Chica's Home!

UPDATE - Thurs Am

Chica had a rough night last night with more vomiting foam and crying but we got her pain meds in and she settled down I did have to force feed her.  I called the vet this morning and they had offered her 3 kinds of food each meal and she would eat one but not the same so I did that and she ate on her own this morning.  We will give her a few days to settle in and then we have to take her back to the vet for another blood and urine test next week.  We will just take things one day at a time.  Thank you all for being so supportive.  I am off today and will stop by to visit everyone.  Keep those purrs coming! (Rosa is doing better too.)

I had an out of town doctor appointment this morning and called about Chica as soon as I came home.  I was so excited to be able to go get Chica, I left home without the carrier!  When I went back for it I almost took Minnie with me as she had fallen asleep inside the carrier.  She came out unwillingly and I was off to get my precious Chica.

Chica headed for the litter box with Minnie right behind

Chica will be on antibiotics for 10 days along with a pain med - with sub c fluids twice weekly while she recovers.  Her kidney values are down  from a few days ago which is good. We need to go back next week to check them.  The vet feels like it is mainly a very bad UTI.  Once we are done with the meds, we will see how she feels.  If need be, we may go in for an ultra sound to see if her pancreas is inflamed.

Chica resting while Minnie checks her out.

The vet staff enjoyed her - very perky and vocal today.  She went right for the litter box when we got home and plopped down on the living room floor.  Minnie was there to check her out and I am sure to see if she could still nap in the carrier.  Chica will be tired for a while - this has been quite an ordeal for her.

Thank you all for your purrs, prayers and donations.  Brian's Home and Marg's Pets put up a Chip-in (I posted it on our sidebar) for us to help pay for this hospitalization. Bless you both for this. I am also dealing with Rosa who has a UTI also.  I will be adding more things for sale on my Wildcat Woods Vintage Treasures blog so do check that out regularly.  All donations and sales will go towards care for Chica and the other cats.

I consider myself so fortunate to have such great buddies as you all.  I know this would have been so much harder to go thru without your help. I will be by to visit all of you in the days to come. I will keep everyone updated on Chica's progress.  She is a very spunky tough old lady!

Keep those purrs and prayers coming - Chica is not out of the woods just yet!

Purrs for Chica, Please!

Update 5pm Tuesday

The vet felt that Chica would benefit from another night  getting IV fluids so we can pick her up on Wed.  Her kidney values have come down but they want more of a decrease.  She is alert, loving the attention from the staff and being very feisty.  I would prefer her to be more stable when she came home so I am OK with this - I just don't want to bring her home too soon and then have to bring her back.   I miss her soo much.  It doesn't seem like home without this cat. We will have a special post tomorrow when she comes home!

Tues Afternoon

I visited Chica today and she is doing better - they will check her kidney values later to day to see if she can  come home this afternoon. She was alert early this AM and let the vet pet her.  Chica even swatted at her when she tried to touch her belly.  The vet also thinks she may also have pancreatitis - her belly is still tender.  I may just let them treat it as that and let her come home to regain her strength before going in for an x-ray or ultra sound.  I think it would be too much for her now.  Has anybody had any experience with pancreatitis?

UPDATE - Tues AM

The vet called this morning and it looks like Chica has a very bad bladder infection - her urine tested positive for bacteria so they have her on antibiotics.  Poor baby - I was so worried about her but this would explain the tenderness in her belly area.  I will go visit her later this morning but she may stay the day at the vets.  Keep the purrs coming!

UPDATE
Thank you all for your kind words, purrs and prayers for Chica.  I stopped to visit her late today at the vets and she is doing a bit better - her temp has come up and she was alert and grumpy but has not eaten.  Her tummy is still tender - has anyone had experience  with acute gastritis with chronic renal failure?  I hated to leave her there but obviously the IV fluids were doing her good.  I don't know how this happened so fast - she had fluids three days ago and was herself on Sunday.  We will see how she is in the morning and if her tummy is still hurting.  The next step would be an x-ray or ultra sound but the vet does not want to put her thru this if they don't need to.  I just hope this is related to the CRF and will turn around with fluids. At her age (20) I need to be prepared for any outcome.


I guess I spoke too soon when I said a few days ago that Chica was doing well.  She crashed this morning and I took her to the vet - she was vomiting foam and her belly hurt.

Her temp was low and she was dehydrated.  They did blood work which is normally very hard to do with her but she was feeling so bad it was easy today.  Her BUN and Creatine are high along with amylase.
She will stay at the vet's so they can give her IV fluids and keep an eye on her.  Her temp has already come back up.  They gave her Pepcid for her tummy.  We will see how she is later today but most likely she will stay overnight at the vets.

If she does not respond to this (which I think she will) they will have to do an x-ray to see if there is something in her tummy causing her pain.

We could use lots of purrs and prayers.  I do want her to be around and feeling well for some time to come.  I will keep you posted.

Thankful Thursday

From top  left going to the right,  Two Spot, Yoko, Woody and Smidge.

It is still hot here but the humidity has dropped a little.  We are thankful to be in a cool air conditioned house and to be safe in this heat.  We are also thankful Chica is still doing well - fluids only every 2 weeks now.  Today she gets her claws trimmed...ouch!

We have some great news today.  Sweet little Avon from Brother Wolf Rescue (We had her pic on our side bar for the longest time) has been adopted after over a year in a foster home.  Mom talked to her foster Mom and they said she got a great forever home so it was worth the wait.  She also told Mom that Yogi an 8 year old all black cat who had been in foster care for a year also found a home recently!

Pam, the Brother Wolf foster Mom, said they had a special dog that needed a home so we will put Sebastian on our blog in place of Avon.  Sebastian is just over a year and loves water, playing and is a great dog.  He was found homeless and covered in mange.  He is a lab mix and just waiting for his chance at a forever home. Check him out on the side bar.

The craft gallery Gallery of the Mountains where Mom works is going to help Brother Wolf Rescue get votes in the ASPCA Challenge (they can win up to $100,00) by  featuring cats and dogs from their rescue all month long in August.  Our Mom writes the blog so she will be linking artists with  pets to help raise awareness of this great no-kill shelter and to get people to adopt from them and to vote for them!  It all begins August 1!

Have a great weekend!

Treats, Please....

Did you hear that..the sound of a Temptations bag being opened?

Mom, me, right here.  She's going by and not stopping.

Mom, it's me Darby.  You know I love treats.

Noooo!  Don't give them to Minnie....me, me , me.

Finally!  Yum,yum, nom nom.  Hope you guys get treats today too!

Please keep our friend Poncho in your prayers.  His has lymphoma  - we wrote a post about him here. His Mom wrote an update on Poncho.

Purrs for Poncho

Update from Poncho's Mom Mary Ellen  -
I can't thank you enuf for getting prayers for Ponch.  He is doing ok. Just tried to get antibiotics liquid down him but he threw up.  Had chemo pill  this afternoon in baby food & now in cycle of not feeling good. I am a 2 time survivor of breast cancer & chemo -I know how it is. Poncho says thank you & went & curled up in his shoe box.

This is 14 year old Poncho who lives with his Mom Mary Ellen in Birmingham AL. Mary Ellen is Mom's friend's sister.  Poncho has been sick for a while, losing weight  and was diagnosed with high thyroid and a heart murmur and given medication.  He didn't get much better so after going to several vets, Mary Ellen finally went to the vet school in Auburn and they found that the had lymphoma rather than high thyroid.  He was treated with chemo and sent home with more pills to take.

He is his Mom's pride an joy and she would like to have him a few more years and feeling good too.  Please put him on your purrs and prayer list.