Aroara's saga continues...update #77(with graphic picture)

[Moesha]

Last night she ate fine, but was sneezing. She slept on me for awhile, and I never heard her sneeze while she was sleeping. I had received some disturbing news before bed, so I was awake alot and she didn't like that so she left. This morning she won't eat and is still sneezing. There is definitely something wrong when she won't eat. That's her routine. Yell for food! LOL
I had some antibiotics that I just gave to my sister last week for her kitty who had a cut on his face.

[Emeraldgreen]

I'm sorry to hear that Aroara is not feeling well. It could be any number of things I suppose but it does sound an awful lot like the Herpes Virus which can lay dormant in a cat forever but can also become active during times of stress. A few of my cats have this and it is contagious to other cats when it is active.

The stress for my cat Stinky can be as little as my cat Paddy bullying her and cornering her and then in a few days, she starts sneezing. That is followed by a wet nose that is often very warm. I have to get on top of it right away because if left untreated, she will be sick for about 2 weeks and she becomes lethargic and congested. As soon as she starts sneezing, I mix Lysine (500mg) from the pharmacy in the vitamin section into her food, two times a day. This usually gets her feeling much better within a few days. I separate her from the others but I also give them Lysine as well to help them fight it off if they happened to come into contact with it from the drinking water etc.. before I separated them.

I'm just wondering if it could be this with Aroara because you mentioned in your post that you had received some terrible news and that you were up late. Since our animals are so intune with us, she may picking up on your feelings and she may have become stressed? Just a thought.
I hope that you can get to the bottom of it and that she will be feeling much better soon! :)

[jenluckenbach]

ANy news? I hope she feels better soon/

[Moesha]

The vet said that they've been seeing alot of serious URIs in cats lately that aren't responding to the usual antibiotics. He said her chest sounded fine. He gave her ClindaCure antibiotics to try and if she gets worse I'm supposed to let him know.

I asked that she be kept inside until she had at least a few treatments. I got home and can't find her. Which probably means someone let her go outside. No doubt she was howling to go. But with her being outside, it means that I won't see her until she is ready for me to find her. Usually that is for dinner about this time, but she isn't coming. So I'll go out searching for awhile and then wait for night time when is the next time she insists on being inside. Needless to say I'm not the happiest person at the moment. Thanks for the concern about her.

[Medusa]

Oh goodness, I'm so sorry about Aroara and for you, too, because stress can really work on our minds and bodies. Please know that prayers are going up for you both right this very second......

[Moesha]

I've got her and she is eating in the bathroom. That's where she always eats because of Morgan and his diabetic food.

The stress I am having isn't affecting her. Or at least it wasn't before she started sneezing. I got a text message last night saying that the youngest teenage daughter (13 I think) of one of the families that I clean for (and actually had cleaned their house yesterday) had been airlifted due to having been involved in a "farm accident". Then a friend of mine called and said that her sister in law had heard that this girl had been hurt by having a combine had fallen on her and it didn't look good. Then that friend called back a few minutes later saying that it wasn't the daughter but a boy that had been staying with them. They did have the husband's neice and nephew with them yesterday. The little boy couldn't have been more than 3. I'm still not sure what happened. I saw both the dad and mom in their respective vehicles today in town, but I didn't get to talk to either of them. I feel funny calling them about a rumor in town. There wasn't any news on the local website. I kept waking up all night, but Aroara was sneezing before I had heard about the accident.

[Emeraldgreen]

That's horrible! I hope that the child involved in the accident will survive. The family must be so devastated. :( Prayers going out for them.

I'm glad that you were able to get Aroara back inside last night. I hope that she begins to feel better soon with the antibiotic treatment. Please keep us updated.
p.s. I love the way you spell her name, aROARa. Perfect name for a lioness!

[Moesha]

p.s. I love the way you spell her name, aROARa. Perfect name for a lioness!

That's exactly why I spelled it that way. When she was a kitten she could fall asleep in a second in your lap after going 90 mph the second before. So we decided to name her after the Disney princess, Sleeping Beauty. Her name was Aurora. Since she's a kitty, I had to change the spelling. She now lives up to the ROAR part of it! LOL

She seems to be sniffling more today. Of course the vet closed at noon and won't be open again until Monday. If she doesn't improve tomorrow, I'll be calling them and probably getting a different antibiotic. She HATES having to stay inside. She's digging up the carpet by the door! I had to lock her in the bathroom for awhile. She escaped again today, but I've captured her and she's sleeping now. I took a couple of pictures of her yesterday but haven't gotten to get them transferred over to the computer.

[Moesha]

I mixed up half a tablet of Lysine in some canned food. She turned her nose up at it. She turned her nose up at the food before the lysine was in it too. She probably can't smell it very well. My mom is on her way to get a vaporizer to put in the bathroom with Aroara. Why do they have to get sick during non vet hours? I hope she starts feeling better in the next couple of days. I have to be out of town Friday-Sunday next week and have a friend coming to check on the furkids. Any other suggestions for helping treat her so she feels better? It's been years since I've had a kitty with a URI.

Here are the above mentioned pictures.
Last night. She was here when I went to bed and when I got up.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/P1040312.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/P1040313.jpg

Here was a few minutes ago. When I called the vet's office yesterday morning and told the tech that she was just sitting around like a meatloaf, she laughed. She'd never heard that description before. She even wrote in on Aroara's chart.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/P1040315.jpg

Then I put took her to the bathroom with the stinky food. She always eats in the bathroom to prevent Morgan from getting non diabetic food. I had her bed and litter box in there from earlier because she'd been digging the carpet up trying to open the door to go outside.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/P1040316.jpg

[Emeraldgreen]

I'm pretty sure Lysine won't hurt her if you are able to find a way to get it into her and hopefully, it will help. I know that she may not have the Herpes virus at all but if she does, the Lysine works wonders in just a few days.
Do you think she would entertain the idea of tuna juice (the human variety) with half a capsule of Lysine mixed in. Does she ever eat the hairball malt paste that comes in the toothpaste like tube? You could mix some in there.
It sounds like she doesn't have much interest in food though but if you could even get a little bit into her at a time, it might help.
She is so lovely in those pics even though she is not feeling that well.
I hope you are able to find a way to help her over the weekend. Do you have a thermometer to take her temp?

