*VERY* Worried about my Basie Bee :(

[NoahsMommy]

Guys, I'm so worried about Basie. Ever since I/we moved in with CiCi and Phil, his asthma has gotten so much worse. :( I'm not complete sure what is triggering it, but it has me worried. I'm going to make an appointment for Monday at The Cat Doctor and see if we can get him his own kitty inhaler.

He's coughing, sneezing and most of all wheezing like crazy. CiCi's going to bring home some pred tomorrow (she's working 10 p.m to 6 a.m.). We'll pill tihs little buggie and maybe it'll help give him SOME relief until Monday's white coat visit.

He's been so bad, I don't know what's stopped me from taking him to the vet, and I feel bad about that. I guess its been $$. But he's worth a late car payment any time. ;)

Please keep him in your prayers. He jumped, well, walked from the futon to the bed to see me. His eyes were watery from sneezing and coughing and he just looked at me. I could tell he felt bad, it about broke my heart. :(

Here's some really good info on Feline Asthma, if anyone's interested:
http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/health/asthma.html

And of course, here is my Basie:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5ce20b3127cce940d0bb44f1600000016109BYt2Llq2I

[moosmom]

Hi Kelly!!!

I'm so glad to see you posting again! I've missed you!!

My Mollie Rose has kitty asthma. I give her Chlortrimeton (or CVS generic brand). 1/2 a tab a day. Helps with the watery eyes and sneezing. I took her to the vet when I first got back to CT. $148 later, the stupid vet gave her Ammoxicilin ( I TOLD him she'd been on every anti-biotic under the sun INCLUDING Amox). Didn't do squat. So I keep giving her the Chlortrimeton daily and also 500 mgs of Lisine for her immune system. When she has a bad asthma attack, I'll give her the prednisone. I don't like to give it to her on a long-term basis because it can mess up her immune system and cause liver problems.

I hope Basie feels better.

[catnapper]

Oh Kelly, I'm so sorry (((hugs))) I'll be praying for him.

I just also wanted to let you know we all miss you. Sorry to see your return is to ask for prayers for your sweet boy. I hopew everything else is going well for you. (((hugs))

PS: I completely understand making the car payment late to pay for vet care instead. Pouncer has taken many car payments away from GMAC since he fist got sick last October.

[G535]

Poor Basie, hope you can get the right treatment for him soon. As a chronic asthmatic myself I can understand what the poor guy is going through. :(

[krazyaboutkatz]

Kelly, it's great seeing you post again:) but I'm sorry that Basie is so sick.:( I don't know anything about kitty asthma but hopefully Basie will be able to get on the right meds to help him. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

[kimboe]

Oh, I hope Bassie is alright! I will send prayers your way for lil furkid. :)

[NoahsMommy]

(((HUGS)))

Thanks, guys! :)

I couldn't hold out till CiCi got home at 6:00 a.m. I took him to her - at the risk of paying emergency rates (he's worth it).

Turns out my little guy has a URI, on top of his kitty asthma. Thats why he was looking so pathetic. He had a temp of 103.7.

He saw a fantastic vet who typed up his instructions for me...and it was *only* $75.00.

How to make Basie all better...

1. 62.5 mg Clavamox tablets, twice daily.

2. Monitor symptoms and note the side of the nasal discharge and its character. (Basie's kitty boogers have been coming out of only his right nostril, isn't that wierd? This could be indicative of a foreign body! Doh...leave it to Basie to not only eat stupid things (glass, plastic, metal, etc.), but to sniff them up his nose as well. Anyone missing a CHILD?? hee hee)

3. Check temp every other day (with CiCi's help) <---she actually put that in...hee hee. Normal cat temp is 100.5 to 102.5

4. To help alleviate his nasal congestion, you can bring him in the bathroom when you are using the shower so he can breathe the humid air. You can also use a humidifier in your room. (LOVE the vet's excuse for me to take lots of hot baths! ;) )

5. Please monitor his appetite and bowel movements. Sometimes cats can get so congested that they lose their appetite. ...etc...

If Basil does not respond to conservative therapy with antibiotics and nebulization (breathing steam from the shower), we recommend submitting a complete blood panel and taking chest x-rays.

