Richard Is Ill

[mustardandbologna]

My little cat, Richard, is not doing well. He is 18 months old and FeLV+. All of his littermates and their mom tested negative, so it is kind of a mystery where he picked up the virus.

The poor guy has had two bouts of severe diarrhea coupled with drastic weight loss since I adopted him when he was 14 weeks old. Per veterinarian recommendations, he has been treated twice with metronidazole, 25 mg/kg BID x 10 days. After three doses of his most recent round, he became extremely lethargic, unsteady on his feet, and refused to eat. We stopped the metronidazole and his appetite and behavior are slowly returning to baseline, though I am still supplementing his food with syringe feeding (turkey baby food, KMR 2nd Step, and canned mackerel or sardines, at least 15 cc daily and more if I can convince him to take it). He also gets 3 oz. Blue Buffalo Limited Ingredient wet kitten food and unlimited Canidae Limited Ingredient dry kitten food every day. He is only 4 lb at the moment.

My most recent concern is a wound on his neck, which I noticed last night when I went to wash the remnants of his syringe feed off of his face. The area is quite large (approximately 4 cm x 3 cm) and appears raw, as though the skin and attached fur has all sloughed off. It looks much like the photos of feline fragile skin syndrome I've found on Google, but he hasn't been on corticosteroids and isn't diabetic. He allows me to touch it and is acting fairly normal. I wouldn't have even noticed had I not been drying him off after a bath.

I took him to the vet two weeks ago to get the metronidazole, and I honestly cannot afford another visit until I get paid on the 15th.

My questions:

What can I do for his wound at home until the 15th?

Have you heard of a correlation between feline fragile skin syndrome and FeLV?

When is it time to say goodbye? I don't want to lose him, but I know that FeLV sucks and I hate to think that he is suffering.

I am scared and feel like a terrible cat mom. Please, if anyone has advice, Richard and I would appreciate it so very much.

 

[mservant]

I'm sorry to hear your Richard isn't doing well at the moment. Hopefully someone here will have advice to offer, and have been through similar things as well. It might be helpful if you can share a photograph of the area of Richard's skin that you are worried about?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

For now, you can gently wash the area with chilled chamomile tea. This is soothing, as well as being bactericidal and fungicidal. But do get him in as soon as you can. Poor little guy, I just glad he has someone like you on his team!

 

[Margret]

All of that. Mamanyt1953 , please define "chilled." Refrigerator temperature? Room temperature? Slightly warmer than room temperature?

When you're finally able to get Richard back to the vet again, you need to ask (among all the rest of the questions), "If this were your cat, would you be considering euthanasia?" Once the vet says "No, not now" (I'm pretty sure that's the answer you'll get), you need to say "Please put it in Richard's chart that I wish to be informed when that time comes." This is the only way I know of to get that kind of advice from a vet.

Margret

 

[nansiludie]

If you can get it, I strongly recommend Veterycin spray. I use it for my cats scrapes and wounds and even my own and they've not gotten infected. It helps promote healing and doesn't cause further damage. I do have a FIV+ kitty and its the first item I use to clean any little scrapes he gets before he can be seen. Vetericyn Plus All Animal Wound & Skin Care Treatment I find the best price around me is chewy.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I chill it in the fridge, actually, it seems to soothe better that way!

 

[di and bob]

If you have some triple antibiotic, you could apply that to the wound. Keep it open to air and keep applying twice a day. He could have been injured from another cat, mine are always getting these missing areas of skin!

 

[mustardandbologna]

If you have some triple antibiotic, you could apply that to the wound. Keep it open to air and keep applying twice a day. He could have been injured from another cat, mine are always getting these missing areas of skin!

I don't believe it's a wound from another cat - my other guy is extremely laid-back and has never gone after Richard. Someone is home with the cats 24 hours per day, and they've never been observed fighting. The wound hasn't bled at all, either. It's as though the skin around his neck is tearing and then sloughing off.

The wound is quite large. I will try to upload photos tonight, but frankly, I'm quite embarrassed about how it looks. It makes me feel like I've been neglectful.

Today is my birthday and the only thing I asked for was a vet appointment for Richard. Tuesday afternoon is the soonest the vet could fit him in. I am really worried that my only option at that point will be euthanasia. I trimmed all the fur around the wound area and I've been doing warm saline compresses twice daily, then covering the entire area with triple antibiotic ointment. I hope it is helping a bit.

In the meantime, I've bought him loads of tasty things to nibble on. Ham flavored baby food is a huge hit; he's eaten a whole jar by himself in only an hour. My other cat is trying to deal with the crippling jealousy.

Richard is currently curled up beside me on the couch in a nest made of blankets. I filled a sock with rice and am keeping it warm so that he's always cozy. If nothing else, I think he knows he is loved.

He really is a great kitty. He was found a baby, eating out of a Dumpster a few hours from where I live. He, his brother, his sister, and their mom were all trapped by a sketchy "rescue" and ended up with untreated giardiasis and worms.

 

[mustardandbologna]

Here's the photo from his adoption listing.

 

[nansiludie]

Here's the photo from his adoption listing.

FeLV makes a cat not heal as they should and that can make wounds look quite worse than they would normally. I'm sure the treatment you're doing isn't doing any harm. Although I know you'r trying to get him to a vet. He's a very cute fella. Please let us know how your little buddy does.

 

[Margret]

The wound is quite large. I will try to upload photos tonight, but frankly, I'm quite embarrassed about how it looks. It makes me feel like I've been neglectful.

