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Thread: Help......

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Dallas, TX
    Posts
    2

    Help......

    I used to post here a long time ago. I have two cats which are fine, but my life has changed a lot since I last posted.

    The short of it is I have moved in with my boyfriend who also has a cat named Bob. Shortly after moving in Bob (the cat - get it Bobcat) stopped eating and was depressed. We figured it was because of the stress of moving and two new cats in his territory. We were wrong. After about two weeks of Bob's non existent appetite, we took him to the vet. The vet couldn't find anything and after a couple of days of debate about the recomendation we take him to the specialist for an estimation of about 700-1000 dollars plus, we decided to go ahead and spend the money (we barely have) and take him to the specialist. 1285 dollars later and much worrying, it turns out Bob has a fungus called Histoplasmosis.... This is a rare, rare fungus that usually, espescially doesn't get to indoor cats. Bob goes outside ten minutes once a week with supervision. Chances are that we brought some dirt on our shoes in the house with the fungus. It's is from bird & bat feces. And most animals and people fight it off naturally. Bob's immune system is just very weak so his body did not fight it off. With that Bob has a kidney stone, and an enlarged kidney and the other kidney doesn't function. The doctor was very, very nice and understanding.....but the short of it is that because of Bob's weak immune system, we don't know if he'll make it through this. We have to force feed him twice a day, give him a liquid medication that's goin to run about 150 every two weeks for the next 6 months or so, give him a steroid once a day for a few days (the steroid is a gamble because it weakens the immune system but gives him strength and the strength needed trumps the risk right now), give him an appetite stimulant & an antibiotic!!!!

    Bob is not my cat.....He is Kevin's cat and Bob has never taken to me, he won't let me pet him, he likes to slap at me....but depsite that, I have always loved him. He is after all a cat and I love cats for all their quirkiness. I guess the reason i mention these things is because I am hurting despite the fact that Bob is technically not mine. I had to be the one to pay the medical fees because I have some extra cash (not anymore). And I'm the one that broke down in tears with the news. I do feel guilty because in the back of my head I worry about the debate of finances vs. his life. Kevin has been out of work (he's working now as a programmer, but he's playing catch up). I hate to do all this and then the worst happen and we're broke on top of it. And then I feel terrible for thinking that in the first place.

    What hurts is not the really money, or the fact that neither of us are good at pilling cats or force feeding them, but the fact that a) why did he have to get a fungus that an indoor cat shouldn't be getting - it's like winning the unlucky lottery & b) even after we try this, he basically may not make it. The doctor said the next five days will tell - that it's really up tp Bob to fight this off. And I;m scared Bob doesn't have the fight in him. It's like he's given up. And has he given up becasue of me and my boys moving in?

    I don't know what I'm looking for here - is there any chance any of you have been through this fungus before with you pets? And maybe just words of encouragement - some cat prayers. H e is a good boy - he is sick and doesn't know why. He wants to fight us on the feeding, which is vital to his survival. I want to stay hopeful, but my nature is negative. So maybe some of you could give me some hope or a different angle of looking at this.

    I'm sorry maybe I just needed to get this out in a place where no one thinks you are nuts for talking about a cat so much. Thanks in advance for your understanding.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Santa Paula, CA
    Posts
    27,648
    I'm so sorry to hear about Bob and what you're having to go through. I've never heard of this fungus before so I can't help you out. I will,however, continue to keep Bob in my thoughts and prayers. I hope he'll be strong enough to pull through all of this. Please continue to keep us updated and please take care.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Illinois - USA
    Posts
    38
    I am so sorry you are having to go through this, but just the fact that you do care and are concerned for Bob says a great deal about you. Please don't give up on him, he really needs you now, even if he technically isn't your cat, he is counting on you to help him.
    I know how hard and stressful it is to care for a sick pet, but keeping things as positive as you can will help Bob feel less stressed and be better for him.
    I have never heard of Histoplasmosis before, so I Googled it and came up with this info . It does sound like it is treatable, but Bob's kidney condition is surely complicating things, but can be treated as well.
    I didn't read how old Bob is, but hopefully he will have the strength to pull through, cats can do amazing things.
    I will keep you and Bob in my prayers, please continue to fight this illness with him, he needs someone caring in his corner at this difficult time.
    (((HUGS))) to you both. Please keep us updated on his progress.


  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Dallas, TX
    Posts
    2
    Thank you both for words of encouragement!!!

    Bob definitely has me in his corner. I think he knows we are forcing him to eat and take medicine for his own good. He eats treats on his own sort of.....but he won't eat soft food of all things. Kevin asked a lady at his work who has several cats about how to feed him and she had a suggestion of getting the syringe behind his back teeth in that opening so we are going to try that later...And I was thinking of taking him into the vet again and seeing if we could just have a session of proper pilling and feeding. We (my boyfriend and I) both get frustrated because neither of us do the burrito kitty properly or pop the pills properly so it is just a giant mess,,our intentions are only the best though.

  5. #5
    I can feel for ya when it comes to the finances. Don't feel the least bit guilty. You have to live, too, y'know. And you can't provide good vet care w/out finances. It's only natural to be concerned about that. Your first concern is Bobcat and that came through loud and clear in your post. I've not personally had experience w/histoplasmosis but I have had a lot of experience w/prayer and you and Kevin and Bobcat will be in my prayers, believe me. Keep us posted.
    Blessings,
    Mary



    "Time and unforeseen occurrence befall us all." Ecclesiastes 9:11

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    British Columbia
    Posts
    1,332
    Wow, that's alot for you and Bob to deal with but I'm so glad that you're going to give it a try, even without knowing for sure if it will be successful. I think things will get alot easier once you don't have to force feed him on top of everything else you're having to do. You didn't mention the name of the steroid but if it is prednisone, that tends to make cats quite ravenous after awhile. If it does that then maybe you won't need the appetite stimulate, which would be one less thing you'd have to give him?
    If you do get him eating, you might want to ask your vet if you can get the liquid meds that he's going to be on put into a flavoured suspension (beef, chicken or seafood) by a compounding pharmacy. That way, you might be able mix those meds in with some wet food (providing he has his appetite back by then). After he is eating, you could try PILL POCKETS to get the steroid into him. I just picked some up today for my cat. They are squishy treats that have an opening and you can slip the pill inside and squish it closed and hope that he eats it. (of course this will only work when he's eating again.)
    Guess there's not much to do about the financial end of it except that hopefully after the 6 months, he won't need all the meds anymore? What is the long term prognosis for him if he makes it through this current period?

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