Well,it's been a while since I have had time to write any posts. Several things have happened to me over the spring and summer. I have played drums in two bands and currently still in one.I have traveled and I have met several extemly nice people It consumes my time to the point that music is always in my head. Not a bad thing though, but time consuming.
I had written an article not long ago about living with an obese cat. With a good diet and excersize my cat Leo had lost a few pounds. Now, Leo was about 27lbs at one time. For those who don't know, one pound on a human is about 10lbs on a cat or dog.
Leo was recently admitted to the veterinerian hospital for what appeared to me as very labored breathing. Almost a panting with out his mouth open. I rushed him in and the vet took one look at him and said that he was a very sick kitty.
At first he (Leo) was diagnosed with asthma. This was highly upsetting givien that the rate of longivity in cats with asthma is about 2 weeks. Devastaed with this news I brought him home. I scrubbed and dusted as if he were an asthmatic infant. Of coarse he is my child. I pulled Leo out of the woumb thirteen years ago. He is my baby.
Two days at home, Leo is having labored breathing again. I stayed up with him through out the night and rushed him back to the vet that morning. His lungs had filled up with fluids again and after staying the hospital for another five nights he was diagnosed with a heart disease.
I had already done some research on heart disease in cats and to tell you the truth none of them sound good. I looked at Leo's exrays and the vet explained the condition of his heart and how he came to the conclusion after many tests and bloodwork that Leo has the "classic Valentine shapped" heart. Which means that he has an enlarged heart.
This is not good news to me but it's so much better than asthma.The survival rate of heart disease is so much better than that of asthma.Some cats with heart disease have lived up to 19 to 20 yrs of age. Leo will be on medication for the rest of his life.Three pills that I have to try to manipulate into a pill pocket or treat to trick him into taking it or physically have to put in in his mouth and try to get him to swallow them.
After picking Leo up from the second stay he developed a cold. He stared sneezing, his nose was running, and he was breathing out of his mouth. I immediately called the vet back and explained what was going on. Leo has a cold almost like the flu in humans. My poor baby. It's as if he hasn't gone through enough already, now he has the flu.
Yesterday, he lost his appetite and I had to manually give himm his meds. That's not an easy task for a cat that is so sick. Today he is eating. He even went out side for about five minutes for some fresh air and to drink out of the water bowl under the water faucet. I bought some low sodium canned chicken meat instead of giving him a can of food. I know that chicken soup makes me feel better when I'm sick so I thought that it might do the same for him.His nose is still runnng and he is still sneezing but at .least he is eating
Leo is my child my baby and I made a promise to him that I would give him the best life that I possibly could as lonog as he was alive. Now I have even more reason to spoil him even more than he was before. He is my best friend and he is very well loved.
