A very worried mummy - Support and vibes for strength needed.

[Debsymiller (Rufus' mum)]

Well I called as suggested and the receptionist said she didn't think the results were back yet but the vet would call me if they were and if not, then tomorrow. Well the vets are closed now so I guess I have to wait til tomorrow which is fair enough but I must admit I really just want to know. I am all twitchy as I am a real worrier and waiting is really horrid!

[Gillian Harvey]

Thats all sounding more positivie isnt it? Sounds like a great vet who has explained things really clearly and put it in perspective for you. Good luck with the results 

[Christine (Blip)]

That sounds like good service indeed and I'm glad the vet was able to reassure you on several counts.  Let us know what the tests reveal.

[Debsymiller (Rufus' mum)]

Rght well, I am already feeling much better. Vet completely put my mind at rest and was really lovely. Because I'm well-know at the surgery and they knew that I was worried, I even got a cuppa in the waiting room
Talked through everything and vet feels it's unlikely that there's much a link between symptoms and that because of her poor start, she is just likely to be a bit of a sickly puss-cat. We took full bloods which they are doing this afternoon and I will get results at 4pm (luckily no waiting!) and then on Tuesday, she's going back to have swabs taken from her eyes (they need to get the strips in from partner practice) to see if the chronic conjunctivitis is caused by calici, herpes or chlamydia. If it's Herpes, they can put her on a months anti-virals, if it's chlamydia then a long dose of ABs and if it's calici then there's not much for that BUT at least I will know where I stand.

In terms of FIV/ FelV- vets opinion is that he's testing as a routine measure but he feels it's unlikely. His opinion is that if she is FIV+ then it's not actually that bigger deal as FIV+ cats seem to live long healthy lives nowadays and the chance of transmission is minimal so it wouldn't affect our lives very much. He believes that people are scared by the condition and put cats to sleep once they've been diagnosed unfairly. (Couldn't agree more!) He also thinks it's extremely unlikely that she will be FelV+ as he thinks she would have shown clinical symptoms by now. Either way, even if the results are pos, I know I will have a level-headed person treating her who will have ehr best interests at heart. He took full general bloods as well which he doesn't think will show much but again, if they do we will deal with them as and when.

He also assured me that by her behaviour, it is very unlikely that she's suffering and thinks she's very lucky to have such a lovely mummy who cares so much! :D
She obviously was a bit scared by the blood test but was so well behaved, I was very proud. She also gave the vet and nurse lots of coos (she doesn';t miow she sounds like a pigeon) and headbutts so they fell in love with her too. The vet also gave me some advice about encouraging her to move from dry to wet food as this will help her bladder (I ahve been trying to make the change for ages and feel like i;ve tried everythinG!) and he's going to give me some special food to warm up which is apparantly great for stubborn cats. On top of all this, I wasn't charged for a consulation, just tests even though I was in there for about half an hour talking everything through- that is what I call good service!

I will obviously keep you informed once I've heard about the results.

[Desley (booktigger)]

i am glad that her symptoms tie in quite well with calici - I normally have bloods done on a Thurs eve, and they are sent off rather than done in house, I have had them back on a Sat, but sometimes it is Mon

[swampmaxmum]

all the best for Layla and you on wednesday. Round here blood tests usually come back within a day. If it's marked as very urgent by the vet, sometimes a bit faster. Hope it goes well and you get some peace of mind and treatment for your little one.

[Debsymiller (Rufus' mum)]

I called the vet today and spoke to the receptionist who I now know quite well and she was really nice. She said the best thing for me to do would be to take Layla in on Wed for a consultation and chat through all my worries then they can take bloods while I'm there. She couldn't give me a price or test list as the tests they do will need to be decided by the vet once I've seen him, dependent on Layla.
Obviously I have to just wait and see what the results say but I have been doing a lot of reading on Calici today and everything I've read ties up completely with Layla's symptoms. I know that it may just be coincidence so am being realistic but it has made me feel a bit better.
Thanks again for all your support and I shall keep you posted... I have a feeling weds night will feel like an eternity. How long do bloods usually take to come back? I remember it was quite quick previous times but I wasn't as worried in the past.

