MY JOURNEY WITH FELINE EPI, Chapter 2

Ok, where were we? Oh, yes, talking about Mr. Twitty and treating his EPI.. Ideally the way to treat EPI is to mix a powdered pig pancreas product called Pancreazyme into the food at each feeding. Unless you are dealing with a cat, of course. It's not that Twitty didn't like the taste, but it was the texture. You are supposed to wait about 15 minutes or so after mixing to let the enzymes start digesting the food which makes it a tad on the slimy side. Later studies say you don't have to wait, but most of the time he still won't eat it.

I searched and searched everything I could find online about Feline EPI. There isn't much. I finally found a couple of blogs that had suggestions from owners on how they got the Pancreazyme into their cats. One seems to be working for me. I take about a teaspoon of food and mix it with a generous 1/4 teaspoon of Pancreazyme and about a half teaspoon of water to make a gruel or slurry. I load that into a couple of 6 ml. syringes and let it set for 5 or 10 minutes. Then I put Twitty's food on a plate. Right now we are alternating between Natural Balance Duck and Green Pea and Fancy Feast Turkey and Giblets. After the first couple of bites I squirt one syringe of the slurry into his mouth so it will mix in with the food as he eats. About halfway thru the other syringe gets squirted in. It seems to be working fairly well as his stools have firmed up somewhat though not back to normal by any stretch of the imagination.

After a month or so with this routine, Twitty started gaining weight. Several weeks ago he was .4 oz short of 7 lbs. And then he got a bladder infection. The medicine dulled his appetite and down went the scales. He did complete his round of antibiotics and is now eating pretty well for most meals. There's always one he gets picky on. Sometimes I sprinkle some FortiFlora on top. Sometimes I squirt the contents of a couple of Vitamin E caplets on top. I try not to do that too often as I want him to eat the food straight out of the can. The interesting thing is that lately I've been successful a couple of times mixing the Pancreazyme directly into his Fancy Feast and he's eating it. But not always.

I also give Twitty 1/2 a famotidine tablet twice a day to keep the stomach acid from eating up the Pancreazyme before it can do it's job and it seems to be helping keep his stools firmer. You can get the generic version at any drug store at a very reasonable price. Of course check with your vet first. 

I am becoming very much an advocate of getting medications from the online pet pharmacies like 1-800-PETS and Doctors Foster & Smith. I was paying nearly $50 each for about 2 oz. of Pancreazyme from my vet. I found a 12 oz. bottle at Doctors Foster & Smith for about $139. I also order the FortiFlora on Amazon at a much cheaper price than I get at the vet. For those who aren't familiar with FortiFlora, it's a probiotic powder developed specifically for pets. It's great for treating diarrhea and my IBD cat, Barney, benefits from it greatly. And it seems to have a great taste.

Dealing with Feline EPI requires creative solutions. You have to try everything and then go with what works for as long as it works and then try something new. And keep researching. It's so rare among cats that few vets have even treated it before. 

MY CAT HAS WHAT? MY JOURNEY WITH FELINE EPI

I guess it's best to start at the beginning. At least I think that's where it started. Last year around this time I took Twitty to the vet because he was losing weight while eating like a horse. He was down to about 7 pounds from something just over 8. After exams and blood work the diagnosis was hyperthyroidism. I was ok with that. I've dealt with it before. It's easily treated with medicine, Methimazole,  or thyroid radiation. Since money was tight, I opted for the meds. We would do the radiation when I had saved up some money. (Famous last words!)

About the same time, Twitty came down with an upper respiratory virus. He was also throwing up on a regular basis. I was tearing my hair out. We thought the vomiting was caused by the thyroid medicine so it was decided to try a compounded form of the medicine that gets rubbed on the ears twice a day. Sounded easy enough. It turns out that Twitty has sensitive ears and was just about tearing his ears up because they itched. So we found a hypoallergenic base for the compound and things settled down.