In aspects of therapy aimed at his allergic airway disease include diet change and inhalant medications for feline asthma. ...etc...

So, CiCi and I will do as we've been told to get Basie all better. Of course, with it being an infection, I may have a whole slew of sneezy/coughing kitties on my hands. Noah was sniffley today, so we're going to give him - correction, I will be giving him some preventative Clav. (Noah likes CiCi, but...I don't want that to change, it took a bit of time for them to bond. But, that's another thread...

Anyway, thanks so much for the prayers (and welcome back!). I've missed you all terribly. I'm going to use Phil's computer at least every other day when he's done with it. I don't want to miss anything like what I missed with all the babies that are arriving and baking in the PT ovens!! :(

Anyway, I'm going to see about getting Basie an inhaler after he's all better with this URI. The vet I saw tonight (this morning?) said that she's seen them really help kitties with thier asthma symptoms. Basie is constantly wheezing after any sort of exurtion.

Thanks again! :)

Love & Hugs,
Kelly

[Karen]

Glad you've got meds and a plan to make Basie feel better. Tell him I completely sympathize with the asthma, having had it myself since I was five years old or so, and do tell him that once he gets on his inhaler and gets the asthma managed better, the "exercise-induced wheezing" will lessen or disappear - which is just the best feeling!

[sirrahbed]

Hi Kelly! :)

So good to see you again - but sorry that Basil is not feeling well. I am glad that he has something you can treat. Poor baby! That is weird that only one nostril is affected but maybe a local sinus?

Anyway, feel Better Basie and (((HUGS))) to Meowmie. :D

[Kirsten]

Kelly, I'm glad to see you posting again, but I'm sorry that you're back with these news on little Basie! I'm sorry that he's feeling so miserable, but it sounds like you found a wonderful vet! Hopefully sweet Basie will feel better soon with these instructions!

Best wishes to him!! Get well soon, Basie!

Kirsten

[catmandu]

We Are Sending Our Prayers To Basie Bee,that He Feels Better Soon.
Im Know How It Is When Our Pets Are Ill.
We Hope That The White Coats Can Help Your Companion.

[Uabassoon]

Kelly I'm glad you were able to get him into the vet so soon. I'll praying for a speedy recovery and I'm looking forward to seeing you around here more often.

[momcat]

Hey there, great to have you back :D I'm so sorry to hear that your sweet Basie is having allergy problems. Sounds like you got some good advice from your vet and I sure hope things work out. What's sadder than a sick kitty? Prayers are on the way for both of you. Please let us know how things are going?

[moosmom]

Oh Kelly,

I'm so sorry to hear he's not feeling well. Praying he gets better fast! FYI, watch his poos too. Antibiotics can make your cat constipated.

(((((HUGS)))))))) to you honey!

Donna

[luvofallhorses]

Hi, Kelly! It's so good to see you here again. :) I hope he is feeling better soon!
(((hugs)))

[Felicia's Mom]

I will keep Basie in my prayers.

[NoahsMommy]

Basie is so pathetic today! :(

He's slept the entire day, except for when CiCi gave him is Clavamox twice today.

He hadn't eaten by about 7:30 p.m. so I brought him some tuna with water and he drank ALL the water and ate a bit of the tuna. I'm going to try that at least three times a day to make sure he's eating and drinking OK.

We have the humidifier plugged in and he seems to like that as he came out of his bed in the closet and laid on my/our bed as soon as I turned it on this afternoon. :)

Poor little guy, when I finally woke up today, he has a ton of kitty boogers clogging his right little nostril and I had to scrape them out. Ick...I had to keep telling myself that doctors wouldn't think that is gross....keep repeating it Kelly, it may make it less gross soon... and need to keep wiping his little nose as he's past cleaning it himself. He really must feel rotten. Poor Basie, my heart just breaks for that little guy, he looks like he feel terrible. :(

Anyway, just wanted to update you all. Thanks for the nice wishes. I'll update more tomorrow.

Hugs,
Kelly :D

[shais_mom]

poor you and poor Basiebee!
Sending lots of love and kisses both of your ways!

[slick]

Oh sis, I'm just seeing this for the first time. I'm so very sorry about Basie... :( I know show stressful it is to have a sick kitty...on you and the patient. Big hugs and lots of prayers coming your way.

