Miss D and Other Lovely Souls

Miss D is a dear. I know I can't keep her alive forever but I wish I could.

I love her.

She's old and thin from bouts with diarrhea from unknown cause, most likely food allergy.   She's been to a vet three times over it, and that isn't easy on her, because she does not cooperate at the vets' and has to go under light anesthesia to even be examined.    What I think might help is t/d Science Diet, but I have to convince a vet of that, to get a prescription.

Long ago, when I lived in Corvallis, I had a bathroom full of kittens with squirting diarrhea from what I dubbed the Slaughterhouse colony---an old woman who lived in a trailer beside a slaughterhouse fed the cats.  She was an avid Mormon who claimed it was the right thing that she'd fed the cats, but refused to pay to get the adults fixed and the kittens vet help.  Until she talked to her ex husband who was not a Mormon anymore---he laid into her for not helping someone who was helping her.  I did not know this until I saw her pickup in my driveway.  She'd been just sitting there in it.  I went out to see why.  She handed me a check and told me her ex husband had lit into her.

So I got a hundred dollars from her finally and the kittens went to the vet.  They had bacteria overgrowth in that diarrhea and went on antibiotics, but even after the bacteria was gone, the diarrhea continued.  Until the Corvallis vet recommended t/d Science Diet.  I had to pound up the round balls so the kittens could eat them.   Did the trick!

These are some of the very ill kittens I took in from that colony.  Cattyhop is the kitten at the very back.

Cattyhop was one of those kittens I took in.  She lived to be 6 and was best friends with old Electra until she began to fail over six months time.  It seemed she had kidney problems.  They were the size of almonds and the vet said she was likely born with abnormally small kidneys and it was catching up to her, although all kidney function tests done were normal.  In the end, as I was on the way to the vet again with her, she died suddenly of a heart attack.   I loved her so.

Electra and Cattyhop

 So I think of how the t/d Science Diet stopped the kittens' diarrhea.  I've never forgotten that.  I'd been at the end of my rope.

And suddenly two days ago, Slurpy begins to cry suddenly.  She's on the overhead run and I look up and her tongue is twitching in and out, then she just keeps it out.  I panicked immediately.  My heart pounded and I wanted to help her.  She is very tame to me, but if I show fear or worry or stress, she will quickly vanish.

Chirpy Slurpy.  She's always so happy and often "sings" as she runs around the house.  She is not athletic, a little chubby and I call her Mrs. S sometimes.

Slurpy's one of my girls, the most kind hearted and lovely of souls you could imagine.  Then I remembered she'd been fighting a slight cold. No sneezing, but some watery eyes, and my worry, over tooth problems, or throat tumors eased.  I figure it is calici virus, which creates sores on the tongue.  I gave her some stuff I have for canker sores that is safe for cats and by yesterday, she was much better.
However, I then began catching the cats whose vaccinations were not current.   I had only four vaccines left, and they're gone now and I'm getting more Monday.   I don't over vaccinate, but I keep the cats up to date on three-way vaccines, and when they go to the vet, they get a rabies.   Once they've had three three-way vaccines a year apart, I give them another at least again every three years.  I want those anti bodies always active and flowing against herpes, calici and panoleukemia.

I don't know that the slight cold Slurpy is fighting is even calici.  She could have fallen and bitten her tongue.  Slinko sometimes goes after her.  Slurpy is such a happy kitty but she is not athletic and Slinko can be very selfish and punish the nice cats by jumping them suddenly then chasing them.  I thought I was going to have to rush her to the vet but she is much better today.  I have to ration vet visits because they are so extremely expensive.

Miss Daisy is improving also.  I have the slashed arms to prove it.  I ventured into the black zone, bucked up, scruffed her and while she hung from one hand got fluids into her with the other as she swung at me with her razor claws.   One of those things you have to do sometimes for the betterment of a cat you love.

And Miss D I do love you.

More fall colors, this time maples on this block.

Shining Echo

Altered Echo

Dozy Juno

Jade in the Window

Zeva on the Roof