[Moesha]

I don't think I've ever tried to give her hairball stuff. She's never had a hairball. Morgan loves it. Morgan loves anything that goes in his mouth though. I gave him half a Lysine pill in some canned food. He'll do anything to eat wet food. LOL I'll try the tuna juice in the morning. I could dissolve it in the tuna juice and shoot it in her mouth with a syringe. She's in the tropical rain forrest bathroom at the moment and just looks at me with a "leave me alone" look whenever I check in on her.

[Emeraldgreen]

I don't think I've ever tried to give her hairball stuff. She's never had a hairball. Morgan loves it. Morgan loves anything that goes in his mouth though. I gave him half a Lysine pill in some canned food. He'll do anything to eat wet food. LOL I'll try the tuna juice in the morning. I could dissolve it in the tuna juice and shoot it in her mouth with a syringe. She's in the tropical rain forrest bathroom at the moment and just looks at me with a "leave me alone" look whenever I check in on her.

Sounds like that might work but you might want to squirt it into her mouth in super small squirts. I had the WORST experience with my cat George when I tried to give him some meds that I mixed with some tuna juice and then drew it up into a syringe and then squirted it into his mouth, I think it was a ml's worth. He freaked out. He began frothing at the mouth and alot of it. It went on for about 5 minutes. It scared me half to death. I don't know if this was just a weird reaction with George but I wanted to tell you just in case there is something to the tuna juice being syringed into the mouth. I've mixed meds with water and done this without incident but the tuna juice syringe episode was awful. But, if you've done it before without any problems, then it's just my George. That is very possible. :rolleyes:

Hopefully she will have enough of an appetite to want the tuna juice as a treat by tomorrow. Prayers going out for miss Aroara.

[Moesha]

So I had her in the bathroom with the vaporizer last night. I didn't let it run all night though. Just for a few hours. I was afraid the air would get too heavy for her to breathe. It is a small bathroom. The bottom of the bathroom door must have swelled a little because it sure didn't want to close. She didn't eat last night, and I can't get her to eat anything at all today. I've tried all kinds of tempting things. She won't have any of it. I can hear her breathing sometimes now when I am in there with her. I did mix up a dehydration mixture, and I'm going to syringe some into her when my mother gets here to help me hold her. Last night I just had the steam going, today I just turned it back on with a little of the medication stuff in the dish. Is that ok for cats? I'm at my wits end. I hate seeing her feeling so poorly! This was already going to be a horrific week. Now it just got busier. My SIL called earlier this afternoon asking if I was doing anything tomorrow that I absolutely couldn't change. So now I have to go with her to Nashville tomorrow. She has to take her two girls to the dentist. The 8 year old has to have 2 teeth pulled and the 6 year old is getting 3 cavities filled. They don't know it yet though. I am going to have to call the vet right at 8 in the morning and see if they want me to bring Aroara in or if they just want to try a different antibiotic. I hope they want to see her. She'll probably need some fluids if I can't get much into her tonight. I'll have to drop her off and let my mom take care of picking her up and getting her back home. Because after the all day trip to Nashville I have a house and a doctor's office to clean. Can I switch places with someone?

[Emeraldgreen]

Oh no, it sounds like she is only getting worse. :( If I were you, I'd just show up at the vet clinic as soon as you can and I'm sure they will take her in and get her started on fluids and stuff. The longer she goes without eating or drinking, the harder her recovery is going to be.
Is the clinic open today? If not, the 8:00 in the morning time sounds like the next best thing, unless you know of another vet that is open today.
Once she is in your vet's care, they will be able to take her temp and get her fluids and try different drugs etc.. and you won't have to worry as much if she was at home in your bathroom while you are helping your SIL. You have been trying so hard to help her but she may need some more serious attention that the vet and staff can administer.
Sounds like this is your plan anyway but I think you would be better off just showing up because that way they won't schedule you a time that won't work with your time to meet up with your SIL. It shouldn't be a problem for them to take her in and work on her (exam, tests etc..) when they have an opening later in the day. If she is in really rough shape by then, they'll treat asap!
Please keep us updated. I hope she will take a turn for the better very soon.:)

[Moesha]

They aren't open today. The only other option is an ER vet about an hour away. I live in a very small town and everyone at the vet knows me. I just have to call and say, "Hi, this is Moe...blah blah" and they know who I am. I have thought about getting there at 8. They'll let me leave her there all day. On Friday when I called they said I could bring her up and leave her and that they'd look at her when they could get to her. As it turned out, the vet was in at 9 and he was able to check her out then. But I couldn't bring her back home at that time, so they let me leave her there until I was able to get her home. My mom has gotten here now, so I'm going to try the rehydration mixture now.

[Moesha]

I keep updating this thread mostly for myself. So this way I will have a written record of things that I can tell the vet tomorrow.

In the last 3 hours, I've been able to get a little more than an ounce of rehydration water in her. I also smashed up half of a Lysine tablet and mixed part of that with some of the water also. She had a little runny nose. She showed a little more interest in her food after getting some fluids in her. She may have eaten a couple pieces of food. She at least licked them. LOL Her ears and paws don't feel warm to me, but I think she has enough of her grumpy attitude that I'm not going to attempt taking her temperature with a regular thermometer. We're under 12 hours until she'll be back at the vet's office now!

[jennielynn1970]

How is sweet Aroara today??

[Moesha]

I guess "hospitalized" isn't quite the right word, since we don't have an animal hospital but she's still at the vet's office. I took Aroara in to the vet at 8:15 and left her due to my crazy schedule for the day. My mom stopped in at 3 to check on her. Her temperature was elevated when I brought her in, so they changed the antibiotic. They decided to keep her overnight and see if her fever is down tomorrow. She got fluids, and they said she still wasn't eating. Today one side of her face, the right side, looked swollen. I mentioned that to them. They said that her eye was swollen. The found one very tiny spot near her eye but aren't sure what caused it. Maybe a swat from one of the others, or they mentioned a tick. She is on Frontline Plus because of the increase in ticks this year, so I don't know if that is what the spot is from or not. Basically we just don't know what's wrong. I hope that the new antibiotic will help.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Poor Aroara.:( Maybe she was allergic to the antibiotic that she was taking and this caused her face to become swollen.:( I sure hope that she'll recover quickly and that whatever she has can be easily treated. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent her way.

