December was difficult. She developed a UTI, and during the exam to determine the cause, the vet diagnosed renal failure (she is in the very early stages of it, but her kidney health is actually pretty good right now).
She's always been a very active cat, and she wasn't letting her antibiotics slow her down. The UTI passed, and she was doing really well.
And then February 7th happened. She was fine in the early morning, jumping onto counters and begging for treats. Twenty minutes later, she was in the dining room, dragging her hind legs and tail behind her. I rushed her to an emergency veterinary hospital in a nearby city, where they immediately did blood work and a full exam.
They suggested letting her stay overnight to go through more tests, have X-Rays done, and then recuperate. Chris and I even got to visit her before her bedtime (yes, my cat has a specific time of day that she grabs her favorite toy and expects to be tucked into her blankets for the night).
The next day, the vet said she improved but then declined again, so I scheduled a feline neurology appointment for the following morning. The neurologist suggested lots of rest, a padded cage or room separate from the other cats where she would have a reduced risk of falling and injuring herself further, and possibly starting acupuncture treatments.
Today, I was helping Alison into her little bed, and she stretched and I felt her back crack (in a good way!). She immediately started taking a few more steps on her own.
Tomorrow, a vet/acupuncturist is making a house call to come treat Alison. We'll see if this helps her regain use of her limbs.
We head back to the neurologist on Saturday.
I know both of my cats are turning 17 this summer, but it seems they have lots of life left in them. Alison is seriously motivated by kitten chow (bad for her kidney health) and treats (also not the greatest for her kidneys).
So far, the two vets at her regular veterinary clinic, her ER vet, and the neurologist say that as long as she has a good quality life and is still eating and drinking....just keep that going!
We'll find out tomorrow morning if the veterinarian/acupuncturist suggests the same.
1 comment:
"Catupuncture" went really, really well! Alison was immediately up and walking around afterward. She is still wobbly, but she is much happier now that she can use the litterbox on her own, play with her toys, etc.
Post a Comment