Conference misery::feline

    Poor Belle.  Jo, do you have access to the web?  I did an Alta Vista
    search on luxating patella, and there are a number of pages out there. 
    I rummaged thru them a little and just found these:
    
      http://corl.nbc.upenn.edu:2000/~provost/nn/Ch06/CH06.html
    
      Dogs with medially luxating patellas may be normal when the patella
      is in place, although lame when luxation occurs. The severity of
      disease may be monitored by following the frequency of lameness. A
      progressive lameness indicates that the patella is subluxating more
      often, and correction may be necessary.
    
      http://home.earthlink.net/~tbirmans/gccf.html
    
      LUXATING PATELLA IN ADULTS - Where the kneecap can slip from the
      front of the joint towards the side.
    
    It sounds to me from the first excerpt like something surgical could be
    done to help the kneecap stay in place, once it gets to the point where
    it's a problem.  For what it's worth, my kneecaps are both somewhat
    mispositioned, and they used to pain me climbing up stairs.  The
    specialist doc recommended some exercises that didn't help at all, and
    said that if things got worse he could do some operation with the
    muscles to hold things in place.  I found by accident that using a rowing
    machine almost entirely cured the problem.  It must strengthen the side
    muscles that hold the kneecaps in place.  Don't know how you could do
    this with Belle, but maybe the surgery would help.
    
    
    

    This sounds very similar to something a friend told me he had in one of
    his Maine Coon cats.  If I remember correctly, surgery was done on the
    cat to correct the problem and she's been happy and healthy with no
    further problems since then.  However, she was no longer used in the
    breeding program.
    
    BTW, I just did a keyword check (show key/full *lux*) and came up
    with PATELLAR_LUXATION at note 162.0.  I haven't checked it out yet but
    there may be more information there.  Also, check FELINE_V1 to see if
    there's anything archived there.
    
    Jan

Thanks for the replies, the only worry with doing the op at 8mnths is 
she may need it again later... however my thoughts were around 
natural correction and we've started a regime of trying to get Belle 
to lie on her back and effectively do pressups on my hands with 
her back legs (so she's not putting extra weight on the legs but is 
gently exercising the muscles.)

I also got a reply back from a breeder in london saying how half of 
his MCs have rex lines which is probably bad news cause it means the 
congenital problem is probably just starting to get out in MCs... 

I've now coughed up about 80 quid for a couple of vetinary references
and even they pretty much say toy poodles get it and other small dogs, 
however cats don't get it as an inherited thing except in the rare 
case of devon rex's - cats normally only suffer this after a bad fall 
or accident of some kind.

I'd love to know who had the bright idea of breeding a cat with a known
rare congenital defect into the maine coon line - in theory one of
the healthiest pedigrees going...  and I hate to think what I'd love
to do to them (kneecapping leaps to mind :-) 



:-(

Well, it turned out Friday wasn't the day, a dog got hit by a car and 
a cat got attacked by a dog so there wasn't time for Belles leg to have
it's op.   However they fitted her in Saturday. 

I took her in about 10:30, having had a day trip to the vets the 
day before she didn't seem at all bothered. 

Just before 5 I rang and was told she was fine and ready for collection. 
When I came round to get her the vetinary nurse was saying how the
vet was really pleased with her operation, how she'd had fully and permenantly
luxated kneecap with lots of tissue that had build up and hardened around
it.   He was able to cut away most of the tissue to free up the kneecap 
to move and then use the remainder to attach it to the tendons and
tighten it all up over the groove nicely. 


Belle was woozy and didn't like spending the evening in her cat carrier 
cage, but soon settled down and slept when she sussed she wasn't getting
out (and I drapped it in a blanket, except the front where she could see
me and I could just see her in the dark).  Next day I'm trying to stop 
her jumping around and discover she's fine, jumping down is a matter of
balancing slightly longer in a hand-stand kind of position and then her 
back legs just float to the floor, jumping up she does the main thrust with 
the unoperated leg. 

She's shaved from the middle of her tummy to her hip and down to her 
ankles so she looks like a little fluffy dancer with fluffy legwarmers
round her ankle, pink and grey stripey leggings and a fluffy top hanging 
down.   Everso elegant and slightly daft at the same time. 

She's on anti-bios again, I've nearly convinced her they're sweeties, 
or at least just as soon as I get more kitbits she'll believe me again. 

