As I suspected, this is NOT distemper (TYG!)Jedi is actively shedding the feline coronavirus (or cat flu). The bad part about the coronavirus is it can mutate in a small percentage of cases into FIP. So, she has been put on Flagyll the Baytril is discontinued and she is on a special diet food IAMS Intestional Sensitivity both wet and dry.

The coronavirus is something that all cats come across every day, but some cats don’t have the resistance to the virus and that is what she needs to do. Build up a resistance to it. I have her in a trimline collar to keep her from cleaning her back end- and will just keep on cleaning her cage every time she messes in it. I was up with her all night last night because it just endlessly kept pumping out of her rear. It was like her rectum has a mind of its own at the moment.

It is a self-limiting diarrhea so really nothing will stop it. It will resolve on its own (although this is her 12th day with it) Thankfully she is drinking a lot of water so fluids aren’t necessary.

Here’s hoping this virus won’t mutate and weaken her and turn into FIP- that would be dreadful.

The vet called late and said that Jedi is better except for the diarrhea. He said he would bet she doesn’t have distemper and the results from the fecal isn’t in yet. He asked me if I just wanted to come and get her. YES!

She was caked with diarrhea (poor girl) but so happy to be home. We had a very careful bath to give her and she is in her cage and eating and drinking and crying because she wants us to hold her. We have to wrap her up like a burrito (just like Chauncey) but right now, she is asleep in Pop’s arms. Maybe tomorrow the resuts will be in? Is this a good sign that nothing obvious has popped out yet? I do not know-

Chance has been ill for a few days. Her symptoms mimic Jedi’s in that she is dripping stool- yet still eating and drinking. I talked with Dr. Steve yesterday and he said that all they are doing on their end for Jedi is feeding her, giving her Baytril and watching her. Not even needing supportive fluids. IF this were distemper, these cats wouldn’t be eating. Chancy goes nuts when I am opening cans for the other cats and she has a voracious appetite. Yes, she has been dewormed several times. All she wants me to do is sit and cuddle with her and she screams bloody murder after she uses the pan. It’s as if she is saying “MOM! Get this stinky mess outta here!”

Chancy was running a fever, she is no longer doing so. I hear her caterwauling in the distance so it is time for me to grab her towel, wrap her up and sit with her giving her comfort. Please pray the results coming in tomorrow or Tuesday will give us some answers-So much for my dirty house needing cleaning. Chancy is more important.

The vet just called and apparently with budget cuts, the county will no longer pay for the rabies test so it falls on me to pay for it. I told him to go ahead with it, because if I get rabies, I would never forgive him. 🙂 He said if I got rabies, he would never forgive himself. Never thought I would say this, but I pray this comes back as distemper instead! I already have that- 🙂

Although the kitty was dehydrated and dry as a bone, I did have that wonderful deep scratch from Jedi on my finger to worry about. I know when it comes to rabies, once it hits the gray matter, it’s all over and that kitty was neurologically twisted.

I have been successfully turning down kittens on a daily basis, but when this call came in and I could hear a kitten sceaming (horribly) in the background, I knew I had to go. The gentleman on the phone said that they had noticed the kitten lying in the street when they came home from shopping. His wife got out of the car, and called to the kitten. The kitten got up and stumbling and lurching, falling over and going into circles, ran into their garage. The kitten was under their other car screaming like all get-out.

I raced over and had to slide under their car (not very graceful there) to reach this poor young, gold and white baby (probably about 4 months old) He was lying at a strange angle, almost folded in half? My first thought was he had gotten hit by a car.

They gave me $10.00 and told me God Bless you, no one else cares.” Sad but true. I raced this baby to the vet and he screamed as if he was dying the whole way. I think I broke a few speed laws getting there.

At first, they thought he just had something neurological wrong with him because in the room, he could stand up and nothing “seemed” broken. As I am so damn tired of death, we had a conversation and they agreed to keep him for a few days, put him on fluids and food and antibiotics and see if he “got better.” Then they took him back to the back to draw blood to test him. On the way, his eyes went all wonky, started rolling around in his head and his legs went stiff- straight up in the air as if he was reaching for God.

The vet came back in to get permission to run a series of films to see if he did have a broken bone in his neck. I gave that permission but again on the table, he went all wonky again and screamed his distress to the world.

The x-ray showed nothing wrong and they suspect he might have rabies so I was quizzed if I had been bit or scratched (thankfully no) We put him to sleep at 4:15 and they will send him off to the CDC for testing.

He was such a cute baby! I was so hoping it might have been hyperglycemia or something, instead of a virus. I guess the cat kingdom is ruled by nasty viruses.

I couldn’t leave him to die under that car. He was ice cold when I got to the vet, so they put him on a warming stone. At least he had comfort and knew he was loved even though it was such a brief moment. Again- one vaccine would have stopped all his misery.