[rg_girlca]

Good to see you back posting. :)

Poor Basie. I hope tomorrow will be a better day for him.

I'm glad that you were able to bring him to a vet and get the medication and care that he needs.

Prayers on the way that he has a full and speedy recovery and ((((((HUGS)))))) to you for support.

It's so hard to see our little ones sick like this. :(

[krazyaboutkatz]

Kelly,I'm so sorry to hear that Basie has a URI and doesn't feel well.:( Hopefully the meds will kick in soon and he'll be back to his old self. I also hope that none of the other kitties get this. Lots more prayers and positive thoughts are a being sent his way.(((HUGS)))

[gini]

Boy, everything comes to a huge halt when it is one of our babies that is sick.

Kelly, it sounds as though you are doing a great job all the way around with meds, humidifier and lots of Kleenex.

Big hugs to you and I sure hope adorable Basie is Better real soon.

[Catty1]

Awww. poor Basie...just the love and attention will help him, I am sure. Glad he likes the humidifier. Are you allowed to put anything in it, like Vicks or tea tree oil?

I'm sure he will turn around soon....hugs to poor Basie!

Catty1

[Beauty17]

Basie is very beautiful. I have a huge soft spot for blackies. I hope he gets better soon. That is a miserable temperature for a kitty. I know having a fever makes you feel really bad. When my Myrtille was feverish and very, very sick from kidney infection, we discovered it because she started lying in the bathroom sink (not one of her previous habits) for comfort from the feverish feeling, and as a kind of sick-nest. Watch every little thing, and I will be hoping and praying that your kitty gets well soon. And cheers for the vet who showed so much care and charged such an incredibly reasonable price.

[catcrazylady]

Hi Kelly!!! I've been missing too so I can sure understand computer problems.

I'm so sorry to hear about Basie. Poor baby. :( Its bad enough to deal with the asthma but a URI on top of it has to be miserable. Hopefully the meds will have him cleared up soon. This time of year really gets the URI's and asthma fired up. I guess its the weather change and things blooming.

Prayers coming your way that Basie is all better soon and nobody else breaks with URI.

[NoahsMommy]

Awww, thanks for the kind wishes for my sweet Basie, guys. :)

I wish I could teach him to "blow" when I get the tissues ready. He sure doesn't like that part.

But...today he's feeling MUCH better, I can tell. :) He cleaning his own nose this afternoon and he's been eating and drinking on his own, more than just once or twice!

He is even acting better, he's doing a little more than sleep now. We still have 8 more days of antibiotics, but he seems so much more confortable now. :)

Catty1, thats a GREAT idea on adding the Vicks to the humidifier. If he needs it again, I'll do that. Thank you. :)

Hope you are all doing well. I miss you!

Hugs,
Kelly :)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Kelly, I'm so glad to hear that Basie is feeling much better. I hope he'll be back to normal soon Take care.:)

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Poor Basie Kat..

Im sorry he isn't feeling well.. sending some *hugs* and *kisses* over for him..

Glad you see you back too Kelly! Other than your sick baby.. I hope all is well with you!! :)

[slick]

Kelly, I was going to post this in blue for Basie Boy but thought the "pink and sparkly" theme would cheer you up. I'm so glad that he is doing much better. I have to chuckle at your comment about him blowing when you have the kleenex ready. It's exactly like a small child, isn't it?? Still praying for his continued recovery.

[Catty1]

He's cleaning his OWN nose? GREAT! Glad to hear BB is on the mend!

Keep us posted ok?

hugs
Catty1

[jazzcat]

Poor Basie. Please feel better soon sweetie. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts coming your way.

Good to see you Kelly.

[NoahsMommy]

(((hugs)))

Thanks again for the well wishes, guys. :)

He's sneezing a bit more today. So I turned the heater as well as the humidifier on to help him breath a bit better. I can still tell he isn't feeling very well - he might have sympathy pains for his dear Auntie CiCi, she was just diagnosed with pneumonia this afternoon! Poor things! :(

He's still hating the pilling thing. The better he feels, the more he fusses. That little nawtee kitty will keep the pill in his mouth till you let him go and he spits it out...mush and all! Bratty! So we're clamping his mouth shut and keeping him there for at least a minute so he HAS to swallow.

