My silly Mama
This year, Mama kept a list- of people she thoughts deserves a ‘thank you’ card from her. My vet human, Laura, is one of them. She thinks that if it wasn’t for Laura, then I’d have to endure even more pain from my Pancreatitis- if not things far worse and Mama cannot bring herself to even write here. I’m all cured now.
So…. Laura was sent a ‘thank you’ card and Mama signed it for me (as in- it said it was from ‘Sherkhan’)… but that does not say half of how grateful Mama feels towards her. I guess it means that Mama loves ‘me’ a lot.
I’m scared of Laura- she prods me, pokes me- and does all the annoying things a vet human does to kittens… and I wish I do not have to visit her anytime soon…. if EVER!
Strangely, even after Mama and I having polar opposite feelings about Laura- both of us wish we do not have to see her for a very very very long time!
Isn’t it strange or what?
A letter from a happy kitten
Hi kitties,
I’m back!
Actually I was always here- it’s my humans who weren’t. This time it was Mama who was hit by what she calls ‘a bad flu’… she still is suffering, but a little better now. She sounds different- with sort of a broken voice and all; also she smells a little different- she says it’s the anti-bio-tics that makes her smell like ‘medicine’ all the time. She stayed home some days, to my delight- but she went back to work today and I’m mad at her for that. Meow!
My second bloodworks result came in and it seems like I’m cleared from the Pancreatitis finally. I go back to the vet’s again next week though, since I have lost a little weight (0.25 grams) – and for a young and (now) healthy cat like me, losing weight is not ‘normal’. Laura, the vet, thinks it’s because I do not like my ‘prescription’ food much and do not eat as much as I used to. They’ll see next week and probably put me on another diet. I hope they give me a good-tasting food this time.
I’m turning 1 on the 21st of this month- Mama says that is still a couple of weeks away. That means that I have been with my humans for 10 months now. I guess months and years are a ‘human’ way to measure ‘time’. I don’t understand them much. To me, this seems like a lifetime. I’m a happy cat. I hope the humans and I can keep keeping each other through the ‘years’ and continue being ‘happy’.
That’s all for now, kitties. All the best to you all. I will post again, when the Mama is less busy and less ill 🙂
Love-
Sherkhan
Pancreatitis in Cats
It has finally been diagnosed; I have tested positive for ‘Pancreatitis’.
It explains my five vet visits in the last two months for vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation. It explains my meowhhs to Mama and confirms Mama’s gut feeling that something was indeed wrong with me. The vet thinks I have had this thing for some time now.
From this website, in short, Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas caused by leakage of active digestive enzymes into the pancreatic tissue. Which means, my Pancreas*- instead of doing its job of breaking down fats and proteins into simpler forms is inflamed and unable.
For now, I am to be put through a prescription diet; one of the simpler ones that does not put too much pressure on my pancreas. This may be a lifelong thing, as in- I may need to be on a special diet all my life. Mama will go to the vet today to pick up my new food.
I will also have to take a weekly injection for Vitamins (Mama is not sure if this also is a lifelong thing). Mama thinks since the new food is simpler for my digestive system break down into the necessary fluids- so that my pancreas does not need to work too hard and has time to heal- I will need to be supplemented with Vitamins- but she needs to ask the vet if that really is the reason.
The third thing is that I will have to take pain medication. This disease causes a lot of pain on the stomach, and even though cats are less complaining and more prone to hide pain- than dogs are- the pain is still there- pain medication will be a way to help me be comfortable.
So, this is it so far in my health grounds. While my parents are much distressed that I am in so much pain in such a small age (I am 10 months old!), they are determined in getting me fixed and making it as comfortable for me as possible.
One advice from my humans to all the kitty parents out there- if you can afford it at all- please think about getting a pet insurance. They know how much you love your kitties, and it will be easier for both you and your kitties in the long run. Mama-Papa had one taken for me since I was 2 months old and that has been much helpful for them. In the last 2 months the vet bills have been more than AUD $650, and the parents will be able to get most of it back. It is a large amount of money regardless and without the insurance taken for me months back, it would have been very very difficult for them to manage. Another thing is that the prescription diet that I will need to take, the cost can be claimed by the insurance; as well as the cost of Revolution.
If you need some information about pet insurance, please leave a meow and Mama will try her best to help you with whatever information she can provide.
That’s all for today, kitties and humans. While my parents are still very upset- they are also determined that they will NOT let anything happen to me.
*The pancreas is a pale pink, lobulated organ located near the liver & behind the stomach. More can be found here, if you are a knowledge junkie as my Mama is.
Emergence
I apologise that I have not been updating much.
I have been a little ill again and still am a little tired. Mama has written about my illness on her blog, but both of us are too tired now to do the same on mine right now.
I’ll be back to my catnap and Mama will now go to bed for her nap, but you can read the details here if you are interested.
Alternatively- I will try and let you all know how I am doing once I am feeling a little less sick.
We hope the ‘linkies’ actually work. We have not even checked if they do, we are so so very tired!
*yawn*
I’ve been well. You?
I was taken to the vet last week- for what I’d think is nothing out of ordinary- constipation, as humans call it. Mama had read somewhere that constipation might not be a disease in itself- but it can be a symptom of some. Obviously, just because someone has written it into a book and printed it- the human needs to believe it…. ‘almost annoying’- the humans, as I meowed earlier.
