Rosie (my sick cat) Update

Just a bit of an update -- I hate to get my hopes up, but it might actually be good news! I'm working midnights right now. When I got home this AM I showered and grabbed Rosie to see if she'd cuddle in bed with me while I slept. Sure enough around 2 PM the phone rang. She was still with me and purring so there was no way I was moving just for the vet to confirm that she was dying! When I got up for the day at 3:30 there was, in fact, a message from the vet. It stated that her leukemia test came back negative. I had to listen to that one a few times for it to sink in. I called the vet back and she's as shocked as I am! She suggested testing for the hemobartonella virus and said that the treatment for that would be an antibiotic. I agreed to the test and asked if we could start the antibiotic right away since there's really nothing to lose at this point anyway. After reviewing the results from Rosie's initial bloodwork she agreed that it wouldn't make things any worse and agreed to start her on them whenever I could pick up the meds. Of course I got there before them closed at 5!
So, she's definately not out of the woods yet, but there is a bit more hope than there was yesterday. Please keep those positive thoughts coming!

Oh Rebecca! That's wonderful news! I'm so happy. I know she's just a cat, but she is a living, loving creature and I am happy that she has a second chance.

That's great Rebecca! I'm so glad your kitty doesn't have feline leukemia

Great news! It sounds like she's maybe even feeling a little better already on her own.
"Hemobartonella virus " doesn't sound like a very reassuring diagnosis but I could handle a virus much better than the alternative. Karen is so right. They're part of the family and our bst friends sometimes and we need them with us as long as possible.

So glad to hear it's not so bad! Hope her recovery is quick!

My hopes and prayers are with you and her! good luck! (((hugs)))

I'm glad the feline leukemia test came back negative! I'll be thinking of her and hoping the antibiotics start working fast for her!

Hope things are looking up for you and your kitty today.

I hope the antibiotics are working and Rosie is feeling better.

Great news!

thebutlerdidit wrote:
"Hemobartonella virus " doesn't sound like a very reassuring diagnosis but I could handle a virus much better than the alternative. Karen is so right. They're part of the family and our bst friends sometimes and we need them with us as long as possible.

It's really not very reassuring. There's still a very good chance the virus could kill her. Apparently it attaches the cat's red blood cells and the white ones of course respond by attacking the virus which in turn destroys the red blood cells. If the virus hasn't started invading her bone marrow there's still hope, but at this point all I can do is wait. I guess a little hope is more than I had before the phone call yesterday though.

I know how much we love our pets and how hard it is to go through a serious illness with them. We lost a cat to feline luekemia a few years back- I'm really glad to hear that isn't it. I'll be keeping both of you in my prayers!

Furkids ARE family. My thoughts are with you.

that's definitely happy news to read about this morning.

I sure hope Rosie gets better and better Rebecca. I'm glad to read she's feeling a bit better today! Poor cat... seeing our pets sick is almost as bad as our children.

*hugs*

I started the antibiotics Friday night. By Sunday AM's dose she was fighting with me a bit about taking it. Before that she was just sort of letting it ooze down her throat. Seeing Rosie with a bit of spunk was nice! She's still very lethargic from the anemia and I've been bringing water and food over to her so she doesn't get any weaker. She had been taking the water from me, but not any food. At bedtime last night I freshened her water and food and she actually came across the rec room to get something to eat. I just about cried!
I still don't want to get my hopes up too much -- she still feels very frail and isn't eating very much, but I'm glad for every little improvement I see in her.

Whho-Hoo! Thats such great news!!

That's so wonderful! But your story is making me cry.

We had a cat named Weebles (She really did wobble. Someone put out poisined food when she was a kitten and she was the sole survivor of the litter, but the poison damaged her hips. So she wobbled when she walked.) When she was very old (17) and dying, she couldn't walk. We put her in a box on the sofa. We brought food and water and put padding under her so she could pee. And I noticed that the padding had stayed dry all day, so I told Scott. He was sure her kidneys were shutting down, but I decided to hold her over the litterbox just in case, and she peed and peed and I just started bawling because even as she was dying she would choose to be in more pain rather than pee on the sofa.

Oh, Karen, what a good kitty. Your story is making me cry!

Rebecca, keep us updated. Will the vet be able to take any sort of tests to check for progress? I hope she gets stronger and it able to pull through. It sounds like you're taking good care of her.

Oh Rebecca - so glad to find out she didn't have leukemia after all. I hope she continues to get a little more of her spunk and energy back every day.
Isn't it amazing how attached we grow to our fur-children? They become just as much a part of the family as the crazy uncles and annoying brothers we have in there too I think it always hurts a little more when our furbabies are hurting though because they can't communicate to us how they are hurting so it is hard for us to know how to best help them.

this is good news.... I just posted in the other one saying that she probably had Felv.

Crossing my fingers and wishing her, and you well...

No such thing as "just a cat or dog"- they become members of your family. There is nothing I wouldn't do for my animals- maybe the only drawback would be finances at this point, but I would try everything humanly possible to cure them. I am so happy to hear about your "fur baby"

Everything just got a whole lot stranger. The vet just called and the hemobartonella test came back negative too! She's still amazed that it's not leukemia so to have this come back negative too is even stranger. I told her about the improvements my husband and I have both seen in Rosie and we decided that our choices at this point were to continue on with the antibiotics and redo the original bloodwork at the end of them or send her to Guelph (vet school about 2 hours away) to have them check her bone marrow. Obviously (in my mind anyway) the stress of a two hour drive and a painful bone marrow test wouldn't do a cat who's already so sick any good so we're going to go with the antibiotics and hope for the best.

I agree with you. She seems to be improving so stay the course. My cat HATES car trips.

Good choice. Stay with the meds.. good food .. hand fed if need be and good care ...all of which I know she is getting....
maybe once she is really on the mend some acupuncture?