[jenluckenbach]

More prayers for Aroara. Please get better soon.

[ChrisH]

Poor sweetheart. :( Prayers on the way.

[Medusa]

Aw, sweet Aroara, feel better soon.

[GILL]

The CREW sends thier prayers and is letting you that they are pulling for a speedy recovery.

[Catty1]

PT Prayers for dear Aroara!

As for the swelling being caused by antibiotics - it can happen in humans. When my sister first went to the hospital many years ago (she had MS), she had had a seizure - and then got some kind of infection. She had never BEEN on antibiotics.

Well holy cow, did we find out in a hurry that she was allergic to all KINDS of them! She was puffed up and red for a day or two, even after the drug was changed. Took a while to find the right one.

I hope they have found the right med for your baby, and that she will be home soon.

{{{{hugs}}}}

[Emeraldgreen]

Any news with Aroara? I hope the vet has found the cause of the swelling and fever.

[Moesha]

I just got home. I stopped in to see Aroara and get an update. She is acting much more like her normal self. She's "roar"ing constantly. That's my complainy girl. LOL I got to go back and see her for awhile. Her face is still a bit puffy but not as bad as it was yesterday. Her fever was down to 103.7 this morning from 104 something yesterday. It was 103.2 last Friday when I had her in there though. They are giving her a pill antibiotic. He wants to keep her another night though and see how she is in the morning. She did eat a little today they said. He still doesn't know what is causing the swelling. It is down some, but still there. He's hoping the antibiotic will get rid of it, but if not he said he might have to go in and lance it. So that's all I know for now. She may come home tomorrow. But then I have the problem of what to do with her while I'm gone for parts of 3 days. The girl I have coming to take care of the others would never get a pill down Aroara. And the vet's office will be closed Fri-Sun. The exact days I'll be gone. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it and see if she has to keep taking the pills. I can't ever remember having to pill a cat that wouldn't eat it hidden in something. But if she isn't eating alot, it'll be harder. Thanks for the comments and concerns.

[jennielynn1970]

Awe... poor Aroara. I hope that the fever comes down and the swelling will go away. I'd hate to think of her having to have something on her face lanced.. ouch!

I'll keep her in my thoughts and prayers and hope that she'll be better during the time while you're gone so you won't have to worry so much about pilling her.

[Catty1]

I know your vet is officially 'closed' - but surely there are patients there who have to be medicated and watered and fed?

See if they will board Aroara til you get back...I think she and you will feel better.

And we can do a little fundraising here!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I hope that the new antibiotics will help her and that she starts feeling better and recovers quickly. If she's still on the pills then maybe you could have one of the vet techs come over to your home to give her the pills or like Catty1 said you may be able to just leave her at the vets and some one can stop in and check on her and give her the pills. She'll remain in my thoughts and prayers.

[Emeraldgreen]

I don't know which antibiotic Aroara is on but you could ask your vet if they could give her a Convenia injection. It is a rather new injectable antibiotic made by Pfizer that is similar to Clavamox. It's one shot and equivalent to 2 weeks of giving pills two times a day. Tiger has had it quite a few times and I think Freedom has used it on her pets as well.
Your vet may not have it just like mine didn't when I asked about it but they said they could call a nearby clinic and 'borrow' some which they did. They were really impressed with it and ordered some in and are administering it to lots of patients now. I guess it would depend on the type of antibiotic he wants her to be on. Here is a link to the Convenia website (http://www.convenia.com/).

If that's not possible, maybe you could give her a dose on the morning that you leave and on the night you return so there would only be 4 doses missing inbetween (if she gets them 2 x per day). And hopefully by then she will be willing to take a pill in a pill pocket that your pet sitter could give? I break up the pills in half and give them in two pill pockets so there's no chance of them biting down on the pill.

Glad to hear that her fever is down and that she is eating a little bit!:) That is awesome!!!

[Moesha]

I'm going to see what they tell me when they send her home about having to have more pill forms of antibiotics. If they want her to continue on them, I will definitely ask about the injection. My one concern would be that with the Clindamyacin her fever kept going up and that a different antibiotic wouldn't work and I'd be gone and not know. There is a place that boards animals, where I take them to be bathed, that charges $10/day I think it is. She'll give medicine to animals. If pills are prescribed for Aroara, I may check into having her boarded there. As long as cats are kept away from all the barky dogs. Aroara would be scared out of her mind. And with the holiday weekend, I'm sure she's going to be pretty full. I had thought about boarding Morgan and not having to have a petsitter, just leaving self water and feeders for the other guys, but stress increases Morgan's sugar levels and I don't want to take a chance on having to put him back on insulin. Thanks for all the suggestions! The vet closes at noon tomorrow, so Aroara should be home by then. Of course I have 2 houses to clean and a hair appointment almost an hour away, so who knows what time I will actually get to be home. :rolleyes:

ETA: I just talked to my mom, who was the one that talked to the vet's office yesterday when they changed the antibiotics. She said that the pill is only given to her once/day. So if I could pill her by myself Friday morning, and then have help when everyone gets back Sunday night, she would only miss maybe one pill if she wouldn't eat it from a pill pocket. hmm

[Moesha]

Aroara got home about noon. They called me to say they were kicking her out because they thought she was "feeling pretty darned good". That was their way of telling me they got to see the "roar" part of her name. When she wants something she tells you. And she definitely didn't want to be in that cage. Now she doesn't want to be inside. She has to take 1/2 a orbax (I think it is) each day for a week. She ate as soon as she got home. I had to immediately leave again and just returned. She has reddness by her ear and the side of her face is swelling again. I don't know if he lanced it or not actually. He just said that if it puffed back up to let him know. So I don't know if the reddness is from something he did or not. I got there just before they were closing today and they just told me about the medicines and that she was feeling much better. Guess I'll have to be making a phone call tomorrow. She may have gotten bitten by something to have caused this whole thing. We just don't know. My mom may have to take her back for me. I have to be at a cleaning job at 7:30 in the morning, before the vet opens. At least she is feeling better. But I sure don't like the thought of her being alone this weekend. But she will be miserable if she has to be in a cage. And if it's a cage at the vet's office she will be all alone for the weekend. I'll have to see what happens with them tomorrow and if I should try to board her. She will squawk the entire time she is in that cage though. I'll come back and she will have larengitis on top of everything else! I was pleasantly surprised by the bill though. It was only $62.50 for her fluids, meds and 2 days of hospitalization.

