Monday January 12, 1998 Part 1 15 Messages ===================================== From: Newtanator Date sent: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 07:06:40 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Stinker Organization: AOL (http://www.aol.com) Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Lynn, Boy do I know how those "little" things can mean so much. You and Stinker keep up the good work. How tough they can be never ceases to amaze me. Give him a huge from me and Merlin and a pat on the back for you! Barb ---------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 07:09:53 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Happy for Stinker Organization: AOL (http://www.aol.com) Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Carol, Just saw the weather. Looks like the bad stuff will stay south of you. Hope they are right for a change. Wonderful Sasha is eating better. It's so important that they eat. Barb ---------------------------------------- Date sent: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 09:03:18 -0600 (CST) From: Katherine Pauline Alexander To: felvtalk Subject: Re: Feeding felv kitties Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hello, I am reading all of my backed up messages since I have been gone on Christmas vacation. I just read Lynn and Josiah Stickel's message. My Tripod also suffers from an upper respiratory infection. I was wondering...what have you found to be the most effective in treating it? I see that you have given Stinker antibiotics. What are the side effects? My vet doesn't mention exactly what they are. Tripod was only diagnosed with Feline leukemia three months ago and I don't have alot of info yet. She has been displaying signs of the respiratory infection for probably over a year now, though. Tripod has been on antibiotics on and off for the last three months and they have helped her symptoms. I should also mention that the vet is not sure that she has an upper respiratory infection...that is his best guess. Do you have any info that might help me with the upper respiratory infection? Kathy ---------------------------------------- Date sent: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 09:11:14 -0600 (CST) From: Katherine Pauline Alexander To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Lovejoy Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hello, Sorry to hear Lovejoy has gotten an infection. My Tripod suffers from it also. She used to sneeze, hack, wheeze and have those terrible convulsion also. My vet put her on antibiotics. She has been on them on and off for about three months. She is much better but, not completely rid of it. I don't have the type of antibiotics or dosage with me. Lovejoy should get some relief. If you discover a way to "cure" the infection or further relieve it, will you let me know? Let me know. Lovejoy is in our thoughts. Kathy & Tripod. ---------------------------------------- Date sent: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 10:17:51 -0500 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net From: olivia gostanian Subject: Chlortrimaton side effect? Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi all: I am happy to report that Lovejoy is doing much better, with just an occasional sneezle or two. I have been administering a drop of interferon into each nostril for the past several days, and it seems to have helped. :) Slowly but surely my boy is becoming his old purry furry well-groomed self in every respect, except for one little problem. Warning: what follows now is a graphic description of voiding problems related to Lovejoy's urinary tract. Normally, Lovejoy only pees/poops once a day. However, since I picked Lovejoy up from the vet's last Sunday and started him on the Chlortrimaton (1/2 tab at am/pm feedings), he has only peed 3 times, each time being a huge pee the size of a woman's hand with the fingers spread out. The first time when Lovejoy exited the litter box, he left a trail of pee droplets behind him on the floor -- which he's never done before -- but he began grooming himself before I could check out his backside. The second time he peed huge but the pee was completely contained within the box. The third time (this am) he peed huge and trailed droplets across the floor again; I got to him in time to find his little backside and hind legs wet with pee but no litter. Thus it seems as if he is not completing his peeing before leaving the box, and/or that his bladder has a post-pee leak. After cleaning him and the floor up, I immediately called the vet. The vet could not talk to me so his nurse consulted with him and called me back. She said the vet said this is a possible side-effect of the Chlortrimatron on Lovejoy's kidney system and to take him off it immediately (no problem!) and to monitor him for the next couple of days. But she was not able to explain to me the possible mechanisms of this "side-effect". Has anyone else out there experienced this before, specifically with any type of antihistamine? In any case, I will let you all know what happens in Lovejoy's litterbox over the next several days. There's been no blood at all in his urine, and he's eating/drinking completely normally (which for him means as much food as he can eat and a normal amount of water). He is pooping normally, once a day. Thanks again for everyone's support. Take care and our best wishes are with you all for a happy and healthful 1998. Sincerely, Olivia & Lovejoy ---------------------------------------- Date sent: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 09:20:45 -0600 (CST) From: Katherine Pauline Alexander To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Lovejoy Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Irene, I