Twitty in earlier days

After a few months, Twitty started having voluminous and very, very stinky stools. Can you say cow patty? And he wasn't gaining weight like he should with his thyroid under control. In fact, he was losing more weight and was beginning to look like a skeleton with fur. He was down to 6 pounds. The vet put him on an antibiotic powder that mixes with his food each day. No change. We gave him Forti-Flora, probiotic powder, in his food. He loved it, but no change. 

Then a recheck of his thyroid levels showed they were low! The vet said it could be caused by GI issues. I said he's having GI issues. We lowered the dosage of his thyroid medicine and then had a recheck in a few weeks. During that time I did my online research and found EPI - Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. It appears it's pretty rare in cats, but he hit every symptom on the nose! I voiced my suspicions to my vet and he was skeptical. Finally the blood tests were done and the diagnosis was - EPI! 

It seems that while we were dealing with Twitty's hypothyroidism, he had an underlying pancreatitis and it damaged his pancreas. Now it wasn't  producing the enzymes needed to digest his food so the nutrients could be absorbed. He was actually starving! Doesn't that make your blood run cold? 

Now, I was told, all we have to do is mix some Pancreazyme powder made from freeze-dried pork pancreas into his food every day and that will help him digest his food. Ah! Easier said than done I found out. 

In my next entry I'll chronicle the ins and outs of treating feline EPI for our Twitty. 

TIME FLIES

Wow! January is long gone and February is over half gone, too. Time does fly when you're busy, doesn't it? What have I been doing? A lot!!!

First I rescued some kittens from the backyard who had upper respiratory infections and have nursed them back to health. Shawn and Belle along with their big brother, Squeaker, all had varying degrees of the infection with Shawn being the worst off. Shawn's infection had gotten into his left eye and he had to go to the eye vet for some medicine. It seems that things are healing well and the eye vet is very happy with the progress. 

Squeaker

Squeaker, about 6 months older than his sibs, has been like a second mother to the others and is very, very sweet. Our local Humane Society just had their annual "Fix Felix for Free" day this past Wednesday and I was able to get Squeaker in for a free neuter. The lines were long, but I think it was worth the waiting time to get him done for free with $5 for the rabies shot. And it seems it was done just in time as it appears that Belle has matured earlier and is now in heat! 

Shawn

I've always thought that Shawn was a boy until lately when I realized he wasn't "developing" the proper equipment. After close inspection, it seems that Shawn is a girl as well. I'll have that confirmed by the vet this week. Either way, Shawn is so sweet and affectionate it's hard to believe he came from a feral mom. 

Belle

His mom is Callie, a cute little calico girl who I also was able to get spayed about a month ago. Her other daughter, Belle, is a calico, too with more white and it just as shy as her mom. 

Callie

In the sewing studio, I've been working on a new product - a wristlet. I wanted to make something that could be an accessory to the tote bags and finally settled on a pattern with some slight alterations and have listed a couple in my Etsy shop. There will be more with some tote/wristlet sets, too. I've also decided that in the future I'll make the wrist strap detachable for versatility.

L'il Cowpoke wristlet

I've also been working on the old family tree and I'll recount the new stuff in a later post. It's getting interesting again!

Well, it looks like spring is on it's way, but I wouldn't count out more cold weather in the meantime. I mean it is Houston after all and the trail rides and bar-b-que cookoff is coming up and it is almost always cold and rainy for that. 

I hope everyone is having a good late winter/early spring. 

TWITTY IS HYPERTHYROID!

I intimated in my last post that things had been crazy around here and it's true. A couple of months ago I found out that one of my black and white kitties, Twitty, had hyperthyroidism! He has always been a bit hyper and skinny, but I never noticed a big change. When he had some "digestive" issues I took him to the vet and the blood work they ran showed his T4 was waaaaayyyy above normal. I mean waaaayyy above!!

So we started him on thyroid medicine, methimazole. The medicine has some side effects, but Twitty was also suffering from an upper respiratory infection at the same time. So the combo led to anorexia and eventually nausea and vomiting. I was trying to tempt him with all sorts of foods and poking stuff down him, trying to keep him from just wasting away.

