How's jack? wondering if he improved...

Missed ya Dej! I guess I missed all the drama before you left, but I am not around here that much lately. I was about to post a thread wondering where you were and if you were ok. Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better on the Paleo diet, and hope you and your family find more peace and happiness in the New Year!

Oh God, poor Jack. We had him seeing a naturopathic vet who was only covering up his sx. Once we started removing him from the stuff (at his request) Jacks sx EXPLODED! He started peeing blood all over my house. he was crying in pain and blood was trickling down his leg. He was hiding in the armoire and didnt want to be touched. Great. Christmas day is a good time to have this happen no? The emergency vet thought we were crazy! he didnt understand the naturopath stuff and he thought we were asking to just put him to sleep. We got pain meds, antibiotics, steroids and so forth and fetched him home. Next day called the naturopath who chewed me out for taking him to a "western medicine vet" as he was given steroids this would be counter active to the treatments he had in mind and we should have traveled to the emergency vet that covers his practice. (an hour and a half in one direction) He was rude, snotty and made it clear that we chose to remove Jack from his care with our actions, and he hung up on me!

Dragged Jack to the owner of his old clinic and told him to put him down. We were all crying. He said he wanted one last try to help him. He promised that in 2 weeks Jack would be dramatically better or he would put him to sleep at his cost. OMG! I spent a truck load of money on this cat in December.

We got special food/drugs/injectables/creams/special litter and things to add to his food. His blood work was sideways from dehydration and his urine analysis was full of blood and crystals and inflammation. He spent two weeks in my armoire with me diligently injecting, piling rubbing, comforting, cleaning up pee and crying into his soft fur.

Two days ago, Jack wanders out of his room, plops down in the living room and acts like this is what he does everyday. He was hungry and didnt need to be syringe fed. His bleeding has stopped. He has used the litter box and covered it up, and he sought affection from his sister. Teeny tiny baby steps he is moving forward.

I know why they say cats have 9 lives. Jack has burned thru several. We added a roof to the Catio and a heater so he can go out in the winter. I put in a heating pad that turns on when you step on it and off when you step off. We got one of those sound machines that has bird sounds and he is looking for the birds. its been a horrible road to travel with this kitty, but once again he is starting to turn that corner. I was so stressed out I was ready to run away from home. My heart broke for this cat day after day. yet today he is sitting at my feet as I type like he never left my side.

Silly cat.

What a horrible and difficult journey for you and the kitty! It is great news that the causae of the problem seems to have been correctly treated now though.

I wish you many more healthy and happy years together .

With love, Erika

We had a similar experience with one of our cats. Back in 2007 he was dxed with diabetes and we started on insulin injections. In early 2008, he basically shut down and went into a coma over the course of about 2 days. After a couple of days trying to help him, we asked the emergency vet at around 11pm whether she shought there was any chance he would be a happy healthy cat a month from now. She didn't answer, and I asked if we were hoping for a miracle. She said we probably were. Luckily for us, my wife wasn't ready to say goodbye that night, so she said lets see how he is in the morning. I talked the vet into trying to basically force feed him some liquid food that night.

When we came back in the morning, instead of taking us to the cage he had been laying in hooked up to tubes, they took us into a room and asked us to wait. I was sure he had passed away in the night. Instead they brought him in and he was awake and alert. She brought a can of food and asked us to feed him and encourage him to eat. He ate like a champ and she said that they had left his cage open early in the AM as he was acting like he was waking up a bit. An hour or so later they heard meowing in one of the exam rooms and thought it was the clinic kitty. When they noticed the clinic kitty asleep on a windowsill, they went to look and found our Panda roaming the various clinic rooms and meowing.

We took him home a couple days later and he lived a totally normal life (for a diabetic kitty) for the next 4 years until he finally suffered kidney failure and had to be put to sleep about 9 months ago, just 1 month shy of his 20th birthday.

I am so glad we decided to give him that one last chance late at night in the vet's office. Hope you have a similar experience with Jack Dej!

I'm glad I read these two encouraging stories about cats who've made amazing comebacks. You have to believe that the cat really wants to survive and will do whatever it takes to pull through sometimes.

I hope Jack has many healthy happy years ahead of him.

TXBatman, it's too bad you lost Panda but as you say, you gained 4 years for him by being optimistic.

You guys are going to make me cry. Dejibo we need pictures again of your catio and your changes.

My whole house is a catico. It's not outside but with the bay window as her perch, she doesn't miss much..