S
Spoken4
Guest
Our 13 year old cat, Skye, is going through a health issue now. We aren’t 100% sure what exactly is wrong, but it appears very strongly as though she has a heart condition. She went for a second consultation with a feline-only veterinarian and had chest and abdominal X rays. The X rays showed an enlarged heart, which I have seen many times over the years as a veterinary technician, and it invariably indicated cardiomyopathy (enlargement and thickening of the heart muscle; there are 3 kinds typically seen in cats, and hers is probably the most common kind… and it is almost always inherited).
We’re setting up to have some more tests done with a veterinary cardiologist to confirm the diagnosis and hopefully/prayerfully set up a treatment course to help stabilize her and keep it under control for as long as possible. Hopefully, the clinic will call soon with an appointment. I called before they were open and left a request, so I should hear back today.
She’s seeming to feel okay today, but she gets tired very easily now. It’s pretty sad because she is usually SUCH an active cat, not just playful, but truly ‘athletic’ even at her older age (equivalent to an almost-70 year old person!). This old gal is the most active cat in our home as well as the oldest, and seeing her down like this makes me just want to cry. This decline was pretty sudden, following a visit to the vet for her seasonal allergies. She usually gets a steroid shot and that helps her feel better with the itching and skin symptoms. But this time, the shot must have been a bit too much, and it may have caused her heart to ‘decompensate’ (fancy veterinary-medical term for ‘her heart couldn’t take it’). She had always been a healthy cat except for the allergies… but unfortunately, she is of a breed (on her mother’s side-- the father cat is unknown) that is more genetically prone to this condition.
Prayers that the cardiologist is able to provide us with some solid answers and a treatment plan that can help our old cat to enjoy whatever time God has left in store for her… and prayers, too, that we-- her family-- will be able to make the ‘humane decision’ in peace when the time comes.
(St. Gertrude of Nivelles, Patron Saint of cats-- pray for us! St. Francis of Assisi, patron of animals–pray for us! St. Blaise and St. Eligius, patrons of veterinarians-- pray for us!
)
Thank you, and God Bless!
~Spoken4
We’re setting up to have some more tests done with a veterinary cardiologist to confirm the diagnosis and hopefully/prayerfully set up a treatment course to help stabilize her and keep it under control for as long as possible. Hopefully, the clinic will call soon with an appointment. I called before they were open and left a request, so I should hear back today.
She’s seeming to feel okay today, but she gets tired very easily now. It’s pretty sad because she is usually SUCH an active cat, not just playful, but truly ‘athletic’ even at her older age (equivalent to an almost-70 year old person!). This old gal is the most active cat in our home as well as the oldest, and seeing her down like this makes me just want to cry. This decline was pretty sudden, following a visit to the vet for her seasonal allergies. She usually gets a steroid shot and that helps her feel better with the itching and skin symptoms. But this time, the shot must have been a bit too much, and it may have caused her heart to ‘decompensate’ (fancy veterinary-medical term for ‘her heart couldn’t take it’). She had always been a healthy cat except for the allergies… but unfortunately, she is of a breed (on her mother’s side-- the father cat is unknown) that is more genetically prone to this condition.
Prayers that the cardiologist is able to provide us with some solid answers and a treatment plan that can help our old cat to enjoy whatever time God has left in store for her… and prayers, too, that we-- her family-- will be able to make the ‘humane decision’ in peace when the time comes.
(St. Gertrude of Nivelles, Patron Saint of cats-- pray for us! St. Francis of Assisi, patron of animals–pray for us! St. Blaise and St. Eligius, patrons of veterinarians-- pray for us!
)Thank you, and God Bless!
~Spoken4