[Emeraldgreen]

Wow, 62.50 is really reasonable! I'm glad she is back home and feeling better. It's strange that her face seems to be puffing up again though. Is it possible for your mom to either stay at your place or keep Aroara with her for the 3 days? That way she could take her in at any time if it's needed.
Good news that she has her appetite back and is roaring up a storm! :)

[Moesha]

We are all going to be gone for the weekend for a convention. The girl that I have coming to look after the furkids has a dog and a cat of her own. She was telling me that they are having some trouble dealing with fleas on her dog. I sure don't want to ask her to watch Aroara with that going on over there. Plus, if something happens and she gets worse, the vet's office is closed. The closest emergency vet is an hour away. The best option would be for her to stay inside here because she won't squawk the entire weekend. But for her to have someone to watch her would be to be boarded, but then she is caged and frustrated to no end and I couldn't get her until Monday morning and would have to drop her off tomorrow night.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm glad to hear that she's feeling better and is now home.:) I'm sorry to hear that her face is starting to swell up again. Hopefully you'll be able to have some one to keep an eye on her while you're away. I hope she'll recover quickly.

[Moesha]

I called the office this morning and talked with the tech who had helped the vet the most in dealing with Aroara. She said they searched her face and only found what might be a tiny wound under her eye. I told her about the big spot near her ear, and she said that I could bring her by and they would look at what I was seeing. I was working this morning until noon. The vet does surgeries from noon until 3. So I packed Aroara up and got to the office about 3:15. It was swamped. I guess everyone was getting their last minute checkups before the holiday weekend. We waited about half an hour and then the same vet tech motioned us into a room. She looked at Aroara's head and said that she hadn't seen that before. She tried to shave it, but Aroara wasn't having any of that. So the doctor came in a few minutes later and looked at her. He decided that since it was going into a holiday weekend, he would go ahead and knock her out and remove the abcess. There was only an hour left until closing time, but he squeezed her in. She was passed out cold and looked so cute when I went back to pick her up. She has since woken up, but is still sort of groggy. Despite that, she has attempted to sneak outside. Those attempts were thwarted though! So I'll be leaving in the morning as planned and hoping that all goes well with the furkids until I get back Sunday evening.

They never said what they thought might have caused the problem, but I'm thinking she was bitten by a snake. Look at those two perfectly round holes in my baby's head. I took that with my cell phone because the flash on the regular camera was washing it out. I think you can get the idea though.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/AroarasHead.jpg

[Emeraldgreen]

It does look like a snake bite! Poor Aroara. :( She has been through so much in the last few days but I'm sure she will begin to feel better asap now that the pressure of the abscess is gone. I'm glad you kept examining her at home because you know her better than anybody and you just knew something wasn't right. Thank goodness she's finally on the mend! :)

[Moesha]

Thank you very much for your concern throughout this past week.

Here's a picture I took of it with the regular camera. They are puncture holes. At least the vet said there wasn't much pus in there. Guess the antibiotics are doing their thing. I sort of looks like it is swelling to me again. But maybe it is just because there is no hair there. I'm going to hope anyway.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/P1040321.jpg

[Catty1]

Poor baby! How is she feeling (aside from trying to sneak out?)

I hope she heals up just fine with that abcess out...heavens, what if the vet hadn't operated?

Good Mommy! Spotting that nasty bit and taking her back in.

HUGS and I hope she is well soon!:love:

[Moesha]

She is still groggy from being knocked out. But she has helped herself to Morgan's food and has had some water. The first place she went was the litterbox. Poor baby. I didn't know that she'd headed that way and I heard some strange noises. I guess she was too groggy to get herself inside the litterbox. That was a couple of hours ago though. She's getting around pretty good right now. She has wanted to be in my lap. That's not a usual thing for her. The vet said that by tomorrow she should be back to normal. She was feeling fine before having the abcess removed. I don't know what would have happened. He seemed to indicate that the reason he went ahead and did it was that he wouldn't be around and the office would be closed for 3 days. I'm glad I saw that first puncture wound. I didn't know the second one was there until they shaved her head.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Poor Aroara.:( I'm glad that you caught this in time before the long holiday weekend. I sure hope that now she'll feel much better and heal up quickly. She'll remain in my thoughts and prayers.

[Medusa]

Goodness, poor little girl! It really does look like a snake bite, either that or a vampire bit her. :rolleyes: I'm sure she'll improve every day now and lucky that you caught it, especially before this long holiday weekend. :)

[heidiv]

I can't believe what this poor little girl has been through!! :( You are such a good owner.... I could see how that could have been easily missed considering their hair can be so good at masking things like that....Do you have many snakes in your area....Poor baby? Is there any way she could have gotten into a fight with another animal?? Thank goodness the wound wasn't full of pus it could have taken your baby a much longer time to recover. Best wishes to your little girl and the hope recovery should be right around the corner!!!

