Dealing with Feline Epilepsy

Taffy is one of our older cats. We took him in when someone told us a kitten was being mauled by street dogs. He is mild tempered and very affectionate. He doesn't like to be carried but would rub on his humans and snuggle whenever he can.

A few years ago he started to have convulsions. It was a very scary experience to watch him. We didn't know what to do. He underwent some tests and several possibilities were ruled out, such as ear mites causing it. We had to accept the scary truth that Taffy had epilepsy. I started reading all I could to find out how we can help and comfort him. The doctor prescribed phenobarbital which is his maintenance medication. He also has blood tests periodically to check on the levels of the drug in his body to be sure that his liver and kidney are not damaged. The cause of epilepsy is quite difficult to explain, it could be congenital, effect of toxins, brain tumors or organ disorders.

It was a long process to ascertain the level of medication and the frequency. We also learned to detect the symptoms when he would have convulsions. He would get restless and make eerie loud meowing sounds before an attack. It doesn't happen often now. And when it does, we just try to comfort him as much as we can and make sure that he is not in a high place where he could fall off.

It is important to know, too, the frequency of seizures and the time that elapses when an attack occurs so that the dosage of medication can be adjusted accordingly. And one thing we try to do when a seizure happens is stay calm, which is really quite difficult to do.

Maxx and Godiva

We could never turn away a cat in need, and these 2 kittens were placed in a plastic bag and thrown in the street like garbage. They were only a few weeks old and still nursing. They had to be bottle fed regularly. They stayed in my brother's room and bless his heart, he took turns with us feeding them and cleaning them.

It's not easy caring for kittens this young so our family took turns based on our schedules. We named the female, Godiva and the male kitten, Maxx. We were so glad that these two took to the feeding bottle like pros! We were sure then that they were going to make it.

Maxx and Godiva became inseparable, they played together and got into mischief together. Maxx has now outgrown Godiva. But he is such a gentle soul, other than scratching the kitchen door to death, he's very laid back and very sweet. Godiva, on the other hand, although still small likes to get her way. She's quite a feisty girl.
So whoever decided to treat them like trash didn't know that he was throwing away someone else's treasure.

I Need My Therapy!

 

There are days when you wish you could divide your body or have as many arms as an octopus, there's just so much to do. Today was such a day. I found it hard to unwind even when I reached home. I just felt high strung and couldn't relax. That was until I sat on the couch to watch Animal Planet and one by one my cats Chester, Kahlua, Munchkin, Milkshake, Taffy, Chili and Honey sat beside me to watch television as well and rub their faces to be petted. They took turns on my lap and cuddled. I started to feel like my normal self again. When I went to my room after dinner, my kitten Uni raced me to the door and Bitty welcomed me inside. We rested for awhile with Uni rubbing her face on mine and made noises like a bird. 

In animal language, rubbing of faces is a sign of affection and I just wallowed in theirs. I read in an article that petting a cat is like taking valium. They sense how their humans feel and could detect if anything's different or wrong. So with 18 cats, that would mean that I don't need to go to the drugstore for a long time to come :-)

A Sign of Trust

I have read that an animal's most vulnerable area is its belly. If an animal would get on its back and show you his tummy, he shows you that he trusts you.

I find them especially cute in this position, they look like little children. I also find it very flattering that they would show an enormous amount of trust in their humans.

I encountered one of my kitties, Raffles, in the middle of a busy intersection, when she was a tiny kitten. She was causing so much traffic because the cars were trying to miss running over her. When I got her, we were both shaking, she was panting and all I could see were the whites of her eyes. She was able to relax when we got home, and started showing signs of hostility. Whenever we would greet her, she would hiss and try to escape. This went on for awhile, and slowly she was able to lower her guard and let us touch her. She's now a fat kitty who runs to us when the other cats would pick a fight with her.

A little patience and a lot of TLC really works wonders.

Our Dog Who Thinks She's A Cat

Our dog Honey, like the rest of our brood was also taken from the streets. At first, we thought we saw a rat, then we thought it was a cat. Much to our surprise, it turned out to be a dog.

