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- Apr 29, 2014
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Hi,
My only stray cat Jax is facing some health issues. Three days ago, I noticed that he was missing hair from the brow area above his right eye. I suspected he'd had a fight because the area where he was missing hair was shaped like a scratch. I started looking for more signs and found two bald spots on the side of his body. One spot was larger and I could see a scratch mark that seemed to be healing. Tiny hairs could also be seen growing back. That night he was fine, he ate, and used the litter box but I still planned to bring him to the vet because I feared he might have an infection inside his body. The next morning he refused to eat breakfast. I offered him food again a few hours later but he refused again. For most of the day, he laid around, not doing anything and looked cold. I was desperate for him to eat so I gave him chicken morsels, which he ate. Later that night, he looked like he was in better spirits and decided to eat. I fed him twice during the night and he finished most of his food. He seemed more active and asked to be petted. Yesterday, we finally got to see a vet at the humane society of NY. I explained the whole situation to her and she ran blood work, took x-rays, gave him the rabies shot, and she also did the FIV/FeLV tests in the office.
Unfortunately, Jax is FIV positive and the X-rays showed that he has an enlarged heart. The vet said she heard a murmur during the physical exam. Sometimes Jax has this cough, it seems like he's about to throw up a hair-ball but nothing comes out, and the vet said it could be related to his heart condition. Jax also has dental issues and requires cleaning but now that he's been diagnosed with this heart problem, could I even consider the dental cleaning? The vet told me to bring him indoors but I have 4 cats of my own and my parents won't allow me to bring in any more. To be honest, he's sort of indoors because he lives on the first floor of my house (we live on the second). He has a bed there, and a litter box. I bring him up when it's time to eat, and let him walk around my portion. Sometimes he plays with my cats, running after them and sniffing. There's never any aggression between them. The vet said that as long as there are no deep bite wounds, it's ok for him to be around my cats. She went as far as saying they could even eat and drink from the same bowls (they currently don't do that; everyone eats from their own dish). Can they share a litter box?
I want to give Jax the best care possible so he can live as long as possible and enjoy his life. I want him to be happy. Does anyone have any experience with a FIV positive cat who also has heart disease? I'm wondering if I should change his diet or maybe add a supplement to it? Someone recommended B12, which I will talk to the vet about. What else should I do? I am talking to a few people right now to see if I can find him a home so he can be fully indoors. Currently, he's mostly indoors but he does go out for a little while and anything can happen during that time. Now that I know he's FIV+, i'd hate it if he infected some other cat during a confrontation. He patrols the area from time to time to chase away other cats and he can be territorial, I've seen that side of him.
I got a call from the hospital today and they said there's nothing alarming in his blood work, maybe a slight infection. the vet is going to call me tomorrow about it. They want me to get an ekg and an abdominal sonogram, which I probably will schedule after speaking to the vet tomorrow. For now, I am just feeling really heartbroken and helpless, and looking for any information that would help Jax live a decent life. Does anyone have any experience caring for a cat facing similar medical issues?
Thanks all!
My only stray cat Jax is facing some health issues. Three days ago, I noticed that he was missing hair from the brow area above his right eye. I suspected he'd had a fight because the area where he was missing hair was shaped like a scratch. I started looking for more signs and found two bald spots on the side of his body. One spot was larger and I could see a scratch mark that seemed to be healing. Tiny hairs could also be seen growing back. That night he was fine, he ate, and used the litter box but I still planned to bring him to the vet because I feared he might have an infection inside his body. The next morning he refused to eat breakfast. I offered him food again a few hours later but he refused again. For most of the day, he laid around, not doing anything and looked cold. I was desperate for him to eat so I gave him chicken morsels, which he ate. Later that night, he looked like he was in better spirits and decided to eat. I fed him twice during the night and he finished most of his food. He seemed more active and asked to be petted. Yesterday, we finally got to see a vet at the humane society of NY. I explained the whole situation to her and she ran blood work, took x-rays, gave him the rabies shot, and she also did the FIV/FeLV tests in the office.
Unfortunately, Jax is FIV positive and the X-rays showed that he has an enlarged heart. The vet said she heard a murmur during the physical exam. Sometimes Jax has this cough, it seems like he's about to throw up a hair-ball but nothing comes out, and the vet said it could be related to his heart condition. Jax also has dental issues and requires cleaning but now that he's been diagnosed with this heart problem, could I even consider the dental cleaning? The vet told me to bring him indoors but I have 4 cats of my own and my parents won't allow me to bring in any more. To be honest, he's sort of indoors because he lives on the first floor of my house (we live on the second). He has a bed there, and a litter box. I bring him up when it's time to eat, and let him walk around my portion. Sometimes he plays with my cats, running after them and sniffing. There's never any aggression between them. The vet said that as long as there are no deep bite wounds, it's ok for him to be around my cats. She went as far as saying they could even eat and drink from the same bowls (they currently don't do that; everyone eats from their own dish). Can they share a litter box?
I want to give Jax the best care possible so he can live as long as possible and enjoy his life. I want him to be happy. Does anyone have any experience with a FIV positive cat who also has heart disease? I'm wondering if I should change his diet or maybe add a supplement to it? Someone recommended B12, which I will talk to the vet about. What else should I do? I am talking to a few people right now to see if I can find him a home so he can be fully indoors. Currently, he's mostly indoors but he does go out for a little while and anything can happen during that time. Now that I know he's FIV+, i'd hate it if he infected some other cat during a confrontation. He patrols the area from time to time to chase away other cats and he can be territorial, I've seen that side of him.
I got a call from the hospital today and they said there's nothing alarming in his blood work, maybe a slight infection. the vet is going to call me tomorrow about it. They want me to get an ekg and an abdominal sonogram, which I probably will schedule after speaking to the vet tomorrow. For now, I am just feeling really heartbroken and helpless, and looking for any information that would help Jax live a decent life. Does anyone have any experience caring for a cat facing similar medical issues?
Thanks all!