In Loving Memory of Junior

My handsome Meezer man:

You came to me shortly after China crossed the bridge.  You helped heal my heart from her loss.

I remember picking you out, having never met you, only seeing a picture of you on the Rocky Mountain Siamese Rescue website.  I had been considering another kitty, but then saw that you had been in your foster home for 2 years.  That decided it for me right there, you were coming to your furever home with me, and you couldn't get here soon enough to suit me.

The day of your transport dawned, and it was a bit cloudy, but off I went with a friend to pick you up anyway.  You were being transported from Denver by Michelle and her husband, and we were meeting in Rawlins, Wyoming, where I would take you and whisk you home.  I remember peering in at you in your carrier at the truck stop we met at.  I could tell you were a bit apprehensive, but you were just gorgeous to me.  Once we finished our lunch, we went to Michelle's vehicle to make the transfer, then got you settled in my car.  After a bit more driving, we got you settled in your new furever home.

 Time went by, as it will.  We moved from your first home, to another and then to where we are now.  During that time you accepted Orion as your brofur, and then for the most part,  Sammy also.

For me, you healed my heart after having lost China.  You stole my heart from the very beginning, and stole it again and again.  The first time you laid your head on my arm and napped.  The first time you curled up beside me on the couch and napped.  The first time you curled up in my lap and napped.  And a million other times.

 

I will miss your sweet face, your silky furs, the way you rubbed your little cheek against my arm.  I will also miss your voracious appetite, your love of sparkle balls and even your vomiting when you would eat to quickly.    

       
I could go on and on about you, but I don't have the heart right now.  I will always love you sweet Junior.  I will see you again one day.

Have fun over the bridge my sweetheart.  I will love you forever.

Junior, my beloved meezer man

My beloved meezer man got his wings today.

The endoscopy showed a perforate ulcer in his duodenum, and the resulting infection from all the leakage has a high mortality rate, so the vet and I agreed it was time to let him go.

I will write another post later, but for now, I will just say I am going to miss this sweet boy so much that I can hardly stand it.

Thank you all for your purrs, prayers, crossed paws and support.  Hug you babies close!

Wednesday Update

Junior and I had a great visit last night.  He was perky, meowing and purring.  He wanted nothing but to snuggle with me and I was happy to oblige, for hte entire 3 and 1/2 hours I was there.  He only ate a little bit of turkey, but at least he ate a little bit.  I left feeling good about how he was doing.

This morning his temperature is back up and he is acting sick again.  The vet said she gave him a small dose of steroids yesterday and that may be why he was better.  She said that he has been on heavy antibiotics for 4 days now and he should be improving.  She suggested that it may very well be lymphoma, even thought the ultrasound didn't raise any alarm in that direction.  We are currently waiting to see if he can have a endoscopy today or not.  If he can't get one today, they may try syringe feeding him till tomorrow when he would be able to have the biopsy.  A biopsy can tell us if he has IBD or they may just run into a mass and know it is cancer.  IBD is treatable with steroids, but she doesn't want to do heavy dose of that because it can change the biopsy results. 

Pray for IBD. 

Next update

Junior's temperature is down a bit more this morning.  He is fighting them a bit more when they try to do the things to him that are necessary, both good signs.  His blood clotting test came back with one resultnormal and the other off a bit.  The one that is off is not off enough to make his nose bleed.  I am thinking, since he has been breathing heavily that his nose is simply dried out and that is why it was bleeding.

He hasn't eaten for them, so I suggested warming up some Fancy Feast or Friskies to see if that enticed him.  He needs to start eating because if he doesn't they think we will need to put in a feeding tube.  He hasn't eaten since last Friday morning.  I will go up this afternoon to have a nice long visit with him and see if I can get him to eat. 

I imagine they will keep him at least thru tomorrow.  I will be sticking close to him and not going to Colorado for Christmas (as I usually do).  I am also working on getting baby Jan a new foster home, as I wonder if the extra stress of her being in our home added to much stress to him. 

Thank you all for your purrs, prayers and crossed paws.  Please keep them up till he is eating and home safe and sound. 

Meowm Rhonda 

2nd update on Junior

Fuzzy Tales asked "he is filled with poop?"  No, he isn't filled with poop.  I have seen the x-rays and that is clear.  All I am told is there is alot of liquid inthe gastrointestinal tract and it needs to move out.  Since his "stools" went from bloody mucus, to dark, at least a more common shade of regular feces, with blood and mucus in there, I guess it is coming out, just not quick enough?  I need to ask more questions when I talk with the vet this morning (December 18).