[sheryl]

Thinking of you and Layla - big big       xxx  I really hope that the test results are positive, Layla deserves good news after the awful start she had in life and you deserve it for all the love and devotion you have given to her. xxx

[Desley (booktigger)]

i pay for the most expensive and comprehensive test my vets lab does, I know it covers a lot, the usual kidney/liver/thryoid/wbc/rbc, cholesterol (Zi's is high), globulin, not sure what else to be honest. Good luck

[Tiggy's Mum]

No advice I'm afraid, just a  Layla sounds like a special little girl and she is lucky to have you too 

[Debsymiller (Rufus' mum)]

Also, I don't suppose anyone has a test list for what they actually test for when you ahve full blood screening done. I have the extra tests that I want to ask for but wondered what the standard things to test for are.

[Debsymiller (Rufus' mum)]

Thanks so much for all our support. It's actually making me feel a lot better about things... it is true what they say, it is definately good to talk!
I am going to call the vet tomorrow/ Tues depending on how early I can get away from work and have a proper chat then hopefully book her in for a full MOT later in the week. I get paid Thursday so can try and get it to corespond with that. Obviously the cost is not an issue because I will pay it however much but does anyone know roughly how much full blood work would be? Before when she's had bloods taken it's been for specific things so not sure how much full blood work would be (as far as I can remember anyway, we've had some many tests done that I forget what we've had and what we've not had.) It's cat tax and MOT time so having to budget very carefully this month!

Will definately get the vet to test for calici, I'm going to write a long list of things I'm concerned about and all her issues so the vet knows what to test for... have a feeling it will be a long list sadly.

Again thank you so much for your kind thoughs and words, and as far as giving her the care she needs, i'm pretty sure that you guys would do the same for one of your fur babies.

[Maddiesmum]

Poor little Layla what a terrible start she had to her life.  I, too, would have the bloods done as you are doing and hopefully it wont be any of the bad ones.  Fingers crossed and well done to you for giving her such love and care

[Desley (booktigger)]

There is a blood test for calici virus, I would ask for that as well - even if she is FIV+, it doesn't mean she has to be pts, it just means she will need a careful eye on her with her existing probs.

[swampmaxmum]

I'm so sorry you are having such a big worry with poor wee Layla and you sound awfully tired. I would possibly do whatever blood tests you are comfortable with doing and where you feel that the result may lead to you being able to treat her or change the way she's currently being treated. It's hard to know the extent of the problem without full bloods though as you know. Cat flu is a real b**ger as it just does keep reoccurring and this is a tricky time of year, with the weather changing all the time. She sounds like she needs an immune booster & maybe antibiotics (?) for the gum infection. I don't know if vitamin B jabs might help a bit? Just want to wish you all the very best and say how moved I am by how much love you've given the little one and send you all the very best and big hugs to you both 

[Gillian Harvey]

I agree with Des about the cat flu and red gums being related-  its quite common to have combined herpes and calici infections, with calilci more associated with red sore gums. But I wonder also if the smoke blown into her face has caused some lung damage, which may be why the cat flu flare ups are so prolonged.

She had such a bad start to her life, but sounds like she's come on in leaps and bounds with the care you've given her. I hope the tests come back negative 

[Christine (Blip)]

I would do as you are doing and have all the tests.  Then you know exactly what you are dealing with.  Your vet is your best counsellor at this time, but we are all here to help and support you.  Keep us posted on events.

 

[MrsR]

I think no matter what its going to be hard, hopefully she will be ok but even with her being ok going through this will be tough for you. 

[beanie260904]

I do not know what to suggest for Layla but I just wanted to say she is very lucky having a mum who cares about her so much and is willing to go through all this to take care of her so well done, she is a very lucky cat and I hope she gets better 

[Debsymiller (Rufus' mum)]

I am going to do them. OH and I had an emotional conversation and we both agree we will- Not an easy decision though but her wellbeing is the most important thing.
Thanks for the support though, it means a lot. It's nice having people to talk to who know how hard it is as a lot of my friends just see animals as a pet rather than a family member.