have a question about the canned A/D...what is it? I keep reading mesages where people talk about it. I want to do all I can to help my baby. Also, I give her Interferon and a three months supply runs me between 20 and 30 dollars. Can't remember the exact cost right now, but I have to renew the prescription next week. I live in Tennessee and was wondering if you know of anywhere that treats animals at a discounted price. My neighbors just took in a sweet cat. However, this cat seems to have some gum problems and does some light sneezing. It may be nothing, but my neighbors, although kind-hearted, are low on cash. They are saving up to have her spayed. I am a college student and could use any financial breaks that I can find too. Would appreciate the help. Kathy ---------------------------------------- Date sent: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 09:24:42 -0600 (CST) From: Katherine Pauline Alexander To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: [Fwd]: Hannah Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Naomi, I live in Murfreesboro (just outside of Nashville). I also have a short-haired tortie with feline leukemia. I could check with my landlord to see if I can have another cat. If so, I'm sure that Tripod would love a playmate. One question, if they had different forms of the disease, would either get worse? Let me you know if you still have your baby, Hannah. Kathy & Tripod ---------------------------------------- Date sent: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 09:34:09 -0600 (CST) From: Katherine Pauline Alexander To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: How & What We Feel Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Steve, That was very sweet of you to stop to help that poor puppy. Maybe a few of the other people that stopped will help another animal because they saw you stop. Maybe kindness will be catching. :) Kathy ---------------------------------------- Date sent: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 09:39:52 -0600 (CST) From: Katherine Pauline Alexander To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Merlyn Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net I am so glad to hear that Merlyn is doing well. I am sure that his recovery will continue with your special TLC. :) Kathy & Tripod. ---------------------------------------- Date sent: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 10:20:54 -0600 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net From: Cheryl DeSantis Subject: Re: Sasha Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Carol, I read your note and your comments about weight hit a chord with me. First, don't let this drive you too crazy. My two year old neutered male, Copley, can have such a drastic weight fluctuation. He was so tiny when he was really sick back in October. Somewhere just under six pounds. When he started the ImmunoRegulin after about six weeks he started to gain weight. Now he fluctuates from 7 to 7 1/2. Still very thin, but this is where his body is most comfortable. In October I was desparate running around town trying to find a scale that weighed in ounces and was big enough to hold Copley. I wanted to weigh him every day, but this will just worry you uneccassarily. Of course, it is something that needs to be watched. He now gets weighed once a week. I try to feed Copley as much "healthy" fat as possible. I give him fatty acids in his food, kitten food, I crush kitten treats into his food on the days he won't eat them on his own, etc. You name a high fat food this is supposed to be alright for a cat and he gets it. My food bill sky rocketed until I could figure out what he liked the best. In fact, my cat food bill is still quite high. My fiannce, mother and friends laugh at my kitty cupboard. Between the foods, treats, medicine, grooming products I could open my own store! - Cheryl DeSantis Account Executive Bradmark, Inc. 4265 San Felipe Suite 800 Houston, TX 77027 800-621-2808 http://www.bradmark.com ---------------------------------------- From: "Cheri Gardiner" To: Subject: Re: Sasha Date sent: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 10:14:33 -0600 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Cheryl, Glad to hear someone else spends more on their cats than themselves. My husband used to say I was crazy. I've been using the baby food Gerber #2 meats to help my two little ones. I called Gerber and they said there was no onion salt in the food. They get just a bit at my meal times. It seems to help. They eat fairly well though. Today they get their first interferon and shots. Boy, am I worried! Hope they don't have any drastic reactions. Cheri Gardiner, Kitty & Chaz ---------------------------------------- Date sent: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 10:24:26 -0600 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net From: Cheryl DeSantis Subject: Quality vs. Quantity (sort of long) Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Whether to separating positive cats from currently negative cats is simply a matter of the options available and which option is going to give these cats the best quality of life vs. quantity, isn't it? If an owner has more than one positive cat and room enough to separate, then why not? In my case I only have two cats, Copley (positive) and Fenway (negative). I have decided not to separate, due to their closeness, so I continue to provide them both with the best quality of life I can offer them. I need to add here that this was an extremely hard decision. I went through much guilt with the second cat. First, for exposing her at all. Second, for continuing to expose her. When I learned that Copley was positive the first four weeks were the most