Barney is an Angel Now.

[Lizzie]

I was sad to hear about Barney's prognosis, but I am so very relieved that he can spend this part of his life with you and not alone in the cold where his death would be slow and full of suffering. I foster hospice care cats for a shelter and as I hold them close in bed, snuggled in to me, clean, warm and dry with full tummies, I think about where they could be - either alone outside struggling to survive or in a cage alone at the shelter. It's very hard to be their companion for only this last stage of their life, but it's also very rewarding. I have lost ten so far this year and I'm very glad I was given the responsibility of caring for them even while they all leave holes in my heart.

After I lost Smokey Jones earlier this year, the shelter vet told me that he thought he had FIP (dry) although he'd always told me Jones had a malabsorption problem. The vet knew that Jones was with my cats, and foster kittens and cats, but he was secure in the knowledge that FIP is not contagious. (I still think the so-and-so should have told me.) FIP comes from an individual cat's response to the Corona virus, it's not a mutation that they then pass on to other cats. Jones died very suddenly, the only cat I've found dead. One day he was looking at me proudly because he'd managed to jump onto the kitchen table for the first time and less than 24 hours later he had gone. However, he was nothing like Barney, he had a huge appetite but barely gained an ounce over 8 months.

I also lost a kitten, Fiorella, to FIP last winter. She was one of a litter of nine that I fostered for several months because they had tested a weak FeLV+. They cleared that but their immune system were not as robust as those of cats who receive good care from the start. Of the eight who went out for adoption, three died of FIP. I took Fiorella back from the adoption center when she didn't recover well from her cold. I did allow her to mix with my other cats, having been assured by the shelter, again, that FIP was not contagious, and it was fine. She got quieter and quieter, slowly losing weight, and then started to become paralysed.

So, in your place I would give Barney some real home time. Sometimes vets go to extremes to protect, just in case. I know my vet will go on about the fact that I have FIV+ cats mixed in with others, but I just give him a look. However, they are your cats and you must feel comfortable with your decision.

[lvpets2002]

Many Thanks for the UpDates on Sweet Barney.. Hang in there baby boy.. I just know you will be all better real soon.. Your our Wittle Lover Boy.. Bets you didnt know you had such a Fan Club.. Thats it we can form him a Fan Club & put his Picture on a T-Shirt with Saying of Get-R-Done Barney Our Hero.. Something like that.. Hey whats ya think.. We can do this thru CafePress..

[Medusa]

Just me, checking in again; always happy to read updates about our Barn-Barn. Just reading that he's bouncy makes me feel good so I imagine that you're on top of the world when you see that, Lara. No worries about Photo Bucket. It seems computers all over are having problems today. I have Blue Tooth on mine and it's the worst! The computers at the dr's. office were frozen and when I checked out at my grocery store today, they said that my debit card wouldn't go through. How embarrassing! I said "Please let me try again. There's no reason it shouldn't go through". I tried again and it did go through but it so freaked me out that I went home and checked my balance online just to be sure that I hadn't deposited money into the wrong account. So maybe it's universal. Anyhow, you know we're always praying for Barney here and I want to reiterate that you should trust your instincts where his care is concerned. It's easy for us to give our opinions but we aren't there and we don't know all the circumstances, even though you give incredibly detailed updates and w/all you have to do plus working a job, that's pretty special. Gentle pets to our Barney and (((HUGS))) to you and Scott, Lara.

[Catty1]

I hope he perks up again. Maybe he was 'off' because the TF was working its way in? The capsules might absorb a little more gradually, and be easier on his system.

HUGS to Barn-Barn!

[kb2yjx]

All paws and fingers are crossed that you will get the OK from the vet and be able to bring Barney in in front of the fire!!!When you do, give him a BIG hug from all of us!!!

[catmandu]

PRAYERS AND MORE PRAYERS FROM THE FOUND CATS AND FEEDER FOR BIG BARNEY, THAT HES HOME SOON AGAIN WITH HIS MEEEOWMIE AND HAPPY!!!

[Emeraldgreen]

Lizzie, the time that you have put in with hospice cats sounds so rewarding and I think you are wonderful for doing it. Thank you so much for sharing that story. So amazing. And, I agree, he does need some real home time and tonight we had our first fireside visit.