I should write a book someday with the mantra ‘no vet visits EVER please’. Do you think that’ll help the Catkind?
This vet who saw me that night wasn’t so bad though. I think his name was Andrew Telford, and the way he handled me seemed less humiliating, if you know what I mean; I also like Rachel McCue- she handled me one time before… when the humans were hit by another bout of paranoia some months ago.
So kitties, if you live in Melbourne and looking for good vets around- you may want to try these two. They are not AS bad as the most.
And about my constipation, well… it was deemed as nothing too serious. I was advised half a tea spoon of Bene Fibre with every meal from now on… and I quite like it with my food. Also I’ve been eating well etc.
I have also been playing a lot. It’s almost like I found a treasure full of ‘energy’ hidden somewhere in my jungle!
In the mend… where’s that?
I have been ill lately with ‘gastrointestinal infection’ or something like that.
There has been many vet visits and even more ‘meow’ protests and requests to the humans for not taking me there, the humans paid no heed to them of course. I have been given 2 doses of needly things (I think they are called ‘injections’), some pineapple (must be some human food, they taste like crap) flavoured medicines- and lots of painful belly pressing.
Well… as Mama puts it, I am in the ‘mend’ now. I think we can put those ‘vet’ things behind- for now.
Ciao, you kitties. I’m off for a bit to meow at the humans- I need some cuddling.
Health update
I have stomach infection- and that is what is causing me so much grief. Sigh.
And as you would be able to correctly guess, I was taken to the vet last night- after my humans got back home and found the situation unchanged. I have had this thing as a kitten, and guess what- it’s not fun. It hurts your belly and makes your food taste bad… and also- it makes you sleep a lot.
The doctor had told Mama that I am a little ‘prone’ to parasitic infections in the stomach- but with proper attention, I should be okay. That was the major reason the humans had taken medical insurance for me all those months back. It probably means that my humans love me and wants to take care of me… properly.
And they are… Even when I am being difficult and refusing the medicine-mixed food; and not opening my mouth to take syrupy med they are trying to syringe into my mouth!
I suspect a lot of vet visits in the coming week. Meow!
Am I sick?
Seems like my humans are worried; about me– what else? Their world revolves around me after all! Duh!
I have not been very well this weekend, you see. And yesterday, I tried to do my business in my poo box and something did not seem right. I, then, meowed plenty and got out of it and did it outside the box. Yup, it was me being a bad kitty!
I am pretty set in my litter habits- so that got Mama very worried. She thinks I may be associating ‘pain’ with the poo box? I guess it’s some sort of usual ‘complex human thinking’- and I don’t know what that means. What got her worried even more is that the poo smelt bad and did not look right either… But she said she’ll give me 24 hours to show her a sign that I was well.
Otherwise she’ll take me to the vet.
No!
Now, how can I avoid the vet? How many hours do I have? 12?
Hmm..
Hmphs!
I love my food; and even though Mama tells me to eat it s-l-o-w-l-y I’m far too impatient for that. I guess what I’m getting at is that when Mama gives me my food- I simply gobble it up! And that’s what kittens with GOOD APPETITE do!
Now, what’s wrong with that?!
I did the same yesterday- the Science Plan wet chunks and my favourite dry Whiska’s… and then I felt funny. I walked up to the corner of the hallway and meowed for Mama… and when Mama rushed in she kept on asking me what was wrong… well, as if I knew what was wrong! I just knew that I felt funny and that was why I had asked for her- to TELL me what’s wrong… seems like even she did not know…
Hmm…
Well… after a while I threw up all that I had eaten- the dry food and the wet- EVERYTHING!
I felt better once I did that- but the HUMANS- they took me to the Animal Emergency Centre. Sigh. The vet there did the humiliating thing of measuring of my temperature (I meowed, complained and struggled but Papa held me strong!); then pressed my tummy and checked my teeth and said that I was okay.
Helloooo… wasn’t I saying the same thing after I puked- that I was okay and they don’t need to take me to a vet! The humans kept saying that it’s always better to be safe… not sure how those humiliating thermometers are in any way safe though. Humans are impossible at times; but I guess it’s just their way of showing that they care?
Guess Mama’ll AGAIN nag me to ‘not’ to eat my food without chewing… and I know she means well; but there you go! MEOW!
Sigh!
meeeeow… i hate ants!
no, i don’t like ants anymore. they crawl on me and bite me and i keep running around the house. i think mama and papa has been trying to get rid of them for me today… mama wiped them off with a foul smelling liquid. there were hundreds of them near my food bowl and millions in my litter room.
i hate to admit it, but the hiumans were right. ants are annoying… and i am annoyed!
meeow… i want the ants gone!
eardrops
oh the horror of eardrops!
mama and papa have been a source of pure torture the last ten days. they’d hold me down and put lots of eardrops in my ears- TWICE everyday! i feel so irritated by this that i’d put my back to them and not speak to them for some time- hoping they’d get the message. they don’t, humans are not all that intelligent actually.
the strange man with tabby-cat orange hair that they took me to (when they caught me trying to shake away the critters that were running around inside my ears)- he gave the humans this eardrop for me. true, the critters are gone now… and yes, probably this eardrop made them go away. but then they have been gone for DAYS now! why do they still put that horrid drop in my ears! MEEEEEOWWWWW!
stop it, humans. I WANT NO MORE EARDROPS!
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crazylogix
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Sherkhan 