It's stitched up neatly and looks healthy, it was a little pink at one 
bit yesterday but I think she'd had a nibble and tug at the stitches.. 

on the 4th she goes back for a checkup and stitches out.. she seems to be  
doing great. 

Hopefully she'll have a normal leg on the right side now soon and 
in a few months hopefully the other one will go ok too. 

At least I won't worry as much for the second one since I know she's
not allergic to the anaesthetic or anything now! 



Jo
& chaps. 

PS: Nat, thanks for the xmas card, cute!

    Jo -
    
    That's wonderful news.  you should take her picture now and add it to
    your web site.  I have this incredible image of a Maine Coon ballerina
    doing pirouettes around your house....
    
    Gita

>That's wonderful news.  

The wierd thing is she's got hyper affectionate since that. 
I had to spend 1/4 an hour this morning fussing her as she stood 
on my chest purring and pointing her little nose in the air so 
elegantly before she'd let me get up and when I got home slightly 
late yesterday from work she was mewling at me and talking away 
like no-ones business!

>you should take her picture now 

Done already! Sunday had a photo shoot of little bald leg... 

>and add it to your web site.  

Just as soon as I find a scanner I'll be doing just that!
Currently I've a really big favour being done by a friend 
of a colleague/friend who has access to a scanner and is 
going to do me a couple of pictures and mail me the gifs. 

Problem is I don't have Knuffie on the net yet either 
so that's one piccy each and I'd like a nice one of 
Belle on to start with :-)   Still I'll find another scanner 
soon. 

>I have this incredible image of a Maine Coon ballerina
>    doing pirouettes around your house....
    

Not far out..... just add to that the little chocolate 
tortoiseshell tazmanian devil called knuffie the knutter
spinning around her and demolishing things on the way
and a small but loving (and getting more and more sociable) 
barrel of long fluff called lucy swiping at the two of 
them when they spin too close and you have it. 

    Great news...it really sounds like Belle is recuperating 
    very nicely.
    
    Sandy 

         Fantastic!  Healing vibes to Belle for a quick and complete
    recovery!
    
    					- Andrea
    					  Loki & Midnight

Well, you're all helping I reckon. 

Belle went for her stitches to be removed and a check 
last night and she's apparently doing very well. 

I actually had a chance to chat to one of the vets too
this time.  It would seem that when this usually 
occurs it's mainly because there isn't a deep enough
grove for the kneecap to sit in and it has to be 
deepened.   In Belles case apparently her groove
is fine, she just had extended ligaments so her 
kneecaps were just swinging around somewhere 
roughly in the middle of her legs rather than 
sitting neatly in the groves.    Her other leg
is almost certainly the same and again will require
just a little tuck here and there and she'll be 
working again.  

You can virtually see the muscle building up on 
her little skinny legs as she runs around the room. 

She seems really quite active nowadays, more than before, 
and she's started laying into Knuffie just that little bit
more which is nice, not that I don't love Knuffie the Knuddlie
Knutter to bits, but it evens it out a bit since she normally
picks on Belle. 

She's allowed out now, though he said not all night, I couldn't 
kick her out for the night anyway! I'd miss cuddling her and 
she wouldn't be able to get back in if she wanted (catflap=longstory) 
and then in 6 weeks time she'll stay in for another week 
or two, all being well, after her other leg is done. 

If anyone has any info on whether this is hereditary 
in the same way as the classic missing grove 
luxation problems do please forward it to me! 
She'll probably still be done, unless we can find out 
anything about this, we've overcome the problem of 
hte weight of the kittens being too much for her 
weak legs to take, but if it might not be a completely 
hereditary thing then even if Belle doesn't become a 
full queen then it'll still be good news for the breeder
I got her from. 



Jo. 

Well, here's the latest... dear Belle's hanging in, 
and standing up to it (on 3 legs with a wobble). 