Meowm here:

I went up to the vets office today, arrived about 11:45.  Junior was hiding in the litterbox.  I scooped him up and held him and held him.  He was still running a fever and got to warm so I put him back in the cage.  He laid on the cool metal, which is good.  Then he got in the litterbox to poo, and this time he had dark stuff in it, along with blood and mucus.  There was alot and he made a mess, so they cleaned it all up, and he went back to laying on the metal.  I petted him and talked to him, and then he settled down.  I left for lunch about 1:15 and returned at 2.  He was still on the metal, which is good, but had used the bathroom again, this time not even trying to get up and move to the litterbox.  Everything was cleaned up again, and he got a bit of a bath, then returned to the cage.  He stepped back in the litterbox, but didn't stay there, was just in it long enough to get little stuck to him.  I talked ot him and scritched his little face and just stayed nearby.  Finally a little after 4 they came to take him for the ultrasound.  About 45 minutes later the doctor came to talk to me.  She told me the ultrasound person didn't think that he had cancer and doesn't think it is necessary to do any biopsies.   the gastrointestinal tract is full and needs to move along, so medicine is being given to help with that. He thinks the current meds need to continue, but with more strength or quantity.  He suggested giving him some pain meds and to give more anti-nausea medicine.  Junior will also be getting an anti-inflammatory,  just in case the gastrointestinal tract is inflamed.  He won't be getting alot of anti-inflammatory, just a one time does to see if it helps.  The doctor thinks she will have the vet techs try feeding him with a syringe to see if we can get some food down him.  They will be checking his blood clot factor, because when I came back to see him after the ultrasound, not only was he back in the litterbox, but his nose was bleeding.  I scooped him, semi-gooey, litter coated belly and all and just hugged him.

If there is no improvement in the next 48 hours, and nothing can be diagnosed, I will have to think about doing what I really don't want to do.  I don't want him to suffer more than absolutely necessary.  If he gets well enough to come home, I will be staying here for Christmas because I don't want to leave him for that long.  There is a sitter coming, but I would rather be here and be able to monitor more.    My Mom said that I am welcome to bring him with me, but I don't think the stress of the trip would be good for him and if he got sick again, having at a vets office who knew nothing of what had been going on would only be more stress that neither one of us would need to deal with.

For now, we wait, and pray and hope that the stronger, and more meds, start helping him.

Thank you all for your kind words and for your prayers, purrs and crossed paws.  Please keep them up as we aren't out of the woods yet.

Meowm Rhonda

Sick Brofur

Our older brofur, Junior, is sick.  Some of you already know this if you are on FB.  Friday night when Meowm got home she noticed vomit in a few places, so she checked us out and Junior was the one who was not acting normal.  So she started watching him close.  He got up, vomited and went to use hte litterbox.  Well what Meowm saw in the litterbox when he was done was not comforting, it bloody and had lots of mucus.  So Meowm watched him even closer.  A few hours later, the same thing happened, only more in the litterbox this time.  So Meowm got VERY concerned and started calling ER vets, but had money issues with them.  So she posted a not on the CWB on FB and RumbleMom responded and then IM'd with Meowm.  RumbleMom offered to help Meowm with moneys so she scooped Junior up and off they went. 

At the vet they did the initial exam and then let Meowm know what they thought they could do.  They suggested bloodwork, a fecal exam, a shot for nausea and a shot for diarrhea, plus IV fluids.  Well, the cost was more than Meowm and RumbleMom combined could do, so Meowm opted for the shots and fluids, since they didn't think he was in immediate danger.  They also ended up sending Meowm home with some antibiotics. 

So the next morning, Junior was still acting the same with the exception of no vomiting.  He was still very lethargic and when Meowm checked the litterbox there was the ugliness again.  Meowm called
our regular vet and made an appointment.  She took baby Jan with them and got her tested for FIV/FELV and she is negative. 

Junior got bloodwork done and his temperature taken again and it was still at the level it had been at the ER vet.  Bloodwork showed weirdness for TBIL and another one that Meowm doesn't recall, but no high white blood cell count.  The vet said it could be liver related or pancreas related and they wanted to keep him to get him started on IV fluids and IV antibiotics and they scheduled an ultrasound for this morning.