Twitty on his favorite perch

After a couple of different antibiotics and a visit to the emergency clinic for a high fever, the URI finally went away. And, since the pills were making him throw up, we switched to a "transdermal" method of administering the medicine. This is a gel that is applied to the inside of the ear and absorbed into his system that way. This bypasses the stomach and has much less of a gastric side effect. He's been eating like a horse ever since.

Well, no one told me that you need to wipe the gel off of the ear after a few hours. I thought it would just be absorbed like body lotion. His ears got all yucky and we had to put drops in for 10 days. That was fun. But now everything has cleared up and his ears are pink and healthy. In the mean time, I discovered a great wipe to take the gel remainder off - they are called "Boogie Wipes", a saline wipe made to clean "boogies" from little noses. Twitty doesn't particularly like the scent, but they work so very well. (Hint to Boogie Wipes maker - make an unscented version!)

Eventually we will be getting Twitty's thyroid irradiated for a permanent cure, but we must save up the money for it as it's a tad expensive. To that end I've listed several new creations - a couple of quilts and a tote - and will have more shortly. I've also listed several vintage items from my pottery and china collection. So keep checking my Etsy store to see what's new.

RIP MICHA

On Tuesday, May 22 at 8:00 am, my dear boy Micha passed away after a courageous and vigorous battle with Chronic Renal Failure. He seemed to be doing well up to that morning. After trying to "capture" him for a feeding, he struggled to get away and was panting. Unusual for him. I decided that we needed to get to the vet so I went to wash my face and dress. I was about half dressed when I decided to check on him. When I went into his room I found him curled up in the little house at the base of the cat tree. He was already gone. I am comforted to know that he didn't suffer much, if at all, and went very quickly.

Micha was one of my early rescues along with his two sisters. He would have been 12 years old in August. I guess he never got adopted because he was very shy. I'm glad he got to stay with us. He was a very sweet, if willful, boy and he will be greatly missed.



FURTHER MICHA UPDATE

It's been a busy, busy week and I apologize for taking so long to update Micha's condition. He spent the New Year's weekend at the emergency clinic for continued IV fluids. Since they were open Monday, he stayed there rather than going to the vet and then back to the clinic. Tuesday morning I moved him back to the vet. His numbers were down, but continued above normal.

The best news was that Tuesday evening he got to come home instead of going to the Emergency Clinic again. He was so happy to be home and I was happy to have him here. He knew he was home as soon as we drove into the garage. I set up a cage in his room as I didn't want him wandering about with his IV catherter still in. He wasn't happy about the cage, but settled in.

Wednesday morning we went back to the vet for more IV fluids and more bloodwork. The vet was disappointed that his numbers didn't stay, but went up just a tad. However, the best news of the week was then Wednesday night he came home for good, hopefully. They felt that this was as low as his numbers were going to go and it didn't make sense to keep him in the hospital for more fluids.

I can tell he feels better as he's not cranky and even talks to me a bit. I move him in and out of the cage depending on the time of day. He's supposed to be only eating some canned food especially for kidney failure patients and he gets a supplement twice a day and, supposedly, an appetite enhancer once a day. We are also doing subcutaneous fluids - 150 ml daily. He's not too keen on the canned food yet and I've caught him nibbling at the dry food. I'm not going to be too awfully strict as he does need to eat, though the dry food isn't the best for him. He's been a doll in taking his subQ fluids. He does not like the syringe feeding. He does nibble a bit at the canned food, too.

Another bit of good news is that he doesn't have to go back for a check until the 11th or 12th!

We are working out a schedule and it's almost time for his fluids so I will sign off for now. Thanks to everyone for their prayers and good wishes for Micha's recovery. As the vet said, there is no "cure" for kidney failure, but we can work on maintaining a good level of living while we can.

MICHA UPDATE

Micha is back at the Emergency Clinic, probably for the weekend. He had a good day at the vet and they were able to get urine for urinalysis and culture to see if anything was going on there. He still hadn't eaten any food. Since the vet would be closed for the entire weekend, he had to go back to the Emergency Clinic.