Honey grew up among cats. She lives up to her name. I have never seen her growl nor has she bitten or attacked any of the cats even when they pester her. She doesn't even bark that much. She has seen several of the kitties grow up. When Mallows had her kittens, Honey would at times watch after the babies when the Mommy cat would be sleeping. She would call the attention of any human near the vicinity when any of the kittens would be too near the edge of the sofa. We found this to be quite amazing.

She's of mixed breed so we didn't know how big she would grow. She now weighs 48 lbs. She would see the cats jumping from one chair to another and one human lap to the next and she would try to imitate them. Just imagine how it feels to have a 30 lb dog coming out of nowhere and jumping up your lap.

I remember the first time I took her for a walk after she came from the hospital. I was so excited to use her new leash and collar (which took hours deciding what color would suite her and her toy bone which had to be the perfect shape and color). I saw the people on the streets whispering and then look at us. They were the same people who would kick her when she was scavenging for food. I immediately carried her and took her back inside as they might insist she was theirs because now she was looking so much better. I was not giving her up without a fight. We even looked for witnesses who saw that she was maltreated.

That was 4 years ago. Honey is now the official biggest, if not oldest, big sister to my cat family. Good thing she didn't take to using the litter box :-)

Are blind cats really more sensitive?

 

It's quite amazing that cats seem to know what day it is and expect you to do your usual routine together. My cat Bitty knows when it's time for me to go home and if I'm not there on time, he makes a loud fuss. By the time I get home, he would usually treat me like I'm not there. Sundays are our favorite time together. We wake up together, usually late in the morning. If I don't have breakfast, he won't have breakfast. But on regular days, he would wake up early and wait for his meal. And he expects me to be there with him the whole day. He follows me from room to room and when it's time for our nap, he would lead the way upstairs. But on Sundays when I have to do errands, he really gets upset. He knows when it's a workday and when it's a weekend.

Bitty is a blind kitty, maybe that's why he's a little more sensitive than our other cats. When I have to pack for a business trip, he's the first one to get in the luggage. I have to be quick because he's going to pee, naughty kitty that he is :-). Packing is a tiring business, I have to put all the clothes in and get all the cats out. When I get back, he gives me the silent treatment. But he's back to his sweet self when we retire for the night. It's hard to get up in the mornings because he would be wrapped around my arm, sleeping soundly.

Taking Care of Each Other

These four kittens were born last October 2, 2009.

We helped their mother Mallows give birth to them, they are very close to my heart. The firstborn is Mochi, then Uni, followed by Jelly Bean and the last baby was breech and he is Chili. They are now 4 months old and as is expected, very curious of their surroundings. They would often race me to get inside my room and play there and push my things off the table.

Last Jan 18, while I was on a business trip, my Mom sent me an sms that Jelly Bean was not eating and was hot to the touch. Just losing their mother Mallows, I was already paranoid. Jelly Bean was the smallest and to look at her, she was so frail.

Based on her blood tests, she had high liver enzyme values and also had a viral infection. I was quite relieved that it was not kidney failure but it was better for her to stay at the hospital where she can be hydrated and given medication.

Before going to visit her, we noticed that Chili was also lethargic. We could see it in his coat and his face looked different as well. So while visiting his sister, he also had an exam. He didn't have any infection but his liver enzymes were elevated. He was confined next to Jelly Bean.

 

These two would compete for attention when we visited them, so we took turns carrying them while they slept. They would also eat when hand fed which was a good sign. At home, we kept a close watch on Uni and Mochi. Uni was so sweet at this time, as if she was trying to comfort me. Mochi, on the other hand, started sneezing and we took him with us in one of the visits to Jelly Bean and Chili. He was prescribed antibiotics and vitamins for his colds. 

Jelly Bean and Chili were confined for 6 and 5 days respectively. They were given a clean bill of health and were finally able to go home. I think Mallows would be happy with the way things turned out. Maybe because of all the stress, I got sick too and had to stay at home the next day, where the kittens in turn kept me company.

Where Do I Sleep?

