Sunday March 29, 1998 Part 1 24 Messages ====================================== From: WORKPARK Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 00:48:03 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Rissa-Tai Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi all, Thanks so much for the suggestion, we have never tried that. We're trying the goat's milk and honey right now, but she's being spoiled - although she'll drink water just fine on her own, she wants this fed to her with a dropper. She's still eating, although not as much as we would like, but she responds pretty well when we place the food in front of her and ask her to try a little more. It's definately an idea we'll use in the future. We started her on the Doxycline today, we're hoping it works better than the Tetracycline did, although it's a Tetracycline derivative as well. We'll see. Other than that, she's still holding her own, although we wish she would come out from under the chair she's sleeping under. It's like a dark cave under there, and she's all the way in the back, of course. That worries us some, but hopefully she'll come out soon. She ususally picks a favorite spot for a few days, then moves on. I've also ordered the clay from the website Jim recommended, they haven't called me on it yet, but the webmaster sent me a note stating he knew this was urgent and has asked them to call right away. I'm also getting the ambrotose from Linda and hopefully all these things will help her bounce back. Will let you all know with frequent updates how she's doing. Thanks to everyone for your caring thoughts and prayers. Wishing you all happy kneads (like kitties do when they're happy), Pam -------------------------------------- From: WORKPARK Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 01:15:13 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Combining the cats Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Ann, I think you did the right thing in your situation as well. We decided to leave Rissa-Tai and Lai-Tai together, after all, they had been together for Rissa's whole life, and it would have been extremely difficult to separate them. And don't worry, the kitties will adjust, just give them time. Wishing you and all yours well, and yes, you will all eventually sleep again, Pam -------------------------------------- From: WORKPARK Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 01:22:37 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Mary, Mindy & Brodie Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Mary, Regarding Mindy and Neupogen - we put Rissa-Tai on it since her wbc was down to 200. Normal ranges are 5000 - 16000. Hers were almost non-existant. Withing two weeks of 3 times a week injections, her wbc went up to 12,600! Now, when checked on Friday, it was down to over 8,000, but that's still in the normal range. We did not notice any aching, and it was never mentioned to me that aching could be a possible side effect. I had good luck with this, Rissa-Tai's problems now are mostly from this Hemobart we can't get rid of. It is a nasty parasite that gobbles red blood cells, always a danger to FeLV+ cats. We think she caught them because of the low wbc. It makes them susceptible to just about everything, as they are already immuno-compromised. Let me know, and I'll ask my vet if she would mind a phone call from yours if s/he has any questions. The Oncologist we saw also recommended the Neupogen for us, she uses it frequently on both cats and dogs as well. Pam -------------------------------------- From: WORKPARK Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 02:15:30 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Rissa-Tai's cbc results Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Nancy, Thanks fo the clay info. I've ordered the clay from the website Jim recommended, and I have the info posted back in Feb. about the cosmetic clay that woman used in Prevention. I'll let everyone know how it works. Pam -------------------------------------- From: WORKPARK Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 02:26:08 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Rissa-Tai, hemobart, and licking concrete Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Jim, We started her on the Doxycline today (and Linda P. gave us a really good idea to save money - instead of purchasing a pill splitter, we're cutting them with a razor blade). I've put in an order for one pound of clay from the website you suggested, and I'll be buying her catnip soon! We put the catnip toys we had near her and although they're pretty old, she gave them a bath. I'm concerned about bringing in straight catnip as our other cat, Lai-Tai, slobbers horribly when she gets into it but also becomes a psycho-kitty around it and gets vicious, and we haven't brought it into the house for probably 4 years since we have scars because of that experience! So I think I'll stick with the toys, 'cuz Lai-Tai has to see everything new we try on Rissa. (When Rissa was a baby, we had a catnip toy that was a stuffed lizard, and she used to drag it everywhere - it was too big for her to really walk with it, and she used to have it in her mouth, drag it under her and walk over/around it. She was so cute!) Thanks! Pam -------------------------------------- From: WORKPARK Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 02:28:06 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Rissa-Tai Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Marilyn, I'll ask the vet on Monday about increasing the Prednisone to 2 - 5mg. pills a day, and we'll definately work on that iced stuff for us!! Thanks, Pam -------------------------------------- From: WORKPARK Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 02:41:51 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Pam's Rissa-Tai Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Jim, In a message dated 98-03-27 18:16:21 EST, you write: << You say that she's eating OK, but she's still losing weight? Is she having normal bowel movements and urinations? Do they have unusual odors? she's still eating and drinking, more with our encouragement. She's not going as frequently (and no unusual odors), but I'm sure this anecdote