When I picked him up at the vet, he seemed much more alert though still cranky. I remembered that most of the other indoor cats loved the Purina Cat Chow that I feed the outside cats - they think it's candy! So I put some in a baggie to see if Micha would eat it. Dr. Inman mentioned a possible medication that requires being taken with food.

While we waited at the Emergency Clinic for him to be admitted, I dropped some of the Cat Chow in his carrier and - surprise, surprise - he ate it!! It's not the best thing for a diabetic cat to be eating, even if he is in remission right now. But he needs to eat so . . .

The Emergency Clinic is an interesting place. When we walked in, there was no one else there. The minute we got seated there were three dog brought in, two of which needed immediate attention. So we waited about an hour for admission. But we had people to talk to and I was interacting with Micha. There were two dogs who lived together and were devoted to each other that got in a fight over a knuckle bone. One just had some damage to the face and ears, but the other was in worse shape. I don't know how that worked out. The lady who brought them in was so distraught so we talked about dogs and cats and I hope she felt a bit better when I left.

I will go visit Micha later today with the hope that his bloodwork shows drastic improvement. I also appreciate all the prayers and good thoughts that folks are sending our way. It really helps both of us. I'll post an update later on today when we have the lab results.

NEW KITTY FABRIC RAGGIES

I finally got around to using more of the cat fabric that my friends have given me and made two little raggies. The first is made from 42 6" blocks using 21 different fabrics (22 if you count the fabric on the reverse). It measures 29" X 34", the perfect lap quilt or crib quilt or even a table topper. Some of the fabrics are recent and some are vintage and they all combine to make a cat lover's quilt.

The second raggie is smaller - 19" X 19" - and would be a perfect table topper, security blanket or even a bed for your fur person. It's made from several cat prints by Debbie Mumm.

Both raggies are in my Etsy shop in case you just have to have one or both.

I'm sure you remember how all this started. I was trying to raise money to pay for Mimi and Mikey's medical bills. Well, it was all worth it as they are growing into beautiful kitties. Especialy Mimi. See for yourself in this recent picture.

Beautiful, isn't she? And she's quite the talker, too. She wants to thank all of you who sent good wishes for her and her brother's recovery.



A GUEST IN OUR HOUSE

I just wanted to post a pic of our handsome houseguest. Jessie belongs to neighbor and is staying with us while neighbor is out of town for a couple of days. He's a young adult and, according to neighbor, a real wild man. Of course being in a strange place with a bunch of strange cats has him a bit subdued for the moment. He does let me pet him and seems to like it.

This pic is of him in his crate where he has chosen to stay for the time being. The other cats are a bit curious, but don't seem to be fazed by our visitor. Jessie has been hissing a bit when anyone gets too close, but so far there have been no "incidents". I'm hoping Jessie will come out soon and provide a good playmate for Cody. At any rate, we are honored to have Jessie as a guest and I hope his stay is a pleasant one for everyone.

Since everyone likes the kitty pics so much, I thought I would post these. The first is like a "Where's Waldo?" Can you find Mr. G? Hint - he's in the tree somewhere.



Well, here he is, in his alternate look-out spot. Doesn't it look like he's smiling? He does look awfully comfortable.



And here's a pic of something new I'm trying in the pots this spring. This is Uno, a little feral cat I've been feeding. He's a real cutie and will let me pet him in exchange for food. No food, no petting is his rule. He's a sweetie, though.

I can't believe we are half-way thru March already. I know I've been busier than usual with yard work and a friend in the hospital, but wow!!! The weather here has turned very nice and mild. Lots of sun, some nice breeze and nice temps. This is the kind of weather we wish for when it's hot and humid in August or cold and rainy in January. Too bad it can't be like this all year, but maybe we just wouldn't appreciate it quite so much.