Poor Basie...constant torture from the hoomans. ;)

Thanks again for your concern. You guys always understand how worrisome it is when our furballs are ill. Feeling helpless is a understatement.

Hugs,
Kelly

[christa]

. . . So we're clamping his mouth shut and keeping him there for at least a minute so he HAS to swallow.

Hey Kelly! Little tip . . . once you get that pill in Basie's mouth, hold his mouth shut and blow up his nose. He WILL swallow. :)

I am sorry to hear that you are having such troubles with him & the asthma. Josie has asthma also. We take her to get shots about every 4-6 weeks, whenever she starts coughing. I have no idea what the shot is called though. I'd have to look at an old invoice. We also have Preds on hand to give her over the weekends if she has an attack & the vet isn't open. I know how scary it is to have a kitty with breathing problems. We are thinking of you. {{{HUGS}}}

[pnance]

Kelly I'm just seeing this now. I'm so sorry to here about Basie. Hopefully he'll be feeling better soon. My RB terrier had fairly severe asthma that would flair up periodically. My vet put him on a human inhaler (I can't remember the name but can find out if you'd like from his records),after talking it over with a friend of hers from Davis (he was the first patient she tried it on because nothing else worked). It helped him quite a bit and she later told me since it had worked so well for him she had 2 of her other clients cats on the same thing and they were doing well. I cheated a bit and instead of buying the container to put of his nose like in the picture (since it's expensive) I took an old plastic spice container, cleaned it out and cut a hole that allowed me to put the inhaler in. It fit perfectly over his nose and worked just as well as the expensive ones. Hope he's feeling better soon.

[ChrisH]

Aw, poor Basie. :( Kelly, sorry but I have only just seen this, it's a bit late but he will be in my prayers for sure. {{hugs}}

[NoahsMommy]

Hey Kelly! Little tip . . . once you get that pill in Basie's mouth, hold his mouth shut and blow up his nose. He WILL swallow. :)

We take her to get shots about every 4-6 weeks, whenever she starts coughing. I have no idea what the shot is called though.

The thing with Basie is, he moves the pill to the side of his mouth, almost UNDER his tongue. When he swallows, he swallows nothing. Little smarty brat, huh? ;) CiCi is the one who pills him and she's been a vet/surgical techfor nearly 10 years and even she says he's a pain in the butt.

The injections are probably some form of pred, like solu-medrol. I want to try the kitty inhaler first, but then injections may help too. When he was first diagnosed, he had a series of the injections for a while there and they did seem to help a bit. Thanks for the ideas, I'm sorry your little one has asthma as well. Do the injections seem to help her?

[NoahsMommy]

My vet put him on a human inhaler (I can't remember the name but can find out if you'd like from his records),after talking it over with a friend of hers from Davis (he was the first patient she tried it on because nothing else worked).

I cheated a bit and instead of buying the container to put of his nose like in the picture (since it's expensive) I took an old plastic spice container, cleaned it out and cut a hole that allowed me to put the inhaler in. It fit perfectly over his nose and worked just as well as the expensive ones. Hope he's feeling better soon.

Great idea on the homemade spacer. I know they are a bit pricey. The medication for the inhaler is a human inhalent, called Flovent.

Its really great to hear the inhaler helped your pup. I really hope it'll help Basie. I know he's been so miserable with all his wheezing and now his constant sneezing.

:(

[NoahsMommy]

Thursday Update:

Well, its been almost 5 days on his antibiotics and he still seems miserable...although the goo coming from his nose is much clearer now. I guess the infection is healing, but he's still battling asthma, allergies and the cold part of this whole thing. Poor baby. :(

When I got home from work, he kept sneezing. Each time he'd start a fit, he'd reach his paw to me, either to steady himself or just want to hold on. Isn't that pathetic?? I couldn't just let him "deal" with the constant sneezing - we're not talking *sneeze* *sneeze* *sneeze* this poor little guy sneezes AT THE VERY LEAST 20 times each fit. The fits sometimes are less than a minute apart!! :eek: I couldn't take it, I felt so bad watching him do that.