[kuhio98]

Gentle hugs and kisses for you dear Aroara. I hope you are up to full complaining strength again, very soon. :love:

[kittykatharine]

Oh, Moesha, I have been gone the past few days and I have just read your ordeal with Aroara. You really have had one very very stressful week. I am so sorry that you have had to juggle so many things. I agree that those puncture wounds look like a snake bite. How scary for little miss Aroara. That is good to hear that she is acting more like herself, hopefully when you come back on Sunday afternoon, she will be 100%. It is always amazing to me how strong kitties are. They can put up with so much and still come through unscathed. It sounds like you are working with a great vet and I already know that you are a great pet mom, so Aroara is in the best hands she could ever be in. I am sure she will settle down while you are gone, and spend her time resting and healing. I am sending you lots of positive vibes! :D

[jennielynn1970]

Holy cow... snake bites??? Poor Aroara! I hope that she heals up quickly. Will she be staying in a little more to avoid future bites (or maybe hunt down that snake... sorry snake lovers!). I'm so glad that the vet operated before the holiday weekend... that could have been a tragedy if he hadn't!

[Moesha]

I gave her meds this morning and she ate. She ate and drank last night well. I got a call this afternoon from the girl checking on her that she wouldn't eat at all. She was there with her for an hour and she ate maybe 5 pieces of food and just wanted to lay in her bed. I'm 2 hours away and going crazy. I am going to call a vet hospital here and get advice. I may drive home to see how she is and then bring her back in the morning if she needs a vet. I'm a wreck.

[momtomany]

Moesha I am so sorry that Aroara and you are having such a hard tiime right now. I will keep you both in my prayers.

[Moesha]

Thanks guys. I drove 2 hours to get home. Put the food down and she gobbled it. I haven't checked her wounds yet. I'm going to do that and go to bed. I have to get up before 5 to be ready to drive 2 hours back to Huntsville.

[mamaducky]

Oh, sweetie!

You are SUCH a good Meowmie to drive all that way there and back for sweet Aroara. Sounds like she just needed some TLC from you to eat her food -- but it's too bad that you've had to make such an extensive trip.

Drive safely, and give the girl baby some snuggles from us!

Hugs,
Diana

[jennielynn1970]

Awe... lol, she just missed you!! I know the driving is draining, but she loves you for doing it for her!

Sweet Aroara, eat you food so you meowmy can go and relax for a while!

[kittykatharine]

Wow, you are truly being so wonderful. Aroara really appreciated you being there, and this can be seen by how eagerly she ate the food when you gave it to her. She seems to be hanging in there. Please remember to take care of yourself. I know that when our babies become sick, we very often start rushing around doing everything we can to help them, but inadvertently hurt ourselves because we don't get enough rest or don't eat well. I hope that you drive back to hunstville is a peaceful one, and I hope that Aroara feels better. Hang in there Moesha. If you need anything, just let me know! :)

[Moesha]

Aroara has been feeling and acting fine. But the lump has returned so back she goes to the vet for another knock out drain session. They said that it needed to stay open, of course they didn't tell me this before. The girl told me I should an antibiotic tube in her holes just too keep them clear. Oh dear, I just don't know if I will be able to do that. Just the thought of it grosses me out. We tried a bread poltice or however you spell that last night. I don't know what I'm going to do with this crazy girl. Just thought I'd update you.

[kittykatharine]

Hang in there Moesha, I know it is so hard sometimes and having to keep a wound open would gross almost anyone out. Your doing such a fantastic job with little miss Aroara. There have been times where I have had to deal with similar stuff that completely grossed me out. Have you told the vet that you are having difficulty and asking them if there is anyother way you could do something different? I dont know. Hang in there!:D My thoughts and prayers are with you!:D

[Medusa]

Aw, it can be tough at times, can't it? SubQ's don't gross me out but I remember thinking that I would never be able to administer one to Puddy. Well, I'm such an old hand at it now that I don't even think about it any more and Puddy knows it's only going to take about 5 minutes and then it'll be over. Aroara will know that you're doing it for her good after you do it a couple of times and you'll be surprised at what you can do when your sweetie's welfare is at stake. Prayers going up for you that you'll be able to handle it w/no problem whatsoever......:)

[Moesha]

I think we're through with the vet! I took her in and he looked it over carefully. He squeezed and picked at it. She was such a good girl. He even remarked about how good she was being. He took her temperature, and it was normal. No real pus came out. The lump is about the size of a quarter or maybe slightly bigger. He called it a capsule from the abscess. He said that it should go away on its own in about 6 weeks but to just keep an eye on it to make sure no more infection looks like it is in there. :D

[Medusa]

Excellent news! :)

[jazzcat]

Oh wow, I've missed this until now. Poor kitty!!! The bite looks so painful, bless her heart! I'm glad she is doing so much better now.

[jenluckenbach]

Heavy sigh of relief! :) :)

[heidiv]

Thank goodness!!! Such a good little kitty!!! That is a ton of trips to endure. And for her to be so sweet about it....Awww how sweet is she....So happy she is doing better!!!

[Catty1]

*whew!*

SO glad to hear she is better, and didn't need more surgery.

HUGS and cuddles to that lioness sweetie!:)

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so glad to hear that she's feeling better and doing so well.:)

[GILL]

You can probably hear the CREW cheering all the way from Jersey.

[kittykatharine]

Yea! That is so great that she has survived the snake bite! WooHoo to Ms. Aroara!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

[slick]

:eek::eek:A snake bite???? Oh my gosh, that must have been so scary for you and what you both had to go through. I'm go glad that she pulled through!

[critters]

Just a thought--could she have been bitten by one of her sibs? Cat bites look like snake bites since fangs are fangs. *looking down at my own scars LOL*

[Moesha]

That would be a very remote possibility. The only one that she gets close enough to and wrestles with is Morgan. I am 99.9% positive that didn't happen because they never fight only play together. All of the other critters don't get close enough to her. Sydney swats at her with her paws (of course Sydney swats at everyone) but no one else will go around her to touch her. These are pretty deep holes in her head and there are no marks where the bottom of the mouth would have closed to get enough leverage to make them. I wouldn't rule it out completely because I didn't see the injury happen.

[kittykatharine]

I hope that Aroara is still improving and doing really well!:love:

[Moesha]

One of Aroara's holes has something strange looking in it. It's sort of a 'plug' of some sort, but I can't pull it out. The other hole is still open and if I push on her lump a small amount of pus comes out. I called the vet's office and they said I could bring her in if I was concerned about it. I'm giving her the last 2 antibiotic pills that she didn't have to take last time I took her in. Should I be concerned or is this normal with an abcess? The lump has been hard and nothing coming out until today. It was a little softer last night and tonight was a little runny when pushed on. It's a very slight amount. Just enough to come to the top of the hole, but it doesn't come out on its own.

