this nature on this forum, but I'm going to make an exception today. I have been praying non-stop for her recovery (or at least for more time for her to be able to enjoy life a little bit) for the past two days. I believe -- and I hope I don't offend anybody by saying this -- that I received an answer to my prayers, a miracle for a precious cat who needed one. I certainly didn't expect this outcome.[/quote]
One thing about the steroid shots: I have to give my cat steroid shots periodically for asthma. She recently had an attack and I took her to the vet, where they gave her a couple different steroid shots. For 2-3 weeks afterwards she was CONSTANTLY bugging me for food. Steroids can make you very hungry, so if your cat starts bugging you constantly for food, be forewarned. But in your cat's case, I suppose that beats her not eating at all!
Yeah, I figured the steroids would make her ravenous, but she's hardly eaten more than a bite or two all afternoon and evening. The only way she will drink water is if her special SO-diet food is sitting in a little puddle of water, not mixed in, but not in a separate dish either. It's really weird. She ate better last night at the vet's than she has at all today. It had been close to 48 hours since she really ate anything (i.e from the the evening of Wednesday, December 13 till the evening of Friday, December 15). I'm surprised and concerned that she's not eating. She had lost 2 pounds in the three months since we've had her, with a half a pound of that being in the 9 days prior to when she stopped eating altogether. I'm worried about that, but I'm even more worried about her getting dehydrated. And tomorrow's Sunday and the vet's closed. I do have the phone number of the vet's receptionist who rescued her. If she's worse tomorrow, I can text her and she won't hesitate at all to get in touch with the vet.
If I didn't have two cats and a dog, it would be easier. I could at least leave her food out for her. But if I try doing that, one or the other of them would be on it in an instant. She hates being left in a closed room alone, too. She wants somebody to be in the room with her while she eats. So, I can't lock her in a room and let her take two or three hours to pick at the food till it's all gone. (When she's well, she eats it all in a single sitting and it takes her about five minutes.)
I don't know. This is just so stressful. Every possible solution to every problem comes with drawbacks. I guess I figured that when they let her come home, we were essentially out of the woods -- at least for the time being -- but evidently I was overly optimistic. I don't exactly have a calm, just "go with the flow" personality, either. I'm quite the opposite, and I tend to experience pretty much everything like I'm on a roller coaster. I wish I could just see as much improvement as took place overnight. And I wish I were a calmer, less stressed-out person.
Sorry, as someone who has been through cancer, I have to respond to this. While I do agree that regulating the diet can help, no one can say that cancer is easily cured through promoting an alkaline environment, and I do not believe that doctors (human or veterinary) are attempting to keep people in fear of cancer so 'they will spend boatloads of money and rush into horrid treatment...'.
Yes, you could post an abundance of links, I'm sure...the internet abounds with conspiracy theories about cancer and the government/doctors wanting to keep people (or pets) sick...and I get so tired of hearing this. Cancer is a multi-complex issue, involving a great many factors. People deal with it the best way they can. Some go the traditional route; some go holistic; some do a combination. But to continually denigrate the medical profession over rumours and unfounded theories does nothing but confuse others, and sadly, in some cases, cause them to not opt for treatments that could potentially be life-saving. btw, I'm not saying that an alkaline diet shouldn't be done; I'm simply saying that in promoting this as the be-all and end-all to ridding one's body of cancer is simply wrong.
You are 100% on target with these remarks. The last thing in the world my vet has ever done is try to terrify me into spending boatloads of money. I appreciate the input of everyone who has posted, but I can say one thing with absolute surety: If push comes to shove, I will take the advice of my vet on any animal-related topic before I will reject that advise in favor of the opinion of some random person on the internet.
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On topic: OP, your news about your kitty is just wonderful! May your little girl continue to thrive. My guess is that you are the best thing to ever happen to her.
Thank you so much. I'm still just so scared (read my last post, if you haven't) so I appreciate everyone's well-wishes.
We got Allie, a beautiful long-haired female cat not quite three months ago. I've started a couple of threads about her since then. She'd been brought into my vet by a man who told them, "Put her down. She pees everywhere and I'm sick of her." One of the vet's receptionists got permission to rescue her, and -- because she already had seven cats -- needed to find her a new home. I'd had to put my 22-year-old cat down just a month earlier and my vet asked if I'd be interested in taking Allie into my home. She was said to be six years old, but that was, of course, based on what her previous owner told them and their best estimates.
Allie came to live with us and, although she was scared to death, and tried to run away the first night (escaping via the doggy door), she had come such a long ways in the past three months. For the last week or so, she'd been sleeping on my bed and coming to me to be petted. (At first, she didn't even want to be touched.) She was on an SO diet for crystals in her urine (which explained why she wasn't using her litter box in her previous home, and up until yesterday, had a really good appetite.
Yesterday, she suddenly stopped eating and drinking. She found a comfortable spot and laid there all day. I had an appointment with the vet for my kitten, Samantha, and decided that Allie needed to be seen more urgently than Samantha did, so I took her in instead. She was running a fever and the vet said she could tell she was really feeling lousy. She had also lost 2 pounds over the past three months. They did some blood tests, which showed nothing really out of the ordinary, and a urinalysis which showed an infection which they started treating with intravenous antibiotics, in addition to some intravenous fluids to re-hydrate her. I left her there overnight, hoping for some good news this morning.
Unfortunately, my vet called and said there's been little change. She was still running a fever and still appeared to be very sick. The next step was to do an x-ray (which they didn't charge me for, since I'd gotten the cat through their clinic). It showed a small nodule on her pancreas, which they're doing to try to treat with some steroids, but both of the vets who have been treating her (there are four in the clinic) feel almost certain that it's cancer. We'll wait until tomorrow to see if there's any improvement, but it's not looking good at all.
So why am I writing all of this? I just need to know that Allie has the ability to know that, regardless of how awful her life used to be, somebody loves her now. Can cats sense this? I'm pretty sure that she has come to realize that she is at least safe with me, because she has only been treated kindly since she has been here. But as to understanding that she is actually "loved" -- is this possible?
I've got to stop now. I'm crying, and the man who is in my house cleaning my carpets is really going to wonder what's wrong. I don't want to have to explain it to him.
My heart is breaking for you, and for your precious Allie!
It is indeed devastating to acquire a pet with a difficult past, to want to give her the best of everything, as I m sure you have, and then to find out that she is terminally ill.
Do I think cats feel tender love and care? Of course I do! I think all animals are capable of knowing that they are secure, loved, and safe. I also think that she appreciates that, and sees the difference in her life, and, as a result, loves you in return.
I had a similar experience with an calico kitten about 10 years ago. My daughter, then 11, and I, were volunteers at a local no kill shelter. We both fell in love with this sweet heart, and applied to adopt her.
At home, she was such a joy! Happy and scampering around - she was quite the little comic!
Each night, she slept on my chest. We were all looking for many long years ahead with Daphne.
One day, as I was applying makeup in my bathroom, Daphne attempted to jump on the vanity. She did this with ease on many occasions. This time, she slipped and fell. I chalked it up to the slick tile floors and smooth granite topped vanity. I thought it was a fluke.
The next day, I noticed that her gait was wobbly. It was a Sunday, and I left a message at the vet's office. That night, she had two seizures and passed. I was fortunate that two animal loving friends were there with my daughter and me.
Temptations are about the worst cat junk food you can get.
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