Conference misery::feline_v1

    I would want more info...
    
    Has the vet diagnosed this eye problem?  Is there any chance it's
    contagious?  Does it definately cause discomfort?  If the vet doesn't
    know exactly what it is, I'd get a second opinion.  It's not worth
    risking your first kitten's health.  
    
    Now, if you love the kitten, and don't mind the added hassle, go
    for it.  If the kitten isn't in pain, she might actually become
    friendlier than normal because of all the extra fuss.  But, don't
    get her if you're uncomfortable with the situation.  A new kitten
    isn't something to get just out of guilt that she'll be put down.
    You must be certain that you're willing to put up with it for *LIFE*
    if it doesn't clear up, and that's a big responsibility.  Consider
    too, what you'll do on vacations.  This cat might still need the
    drops and someone else will have to do it.
    
    Good luck,
    Karen, Tristan and Tenzing.

      >> This cat might still need the
      >> drops and someone else will have to do it.                   
    
    Oops...I meant that she might still need daily eye cleaning...
    
    Karen, Tristan and Tenzing.

    Most eye problems can be contagious.  They can also be treated.
    It may take only a week or two of medication to clear up the problem.
    
    I don't understand why the kitten might be put down.  Does the breeder
    want to put it down because of the eye infection?  Has she any idea
    what type of infection it might be.  If it is bacterial you run
    a very good chance that a few days of medication will clear it up
    for good.  If it is viral, it might take longer to bring it under
    control.
    
    I have had experience with eye problems.  Kalliste had an eye infection
    when I got him.  His was more serious than what you may be dealing
    with, once it was diagnosed properly, I was able to bring it under
    control in just 3 weeks.  He has not had a reccurence, nor have
    any of my other cats gotten it.
    
    Jo
   

        
        The vet  feels  that it's a genetic problem - not likely to be
        contagious, and none  of  the  other  cats in the cattery have
        come down with it.   According to Pat, it was painful when the
        eye was infected, but otherwise  doesn't  seem to bother her -
        she's playful and eats well.  We don't really mind the hassle,
        and the vet says that if the problem gets  to  be chronic, the
        eye could be removed.  I was just wondering if anyone else had
        seen/experienced this.
        
        Btw, this would bring our kitty quotient up to 4 -
        
                   Smudge, Tas, Jen, and ??
        
        Thanks,
        
        Sandy :^}
        

    OK, it's the voice of experience here.  My little Chauncey came
    to me with a genetic problem just like your little one.  I took
    him to Dr. Bachrach at VONE in Lincoln, MA, and he said the problem
    was genetic, was chronic, and would result in his eyes needing to
    be cleaned daily.  Fortunately, my other cat, Honey, keeps Chauncey's
    face pretty clean, so I have an easier job with a weekly cleaning.
    
    I'd really recommend that you make a trip to a veterinary opthamologist
    (if you're in the Greater Maynard area, Dr. Bachrach is wonderful).
    It will cost you $50 or so, but you'll know just what you're dealing
    with and just what's involved in care.  The tear staining is less
    noticeable on a blue point than it is on a cream, but you've still
    got to do the cleaning to prevent infections.  Chauncey is really
    good about his hygiene, and he's gotten used to it over the years.
    
    Is this kitten a Himalayan, like mine??
    
    Mary

    I agree with Mary !! A second opinion is in order and the person
    Mary suggested is wonderful!  An excellent animal opthamologist
    and opthalmic diagnostician.  Well worth a visit!  I went and
    was very pleased - they will tell you what is best for the
    animal and if they can't do anything they don't keep you
    coming back to take your money!
    
    E.T.

Out siamese, Tabitha, is now 14 years old, thriving, and a love to be
around.  She has had a "runny" eye that occasionally gets an infection
which is cleared up with medication for a week.  I would not have traded
her for anything in the world!  If you like this little one, go for it,
keep her indoor-only, and make daily "check-ups" part of her snuggles...
you'll be on top of the eye problem, she'll get lots of love, and everyone
will be happy.

			D

    
    If you're in the Burlington, MA area you may want to check at the
    
    	Animal Eye Clinic
    	3 Colonial Park (right off Rte. 3A)
    	Burlington, MA
    	(617) 272-7080
    	Dr. Richard Donovan
    
    The practice is limited to animal eye diseases.  I haven't been
    there myself but it's worth a try since eye problems is what they
    specialize in.
    
    Good luck in whatever you decide.  Though as everyone else has stated
    this problem could be kept at a minimum.
    
    Roslyn, Esco and Brandy

                
        Thanks for  all your replies.  We decided to give her a chance
        and picked her  up  last night.  She was very quiet on the way
        home, but once in  the house, seemed to recognize her 'sister'
        and they cuddled up and  went  to  sleep  next  to Andy on the
        couch.  She's timid, but we  think that with lots of affection
        she'll  become just as responsive as the other  two  (Siamese,
        that is; our Calico is still stand-offish).
        
