Kitty Update -- Reggie

[tenaya]

Reggie has a problem.


He's been snoring of late and last Monday it suddenly got much worse. Currently he breathes okay when awake but when asleep it's become almost impossible for him to breathe through his nose; he has to open his mouth to get in air and/or wake up. He has a few teeth left and has had bad breath for a month or so. The vet has scheduled us for a teeth cleaning (ie tooth extraction) and a rhinoscopy (where they put a fiber optic tube up his nose to see what's going on.) I asked the vet, Dr. A to call me today so I could ask a couple of questions but no call came. Dr. A was the one that we weren't too happy about last summer with Brindle and his skin condition (she wanted to put a tube up his butt and take a biospy to confirm either chronic irritable bowel or lymphoma; his diarrhea cleared on it's own after about three months.) Apparently, Dr. A is the one that mans the 'scopes and Dr. E, the one that has been managing Reg's diabetes, felt it was best to wait until Dr. A was on surgery duty, which is May 18 -- two weeks away.

He's been doing so well on his insulin. He's active, in good spirits and aside from the airway obstruction and weight loss (which could be from the diabetes) he's fine. I was hoping we'd have a few years left yet (he's 14.) I looked up his symptoms on the net and it's probably either a polyp, scar tissue from his fungal infection of four years ago, an abscess...or cancer, which according to the sites, will probably be malignant.

I'm not sure that he can wait that long and it really pisses me off that she didn't call back. I'm afraid I'm going to be on pins and needles and distracted for awhile.

Comments

[leviathanmuse.livejournal.com]

Awww, hope he feels better soon. Hopefully it isn't anything too awful.

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I hope it's not awful, too.

You've a kitty named Oolong? He looks very petite.

[leviathanmuse.livejournal.com]

He was. That picture was him at 2 months. He fit in my cupped hands then. Not that he stayed that way. He was quite a big kitty.

Unfortunately, he died of cancer that came on him very quickly.

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear that.

Er, that icon...that's not another of your kitties, is it?

[leviathanmuse.livejournal.com]

Oh no, that's a picture of a very young jaguar. I have an original character who's a were-jaguar.

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

Curious. Sounds fun.

My grandfather used to have ocelots about the house so you never know if it's just another kitty running around.

[leviathanmuse.livejournal.com]

Ocelots? Oh that sounds so cute! I love kitties of any size. Did he work with wild animals or were these tamed ones?

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

He was a small town pharmacist and he had a pair as pets, Junga and Jesus (pronounced Hey sus.) Odd now that I think about it as he was a Catholic. I've some scars on my leg where Junga got me when I was a toddler. I'm so glad it never put me off kitties or other wild animals. I've a few photos of one of them sitting looking out the window right next to a huge housecat.

[leviathanmuse.livejournal.com]

Awww, would love to see that pic!

I know what you mean about kids being damaged about animals. My youngest sister got bitten by a dog when she was 2. It was a stray and she had to have the rabies series (back when it was 14 shots in the gut). To this day she hates dogs.

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

My mom just told me that Grampa had been scared that the cats would be taken away or destroyed. I always wondered way I've puncture scars and not stitches. I think they didn't report the attack. 45 years later it all becomes clear. Huh.

I will try to get those photos online. It'll be a week or so as I've got to go to work and when I do I disappear for a half a week or so. I'll post something here on the lj when I do. I've been meaning to do that for awhile.

Were the rabies shots as bad as they say?

[leviathanmuse.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we had to put down one of our pets because he bit our roommate. She didn't report it, but we had to because we weren't certain why he did so.

Yeah, really bad. Back in those days (about 1961), you had a real possibility of dying from them. My youngest sister doesn't remember the shots (she was all of 1 at the time), but the fear is still there.

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

That's sad. Was it a dog? Cats can cause a lot more mayhem than dogs an get away with it.

Scary about the shots. I was born in 57 and I remember hearing about how horrible those shots were. I was more freaked about that then getting bit by whoever.

[leviathanmuse.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was a dog. I've been scratched too many times to really worry about cat scratches or bites.

Ah, you're 2 years older than me.

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

I think cats get away with it because in our hearts, we're not really convinced they are domesticated animals. We're their servants and they go along with things as long as it suites them. Thus, they can't be held responsible for their actions. They got us conned, the furry little devils.

[leviathanmuse.livejournal.com]

Yup. We're all cat furniture.

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

LOL! I'll have to tell that to Mom. She has this other cat that gets irritated if she isn't in her lazy boy for him to lie on her. Soft and heated! AND gives ear scratches. Hmmm good!

[leviathanmuse.livejournal.com]

Oolong used to sleep on my side when I was in bed. If he wasn't there, he was lying full-length against my leg sucking all the heat off.

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

He'd lay on top of you on your side? Would he ride you like a wave when you turned over or just jump off? Scooter (the heat seeking missle) tried that a few times but he'd get ticked if we moved. Silly creature.

[leviathanmuse.livejournal.com]

Sometimes he'd just jump off, then get back on as soon as I settled. Most of the time, he'd just settle behind my legs. Of course, 20 lbs. worth of cat on my side sometimes got to be a pain.

[xochiquetzl]

Kitty apnea?

I hope Reggie feels better soon. Poor baby.

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

Yep. Really loud snoring until he obstructs, then there's chest movement with no airflow then a couple of big gasps and we start all over again. Luckily, he isn't conscious of what he's going through because he's asleep.

Thanks for your kind words. You've certainly been through hell with your cats the last few years.

[xochiquetzl]

Poor baby. I have no idea how they'd treat kitty apnea. :(

I have no idea it's happening when I have apnea, though. I just notice that I'm sleepy the next morning.

[sg1scribe.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

I hope it turns out to be something easily treatable. *hugs Reggie*

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I hope so, too.

[moonchildetoo.livejournal.com]

I'm really sorry to hear this. {{HUG}} I don't blame you for being po'd at the vet. I hope this can be taken care of, and you have more Reggie time.

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

A few months ago I thought I'd be luckily to have him to the end of the year but the insulin has done wonders for him. You just never know what's in store.

Thank you for the kind words.

[geminia905.livejournal.com]

{{{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}}}

I hope it's just something like a polyp which can be easily treated.

I feel for you on the vet situation. We have one vet we adore and we're always trying to schedule our kitties' procedures when she's there, because while some of the others are okay, one or two leave much to be desired.

I'm out of brown candles (animal healing), but as soon as I get some, I'll light one for Reggie.

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

Thank you. The vet we adored moved 6o miles out into the desert. I was wondering the morning if I could find her, call her up and ask if she could help. I doubt Reg would want a trip to Palm Springs but I'd do it if she could help.

Brown candles? I'll try those, too.