Last night, the prognosis wasn't good.

The doctor still didn't know what was wrong, and didn't think she'd make it through the night without a transfusion. She also didn't know how well she'd do with one--there was a good chance that we'd either get a test in the morning that indicated something dire and untreatable, or only expensively treatable, or that wouldn't indicate anything at all. Any of those results would be bad news. She wasn't hopeful for a test result of something that was easily treatable.

Nonetheless, we decided to, in cryonics parlance, "transport her to the future," in the hopes of superior medical technology on the morrow, by giving her a two-hundred dollar transfusion, but not spend the extra hundreds of dollars to move her to an emergency clinic overnight, where they might do more extensive (and expensive) tests.

Bottom line--the gamble paid off. She was more alert this morning, and her red cell count was doubled from yesterday. An hour or so later, we got lab results that indicated a blood parasite that had been munching on her platelets, easily treated with tetracycline.

Her underlying health seems to be very good for her age--the doctor says that her liver and kidney functions are those of a much younger cat, and if we can get her through this, she should have more good years left.

Hooray!

I could bring her home tonight, but I'm working long hours right now, and going to Fort Lauderdale this weekend, so we decided to keep her at the vet until Monday, where they can keep an eye on her progress and get the medicine in her.

Hopefully, I'll have a healthy cat again next week. Thanks you again for all the good wishes--I really appreciate it.

And though I've never cat blogged before, I'll post pics when I get her home, for those who are now curious.

Hot D*mn! Good News, Rand!

Good to hear they are able to help out your cat. We at one time had 15 cats living in and around our house. Texas law says you own the animal if you feed it more than two times. And we would put food out for the outside cats and more and more cats would wonder in from around the neighborhood and once they found out where the food was they made the backyard their permenant nap land. And of course when one would get sick we'd feel sorry and take it to the vet. I know that a lot of times they can get sick and they run the tests and they can't find anything that indicates the problem except for low counts of one or another. A lot of times the kidneys fail and causes anemia and then it just all goes down from there.

Hooray! I'm so glad to read that Stella has a good chance. These little furry guys occupy such a large part of our lives, all out of proportion to their size. I hope everything goes well for you and Stella. Mouser, XCOR?s hangar cat, will eat an extra treat in her honor. :-)

I had a similar situation with the old family cat -- the one we'd had while both our sons were growing up -- who suddenly began writhing. At the ER the verdict was similar -- expenses ahead with little help. Nevertheless, I signed on, out of an irrational clinging, i guess. She, too, had something treatable, and she recovered. And the best part was, the next week a magazine check arrived for an article I'd forgotten I'd written, that covered the expense. The old cat later went out in a blaze of glory playing chicken with a car in front of the house -- but she never knew what hit her, and probably had only a split second of astonishment when she lost the bluff.

I've had lots of animals, loved them all, and they all grow old if they live long enough (some didn't). I always remember Heinlein, "The time will come when you have to shoot your dog -- having someone else do it only makes it worse."

J

Yippee! I'm so glad kitty is going to be OK. Hope Daddy manages to hold up, too. :-p

Glad to hear your cat is doing better. The damned fuzzy nuisances are a plague and a pestilience ? yet when they die it's like someone blowng a hole in your heart with a twelve-gauge. I've had two die within the past five years from liver disease. Misery doesn't begin to describe how I felt.

Like C.S. Lewis, I believe in Cat Heaven. God obviously uses them for some inscrutable purpose ? penance comes to mind ? so who are we to question? Ah, here comes one now. Must resist...

..petting...

prrrrrrrrr

NO CARRIER

Felicity!

Will Stella be returning to a cold (for SoCal) home?

Whew! My cat, Purrcy, wishes Stella the best (and so do I).

Purrcy wants to say hi...

ffonmiewihubpjkoam,m .c.,., v

I'm glad to hear it's working out well. It's tough when pets (or any family member) are having problems and there's no way to directly help.

Rand,

Though we have clashed on many issues, I must say that I wish your cat, Stella, well. Having two of my own, Lucy and Rikki, I can empathize given an illness. Hang in there!

Eric