I didn't ask my husband, I just bundled him up like a burrito in a fleece blanket and walked in and sat right in front of the woodstove. Barney LOVED it! He watched the fire for a little while and it was so warm and he got sleepy. He was purring and put is little head down on my lap and fell fast asleep. I felt so good that he could be at peace and feel safe and be cozy. I'm not sure who benefited more, him or me! lol

About 40 minutes later, I put him back in the shop and found my husband in the den and he said "where have you been?" I had a stupid grin on my face and the cat was out of the bag. lol I told him that I had snuck Barney in and that we didn't know how long he had and the least I could do was offer him a bit of normalcy a few nights a week. He just sat there silently for a second and then said "Ya, I guess". So, it looks likes I'll be doing this some more with him. My husband is worried about the other cats but he is also unhappy because Grommies, one of the cats we adopted in September found the clothes that I put on when I go out and visit with Barney and sprayed on the socks! We've been really blessed and don't have any inappropriate pee'rs in the house and it's always been like that. I don't know how we've lucked out but we have. Gromit has never done this in the few months he's been here but I guess he could smell Barney and decided to mark his territory. I reassured Scott that I will not put Barney down when I bring him in, just hold him.

Barney had a busy day today. We finally got a reasonably warm day with some sunshine so I took him out to the outdoor enclosure. I got lots of video of it but I still can't upload videos or even pictures to Photobucket. I've received a ton of suggestions from Photobucket and have un-installed and re-installed Java and Adobe Flash and changed my firewall settings and deleted my cookies and temp files and nothing works. I can't understand why after a year of doing the same thing with the same camera it all of a sudden doesn't work. So I started a Youtube account and my videos won't upload there either so now at least I know it is something to do with my computer. I'm hoping to have it sorted out soon. In the meantime, I have a few pics that I will 'attach' to this post.

Barney seemed to like being outside but I think he was a little scared too. He has never seen my yard before so I think he was trying to figure out where he was! And the grass was wet so we didn't stay out long but it was good for him to get some fresh air. Here is a picture of him standing on a piece of (wet) driftwood in the enclosure today.

After his outdoor adventure, I gave him another bath. He did not like it and growled ALOT! It's so funny because the set up for the bath with the warm water and suds and two rubbermaid containers, the tarp, the jug to pour water over him, the towels, the hairdryer takes all this time to set up and then the bath itself is less than 4 minutes. LOL
He really does not like the hairdryer, even if I put it on a warm setting or a cool one. He attacks it wildly so I mostly towel dried him today.

And he finally got his tv set up today! We didn't have to buy a used VCR yesterday because my husband offered to give up the one in the den. We don't use it to watch tapes but we need the audio/video outlets in the VCR to connect our dvd player to because our tv is one of the old clunky ones without these outlets. He also plugs his golf video game into the vcr to connect it to the tv but today he said he could move his game and the dvd player upstairs and let Barney have the VCR.
The only problem is that the only vcr tapes we have in the house are two kids christmas tapes, the old school Rudolph and Frosty tapes. So, that is what he has been watching. LOL I will be getting a bunch more from my boss this week but for now this will have to do. And, to be honest, I don't think Barney has ever seen a tv before. You should have seen the way he looked at it when Frosty started moving around on the screen. He was really trying to figure it out. And now, after a few hours, he doesn't seem to notice it. But it does make me feel better to have it going in the background to give him some distraction from the boredom. I will try and pick up one of those cat videos that have mice and birds on them. I have one for my cats but it is a dvd.

I'm stopping the Transfer Factor for now because late this afternoon I saw that he was having diarrhea. Despite all that he has been through, his poops have always been text book. The only problem he ever had in the past was some constipation. I also started him on the antibiotics that the vet prescribed and they are different from the last. He is on Baytril now instead of Clavamox. I don't know if it is this or the TF or the combo plus all the activity today but I have to lay off it until he is feeling better.

Also, I noticed that a protruding lump that he has behind his right ear is really starting to grow. Robin thought it was cartilidge from scratching so much the first few times she saw him but at his last visit she really wasn't sure and thought it could be a tumor. Then she looked in his ear and thought he might have one in the right ear and the xrays seemed to show that too. I'm really praying that it stops growing 'out' because if it becomes an open sore, I don't know how that will be for him (painful, easily infected etc..).
I have the steroids for him (prednisilone) and the dosage is 1 tab (5mg) twice a day. That's alot for a little kitty. I can't give it to him until tomorrow though because it has to be 72 hours after his last metacam dose because they can't be given together. I'm hoping the pred will help shrink this new lump growing behind his ear. I will attach a pic of that as well.

Thanks everybody for your posts.

E.T.A. I'm soooooooooooo frustrated. My pics won't even load as attachements to my post. I tried to upload 3 at once and it just says 'uploading files' please wait. It's already been 10 minutes so I dont' think it's working. My computer has some serious problems. I think I might have to re-install Windows XP but I will have to save all my pics and documents first.