Good News and Bad

The Good News is that Kiggy doesn't appear to have either a heart condition or cancer! Her heart looks fine, no enlargement or thickening of the walls. The initial tests came back from the fluid tapped from her chest and there are no signs of cancer.

The Bad News is that they don't know what is wrong with her. There are more invasive and expensive tests that can be done like putting a scope into her chest to image the area. I've opted not to put her through that. It's more important that she is comfortable than we find a definitive cause.

She had a really good day yesterday. She ate and drank readily. She went back to the top of the stairs to lay in her favorite spot. The other cats are starting to accept her back again. I used a brush to brush them and then her to mingle their scents. They can smell the vet office all over her and don't take kindly to it.

Unfortunately late that afternoon she took a turn for the worse. I couldn't find her in her normal spots so I went looking. She was in the litterbox room. (We have the litterbox in a hall closet with a cat door so they can come in and out as they need.) I startled her and she ran into the bathroom and laid down on the tile by the toilet. She had a huge bowel movement and seemed to be upset. Shortly after that she went back in and started a night of diarrhea.

She seemed more comfortable in the bathroom so we set her up in there for the night. We gave her warm bedding to sleep on, a water dish and a litterbox. I read that you are supposed to withhold food when a cat has diarrhea. I wish I had the foresight to put something on the walls. She kicked up flecks of diarrhea all over the lower walls. I had a fun morning cleaning that up. They are now covered with plastic tarps and she has new clean bedding. That got soiled too.

I talked to Dr. Bass and he said the sedatives they used on her to get the tests done can cause an upset stomach. Hopefully this is just temporary. He also suggested a humidifier to help her breathe more easily. I bought one at Target.

When the cultures come back from the fluid aspirated from her chest, we'll know if it's a bacterial infection. He said there are bronchial medications we can try to help open up the airways. She is breathing more easily now. It's still a little labored but she's not coughing anymore.

Hopefully Kiggy has dodged the Kitty Reaper one more time. I'm back at work today and will likely leave early to check in on her this afternoon.