[MrsR]

Sweetie well done you for all you have done to date, I take my hat off to you I really do but I think you have to go with head over heart on this one and do the bloods to see if she is suffering in anyway.        Sorry if I have put that bluntly but not sure how else to put it.   Its amazing what you have done so far x

[Desley (booktigger)]

I would probably do full bloods, not just FIV/FeLV just to see what is going on and maybe some herbal type remedies to help boost her immune system. it may be more related to the cat flu though, and the teeth could be calici related.

[Debsymiller (Rufus' mum)]

Sorry this is going to be quite a long post but please bare with me, I'm a bit emotional.

Well one of my cats Layla has always been a sickly cat. She had an incredibly bad start in life which is what I have always put down to a lot of her problems. She was born into a house of drug users then taken away from mum at 3 weeks and passed to another couple of druggies who proceeded to use her as a football and continually blow canibis smoke in her face. She was then advertised as 'healthy kitten £100' and when the new owner went to collect her, she found her 2 months old, tiny and dying of cat flu. The lady paid the money just to get her out of there... nursed her back to health but then had a difficult home sitaition and had to give her up (again)... this is where I came in. I took her on once I heard about this and absolutely adore her but she has been far from easy to look after! My partner and I were her 4th home at just 5 months old!

We've had her for a year and a half now and we love her so much but I am becoming increasingly worried about her. She has quite a few separate conditions that have been fully investigated and treated but I am starting to join the dots and it's painting a very worrying picture. When we took her on, I quickly realised that she is not quite the full ticket and although she is the most loving cat ever known, the vet and I both agree that she is likely to be slightly brain damaged. She also had never been litter trained and this took 8-9 months to get sorted. There was no pattern to it... she would just go wherever she happened to be at the time. Very frustrating but I coped and helped her through it. There were a lot of tears and frustration but we got there (or so I thought).

She also developed struvite bladder crystals when she was about 11 months old which although I manage, is very rare for a cat so young. She has a prescription diet and will have a painful flare up anytime someone gives ehr something else to eat. This seems to ahve stopped since she now has a collar which asks people not to feed her.

She also has chronic cat flu flare ups due to feline herpes virus at times of even the tinyest amount of stress. (from when she has the flu when she was tiny) The most recent flare up lasted for 7 weeks of sneezing/runny nose and we are on week 11 of yukky eyes but I think they are nearly clear after lots of treatment.

Currently her fur looks awful and as much as I groom her, she looks really out of condition. I put this down to the fact she has been poorly with her cold but is atrating to worry me as her coat's not bouncing back as it usually does.

She has always had reddened gums and even has a broken tooth. Neither are causing her any problems at the moment and have been discussed with the vet on neumerous occasions. Again, this is unusual in a cat so young.

The final thing that's driving me mad at the moment is that she has suddenly forgotten all her litter training and is pooing everywhere. She has very loose stools (always has) so it's a nightmare to clear up. We are going back to basics (2 weeks in crate with just minimal as this is what worked last time). It may seem like a small thing to clear it up to some people but trust me when I say it is a huge drain and we both worry about getting up in the morning or home from work cause we know wheat we will be faced with. I am going to buy some feliway again this week- it dodn't seem to help with the toiletting last time but am going to give it another shot.

The vet mentioned testing for FIV when we first had her but then decided against it because she seemed happy and he would recommend putting her to sleep if the result was negative so I never tested. We have had a lot of other bloods done at regular intervals and not much has shown up and anything that has has been sorted at the time.

Dispite all this, she genuinely seems like a happy, chirpy cat. She keeps herself to herself and ignores the boys and spends most of her time asleep on the chair or asleep on one of our laps. Up until now, I have just managed all the separate issues and although I am constantly skint from taking her back and forth to the vets I love her so much it's just been something I ahve managed and accepted althogh I think most people peobably wouldn't have. Since her fur has started looking so manky though and this last respitory infection has been reluctant to shift I have started to wonder if there is something more sinister as the main cause of all the issues. I was talking to my OH last night and saying although she seems happy, I am so worried she may be suffering as cats are very good at hiding things and I am now wondering if I should have her tested for FIV/FelV but worry about what the outcome would mean. Because while I couldn't bare to think of her as suffering, I also can't bare to be without her even though life would be a lot easier.

All I know is that I am incredibly worried but then wonder if maybe this is just how she is and should continue as we have. I really just don't know as she seems fine in herself.