I may be losing Gracie....
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| Wed, 03-02-2005 - 7:47pm |
Someone please wake me up from this nightmare. I can hardly type for sobbing so hard. Gracie went from 4.6 pounds last Wed to 4.2 pounds today. She was deyhdrated and needed fluids as well as a precautionary penecilin shot and a steroid shot to increase her appetite.
They did a full blood test (CBC/SMAC) and the results are unclear. I don't know how to tell you all this....I am in shock and it hurts so bad. The vet says she is not sure yet since there is no actual test to show this for sure, but her blood results and symptoms indicate this could very well be FIP. She basically told me I am going to lose my baby! She said it's definitely something chronic she's fighting and I am praying constantly that this is something else...something she will be able to get over. I am not going to give into the despair I feel right now because I am going to believe God will hopefully bless her with a miracle and cure her. I am supposed to feed her a half can a day of Science Diet A/D (by syringe if necessary....it's the food I fed Misha when she was so ill last summer). If she won't eat enough or drink enough I am to take her in Friday for more fluids. Otherwise I am to take her in next Wednesday for more blood tests. They had a hard time drawing blood and had to shave under her neck. :-( If she doesn't start to gain weight on the food and her blood test results get worse as far as anemia and high globulin then the diagnosis of FIP will likely be what's going on. The vet said we'll get through this together and she is not willing to make that call at this stage. If she continues to waste away and if she is suffering I am going to be forced to let her go to the Bridge to be with my ^Missy^ and Chris's ^Ellie^. There is no cure for FIP and it strikes young kittens & cats....I thought a purebreed cat was supposed to be guaranteed to have good health? I feel my heart being ripped out. I don't know how Misha is going to get along without her baby....they are so perfect together.
The vet prescribed the amitriptyline for Misha, Boots & Patches. She said I will be crying every day and this will help the cats not to get even more stressed as I feel they will sense my despair. I tried to hide my tears from the vet and from Gracie (I don't want her to get stressed if I can help it)....but I wasn't very successful. I have been run over by a train and I just don't know why my sweet Gracie may leave me so soon. I have never had a cat so loving and willing to snuggle and let me hold her like a baby. She was the one I thought would outlive all the others since she's the youngest. :-(
I am sorry if I'm rambling....I can't think straight. Thank each and every one of you for your friendship, prayers and kindness that I could never make it through something like this without. I will never forget all your prayers and kindness last summer when my Misha was so sick. Thank you again for being there for Gracie.






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Hi Cat,
In your experience do you know how or when Gracie could have contracted FIP? I don't know if she got it at the breeder's home she spent the first 4 1/2 months of her life in, or if she somehow got it with me? Dh wondered since Misha had come from the Humane Society with URI and so on (and we don't know what she was in contact with the first 1 1/2 years of her life) if maybe she could have somehow been a carrier of FIP and given it to Gracie? I feel so bad because I know stress plays a part and Gracie got stressed a few weeks back when I took her to visit a friend and she got scared and hid in her house for 3 hours. She's also gotten some stress the few times our cat Patches chased and jumped on her. I feel so guilty that I somehow caused her to get sick. :-( I am scared of our other cats (especially Misha since she sleeps and plays with Gracie as well as shares water dishes and litter boxes) getting this awful disease. I wish I knew what to do. I keep trying to get her to eat and then I end up force feeding some Science Diet A/D as a last resort.
Misha got real sleepy last night on the Elavil (I keep forgetting the other name for it). She was still licking and wanting to eat paper this morning so if she does have OCD it doesn't seem like the Elavil will get rid of the symptoms...at least not right away. Should I give it a month and see how she does? Will this drug in any way cause her any harmful side-effects? I worry about her liver and so on after reading some websites on this medicine. I hope Patches & Boots will be ok on it also. They all take a half tablet once a day.
Give Boo Boo & Timmy kisses for me,
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Ah, Suzy, I'm so sorry about poor {{{Gracie.}}} I hope the vet finds that it's something else.
I and my crew will be sending healing purrs your way.
Katz
Edited 3/3/2005 9:09 pm ET ET by katznbooks
Katz
I checked out the breeder's website and she said she only gives the 3 or 4 way.
Leslie
I was just looking at the site. What does this mean?
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Katz
She could have been either born with it or contracted it from the breeder... I know a couple of cat breeders who had rampant FIP in their catteries.
It's just the
Suzy,
I came over here after reading on South Beach about Gracie. I just wanted to add my prayers and positive thoughts for you. We adopted 2 boys in April of 2003 and they were taken back by the shelter b/c they had been exposed to FIP. They developed a milder form of the corona virus or I another mutation of it. They were given blood transfusions with fake blood and they were saved. Not sure if this is an option for you, but thought I would mention it. The boys are are now happy and healthy and living with another couple.
Let me know if you need anything. And know that P&PT are coming from New England.
Bless your heart Bethie! Thank you so very much for your thoughts & prayers for Gracie. I haven't been on the boards much because I've been in shock and trying to force feed my little Gracie and make her hopefully gain weight and recover (praying hard that it's not FIP).
I will have to ask about the transfussion you mentioned. I am looking for anything that can be done to save her.
Thanks so much for being there and feel free to e-mail me if you like.
((((Hugs))))
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(((((Chris))))) I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post back. I hope you know how special you are to me and what a wonderful friend you've been. We went through the nightmare of losing dear, sweet ^Ellie^ not long ago and I had no idea we may be going through all those tears again with Gracie. I know God has a reason for everything but right now I cannot understand why we have to lose our innocent baby kittens. :-(
I am still praying for a miracle recovery. I'm force feeding her so I hope that'll help her regain weight and her strength and health back. I don't think there's a reliable shot against this (Cat should know better than I do). From my understanding they get this as very young kittens (I'm assuming she got it while still at the breeder's house). The virus just mutates and the poor baby gets FIP. I hope so badly that this is something else!
Thanks for your e-mails & support & prayers,
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