CUTE KITTY HOUSE

A friend recently brought to my attention a neat tutorial on making a fabric kitty house. Of course I had to try it. It was really quite easy once I got the pieces cut out. It is made with a stiff fusible interfacing called Peltex 71F. I drew the pieces out on the Peltex, cut them out and used them for a pattern to cut out the fabric pieces. If you are interested in making one for your furry companion(s), here's a link to the tutorial:


http://sewtakeahike.typepad.com/sewtakeahike/2010/01/a-cat-house-tutorial.html



As you can see, once I finished the house and put it on the floor, Momma Goldie immediately claimed it for her own. She does let the others use it when she is elsewhere. I'm thinking about ways to put her name above the door. Iron-on letters?

Later I made a pad to go inside to make it a bit more comfortable. I just took a 1" thick foam square, cut it so size and made a cover from the same fabric. Goldie said it is much more comfortable now.

I think this would be a nice house/refuge for smaller dogs as well. I don't know how much bigger you can go and maintain the structural integrity of the house. I think I'll make more one of these days, as soon as I can find more of the Peltex. I had to go to several stores to get enough for this one. This is Peltex 71F. There is also a 72F which is fusible on both sides if you want to have fabric on the inside, too. I'm thinking that you could wash this if necessary. Just pop it in the washer on the gentle cycle and probably air dry. Just my opinion.

CAT GARGOYLE

I may have just a run-of-the-mill house, but I'll bet you don't know anyone else with a genuine cat gargoyle on their garage roof!! This is what I saw as I drove in the driveway the other day after running errands.

It was Mr. G!! He was on the roof, enjoying the recently returned sunshine and keeping an eye on the neighborhood.

It's nice to know that someone is standing guard when I'm away from the house.

SNOW PICTURES

Well, my picture taking attempts didn't yield too much, but here's what I got. It's snowed a bit more since the pictures, but is slacking off now and there seems to be some rain mixed in again. It's gonna be a cold, cold night so the ice is going to be the biggest problem as it's still wet out there.


This a view down the street taken from my driveway. You can see the snow on the grass and the SUV.

This shows the snow on the fence taken from the living room window. You can see snow on the roof in the distance.

This is another view of the backyard. You can see the flakes coming down.

Since it's going to be very cold tonight I made up a bed for Mr. G in the back of the garage. He seems pretty snuggled in without any desire to go outside. In fact, when I came in from taking pictures in the driveway he gave me a look to say, "If you open that door again, I'm going to bite you. It's cold out there, lady!!" He's very funny. I would bring him in the house, but he hates being in the house and doesn't do well inside at all. He will do fine in his little bed as it's well insulated.

INTRODUCING CODY

Here is the lastest member of the family. His provisional name is Cody. I found him out front the morning after the storm moved thru, all wet and dirty, but purring up a storm. He's a cream point with a lot of Siamese in him. I asked around and no one I talked to knew where he belonged so I guess I'll keep him. I know, don't need another mouth to feed, but what else could I do?

Yesterday I took Cody to the vet to get checked out and be sure he didn't have any communicable diseases. Even tho she doesn't usually do surgeries on Mondays, the vet offered to neuter him so I left him there and ran some errands. (I guess it was a slow day.) I picked him up yesterday afternoon all groggy from the anesthesia, but still purring. All his tests came back negative except he has ear mites and hook worms. A dose or two of Revolution should take care of that. He slept most all of the afternoon and evening. And he's about 7 - 8 months old and weighs 7 lbs, which is just about perfect for his age.

This morning he was back to his cuddly, purry self. I've been racking my brain to try to come up with an appropriate name for him and Cody seems to be the top pick. He's residing in the back bedroom with some of the older guys who are a bit hissy, but will accept him when he stops smelling like the vet. Here are a couple of pictures of Cody and one of Ben and Jerry, his new big brothers. Isn't there quite the family resemblance?

Cody

Cody - look at that tail!

Ben (l) and Jerry (r)

R.I.P. MISS BETTY

This morning I went out on the deck to feed the "outside" cats and found that the elder female, Miss Betty, had passed away. I had turned a large litter box that had a scoop on one side upside down for shelter from the rain and I had seen her going in and out over the past few days. When I went out this morning I realized that her tail was in the same spot as yesterday and I hadn't seen her out. Well, she was gone. She hadn't appeared sick and didn't look like she had any injuries. It looked like she just went to sleep. A good a way to go as any.