will make you all laugh as much as it did for me - lately, for the past few weeks, she has been using the bathtubs for her litterbox. We have one in each bathroom, but we figured, ok, it's better than her using the carpet or anything else. Anyway, two nights ago, she used the litterbox in my bathroom, and while I was praising her for not making me clean the tub again, Chuck walked in. He was happy, but said he wished she would poop in there too. Well, she got one of those impish looks on her face, zoomed across the apartment into his bathroom, jumped in his tub and started mewing. Well, of course we ran over to see if she was ok, and there she was, pooping in his tub, and calling us to see what she was doing with a devilish look on her face!! I was in hysterics, I was laughing so hard. Serves him right for being so pushy! Nobody can tell me they don't understand what we say - she sure did on that one! If you think she is depressed, you might try catnip if she likes it. I talked about this in another post, I'm going to get her a new fresh toy. Also, I think someone (Linda P.?) gave us a web address for holistic herbs that evoke certain responses in cats. Could someone repost that address? I'd appreciate that too, although I don't want to force too many things on her. she already is hesitatn when we approach, as she thinks we're going to give her medicine, and don't want her to be afraid of us. If you can think of any other "out of the ordinary" aspects of her behaviour, please pass them along- it may shed light in ways that aren't readily obvious. The only other thing I can think of right now is that she has taken to hiding under a chair that is cave-like underneath and dark. That worries me, as I think I've been told they hide if they're going to die - I don't think we're at that point, as she picks "favorite spots" and keeps going back to them for a few days and then changes. We hope that's all this spot is, or that she is just trying to escape from the meds she was getting 3 times a day, now we're down to 2 times again. Take care, and please keep us updated on how y'all are doing. >> Of course I will! You all understand this better than anyone, and I hope I can help everyone here as well. Pam -------------------------------------- Date sent: Sat, 28 Mar 1998 21:14:22 -0800 From: Dana Crow Organization: Magical Moments Preschool To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Arrival of mail Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Just another of my strange questions: Why is it that I often get someone's response posted in my mail before I get the question?? I like to delete each piece of mail as I read it & sometimes I don't get what the context is until I scroll down the list to find the original post. Does this have to do with the different time zones or what? just a question to ponder. Dana PS I do copy off many letters to keep in my file but I also belong to a early childhood educators list as well as one other so mail is often heavy. My vet appreciates all the info I drop off! -------------------------------------- From: mferguson@ibm.net Date sent: Sat, 28 Mar 1998 22:10:08 -0800 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Mary, Mindy & Brodie Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Thanks very much Susan, and hello to everyone on the list. I've been reading your posts since I joined on Friday (thanks to Kathy Littman, who put me in touch with these great resources). It seems like it's been a VERY LONG time since we got the horrible news, but it was only Thursday. We decided with our Vet today to put both the cats on Interpheron Alpha. We are supposed to pick it up Monday. We talked about Neupogen for Mindy (she already has low white blood cell counts and platelet levels--Brodie's bloodwork came out normal today), but she mentioned that a side effect could be to make the cat ache all over. None of us wanted that, since Mindy has been feeling(acting) great (like herself)on Friday and today. I'm also consulting a veterinary homeopath on Monday about diet and homepathic remedies. In the meantime, I've started feeding both kitties a raw food (meat, veggies,grains) diet, including vitamin supplements,etc.,to hopefully boost their immune systems, as recommended in Anitra Frazier's book and two other books I've checked. I'm going to do some more research tonight, but if anyone has any suggestions or opinions about any of the above----ESPECIALLY Interpheron Alpha (excuse me if I've misspelled it-- I'm an editor , but I really don't care at this moment) --any side effects? successes? or Neupogen - does it do what it says? any bad side effects?----I would really be glad to find anything. Thanks, and I'll keep reading all your posts, as I've already gotten some important info. Of course, I've also cried for a few of you out there. This is the most important thing the Internet has ever done for me. I can't imagine functioning if I had to go on feeling the way I did the first time I got off the phone with the vet-- it's horrible, but I'm so glad Ron and I aren't the ONLY ones going thru this. Mary -------------------------------------- From: mferguson@ibm.net Date sent: Sat, 28 Mar 1998 23:03:12 -0800 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Mary, Mindy & Brodie Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Pam, Thank you SO MUCH for these details. I would love to have my vet contact yours if we decide to pursue this. She's been VERY helpful so far and willing to seek more info. I am sending warm, healing thoughts to Rissa-Tai. Mary -------------------------------------- Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 08:37:09 +0000 From: JB Organization: KAT To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: janie to marilyn Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net marilyn, the mail i read here tells me theres a lot of people who love there cats as much as i do and i really needed to hear that with so many misstreated, it breaks my heart. when i was 18 i started out with one cat and through the years i have accuired ten, from one thing or another some people had left in parking lots one was ran over by a car ( shes my little miricle). i have been lucky and blessed my