[Emeraldgreen]

I would try hot compressing it. Holding a very warm (but not too hot) wet cloth over the wound will help bring infection to the surface. If you have a bowl of warm/hot water nearby you can keep re-warming the cloth to hot compress the two holes. Are the two holes still supposed to be open at this point? I remember reading in an earlier post that they were but not sure for how long. Hot compressing will soften scabs and make it easier to open the area as well. And it will probably feel soothing for her. :)

[jenluckenbach]

I am almost positive that the "plug" is a result of the pus hardening. The warm compress will be good, also I would put some antibiotic cream in the hole that is open. She may require another round of antibiotics, maybe another type, to get rid of ALL the infection.

[Medusa]

Jeez, the way you describe it sounds like a warble but there are two holes instead of one and I'm sure your vet would've recognized a warble. You don't see movement of any kind in that hole, do you?

[Moesha]

I would try hot compressing it. Holding a very warm (but not too hot) wet cloth over the wound will help bring infection to the surface. If you have a bowl of warm/hot water nearby you can keep re-warming the cloth to hot compress the two holes. Are the two holes still supposed to be open at this point? I remember reading in an earlier post that they were but not sure for how long. Hot compressing will soften scabs and make it easier to open the area as well. And it will probably feel soothing for her. :)

I've tried the warm compress a couple times. She tolerates it while complaining under her breath. When I'm done and let her go, she goes and attacks Morgan. LOL


I am almost positive that the "plug" is a result of the pus hardening. The warm compress will be good, also I would put some antibiotic cream in the hole that is open. She may require another round of antibiotics, maybe another type, to get rid of ALL the infection.

That thing in the second hole is stiff. I used the warm compress and then once I thought it would have softened I tried to pull it out. I couldn't do it. The second hole is covered over this morning. I think I'm going to take her back in. Yippee. LOL


Jeez, the way you describe it sounds like a warble but there are two holes instead of one and I'm sure your vet would've recognized a warble. You don't see movement of any kind in that hole, do you?
I don't see any movement at all. I tried taking another picture of her head, but it didn't come out clear enough for anyone to see what it was without having seen her in person.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll keep ya posted!

[Medusa]

[QUOTE=Moesha;2036809] I don't see any movement at all. I tried taking another picture of her head, but it didn't come out clear enough for anyone to see what it was without having seen her in person. [QUOTE]

I should've said that by movement I meant more like can you see something pulsating? When you said that it's at the surface, that sounds exactly like a warble. Nothing to mess with. Since you say you're going to take her back in, please ask your vet about it.

[Emeraldgreen]

[QUOTE=Moesha;2036809] I don't see any movement at all. I tried taking another picture of her head, but it didn't come out clear enough for anyone to see what it was without having seen her in person. [QUOTE]

I should've said that by movement I meant more like can you see something pulsating? When you said that it's at the surface, that sounds exactly like a warble. Nothing to mess with. Since you say you're going to take her back in, please ask your vet about it.


Oh gosh, that is so creepy but I wonder if it is that! I'm not certain how warbles get in but I think it can happen by eating things that are hunted? Can they get in through a wound? Maybe there was originally only one hole and it got in that way and is now causing a second hole? I once found a mouse at our old house in the barn that the cats had killed. There was a hole in it's side and a big warble next to it. :eek:
I sure hope it's just the infection that needs to be drawn out and cleaned up though. Poor Aroara.

[Medusa]

[QUOTE=Medusa;2036820][QUOTE=Moesha;2036809] I don't see any movement at all. I tried taking another picture of her head, but it didn't come out clear enough for anyone to see what it was without having seen her in person.


Oh gosh, that is so creepy but I wonder if it is that! I'm not certain how warbles get in but I think it can happen by eating things that are hunted? Can they get in through a wound? Maybe there was originally only one hole and it got in that way and is now causing a second hole? I once found a mouse at our old house in the barn that the cats had killed. There was a hole in it's side and a big warble next to it. :eek:
I sure hope it's just the infection that needs to be drawn out and cleaned up though. Poor Aroara.

An old vet told me that a warble is caused by a fly laying eggs on the cat and the egg hatches, causing the worm's head to be at the surface of the opening. It's rare for a cat to survive this unless the wound is cut and warble extracted. I had a cat years ago that had a warble but I didn't know what it was and thought it was simply her pulse that was throbbing but it was the head of the warble. I had been treating it because we were newlyweds and living off our fingernails but when I saw that it wasn't getting better, I took her to the vet but it was too late. He couldn't get the warble out. Miraculously, Frisky lived but, as I said, my vet told me that it's rare that they live through. They pass it from their bodies but it usually kills them first.

[Moesha]

I took her back, and it was filled with pus again. He wasn't sure what the thing was in the other hole, but it definitely wasn't something living or pulsating. He knocked her out and said he would drain it and cut out the thing in the other hole. When I got there he told me that when he got in there he decided to cut the whole thing out. Now instead of two small holes, she has one huge hole in her head. He didn't stitch it or bandage it. I have to put ointment in it twice a day. I don't know how I am going to do that because it turns my stomach to look at it. She's back on the Clindamyacin twice a day also. I sure hope this is the end of this story.

Here's a blurry picture of her head. I took it with my cell phone. I thought about taking another one with the real camera, but it grosses me out too much right now. I think you can get the idea though. Ok since Jenn and my friend Jenny both told me that the phone picture is more graphic than the others, I'm making it an attachment so you don't have to view it if you choose not to.