It's a good thing I now have a double bed, with the number of my kitties wanting to sleep in our room. I used to have a single bed but Bitty kept on falling from the side. Whenever it's time to go upstairs, there would be a loud noise of cat paws running up the stairs, one has to be careful not to step on them and fall. It's good also to have a lot of patience as they like to keep their noses in on whatever I'm doing. When I'm working on my laptop, there would be several trying to run on the keyboards or sleep on top of it. Or when I would get something from the closet or drawer, Oatmeal especially, loves to poke her head in or play inside and mess up my clothes and shoes. But that's just part of everyday life. 
When I close the lights everyone would take up their favorite spot, I just have to be quick and find a place for myself before I end up sleeping on the floor.

We Miss You Mallows

Mallows came into our lives one day and then left just as quickly. But during this short time, a precious bond was formed between us.

She passed away last January 12 at 12:30 AM. It was so sudden, one day she was doing fine and the next she was gone. She was diagnosed to have acute renal failure. She was vomiting and I brought her to the hospital. They couldn't see anything wrong with her except that she had gas. The next day she wouldn't eat and had grown weak. She was brought back to the hospital and when she was checked, she was already dehydrated and her temperature had dropped. We had her admitted and she was put on IV fluids. In the wee hours of the morning she was gone.

Mallows was a sweet and quiet cat. I have so many good memories of her. She left behind four beautiful kittens. I am happy that I have a part of her with us but I also feed bad when I think that they no longer have their mom. Mallows was such a loving mother. She took care of her babies well. I think they miss her as just today one of her kittens was trying to nurse from Chester, one of our male cats.

We may have had a short time together but I will always treasure these times and though it hurts that she is no longer here, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Update on Gummy Bear

Gummy's collar is off and it's business as usual. His spraying behavior has lessened and we've noticed that he's not as aggressive as before. And I was really surprised earlier when I saw him playing with the kittens. He was like a little kitten himself. He was tender with them and it was more like nibbles and not really bites which he gives the others and us humans. He was so cute hiding beside the refrigerator waiting for his playmates to finish drinking. He's currently playing tag with Jelly Bean, the smallest kitten of the 4.

Mallows needs to get shaved again

I'll be bringing Mallows to the vet this afternoon. I felt bumps on her back and underarms when we were playing the other day. It's difficult to clean these spots with Betadine because of all the fur. I've asked her vet to shave her and so Mallows has an appointment this afternoon.

When I bring her out of the cage, she runs after me, she looks so funny because of the collar. When the car is in the garage I usually bump my back or head on the side mirror when she chases me, ouch!

Update on Mallows

I'm happy to say that Mallows is doing well and her mange has disappeared. She is a beautiful cat, her fur is so soft and her pretty face has emerged. She is so sweet and good natured. Last week I found a wound on her left cheek from her scratching. Then other wounds started showing up and paranoid as I am, I thought the mange had returned. After her check up, it appears she has fungus. They had to shave the affected areas and put medication. She just sat there for around 30 minutes as she was being shaved, good girl that she is. At least, it's not as bad as mange. I put Betadine on the shaved areas everyday and the wounds have dried up. She's also wearing a collar, we got a pink one for her so that she won't scratch and open the wounds again. Medication time is also playtime so she gets to roll around and be a norml cat. She's still segregated until she's completely healed. Then she'll get her shots and I can finally bring her in with the others. When she goes out of her cage, she crawls around first, I just bet she'd like to take off the collar. I hope to place pictures of her next time. The first doctor who saw her didn't recognize her anymore.

Allow me to introduce....

Cats fascinate me. No matter, the shape, size, color and temperament - I find them all amazing.

Since I was a child, I have always been drawn to them, but when Bitty came into my life, my life changed as well. You see, he is the first cat I am fully responsible for. Now, I am taking care of 14 cats, and a dog (who thinks she's a cat as well!). I have also lost some beloved felines who have succumbed to illness. I have always carried them in my heart to keep their memories alive.

I will introduce you to all the kitties and dog, of course, who have made stressful days bearable, who are funny companions, and who just make life more interesting.