Dr. Hanser (his old vet) had prescribed him an anti-histamine about a year ago that you can buy over the counter. I went and bought that, along with a bottle of childrens benadryl. CiCi told me I could give him about 8mg. Yea, ever give a cat ICKY (to them, it smelled yummy cherry to me) syrup? Yea, my little sleek black kitty turned into a gross, drooly rottie!!! (drool=gross, rottie=not gross) Ugh, I forget how dramatic he is. ;)

It lasts for 4 hours, but I can tell, its helping tremendously. (I tortured him with it at 6:00 p.m.) He's only had 1 sneezing fit sinse he stopped his drama drooling. ;) Served mean ole meowmee right, he got that yucky drool EVERYWHERE!! ICK!

So, I think that when CiCi pills him with the Clav, I'll have her add the pills I got him as well. (another antihistamine)

:) So, I'm hoping these work. Poor Basie. Please keep him in your prayers?

[pnance]

Great idea on the homemade spacer. I know they are a bit pricey. The medication for the inhaler is a human inhalent, called Flovent.

Its really great to hear the inhaler helped your pup. I really hope it'll help Basie. I know he's been so miserable with all his wheezing and now his constant sneezing.

:(

Your right it was Flovent. I've also used the benedryl syrup which was interesting. Even using a syringe he ended up with a sticky red beard.. :rolleyes: Hope he's feeling better soon.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Kelly, I'm sorry to hear that Basie's been having such bad sneezing attacks.:( I sure hope that the new meds will do the trick. More prayers are on the way.

[shais_mom]

poor Basil!
hugs to you both!

[rg_girlca]

What a relief it must be for poor Basie and for you that the antihistamine is working. It's so hard seeing our babies sick like that.

I pray that he continues to do well on the medication.

((((((HUGS)))))) Kelly.

[NoahsMommy]

Thanks again for yout support and concern, guys. I know you understand my worries. To most people, he's "just a cat, deal with it", but he's my little guy and he's special. Seeing him feel so rotten breaks my heart. I'm so worried about him, I'm losing sleep. :(

CiCi tried the pill version antihistamine, but said he started frothing so badly (drama, not hurt or reaction. Just Basie being Basie), she had to wash his face for him. She's a sucker like me!!! ;)

Tomorrow, I'm going to try the Benadryl again, but use a popcicle stick to hold his tongue down while CiCi pours the liquid meds all the way DOWN his throat. If he froths, it'll be slobber, not medicine. I just know it'll help him feel better. And, it'll make him sleepy and he'll be able to heal that way too.

His kitty snot is all clear now, no more green/white. So that's good. But he's still sneezing, wheezing and coughing. :( Poor itty bitty!

Thanks again for humoring me with this. I know its just a URI, but with that asthma and horrid allergies, he's so much sicker. I'm terrified that he'll have an attack and I wont be able to help him. :(

[Kirsten]

Poor little Basie! How heartbreaking to read that he hates taking his meds!! Basie, sweetheart, they will help you to feel better! Please be a good boy and take your meds!

Kirsten

[ChrisH]

Poor Basie. :( Prayers continuing.

[smokey the elder]

This sounds like a really tough URI that went around the east coast a couple of years ago. I'm glad Basie is doing better. Just make sure he keeps eating.

[NoahsMommy]

Thanks, guys! He seems better today. MUCH less sneezing, coughing, and wheezing.

He's eating, drinking and sleeping a lot. Good boy! :)

[gini]

I meant to ask about Basie...............so I am glad that you posted.

Kelly, this is such good news. Oh, I hate it when my kitties are not feeling their best so I know how you feel.

{{{hugs}}}

[Katkall]

I has my first experience with pills a month ago shadow would do the same walk away and spit them out. One time i took a cat treat and fed it to her like a pill then gave her the pill after it fooled her once.

[Uabassoon]

I'm happy to hear that Basie is feeling better :)

[rg_girlca]

Thanks, guys! He seems better today. MUCH less sneezing, coughing, and wheezing.
He's eating, drinking and sleeping a lot. Good boy! :)

This is great news. Continue getting better dear Basie.

Prayers and positive thoughts still on the way.

[catnapper]

So glad to hear your little boy is feeling better.