[jenluckenbach]

YOWZA!!! That is horrible! Poor Aroara. But, be strong for her. You CAN do what needs to be done. I had a foster cat with a wound in his throat that looked even worse than that, and every day I peeled away the scab and compressed it with Betadine. And every day he screamed like I was killing him. But, in spite of the fact it looked too BIG to ever close up, it healed beautifully! We both survived the ordeal. :love:

[Moesha]

They said that I would be surprised at how quickly this heals. I sure hope so. I had gotten a couple miles down the road and went back to the office. I had them trim all her nails so that she wouldn't be digging at the hole and ripping up the carpet at the door to go back outside. Of course she is already digging at the door. I do have a cone I could use if I notice her bothering it. She hasn't done anything to it yet. They also said that it wouldn't hurt anything if Morgan licked it. I'm not going to let that happen if I can help it!

[Catty1]

Actually, Morgan licking it might not be such a bad thing - he might give it a good cleaning.

Just look that dear baby in the eyes and know you are helping her heal when you apply the ointment. It will get better day by day and be less gross.

What a trooper she is! No, Aroara, you cannot go out yet. Stay inside and snuggle with Morgan and Mom! :love:

Bless you for sticking with her.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Poor Aroara.:( That hole looks huge. I hope she'll heal quickly and be a good girl and let you medicate her and put ointment in it. She continues to remain in my thoughts and prayers.

[Moesha]

Here are a few more pictures I just took of her with the real camera. I gave her the antibiotics orally, but didn't put on the ointment. They had done that at the vet's office. I'll try doing that in the morning.
I'll post just a couple not too disgusting pictures and then links to the other ones incase anyone wants to look at them. They give a little more detail and depth to how big this hole in her head really is.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/P1040336.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/P1040340.jpg

First picture (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/P1040337.jpg)

Second picture (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/P1040339.jpg)

[jazzcat]

OMG!!!:eek: Poor kitty!!!!

[Pawsitive Thinking]

:eek: poor baby

[jennielynn1970]

Holy crap! That is one huge whole in her head!

Have to say that the pictures you posted through the links look better than the one with the phone. That one was just bloody as all get out! Yikes!

I hope that it will clear up quickly for you and Aroara. She sure seems to be taking it all in stride. What a brave and wonderful girl she is!

Gentle hugs and pets for dear Aroara.

[mamaducky]

Poor sweet little Aroara -- and poor Moesha with her long saga of vet trips!

I've often thought that my cats had holes in their heads, but never quite this literally...! ;)

Hope she's feeling much better soon, and that putting on the ointment isn't too "icky".

Hugs,
Diana

[Moesha]

I've been doing ok with the ointment. It is pretty runny, not as stiff as like triple antibiotic, so I can sort of squeeze it in without having to touch it. She wasn't feeling very well this morning. It might have been remnants of the medicine from the surgery yesterday. This evening she is acting like her normal self. I feel bad that she wasn't given any pain medicine. That kind of hole has to hurt at some point. I wasn't able to contact the vet before they closed at noon today, and she doesn't seem to be in pain now.

[Catty1]

I'm glad she seems back to normal. Maybe the ointment also has a topical painkiller in it?

If the wound is mostly on the 'surface' now, an ointment for pain might be better than one that is in her internal system but really can't reach the wound very well.

HUGS to your sweet girl!:love:

[Moesha]

The name of the ointment is Vetrachloracin. It's an ophthalmic ointment. Nothing that I have read about it says anything about pain relief. Of course most of what I've read says you put it in the eyes too. LOL

[critters]

Medusa, I like your thinking on this, and I would've bet you were right!! We don't call them warbles down here, although I'm having a brain fart on what we DO call them, and I've seen them several times in ferrets, rabbits, and cats. I think the doc would've seen the varmint had it been there, though. It looks to me like the hole is already improving, poor little girl!!

[Medusa]

Medusa, I like your thinking on this, and I would've bet you were right!! We don't call them warbles down here, although I'm having a brain fart on what we DO call them, and I've seen them several times in ferrets, rabbits, and cats. I think the doc would've seen the varmint had it been there, though. It looks to me like the hole is already improving, poor little girl!!

Yes, now that I've gotten a good look at the wound opening, I don't think it's a warble. And you're right, the vet surely would've recognized what it was. I'm sure glad it's getting better, poor thing.

[pitc9]

O...M....G...:eek:

Bless you little sweetie pie for being such a trooper through all of this!

[Moesha]

It had been healing and closing up quite a lot through yesterday. Last night it was opened a little more, but it is still looking pretty good. I was a little worried when the top was closing over anyway. It looks to be healing from the inside better now. Here are a couple more camera phone pictures from this morning. The antibiotic makes it look more glossy and runny than it is.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/healingpicture.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/healingpicture2.jpg

[Catty1]

Looks MUCH better. I think the vet's opening it right up did the trick. No little 'holes' for guck to collect in.

How are her spirits? Is she back to living up to her name? Maybe she's become even more cuddly with all the attention lately!;)

[critters]

I bet that'll be closed up in another couple of days!! :)

[krazyaboutkatz]

She looks so much better. I hope that she's also feeling better.:)

[kittykatharine]

Oh wow! Poor Miss Aroara! That is quite the wound. Poor little baby! I can't believe how that hole is...I hope the vet is right and that is will heal quickly. It is just so very odd how the whole thing just happend, etc. Hang in their and keep up what you are doing. The fact that Aroara perks up lets you know that she is doing better and try to remeber that cats really are wonderful at adapting. They are very strong creatures and can put up with a lot. Keep up the great work, your being such a great mommy!:love:

[Moesha]

How are her spirits? Is she back to living up to her name? Maybe she's become even more cuddly with all the attention lately!;)

Her spirits are fine. She's dying to go outside. She gets so frustrated she beats up on Morgan. He's not loving that. She's been inside completely for a month. She is a little more cuddly, on her own terms and at different times for brief periods of time. Then other times she is a demon kitty trying to escape. She's getting better though. Here are pictures of the hole. It was a week yesterday that she had the lump cut out. She is almost out of the liquid antibiotic, but I will still put the ointment in until it is all healed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/week1a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/week1.jpg

[Taz_Zoee]

Well, the hole is looking much better, at least in the pictures. Poor Aroara. I hope she is feeling better soon.