I imagine that it must get tiresome to come here to read and find me again pleading for funds to help these cats. I just want ALL of you to know, that whether you spend $1.00 or $20.00’s each time the donation brings tears to my eyes because it justifies what I do. You believe in me, you really do (Gee I sound like Sally Fields at the Oscar’s) “You like me, you really, really like me.”

Any one is welcome at any time to visit with us and see where these funds go. They all go to the cats (mostly to my vet) who told me last night that he hopes soon not to “be having these types of conversations with me regarding the fear of distemper.” So I just want to say that the monies goes for the cats, not for a new car or a trunkful of groceries. I can’t remember the last time Mike and I enjoyed a few days away at the coast, or even went out to get a nice dinner. We live, breathe and eat for these cats.

Jedi is another special being. She was the runt of a litter from Marlow. She came to us early in May and from the get-go, her mom would reject her, her littermates beat her up and we ended up having to do round the clock care for her. She was put downstairs near us and bottle fed and from the beginning, after each feeding, she would lie in Mike’s arms and suckle her front paw, a practice she continues to this day.

She sleeps with him every night and I can hear her contented purr all the way across the room at night. It is a sound that lulls me to sleep. Even if I have my own purr bodies nearby, her purr rises above the rest.

It cost $1,760.00 for Bentley to beat distemper- of which I am still paying small payments on the remainder of the bill. If it comes to Jedi also needing that care, Mike and I discussed and decided we will go for it and hope the vet understands the small payments we can make towards settling the bill. There are some cats here that would not have that option- but as a special friend who also rescues told me long ago- it seems it is always the special ones called Home before their time.

She matters, she matters a lot and I just pray this isn’t distemper because it gets so much worse before it gets better (if it even does)

Went and visited with Jedi this morning. As much as I wanted to pick her and cuddle her and tell her that we didn’t abandon her, I couldn’t. She is dripping so badly and is so messy, but at least they were able to gather enough and more for the samples they needed to send off. She is bright, alert and eating and her fever has broken. They will keep her until the results come back which I pray won’t be distemper.

We are once again on the cusp of the incubation period and Jedi is now showing signs of panleuk. 🙁 I have her isolated and will take care of her to the best of my ability here at home. I can’t turn her over to the vet like I did with Bentley, the funds are just not there. She has been vaccinated TWICE so this is really hissing me off. This strain is super hot. I pray she won’t succumb but time will tell. I was just starting to breathe again too- 🙁

Blast the cost! I just rushed her to the vet and dropped her off after she projectile vomited all over the cage. 🙁 I’ll figure out a way to cover it somehow. It’s Jedi Knight after all.

The vet just called and we talked about what this might be (without even speaking the D word) I have decided to go for the high-end lab test (fecal) It is expensive (of course) but not nearly as much as isolation and care would be. It will test for EVERYTHING and all the results will be within 4 days. It is more accurate than the snap test when it comes to distemper. They will keep her until all the results come in and then we will go from there. Please pray for her- they do have her in strict isolation and that is never easy on any kitten especially those who have already been abandoned.

A local merchant has contacted me and she is going out of business. She runs a small pet store. She is giving me the opportunity to buy up to five pallets of canned food- which I can’t even contemplate because of storage issues- but I can score some decent prices on smaller quantities. I am looking at about $110.00 for a large quantity of canned food.
If anyone would like to help me achieve this goal- I thank you ahead of time. The food is Blue Buffalo and Wellness (my cats would be in such shock because they generally get Friskies or Purina. I am glad that Andrea is giving me first dibs on her food collection. I need to pick it up by this coming Tuesday. She’s not donating the food as she can’t afford it (her husband just passed away so she is moving back East), but she is only charging me $0.18 per can which is a real steal-

All systems go with Bentley- other than two cats and one kitten fighting an URI- all the cats appear to be healthy. I am not letting down my guard as this virus is sneaky.

I have been given the opportunity to buy 12 cat carriers from the local dog pound for $5.00 apiece. I have thrown away a few of my carriers (after sanitizing them) and also santized and stored the others that held contaminated cats and kittens. They will be stored for a good long while. In case someone who does dump diving wants to take my old cat carrier home with them – I took a large bold marker and marked on each one of them and the litterpans that feline distemper was a danger. I know I sanitaized them to the best of my ability, but I don’t wish what happened here in our home to happen to anyone else.

The new puppy is a handful and he likes to chase the cats outside when they run. He is young, and he will learn but it is tiring keeping up with his endless energy. I have been walking him 3 miles a day with my friend’s pack (she has 8) and he does really well with the other dogs. His name is Remington and he is part Siberian Husky and Lab- pure white with icy blue eyes. He was being neglected and I couldn’t leave him at his previous home.

He no longer chases the cats inside- and he doesn’t chase them with any intention but to play- but still that does not fly in our house. I wish I had his energy though it is stronger than Red Bull!

Here is the little guy (although he is 39 pounds).

Remy