Friday:
------
Dropped her off for surgery, expecting to pick her up 
at 4ish and have her out and about by the end of the 
weekend.  Had a problem getting anything done at work 
but made it to 3:30 when I rang and was told, she's
ok but we'd like to keep her in as she's a bit woosy
from the anaesthetic still and a bit sore. So of course
I said I'd come in and see her all the same.  6:30ish 
I get to the vets and as I'm going in to see her 
they warn me she looks a bit of a mess cause she bled
a bit, and by the time it'd started bleeding it would 
have traumatised her more to go back in and try to 
tie off whatever it was that was doing all the blood 
chucking.   She was pathetically wobbly and her 
eyes were dilated beyond belief, once I'd calmed her 
down a little and persuaded her, drunken and 
effectively 3 legged since the bad one was being carried 
tucked up not to try to jump out of the cage she just 
leant against me and purred.  She let me clean the lumps 
of dry blood out of her tail and some of the tummy fur
that hadn't been shaved away. She didn't want her paw 
(also covered in bits of blood) touching though. 
She relaxed and her 3rd eyelid was coming in almost 
completely, but she kept forgetting to shut her eyes, 
or something like that.  Once she'd done that a couple 
of times and started something between spasms and twitching 
in her limbs and breathing I made a note to mention it 
later to the nurse just in case it was important, 
s'ok it's just an after effect of the anaesthetic. 

I was very proud of myself that I stayed calm and loving
for her sake, looking back it was horrible - she looked
like someone had tried to put her through a mincer, 
her leg where it was shaved was blood coated so you 
couldn't make out any of her stripes or even 
where the stitched wound was.  As it was comic relief 
day (don't ask) my hair was dyed red, so Belle and I 
had a little smile about having our fur matching...:-}

Whilst i was in the pen room (which backs off the 
surgery) another cat arrived just as they were shutting up. 

His name is Alfie, he was wailing big time, I couldn't 
help but overhear them say he was an RTA and had a name 
and number but there was no answer from the number. 

When the vetnurse was left with him and talked to him 
he calmed down lots. He was brought into one of the pens 
by me and even lying in a coat in a cardboard box I 
could see that he was beautiful!   He had long silky 
black fur and white toes and bib - and he was BIG. 
I'd guess he was about 6 or 7, he seemed fully grown. 
I asked what happened if they couldn't get the owners, 
the nurse said it's ok, they had a phone number. So I 
left it... then before I left I mentioned if they couldn't 
find the owner I'd cover him, and adopt him come to that. 
It seems fair since I missed a CPL meeting again 
on wednesday. 

I left having agreed to ring around midday to see how 
Belle was doing. 

Saturday:
--------
Having stayed up late so I'd sleep in so I didn't spend the 
morning worrying I then managed to not get up until nearly 
12.  I decided a quick bath was in order otherwise it'd not 
happen. About 12:45 I rang and got the ansaphone at the vets. 
Repeated calls later and about 4:30 I decided stuff it I was
driving over there. So I did. The nurse was there and saw 
me coming, she had Belle in her box and ready to come home 
as I came in.  And I got a box for her too. It's more of a 
medium sized stable than a box really ... it takes up 
half the house, only just fitted in the car, nearly wouldn't 
fit in the house (small doorways on victorian terraces you know). 
So by saturday night I have a half bloody, not so drunk but
very very wobbly (still holding her leg in the air) Belle 
in a pen with milk, water, litter tray, usual dry science 
diet and sweeties, sheepskin, cushion and blanket in the 
middle of the lounge. Honestly I'm suprised I fitted Belle into 
the pen once I'd filled it with bits for her. 
Knuffie discovered a new fave game ignore Belle but play on top 
of her cage - I swear if she was human she'd've developed water 
torture all on her own. 

I asked after Alfie and they still hadn't got his owners. 
The vet nurse said he was ever so friendly though, his 
injuries are recover from able too - a fractured pelvis, 
he looked pale the day before and could have been bleeding 
internally. 

About 10ish I nipped down the local to say hello to friends 
I've not seen for a while, but was back by 1ish to curl up 
by Belle with cushions and a blanket in case she needed me
for anything in the night. 

About 5ish (I think) I woke up to see three comfy sleeping 
cats on the nice soft chairs or cushions and crawled, 
in a quiet but rather stiff manner up the 
stairs to the comfort of my duvet -ahhh. 

Sunday:
------
Lucy and Knuffie have at last decided to acknowledge the odd 
smelling penned up and rejected looking Belle. 

Belle let me groom her more so most of her coat now looks 
normal and blood free, though she'd added to the mess by 
dropping her tail in her milk so it went into matted 
lumps too... joy of joys.. 

I was in and out of the lounge, tidying, sorting and 
gardening most of the day and though Knuffs came out with 
me a bit she mostly stayed in the lounge with Belle but 
watching me from the window. 