        The breeder had heard of Dr.  Bachrach as  well  - I think she
        said he was consulted when she had a problem with  one  of her
        other cats, so if the eye gets to be a problem, we'll probably
        get in touch with him.
        
        Btw, her name is C.C. (for Compact Cat) :^}
        
        Sandy
        

    Congratulations!  Enjoy!
    
    E.T.

    RE: .5 & 6 
    
    yes yes yes yes yes
    
    
    Dr. Bacharach is the best. 
    
    
    RE: .8
    
    NO NO NO NO NO
    
    In my opinion Dr. Donovan is a complete buffoon!
    
    We took our glaucomic little kitten to him before we had heard about 
    Dr. Bachrach. What a disaster! 
    
    It is a very long story but suffice to say he treated me like a 
    complete ass, and then told my original veterinarian where to stick 
    her medical knowledge. She is the best vet I have ever been to,
    and he brought her to tears. She and I are still on shaky terms to
    this day.
    
    When we took the kitten to Dr. Bachrach, he told us that she was
    right all along and the kitten's sight was eventually saved in one
    eye due to her efforts.
    
    
    Enough of my babbling, 
    
    I think you made the right choice and I hope you all live happily
    ever after!
    
    
    /Denise (Alf, Thea, Mange, Annie, Bully, Secrytes, Cassie, Smoky
    and Joe)
    

        
        Update time (already?)
        
        C.C.   has  settled right in to the family.  She eats, sleeps,
        and plays with  the other two Siamese.  We're giving her extra
        food rations, too, so  that  she can catch up with her sister,
        and she's eating well.   Andy  washed her eye out on Saturday,
        but it doesn't appear that it's  going  to  be  a daily thing,
        which is just as well, as she *hates* it :^} She's still a bit
        leary about being picked up, but we think  that's  because the
        only time she was picked up at the breeder's  was  to have her
        eye washed, prodded, or looked at.  So what we  do is pick her
        up whenever we can and give her lots of cuddles.
        
        The  only  thing  she  seems  to  have right now is a  bit  of
        sniffles  and/or a cold, but she's not acting like she's sick.
        What do you do for a kitten with a cold?
        
        Thanks to all of you,
        
        Sandy
        

    You might want to contact the vet for some antibiotics and don't
    be surprised if your two siamese get colds also.  They can be quite
    contageous!
    
    Jeanne, Cali and Sam
    

    are you sure it isn't just drainage from the eye thru the nose?
     I'd ask the vet.
    

    Are you sure it isn't mild cat flu?  I've got a litter of 4 kittens
    at the moment :-) :-) :-) :-) and Mom is a cat flu carrier.  So
    of course, as soon as we started to wean them, they got it too.
    The first symptom is runny eyes.
    
    BTW I was worried about our 2 original cats catching it, but they've 
    had their shots so they're OK.
    
    Kate
    (who 2 months ago had 2 cats, then neighbours moved and their cat
    moved in with us, whose husband then picked up a stray who then
    had kittens so that the pecking order now looks like this..)
      
    
    Isis  (silver tabby)                          
    Tarot (black)                          
    TC    (tabby with white feet)                          
    Calico (yes she's a tortoishell)
                                 
    Calico's kittens:-
    
    Frankie (fat and all black)
    Will    (Black with four white feet, a white blaze and shirtfront)
    Pansy   (a tortoishell like Mum)
    Nan     (littlest of the litter, black, who chirrups to herself)
    
    Philip  (husband)
    Kate    (who is there to clean out litter trays, treat runny eyes,
            (provide running buffet and get climbed up)
    
    
    The kittens go in 3 weeks and I'm going to be inconsolable.  I hope
    you sort out your problems with your little girl, let us know.
    

        
        Time to let everyone know how the horde is doing :^}
        
        C.C.   has  adjusted  really  well  to  being  a member of the
        family.  About two weeks ago, she figured out how to purr, and
        just a few days  ago,  began  to  play  like a normal, healthy
        kitten.  She's not out of the woods yet, but has shown a great
        deal of improvement.  The vet says she's small but strong, and
        that her bad eye shows signs of  light response.  If the third
        eyelid  backs  off as she grows, her vision  could  be  almost
        normal - he says we may not know till  she's six months old or
        more (she's three months old now).
       
        Jenny  (her  sister)  is  her almost constant companion - it's
        great  to  see them going into 'popcorn' mode together :^} Our
        5-month-old male sealpoint,  Tas, is very protective, and will
        stand around and watch when we give C.C.  medicine or wash out
        her eye, no doubt to make sure that we do it correctly.
        