So we have been waiting, and purring on Meowm because her has cried many tears.  I, Sammy, don't miss him as much because, well, he doesn't like me very much.  But Orion seems to be missing him a bit.  He has been sleeping in the bed that Junior was using and Meowm just thinks he is a bit sad without him.  Course the baby is clueless.

We will let you know what we find out, when we find out.

~~Sammy and Orion

UPDATE:  The vet just called.  Junior was doing worse last night so the vet went back in.  She took re ran the bloodwork and it is still ver simialr to what it was.  She did x-rays and found some thickening of his intestines and some lumps that may be swollen lymph nodes.  The ultrasound will not be done till after 3 today.  And his temeperature is back up, higher than it was before.

Not So Wordless Wednesday

That little girl isn't bothering me so much.  I mostly just ignore her now.  She bothered me in the beginning, I hissed at her a bit.  Mostly I was thrilled that Sammy wouldn't go in the bedroom, this meant I could go get on the cat tree that he hogs.  It was short lived though, he finally got some courage and is back in there hogging it again.  I am mostly just thrilled that Meowm didn't bring home another mancat!

~~Junior

Mancat Monday damnit!

I am not impressed, nor very happy about that wee little girl being on our home!  She is running all over the place now, sneezing, getting into things.....and she comes right up to us and sniffs us!!!!!  AND she has the bal......errrr........she has the nerve to growl and hiss at us if we growl or hiss at her!  Doesn't she realize that we out weigh her by at least 8-10 pounds?  Meowm has reminded me that at one time I was the new cat in the house, but I don't care!  This litle thing is taking over everything!  Even my beloved bu g bed!  I didn't even want to sleep on it last night because it smells like her!!!  What in the world is a mancat to do?

~~Orion

Hello!

Hi!  It's me!  I guess my name is Jan.I have landed in a nice, warm place with a lady that feeds me, pets me and plays with me.  The only thing a bit scary here is those big mancats!  They growl and hiss at me, so I growl and hiss right back!

I love scritches and rubs and I purr and purr!  The lady tells me that this is not my permanent home, but if my next one is this good, well, I can deal with that.  She does need help finding me a home, so share me on Facebook if you are on there and share me on your blogs, whatever those things are!

In the mean time, the lady is going to try to get some more of these picture things of me so every one can see me better.  Wish her luck, cause I like to wiggle and wriggle.

Oh, I bet you will here from those big boy cats purrty soon about how they are feeling about me.  That should be fun!

See you later!!

~~Jan

The Stranger is Back!!

Meet Jan, named in honor of the Rocky Mount Meezers mom who recently passed.  Meowm says she is, well we are, fostering this little one.  None of us mancats are very sure of this little thing being here.  Wish us all luck!

Wordless Wednesday

Stranger in the House

There was a strange wee kitty in our house early this morning.  We were awoke by that ringy thing, and Meowm stumbled out of bed.  Next thing we know there is this PTU type thing coming in with a little meow coming out of it.  We didn't actually get to see the little one, but we heard her/him.  Meowm told us this is a sick, young community kitty and she/he is getting some help today from the v-e-t place.  Brofur Sammy hid under the bed since he went away in one of those type PTU things and came back missing a couple of items on his body, if you get my drift.  So, he is not very fond of those.  This little kitty was tucked away in the human litterbox room where we heard the little one meowing and trying to get out of the PTU type thing.  Meowm is going to have a bleary eyed day since she didn't get to sleep till around 1 and then was woken at 5 for thiskitty, then kept awake by the kitty's racket.  At least the kitty will get well now and get spayed/neutered also.

Note from Meowm:

There is a gentleman that lives in my apartment complex that spoils our community cats.  He literally caught this baby with his hands and tucked said baby in the trap.  One of his cats is pretty feisty, so she came over to my place.  Five in the morning is not a time I want to be dealing with this, but he is disabled and wasn't sleeping, so he watched for her/him till he was able to catch her/him.  I hope this doesn't happen regularly at this time of morning. 

What the boys don't know yet is the usual vet place that takes care of the community cats is not open this week.  They will keep them till they are well, but since they are closed this baby will have to go elsewhere and they may not keep this one for that long.  So the boys may be having company again, and may have to be kicked out of the bedroom at night simply to allow more space for a suitable cage for this baby. 

The Best Friends person helping me with this was able to pet this kitten quite a bit so we are hoping with some more socialization this baby will be able to be adopted, rahter than returned to the colony.  Wish us all luck, we will need it.  Junior was more feisty last night, just knowing there was another little one in the house.  Poor guy must feel like his home is being overtaken.