Belle yowled a few times when she tried to stand on her 
leg and obviously failed. She's washed most of the surface
blood off and now the bruising is visable.  She looks like 
they spent the afternoon trampoling on her leg! No wonder 
she won't walk on it... it stops just above her ankle 
and just below her hip, otherwise the would-be pinky white 
bits are a bruised burgandy purple and the grey's just slightly 
darker. But she's purring and lying down quite a bit. 

Monday:
------

Up at the crack of sparrows, so got constructive and cleaned
the litter tray.  Belle then proceeded to prove she'd been 
eating over the last couple of days after all and I cleaned 
the litter tray again. Still looked pretty healthy and now I 
*know* she's going without any problem. 

She's getting the hang of it not being worth trying to get out 
of her pen, she really isn't into wet food either, I put the 
salmon steak I cooked for her yesterday out for Lucy and Knuffie 
and it nearly evaporated.  Belle prefers her science diet pellets. 
Oh well I'll tempt her tonight with prawns, that she can't resist. 

Lunchtime I went back having moved her pen onto a sofa so she 
gets more light, groomed her, gave her some more sweeties, 
removed Knuffie from the top of her cage, removed knuffie from a mobile,
moved the mobile to a different hook (my ceiling is covered in 
mobiles and wind chimes and puppets and hanging lanterns/birdcages etc)
turned round to see Knuffie leaping from the cage to a puppet this time. 
She brought it down, hook and all and poor Belle thinks the third world 
war has started on her pen! Still eventually Knuffie mellowed, well went 
and played terrorist and hostage with a plant in the garden instead of 
Belle.   I'm buying that kitten a leather jacket (maybe a studded collar too) 
so she can keep her image up.  

Belle on the other hand has at least stopped trying to lie with 
her head in her litter tray (that worried me more than anything 
else I think) .

Tonight I'm buying fresh prawns for her on the way home and tomorrow 
it's a checkup to see how she's doing after work, I don't expect 
she'll be gettign out of the pen 'til the end of the week at the 
earliest though since she's still not standing on that leg. 

I'll check if they've found Alfies people at the vets too - if not 
I'm offering to adopt him, it seems right, at least he'll have 
someone to visit him and love him then (though I'm sure the vetnurses
are doing a grand job). [obviously if I do adopt him I'll carry on 
trying to reach his people - I'm sure BT can identify a house 
from the number if I explain. and yes I know that might mean 
having to give him back to someone I don't think is good enough 
for him after having made friends with him]. 

Thanks for listening - I'm handling it fine but I've only just realised
it did rather take it out of me a bit seeing her in such a state. 

She'll be a happy, bouncing, silky, clean, pain free, 4 legged kitty 
again soon. 

Jo.  

    Hugs to both Belle and you.......you've had a rough weekend
    but hopefully she's on a quick road to recovery and things will
    only get better.
    
    And...hopefully you will be able to adopt the kitty at the vets!!
    
    Sandy 

Thanks, oh and I've a friend visiting tomorrow who's 
kitty is ill, any bright suggestions of things to 
check welcome... 

>too, without much luck!!!  I guess I`m just having one of those 
>weeks!  Paws is ill too.  Vet doesn`t know what`s wrong with him.  
>He`s got a temperature and is really out-of-sorts and his rear end
>seems to hurt.  He`s on antibiotics, but doesn`t seem much better, 
>so I think I may have to take him back to the vet later today.  

He's a done boy who's a year or three old, lives with a done girl
who's about the same age and though they get on ok she is boss 
cat, they don't fight that I know of.  My thought sounds odd 
but is - something he's eaten - constipation? or maybe a fall 
with bruising inside that's not obvious but is causing him 
discomfort?   

    Paws is your friend's cat?  Cystitus(sp?)?  Anal glands impacted
    and infected?  Blocked intestines (x-ray might tell??) I think
    that latter is dangerous if not treated promptly? Undetected
    abscess?  
     

> Paws is your friend's cat?

Oops, sorry yeah, Paws and Idgy are her chaps, 
(as seen in http://tyguer.uvo.dec.com/feline/snog.gif) 
Paws is the black boy. 

Thanks for the suggestions. 

         Many healing vibes to Belle and Paws - may they be feeling well
    real soon!
    
    					- Andrea
    					  Loki & Midnight