        Even  our 18-month-old calico, Smudge,  is  showing  signs  of
        accepting  the  little  ones.    They  now  all  eat  together
        peacefully - well, it seems peaceful once  they're  all quiet,
        after the raucous meowing that goes on while I fill the dishes
        - their appetites are all certainly healthy!
        
        Re.  -1 It's quite possible that it was a mild case of flu, or
        maybe even that URI that seems to be going around.  We've gone
        through  our  share  of  Amoxy-drops  as  they  seemed to keep
        re-infecting each other :^}
        
        Thanks for all your responses and good wishes!
        
        Sandy
         

    Glad to hear it's all working out.  Sounds like to have a wonderful
    family.  I love a happy ending!
    
    Karen, Tristan and Tenzing.

    
    Well, it's time to worry again.  C.C. is two years old now, and has
    turned into a loving, sweet, wonderful kitty.  A few weeks ago, though,
    I noticed that she seemed a bit thinner than before.  Her fur had also
    changed in appearance a bit, but I attributed that to a change in food
    (I had been using Perform, and it had made everyone's fur prettier, but
    is wicked expensive).  She seemed to be eating less, but with the way
    it's been so hot and muggy this summer, none of the cats were eating as
    much as they do in the cooler weather.
    
    Just this past weekend, C.C. appeared to be getting more quiet,
    sleeping more, and not playing so much.  I took her to the vet's on
    Tuesday afternoon, but all her vital signs checked out - no fever, eyes
    looked good, heart, breathing - all normal.  He said that if she didn't
    pick up soon to bring her in for blood work.  She's been drinking
    water, and I managed to get her to eat some baby meat last night and
    this morning, but her attitude hasn't show any signs of improving.
    
    Anyway, to make a long story short, she's at the vet right now having
    the blood work done, and I'm very worried about her.  She's the best
    little cat I've ever had.  I'm working from home today so that I can
    be here for the phone call, but I'm a basket case.  He's supposed to
    call later this morning, and I don't know if I want to hear the news if
    it's bad.
    
    Please, I'd love to hear stories about other cats who were like this
    and got better . . .
    
    Sandy
    

    Please lewt us know how things are going with CC.  Like people, lethargy could
    have some trivial cause.  We have our paws crossed that that's the case with CC.
    

    
    I spoke to the vet a little while ago, and C.C.'s blood test results
    show serious kidney problems.  They will be keeping her at the hospital
    for the next few days, giving her fluids and trying to flush her
    kidneys.  He said that if it's not reversible, the prognosis isn't very
    good.  Needless to say, this is *not* the news I was waiting to hear.
    We're hoping for the best, but trying to steel ourselves for the worst.
    C.C. had two good, happy years with us, and we don't want her to suffer
    unnecessarily, but I'm dreading having to make that decision.
    
    Sandy
    

     We will be praying for you and C.C...
    Kate, Happy and Preschie

    
    Oh dear, Please add our prayers to the Kitty Angel as well.
    
    Feline Worried,
    
    Sue & Panther & Spots    

    sandy...
    
    i am so sorry to hear about c.c.!  i lost my beloved siamese, cissy, to
    kidney-related problems.  i don't think i realized the "warning signs"
    that she was sick until too late.  i hope that you have noticed this in
    time.  we will be keeping a good thought...
    
    diane, stella & stanley
     

    Sandy and C.C.
    
    Our prayers are with you.  Please stay strong and continue to hope
    for the best.  Since you noticed the signs early...hopefully they
    can help C.C. through this.   Our thought will be with you...
    
    Sandy (Tamba, Poco, and Barkley)

    
    Thanks to all for the good thoughts and prayers.  I called the vet this
    morning, and C.C. is still holding her own - no change since we brought
    her in yesterday.  I'm not sure if this is good or bad news.  He won't
    be doing another blood test till at least tomorrow, so all we can do is
    wait.  It's really tough to hear the other cats crying for her :^(
    
    Sandy
    

    
    Well, we picked C.C. up at the vet's a little while ago and brought her
    home.  He said that her kidneys are functioning, but the prognosis is
    still very uncertain - shutdown could occur again.  She's on Amoxy and
    has to be fed K/D, although he said the Science Diet dry is ok, too. 
    She's drinking quite a bit on her own, so that *could* be a good sign.
    She was *so* happy to see us - I'm almost cried in the office.  Since
    she got home, she's been exploring everywhere, as if she'd been gone
    for months! :^}
    
    We're going to give her the best shot we can, along with lots and lots
    of love and hugs.
    
    Thanks to everyone for their good wishes.
    