stressful days I have endured in years. I lost six pounds due to the worry, guilt and upset. so none of this was easy. Of course, I take precautions as best I can. I am lucky in that they do not like the same food. I can leave food down for my positive cat without fear of the other one touching it. This is the same with water. The positive cat only likes to drink out of the tap or with some water mixed with his food. My point is that this brother and sister care about each other. When a cat has leukemia one of the top priorities is to keep the amount of stress in their environment to a minimum. (In fact, I am sure it was an emotionally stressful situation that brought out my positive cats leukemia.) To separate would not only stress the positive cat, but the negative one as well. One point to keep in mind is that some vaccines are better than others. Talk to your vet about this and make sure you are using one of the best vaccines. When I found out my second cat was negative, and I do have her tested periodically so I can start treatments a.s.a.p. if necessary, I had my vet revaccinate her immediately with a proven quality vaccine. The most important point to me, when you have to face this situation, is the quality of the cats life. I would do anything to have my cats live a long, long time, but I feel this is a selfish desire and therefore their happiness is my top priority. - Cheryl DeSantis Account Executive Bradmark, Inc. 4265 San Felipe Suite 800 Houston, TX 77027 800-621-2808 http://www.bradmark.com ---------------------------------------- Date sent: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 08:51:21 -0800 From: "Linda [Catlady]" Organization: Whisker Sitters To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Drugs/upper respiratory Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hello Everyone; I've been on the list for a couple of weeks now and following with great interest the drugs being used to treat URI in the FeLV cats. I have lost a couple in the past to FeLV but currently don't have any that are positive. What I do have is a FIV+ cat that keeps having chronic URI. I was wondering if the drugs that work on the FeLV cats could possibly help my Tigger? I just went thru nursing him back to health two weeks ago only to have him come down with yet another URI. I would greatly appreciate any and all suggestions! Thanks so very much. Linda (catlady) ---------------------------------------- Date sent: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 11:06:40 -0600 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net From: Cheryl DeSantis Subject: Heart Rate Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Most the time I tend to avoid asking questions when I know I probably won't like the answer, but here goes. Copley's cancer made it into the bone marrow before I even had a clue he was sick. This was last October. His blood count was unbelievably low and although improved since taking the drugs is still quite low. His metabolism is through the roof. I have noticed lately that his heart rate is incredibly high. Even when he has been laying down for hours. His behavior is fine. He has been a bit lazy lately, but he did have a fever for a couple days, so I am not sure if that was the primary cause. He is eating non-stop with no significant weight gain. Other than the fungus, which I did start the step by step treatment Irene suggested, he appears fine. The hardest part of a positive cat under treatment is that it just adds to the uncertainty of their future. He could still improve or something could suddenly pop up and he could decline. A quick thought, he just started Kelfex and Fluvicin on Friday. Is it possible either one of these could affect his heart rate? - Cheryl DeSantis Account Executive Bradmark, Inc. 4265 San Felipe Suite 800 Houston, TX 77027 800-621-2808 http://www.bradmark.com ---------------------------------------- Date sent: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 11:39:11 -0600 (CST) From: "Heather S. Kmitta" To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Stinker Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Dear Lynn and everyone else, Hi, I have just been reading your e-mail messages. I am a little bit behind because I can only access my e-mail at work, so I am catching up on all the weekend messages. Lynn, I was faced with a similar situation with my cat Aidan. I had to keep him separated in my bathroom from my other cats. This was not the best situation for him, but it was better than where he had come from. My friend and I had rescued Aidan from an abandoned building on the south side of Chicago. The neighborhood he was in was very bad and the building he was living in was semi-abandoned and run by gang members who liked to turn their pit bulls on the neighborhood cats. I knew I couldn't keep Aidan in my bathroom for the rest of his life or put him with my other eight cats, so my vet helped me place him in a home with another cat who is FELV+. I keep in contact with his new mom Beth. I visit him often, and we make decisions about his care together. As my friend who rescued Aidan with me said Aidan landed in jam. I just want you to know that even though you might have to keep Stinker in the bedroom at least he is much safer than being on the streets. If you are concerned about him, maybe you could find him a home with another cat who is FELV+. I have been very lucky because I have a very caring vet and found Aidan a home with a woman who loves him as much as I do. If you are worried about Stinker maybe, you might be able to find a similar situation. Good Luck. Heather and Aidan ---------------------------------------- END Part 1 Find Part 2 at: http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/20/9801122.txt