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- Oct 3, 2016
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I haven't posted here in a while. I adopted a young tuxedo lady cat called Sophie back in August, and I wanted to take some time to get to know her, and after the trauma that was dealing with Huxley's multiple health issues and then passing, I wanted to enjoy a healthy young kitty. Well, that didn't last long. A week after I got her, Sophie ate an entire toy. So off we went to the vet, and she heard a grade 1 heart murmur, but told me not to worry about it as it could just be stress related. Sophie also had some reflux issues, but we all thought that was due to the toy she had ingested... Anyway, fast forward 3 months, and Sophie continued to have frequent reflux, very rapid breathing even while sleeping, and had developed some unwanted behavior such as biting and food obsession. During all of this, I kept talking to my vet, who must have thought I was either a) suffering from PTSD after Huxley and projecting on Sophie or b) was one of these parents who just invent illnesses for their children and constantly brings them to the hospital. The vet did however agree that her behavior was off, and put her on Prozac. Last week, her behavior got worse, but the vet referred me to a behaviorist, still saying that there was nothing wrong (her heart and lung sounded normal every time I went to the vet after that initial visit). When Sophie started coughing though, I sent a video to my vet and she finally agreed that doing an X-Ray was recommended. When I took her in, she had lost 1lb in a month. Now, this girl EATS! There was no way she should have lost weight. The vet continued to say that she thought she was healthy, but in the end agreed to do a blood test (mostly to humor me/ shut me up I think). The results came back the next day. Sophie has an enlarged heart and her liver numbers are all wrong. The vet couldn't believe it. She said she had dreaded making that call as she couldn't fathom how this could happen to the same person twice in a row. She was the vet who helped me say goodbye to Huxley, so she knows how hard it all was for me the last time around.
I on the other hand, had 2 consecutive thoughts:
1) Yay! I am not crazy (believe me, I had started to doubt myself)
2) Oh God here we go again.
To be fair to the vet, how likely is it for someone to adopt 2 chronically sick cats in a row without knowing it??
The best part was when the vet told me that the internal medicine doctor she spoke with told her that her liver numbers and the consequent level of toxins in her body could be the reason for her behavioral issues. I was right ALL ALONG!!!! I don't blame her though. It's too ridiculous to be true, and yet, here we are.
So now, I am waiting to schedule 2 further tests: one eco to figure out what is wrong with her heart. I assume it's cardiomyopathy since her heart appears enlarged, and a bile acid test to confirm there is a liver issue and have an idea as to what it is. Most likely neither issues can be cured, simply managed as best as possible until quality of life isn't good enough anymore, or she goes into heart/liver failure and passes.
The prognosis will of course depend on how advanced each condition is, and how aggressively they progress. Sophie is already symptomatic for heart disease (murmor, non stop rapid breathing and chronic, though not too frequent coughing) so that's what worries me the most.
I just cannot believe it.....What the hell did I do in a previous life?
I on the other hand, had 2 consecutive thoughts:
1) Yay! I am not crazy (believe me, I had started to doubt myself)
2) Oh God here we go again.
To be fair to the vet, how likely is it for someone to adopt 2 chronically sick cats in a row without knowing it??
The best part was when the vet told me that the internal medicine doctor she spoke with told her that her liver numbers and the consequent level of toxins in her body could be the reason for her behavioral issues. I was right ALL ALONG!!!! I don't blame her though. It's too ridiculous to be true, and yet, here we are.
So now, I am waiting to schedule 2 further tests: one eco to figure out what is wrong with her heart. I assume it's cardiomyopathy since her heart appears enlarged, and a bile acid test to confirm there is a liver issue and have an idea as to what it is. Most likely neither issues can be cured, simply managed as best as possible until quality of life isn't good enough anymore, or she goes into heart/liver failure and passes.
The prognosis will of course depend on how advanced each condition is, and how aggressively they progress. Sophie is already symptomatic for heart disease (murmor, non stop rapid breathing and chronic, though not too frequent coughing) so that's what worries me the most.
I just cannot believe it.....What the hell did I do in a previous life?