    Sandy (and C.C.)
    

    glad to hear c.c. is home.  best wishes for recovery.
    
    diane, stanley, stella
    

    
    Last week at this time, I never thought that I'd be writing this, but
    here goes.  C.C. seems to be *improving* every day!  We're still being
    cautiously optimistic, but since she came home on Monday, she's been
    eating, drinking, and peeing like a normal cat.  She absolutely refused
    to eat the K/D, though, so the vet said to give her regular food - she
    dived into it like she'd been starving (she's still very thin).  Every
    day we see little behaviors come back into her repertoire, and it's
    very encouraging.  Of course, like the vet said, once this happens (the
    kidneys shutting down), it could always happen again, especially if
    it's a genetic thing.  He did say that he's seen other cases in which
    the condition came and went without explanation - he feels it could
    even have been emotional (kitty shrink time?) :^}
    
    Anyway, it appears that we've had a little miracle here!  I give a lot
    of credit to this file, without which I may not have seen the signs of
    a problem.  All the healing thoughts that you folks sent C.C.'s way
    couldn't have hurt either :^}
    
    Thanks to all,
    
    Sandy, Andy (hubby), Smudge, Tas, Jenn, C.C. and Beau
    
    

    That's a good girl C.C.....please keep getting better every day.
    (For Mom's sake)
    
    I love good news on a Friday!!
    
    Sandy (tamba, Poco and Barkley)

    .. that is good news..
    Kate, Happy, Preschie

    also pleased to hear that c.c. is on the mend.
    
    diane, stella, stanley
    

    Just got back from my trip and I am thrilled to hear that CC is
    doing better.  Keep up the good work.  :^)
    
    Jo

    
    I had been thinking about putting in a note saying how CC was
    progressing when she gave us a wicked scare this past Friday night! 
    She'd been gaining weight, eating, drinking and eliminating normally,
    when all of a sudden, she began going to the litterbox literally every
    five or ten minutes, usually yielding only a tiny trickle.  Since
    that's also a sign of kidney trouble, I held my breath until we could
    take her to the vet Saturday morning.  Turns out she had some type of
    infection - what it is/was hasn't been determined yet, but she had a
    fever, and the doctor gave her a shot of penicillin, to be followed by
    a week's worth of Amoxicillin (her favorite).  The doctor also asked me
    to get a urine sample, which I managed to get last night.  Do you think
    it will still be good tomorrow?  It's sitting in a freezer bag in the
    refrigerator.  I have to laugh at how I got it, though - she wouldn't 
    have anything to do with an empty, plastic-lined litter box, so I ended 
    up following her downstairs to the cellar, dixie cup in hand, and 
    managed to place the cup in such a way as to get a sample.  The look I 
    got from her then was priceless :^}
    
    Anyway, she's much better today - fingers crossed that this continues!
    
    Sandy, with Smudge, Tas, Jenn, C.C. and Beau
    

    Oh Sandy!  I know that look :-)))   I remember it well after chasing
    our dog around the yard with a pie plate to get a sample from her
    years ago.
     
    Good luck to CC.

    Sorry, urine samples are good for only three hours.
    

    If the sample is refrigerated, it can be used the next day.
    Unrefrigerated samples will deteriorate quickly.  
    
    E.T.
    

    Sometimes your vet can express enough urine to test when the
    cat is in the office!  That sure would save you from having
    to collect a sample (near impossible task) !!
    
    

	Yes, the vet tried to express some in the office on Saturday, but
	no luck.  I talked to the vet Monday morning, and he said that if
	I could get a sample that night and kept it refrigerated, that they
	could check it in the morning.  So, I did the dixie cup trick again,
	put the sample in a zip-lock bag and stuck it in the fridge.  They
	tested it yesterday morning and it came out great!  Vet says she's
	coming along well - just have to keep giving her the Amoxycillin
	(yippee). :^}

	Sandy

    While I was working at the vet a few weeks ago, a kitty came in
    for it's weekly urine test.  This cat has diabetes or something,
    and has to have a urine test every week.  The vet inserted a very
    long needle and syringe into it's bladder and expelled the urine.
    The cat didn't flinch, and the procedure was over with in seconds.
    Much less stress than expressing the bladder, which can be dangerous
    if the cat is blocked and has a full bladder.  
    
    Jo

    Gosh, the vet did that to Niky, and even though she was very gentle,
    he wasn't his usual sweet self. He nailed her so that she wound up
    going to the emergency room. Anyhow, the reason that she got the
    urine sample that way was because (despite being on C/D) he kept
    having what appeared to be a bladder infection (straining in the box, bloody
    urine, and crystals, and antibiotics seemed to help). We kept sending
    urine sample to the lab and they kept coming back showing no germs but
    plenty of blood and crystals). The vet decided it would be cheaper in
    the long run if we got a fresh, sterile sample. Turns out he has a
    recurrent sterile Cystitis and a naturally very alkaline urine. Since he
    started getting a weekly acidifier along with the exclusive diet of C/D,
    we've had no more problems (yes, I know that Hill's warns against doing
    that but it is the only thing that has worked).  

    Deb