About my cat

My tom has disappeared at the beginning of the year, so I went to the animal shelter and got myself a new kitten. I took her when she was around four months old. Now she's around ten. As I don't have any offline friends closer than several hundreds of kilometres, I've grown very attached to her, but recently she started to show a loss of appetite. I thought the sudden temperature rise was to blame, but few days ago the temperatures dropped again and she didn't get any better. And two days ago she started to have trouble breathing.

I just woke up after my Friday night-shift to see her panting hard, so I took her to the vet emergency room. The doctor took a blood sample, which she didn't like at all. She bit me about three times as I held her, and then we took her to the X-ray room. Her lungs were almost non-functioning. Full of some stuff the doctor couldn't identify, as she was in no condition for a biopsy. I was completely shattered. She's still a kitten, and I had her vaccinated and all when I picked her up from the shelter. The doctor told me this is sadly too common amongst shelter cats. He told me that he could have her spend a night at the animal hospital, in an oxygen room, so I agreed. I've returned this (eh... last. It's already Sunday) morning. He showed me another x-ray picture. Her lungs have gotten much better, so she was cleared to return to home, but he told me that it could go either way. Either her health can take a nose-dive overnight, or she can get better. I still have to return with her for a check-up later today. Even though it got disinfected straight away, my hand is swollen and I've drained the puss and re-disinfected it about twice by now, but I really dread the check-up. She regained her appetite and she's still on meds, and there's a cannula under the bandage on her right paw, but I can't keep this treatment up forever. The last 24 hours already swallowed a quarter of my wages. But I really hope she got better. Her breathing evened out, but she's still quite lethargic. And her appetite returned, somewhat. I've buried my father two months ago, and lost my first cat in January. I'm not really sure what am I going to do if I lose her as well. I can't understand why do these things happen to cats so young.

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Die Sonne tönt, nach alter Weise, In Brudersphären Wettgesang, und ihre vorgeschriebne Reise, vollendet sie mit Donnergang.

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Just keep doing the best you can for her, and I hope, with your love and attention, she continues to improve.

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Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope. - HELEN KELLER

I'm so sorry, Victoria. I hope things work out for you soon.

BTW, you'd better get that hand looked at -- you won't do that kitten much good if you fall ill!

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“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." --Ray Bradbury

Victoria, I hope your kitty would be get better soon.
It is so kind of you to bring a cat from a shelter. My puppy had caught distemper when he was four months, vet recommended me euthanasia for him because he was too young to fight against the virus. I brought him home back and cured him by myself. Make him eat and maintaining his body temperature were all I did. I brought royal jellies/beefs/ginseng powders/abalone shells/steamed crab meats/salmons...and I ground my parent's Amway nutrition supplements for him. I mixed it with water and organic honey, I fed it to him with dropping pipettes. Finally he restored, but he got sophisticated taste on foods and he never ate dog food (I mean tiny brown biscuits) again. But I lost him like your Tom after a year or so.
Your cat shows similar symptoms with my friend's cat, it was pneumonia. She had her cat stayed animal hospital for several days. After she brought it to her home, I(a quack vet) recommended her the same treatment as my puppy. It restored after two weeks or so and lived long. We were both university students then and it was during our vacation so she could stay by the cat all the time.

I trust my body's natural defense system and do not rely on western medications and especially Korean doctors who always prescribe antibiotics bombs. I never go to see a doctor unless I got physical injuries. I just let my body ill, sleep well, take nutrition supplements and tasty healthy dishes/fruits remembering the moment I spent with my puppy.
I don't know the exact condition of your cat, but you said it still has appetites. I think it is a really good sign. I wish the same luck of my friend's cat to yours.

At least sleeping could mean healing! It is frightening when an active critter suddenly becomes a furry lump, but it sounds like your kitten's a fighter.

Youch on your hand. I'm such a baby, I wouldn't be doing that all on my own, so I'm a bit in awe.

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Eagle Whisperer

Victoria, I hope your kitten gets better. Maybe she just needs a few more days to recover.

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Thank you all for your prayers and wishes.

Chaika is doing a little bit better. Her breathing isn't quite there yet, but she has a healthy appetite again and her nose is pretty pink. For some reason whenever I giver her her antibiotics, she just eats them, crunches them up and swallows them without me having to mix them up with her food. Just like that. She doesn't like her Medrol though. Guess it isn't pink enough...

This all is good news, but on the other hand she's still quite lethargic. She greets me whenever I come home from work, meows and dances around the bowl when she's hungry (and stalks my glasses of milk), and if I don't wake up after my third alarm in the morning (or whatever time of day I need to wake up for my shifts), I get a facefull of kitty-fur, but apart from that she just lies around the house. Could be the meds, or the aftermath of such a serious illness... or that's what I'm trying to convince myself of. We have another check-up on Monday. The doctor will probably clear things up then.

...and my hand's fine again.

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Die Sonne tönt, nach alter Weise, In Brudersphären Wettgesang, und ihre vorgeschriebne Reise, vollendet sie mit Donnergang.

My fanart is here

Victoria: You are taking good care of her and loving her. That's the best medicine of all.

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"The heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing." -- Blaise Pascal

It's great to hear that little furball's made so much progress! The fact she's eating and taking her meds is wonderful. She's been through a serious illness, so it's going to take some time for her to get back to her normal, playful self. It just takes a little patience.

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“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." --Ray Bradbury

Glad to hear she seems to be doing better Victoria. I hope that she continues to improve!

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