I'm not sure how old she was, but I have rescued a number of her kittens and the oldest was born in 2000. So she was probably at least 10. It took me three years to trap and spay Miss Betty. She was a smart and sly woman cat. Miss Betty was a small, brown tabby and part of a larger group that has dwindled over the years. She leaves her companion Mr. Guy as the last of the group. She was a great mom to her kittens and knew when she brought them here that they would be brought inside and found good homes.

She will be greatly missed as she was a wonderful cat. She's now at the Rainbow Bridge.

WHERE IS THE CAT?

There is a cat that hangs around here I call Mr. G. The G is for gray - he's a beautiful gray tuxedo guy. He's been around for a couple of years and, I think, belonged to someone once upon a time. He was a young adult who had been neutered and had a collar when I first met him. Over the years it has become obvious that whoever had him in the beginning was no longer around. He's a very sweet and loving guy and would make someone a great pet. However, he has no love for being in the house. I've tried to take him in a couple of times and he is clearly uncomfortable inside. He did take refuge with us during the hurricane last year and seemed to realize it was the best place to be for the duration.

I always leave small bowls of food and water out front for Mr. G as he doesn't seem to want to go in the back with the ferals. If I leave the garage door open he spends many days sprawled out on the top of the Jeep. I guess he feels safe up there and can catch all the breezes. He will go off for a while several times during the day and then come back. Of course I wonder where he goes and the other day I found one of his other "perches".

I was out looking for him and something made me look up in the tree.

I caught sight of white paws and upon closer inspection, there was Mr. G, securely settled among the limbs like a jungle cat. His perch seems very secure, even when the wind was blowing.

He's not always there, but I'm glad he's found another secure place to while away the day.

This is a picture taken of Mr. G last year when someone had put a collar on him. Isn't he just the handsomest thing?

QUICK PUPPY UPDATE

I checked with my neighbor yesterday about the status of Midi (Midnight), the lab mix puppy he's trying to find a home for. She hasn't found her forever home yet. Neighbor is planning on having her and her kitty companion, Jessie, spayed soon. Here's a picture of Midi and Jessie playing. Aren't they just the cutest things?

BUDDY'S CHECKUP

Buddy went in to his eye vet for a 3 month checkup and he got a really good report. The doc said his eye pressure was normal (remember, he has glaucoma) and seemed very happy at that. Buddy will keep taking his pills (well, I'll be giving them to him) and we will continue the eye drops, but we can discontinue the eye ointment since the cloudiness has disappeared. Buddy was very good during the exam as always, but seemed relieved when it was over. We don't have to go back for FOUR MONTHS!!!! That's November!! Wow!!! The only downer is that we need more drops and they were out and will have to mail me some when they come in. I think we can eke out enough for a few more days. Anyway, just wanted to share the good news.

Happy to be home

GOOD NEWS

My momma cat, Goldie, went to the vet today to have her jaw xrayed to see if there was any root left from the tooth she lost. If there was they needed to go in and remove it to prevent infection. Luckily it had been resorbed (?) so no surgery was necessary. I had to have her at the vet between 7:30 and 8:00 this morning so we all got up extra early. I got to pick her up around 12:30, after she recovered from the anesthesia. She seems to be feeling fine if just a little miffed that I left her at the vet with no breakfast. She was all better after spending a bit of time at the food dish. lol She's a real sweetie.

Momma Goldie

SPECIAL REQUEST

Someone requested a picture of Buddy so here it is. He's doing very well. He's staying on his current meds and doesn't have to go back to the vet until July. He still has his vision in both eyes and is just as wonderful as ever!!

Got the results on Goldie's blood work and everything is normal so we are going ahead with the radiograph of her jaw on Wednesday. Hope oral surgery isn't required.

Doesn't he have the prettiest eyes?