oldest is 17 the youngest is 4 there all special . my booger has fiv and i just got my jinx straighten out with constipation man can i tell you that was very interesting that went on two years till at the right time a visiting vet came in my doctors and told my doctor she had seen this before and showed him the operation and he is now cured and does his poop with no trouble. oh well just a sample of what i should do is write a book heehee. thanks for listening. janie -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 11:23:47 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: interferon/ambrotose Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Ann, Some people do contintue to vaccinate their positive cats and I think Dr. Myers also recommended it. The thought is it will tweek the immune system. My vet does not and my own personal opinion is that if the cats immune system had been able to beat the virus in the first place, it would have. Most of of what we do is treat the symptoms and problems caused by a surpressed immune system. Mouth sores, resp and urinary tract infections etc. While boosting the immune system with drugs like ImmunoRegulin and adding vitamins to the diet certainly helps, it does not KILL the virus. I would love to say that cats treated with immunoregulin and interferon were converted to negative BY these treatments, but the truth is, we don't know for sure. It is very possible, even probable that the cats own body defenses killed it. There is always hope that the treatments we give them gave them that extra push it needed. So if the vaccine does that, I see no problem with it as long it causes no harm. I had a very wise old Dr. tell me once, " There isn't a Dr. alive that has cured one singe person of anything. All we do is help the body cure itself." Now he was not refering to such things that require emergency surg and such, but of disease. The flu still kills thousands of people every year in this country. The FLU for god's sake. Also a virus. Nasty little buggers. The interferon we presently give our cats is indeed Human Interferon. This is why we can't give it IntraMusclular or under the skin. It must be given Orally and only what is absorbed by the mucus membranes in the mouth actually survives to help the cat. What hits the stomach is destroyed. Interferon is a naturally occuring element in the body. We have ours, cats have their own. I would certainly, and in fact I do, give both interferon and ambrotose. Jim has posted some info on ambrotose on the angelfire site. Hope this helps. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 11:42:53 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Phermones Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net All, I got the phermone spray in. Here is my report as promised. I have sprayed it around on woodwork, sofa's etc and it does seem to stop them from scratching them. However, being forever smarter than I, they simple seek out new, virgin areas to begin scratching anew. So, unless you soak the house and all it's contents in the stuff, and at $30 for a spray bottle with 60ml in it, I don't know if it's worth it. Of course, if you have great gramma's sofa that is a family treasure, then it seems to be worth the investment. BUT that is not why I got it. As you know, I had three in a bedroom because they were so picked on by my "bullies" they never came out from under the couch. My bullies are Sagan the siamese, Duncan the tabby and Chelsea the calico. (this is for my brother, chelsea, the worlds most beautiful calico:) SO I sprayed it around the bedroom, and since it said, don't spray on the animal, I sprayed it on my hand and then pet them. I know, that's stretching it, but what good would it do it wasn't ON them. (Paula, this might help you with wild man Waldo, it does seem have a calming effect) I then left the door open and of course at first the three cowered under the bed. Now, two days later, Meg is out and sleeping on the bed, unbothered by the others coming in, Misha is still on the floor, but comes out from time to time and Lor is still under there. But He is very timid and I suspect it will take more time for him to realize that he won't be thumped if he comes out. Sagan, who picked on Lor, comes in and out of the room and seems to care less about Lor now. So here's hoping. So far, no fights, no fur flying. It is called FELIWAY natural spray, and it is sold by Abbott Labs. Your vet can get it for you. Good luck and I will keep you posted as to the progress. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 11:49:08 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: BARB Thanks for the entertainment!!!!!! Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Dana, What are these Feline enzymes you found? Sounds interesting. Also, catnip does not harm cats in any way. Most love it, there are some, about 10% that seem uneffected by it, but most love it. It makes them feel good, they eat it and it's good for digestion and appetite. Merlin, even at his sickest, would munch down some. He loved it. I read where someone has a cat that actually gets violent with it. I think that is prob rare. I avoid any problems by spreading it around in many places so all can have their own little stash. This prevents any bickering over ownership of the stuff. Some's noses run and my son's cat Brisco, drools, but that's about it. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 11:52:37 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Arrival of mail Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Dana, This happens to me sometimes to. I think it's because of traffic in cyberspace, (where IS that exactly) Some messages get held up until they can get thru and some high traffic areas get mail, not necessarily in order. I usually scan the whole list looking for, lets say. Interferon...Then there will be several RE: interferon. It's a pretty safe bet the Interferon one is the original, the others replies. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 11:55:18 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Mary, Mindy & Brodie Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Mary, We have had one person who used Neupogen with good results and I don't recall hearing of any side effects. I'm an RN and have used it on Humans and they reported no side effects either. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 11:59:22 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Survivors Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Paula, I have a HUGE orange Tom that I have been feeding on the porch for months. He finally let me pet, JUST a little touch, the other day. But I have the same fears. He would have to be neutered, like right now or I'm afraid of the spraying and I'm sure attacks on my male cats. I am torn about bringing him in. He is starting to get that beat up look that outside toms get, esp in the spring. I don't know how he would take suddenly being a house cat. And I sure don't want him tearing up my other boys. what to do, what to do. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 12:00:33 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Duh Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Paula, You can leave it in the fridge, but I think it would be safer to freeze the excess. I thaws in a matter of an hour or so. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 12:39:01 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Pam's Rissa-Tai Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Pam, I think cat's hide when they are ill because to be out in the open, while sick, makes them vulnerable to attack. It's a defense mechanism they have. Of course, she is safe in your home, but the old instincts are very hard to overcome, and I'm not sure we should try. barb -------------------------------------- From: "James G. Wilson" To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 13:16:13 +0000 Subject: (Fwd) Poloroid Needed for Rescue Shelter Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Reply-To: From: "AZ-HART" To: "felvtalk" Subject: Poloroid Needed for Rescue Shelter Date: Sat, 28 Mar 1998 23:28:16 -0700 Thanks to a wonderful individual who has donated a Scanner to the AZ-HART shelter, we are now up and running and able to do our own scanning! How long we have awaited this moment! One more thing would be of great assistance to us in getting photographs into the web site more quickly--a Poloroid camera. The turnaround time on getting a roll developed is too long, and even though we are aware of how much more film costs for a Poloroid, there are times--like these--when instant is better! If anyone out there has a Poloroid camera that they are no longer using and would consider donating to our Shelter, please Email us or write to us at: Arizona Homeless Animals Rescue Team (or "AZ-HART") P.O. Box 5219 Glendale, Arizona 85312-5219 USA Irene Hart Arizona Homeless Animals Rescue Team (AZ-HART) http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/azhart Email us at: azhart@sprynet.com -------------------------------------- Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 08:35:30 -0500 From: Andrew Sherrod To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Survivors Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net I understand.......again, I'm just so sorry about your little angel. Thanks for not giving up on beating Felv. -------------------------------------- Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 08:40:15 -0500 From: Andrew Sherrod To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Survivors Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Thanks for asking! Waldo is STILL in the bathroom. He's very big and very touchy. He has seen some other cats and it looks like he would come out if we left the door open but I don't want him out unless he can at least tolerate us (also don't know if he'll beat up other cats). The waiting continues...............all of the other "taco bell" cats are great. With a little patience they turned into the most lovable, sweet cats. If someone had taken them to the shelter they would have been put down because they weren't friendly at that time. I feel lucky to have them (except when changing all those litter boxes!!!!). The fear of felv still lurks, though. I'm always afraid that another one will get it. All of the negatives are vaccinated (I do the booster shot every year) and they do hang out with George. Gosh, I wish I had a bigger house-cats EVERYWHERE!!!! Paula -------------------------------------- Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 07:51:01 -0600 From: Cheryl and Michael To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: licking concrete Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi all, I've been sort of lurking the past couple weeks. My work environment has turned into a soap opera of its own and I am currently in the depths of my thesis to get my MBA. I saw this not on concrete, and although I can't add much, I thought I would speak up since I was one of the people involved in that discussion. I could not find any solid information on cats and clay from my vet or the Web, other than it does seem to happen. I went to my local health store and bought the clay and would mix up small amounts in a bowl. Copley loved it. It seemed to help with an upset stomach. For anyone that doesn't mind adding yet one more thing to their daily regiment having a bowl of clay sitting around for the cats that can't get to it outdoors may be a good idea. I recall that article that was mentioned and with the lack of scientific evidence the woman did say it helped her cat get better. Cheryl -------------------------------------- Date sent: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 08:56:08 -0500 From: Andrew Sherrod To: "felvtalk@MailingList.net" Subject: Duh Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Dear Friends, Recent computer problems have wiped out all my felv messages that I saved. Sorry to ask, since I know there have been many discussions on Interferon, but .......do I need to have a new batch mixed because I left the old one out of the fridge for 24 hours? (I forgot the bag in my car---THAT is why the subject is DUH!). My vet doesn't know-also, the last batch has just been in my fridge for 4 months. Should I be freezing it instead? My vet told me just to refrigerate it. Thanks! Paula -------------------------------------- END