[Catty1]

That sore looks MUCH better. She hasn't converted to being an indoor kitty? ;)

Patience, Morgan - in a few more days, she will be outside and you will be safe! What a mean sister to take out her frustrations on you. ;) I am sure Mom gives you loves to make up for it.:love:

[Moesha]

Yeah right on converting her to an inside cat. I'm ready to toss her back outside! LOL I should take a video of her opening the door. She's amazing. When she does go back out, she always eats and sleeps inside.

But this is the never ending story! Today one of her eyes was a little runny. Tonight that third eyelid is so swollen her eye is almost shut! GRRR! Of course we've used all the Clindamyacin. The ointment for her hole is opthamalic ointment. I'm tempted to put that in her eye. I think I may have one more of the orbax antibiotic pills. I may give that to her and see how she looks in the morning. If it is still swollen I'm calling the vet and seeing if they'll just give me something without bringing her in for a visit. I have no idea what she has done to herself. The only this is maybe Morgan scratched it, but she won't let me look at it for very long. And I think the other eye has a little bit of runny stuff now. I. Cannot. Believe. This.

Would anyone like a cat?

[Catty1]

Would anyone like a cat?

Why do I suspect that anyone who tried to take her would be in for a real fight? :p;)

I wonder if the wound could be 'cleaning out' through her eyes somehow? Weird.

Hopefully Aroara will need nothing more than some eyedrops.

Hugs to you and that feisty girl!

[Moesha]

It's the eye on the other side of her head that is swollen.

[Medusa]

When it rains, it pours, huh? I went through a time like that w/Yodie. First it was the ear polyp, then her eye, then her ear again. Of course, each time I had to take her in. It was never anything that I could just treat at home. I felt like I had the Six Million Dollar Cat. Well, look at it this way, she'll either run out of ailments or you'll run out of money. LOL Seriously, I hope it's something simple this time. Prayers for you and Aroara....

[Moesha]

hahaha...I like that she'll run out of ailments or I'll run out of money. At least the vet is very good about not charging for an office visit each time I've had to take her in. So it has only cost me for the medicines that she's had to take. Of course that was all because it was "hole" related. We'll see what they do today...because

Heigh Ho...Heigh Ho...it's back to the vet we go! (I just talked to them, and they said to bring her in.)

[kittykatharine]

The latest pics of her hole looked a lot better, I thought. It didn't seemed as red or as swollen as in the previous pictures - so that is pretty positive. Hopefully the eye thing is something simple and she will only need some antibiotic eye drops (like Catty1 said). I bet everyone at teh vet knows you on a first name basis ;), since it has become a second home to you. I am hoping that the hole will continue to improve and her eyes will get better as well. Positive thoughts and prayers coming your guys way!:love::love::love:

[Moesha]

Conjunctivitis. Don't ask me how. He said viral and that it could possibly have come from the wound. It is in both eyes, but the one that has it worse is the eye on the other side of her head. Good news was that the hole has healed well and doesn't need more ointment. Now I get to put eye drops in both eyes 3 times a day. And since I can't help myself, here are more cell phone pictures.

Sorry it is blurry.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/AroarasEye1.jpg

This is what the eye lid looks like when you open it up.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/AroarasEye2.jpg

Another hole picture from today.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/AroarasHead6.jpg

[Catty1]

WOW. That head wound looks almost GONE!

I hope the eyedrops help - and that Aroara runs out of ailments for a good long time! :)

[jennielynn1970]

Goodness gracious, Ms. Aroara! I hope this is the last illness or injury for a long time!! You and your meowmy need a break!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm sorry to hear that both of her eyes are now infected.:( Hopefully they'll clear up quickly. At least her hole is healing up well.:) When it rains it pours.

[Moesha]

It was 2 weeks ago today that she had the lump cut out. It has healed very well and looks like a small flesh wound now instead of a hole. The fur is growing back in so it is hard to get a picture of it. Her eyes are doing well. I stopped putting drops in the eye that wasn't as bad yesterday. The eye that was the most swollen is looking very nice today. I didn't see any pink or swelling in it this morning. My mom had said that when she had pink eye, the doctor told her to put drops in one day after the pink had gone away. The vet only told me to do it until it cleared up. Since it isn't running anymore either, I think I will stop putting the drops in tomorrow. I'm going to try to keep her inside until Monday. It is getting harder and harder. But she is doing very well. Thanks for asking.

[jenluckenbach]

Glad she is healing up. :)

[Emeraldgreen]

I'm so glad that she is finally on the mend! She has been through so much and it looks like it's all healing up now. I bet Monday can't come soon enough for Miss Aroara! :)
I'm picturing her standing on her porch on Monday and giving a big ROAR to all who can hear to say "I'm back!!" lol :)

[kittykatharine]

YEA for Ms. Aroara! That is so wonderful that she is healing up nicely - both the eyes and her wound. Aroara is one strong little girl and despite this whole thing has kept strong. You did such a wonderful job taking care of her, and I am sure she is grateful for it. Great job Moesha!!!!:love::love::love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so glad to hear that she's doing well and I hope that she'll continue to be a happy and healthy cat.:)

[Moesha]

I'm almost scared to type this, but I think that the month or more of illness for Aroara is finally over. She went outside this morning. Of course I'm not home, because I'm dogsitting for the elderly poodle again. But my mom said her hole looked to be completely healed on Sunday. She went to let her out this morning and Aroara looked at her as if to say, What are you doing to me? LOL Crazy girl. I miss snuggling with my kitties! Thanks for all the support you've given me in dealing with the craziness that we've gone through lately.

[Medusa]

Heave a big sigh of relief and say 'thank you' to the Universe. So glad that Aroara is doing better now but then you take such good care of her, so why shouldn't she? Good news!

[Moesha]

I went home this morning for a few minutes and got another picture of Aroara's head. LOL I had to pull the hair away inorder to be able to see the little scab. I can't believe that the huge hole filled in and healed like it did. I also can't wait to get to go back and stay there tomorrow night. I miss kitties!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/P1040395.jpg

[jenluckenbach]

She looks fabulous~~

[krazyaboutkatz]

Wow! You can hardly see it now. She looks great.:D Now I hope that she'll continue to remain a very happy and healthy cat.:)

[jazzcat]

Glad she is doing so much better!