Let's see. You've rescued a kitten who is FeLV positive; you've been spending money to keep him as well as possible; your only birthday request is a vet visit for him; and you expect us to think that you're somehow neglectful. That's not going to fly, you know. We all have a clue about FeLV, and what it takes to do what you're doing, and we all know, as you do, that the day is coming when there will be nothing more that anyone can do for Richard, and that when it does you will grieve him whole-heartedly, and probably blame yourself for it, because we always blame ourselves when our cats die.

And you've already begun blaming yourself, because feeling guilty feels better than feeling helpless. Please, please, please, forgive yourself for not being God. You are doing absolutely everything in your power for Richard, knowing that, ultimately, you're fighting a losing battle. But there is one battle that you haven't lost, that you will not lose. However long or short Richard's life is, he has known love, and we all know that most cats never have that chance. That is a major accomplishment; take comfort in it, and take credit for it.

Margret

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Yes, yes, YES! Everything that Margret said! You have nothing to feel bad about, at all. Regret? Maybe, so long as it is not tinged with guilt. We can regret that things were not different without feeling as if we should (somehow) have been able to actually MAKE them different! You have gone so far above and beyond what most would have done for Richard that I canNOT sit silent while you say you feel neglectful.

 

[mustardandbologna]

Thank you all.

Richard is hanging in there! He really likes the nest I made in his heated bed and has seemed comfortable today. Ham flavored baby food seems to be the favorite so far; I bought him a "sampler" of all the meat flavors. Right now I'm going to see if he'd like some carved turkey I picked up for him.

His big brother, Doctor Cross, is insanely envious of the pampering Richard is getting. I think he expects ham baby food at regular intervals now, too.

 

[Margret]

His big brother, Doctor Cross, is insanely envious of the pampering Richard is getting. I think he expects ham baby food at regular intervals now, too.

Well, duh! Of course you now owe ham baby food to the kitten who isn't sick. Never mind that if we carried that to its logical conclusion you'd also owe regular vet visits to the one who isn't sick; cats aren't known for following logic when it reaches unpleasant conclusions.

The easiest answer is to give Doctor Cross a single teaspoon of baby food whenever Richard gets some. I suspect there'll be that much left over anyway; may as well use it up in a way that keeps the peace. Not that it will prevent cries of "Ma! He got more than me!" Even fully adult cats are known for behaving like small children; we generally call it "cattitude."

Margret

 

[mustardandbologna]

Monday morning Richard update:

The little guy has eaten almost a pound (!) of steamed salmon since yesterday afternoon! He is seeming a bit more alert, as well. We are very cautiously hopeful that he has a little more fight left in him. He is definitely acting as though he wants to stay with us a while longer.

On my way home from work today, I am going to stop at the grocery (gotta replenish the salmon supply!) and ask the butcher for some organ meat. Richard still seems uninterested in his canned food (Blue Buffalo limited ingredient kitten formula, one of the higher calorie food options) and I want to make sure he's getting a decently varied diet.

I've also ordered some medical grade honey and calcium alginate dressings for the large wound on his neck. The literature about the use of medical grade honey on wounds is pretty impressive, and I don't think it'll hurt to try it. Of course, I plan on getting the vet's approval first. The wound area doesn't appear to be getting any larger, which is great, as last week it seemed he was losing more skin every time I looked at him.

I'll update again after his appointment tomorrow afternoon. Good vibes very much appreciated.

 

[Lindzee2018]

He is very beautiful! Looks a lot like my Shonzee, dont be super surprised if he gets very large! Im glad he is also improving, go him!

 

[mustardandbologna]

He is very beautiful! Looks a lot like my Shonzee, dont be super surprised if he gets very large! Im glad he is also improving, go him!

He's barely 4 lb at the moment. His mom and siblings are all only 5 lb or so, but I would LOVE to see him grow to be huge! My other kitty is almost 20 lb. I am very fond of big ol' cats.

 

[Margret]

Roger (my husband) is fond of telling the story of the time he bought a salmon and brought it home for supper. After we had eaten, Roger put the skin (with a bit of meat still attached) on a plate on the kitchen floor for Pretzel , who proceeded to use that raspy tongue to thoroughly clean the meat off of the skin. (Of course, he was very careful to keep all the fish bones away from her.) Roger says that afterward Pretzel would attempt regular serious discussions with him about the health value of salmon and Roger's need to put more fish in his diet ...

You may find the following articles useful:

• Homemade Food For Cats: Consider Your Recipe!
• Nutritional Supplements For Cats Used By Our Members
• The Essentials Of Kitten Nutrition

And here is our forum on raw and homemade feeding: Raw & Home-Cooked Cat Food

Also, you may find that topical (applied directly to the wound) vitamin E will help Richard's neck to heal; ask your vet, of course. There are two ways that I know of to get the vitamin E; you can either buy it in gel caps and puncture them and squeeze it out or you can buy bottled vitamin E oil. The only pure vitamin E oil that I know of is this one: https://www.kroger.com/p/kroger-pure-vitamin-e-body-oil/0001111035145 I've seen other oils labeled Vitamin E Body Oil or something similar, in larger bottles, but when you actually look at the ingredients they're really something like olive oil with just enough vitamin E added so they could put it on the main label. Be sure to take the UPC with you when you look for this; the bottle is small and can be hard to find, but with the UPC any clerk in the store can find it easily. That's UPC: 0001111035145

Kroger stores have different names in different parts of the U.S.; here in Colorado they're usually called King Soopers. In the western U.S. they're called Fred Meyer. Regardless of the name it's all the same chain, and you should be able to find the nearest one on their website; just click the link that says "Select a preferred store to view price."

Vitamin E is safe for cats. It is possible for a cat to overdose on it, but it takes a lot of it to make that happen and it shouldn't happen from topical use, especially in an area like the neck where the cat can't get at it to lick it off.

I hope that at least some of this is helpful for you.

Margret

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I am a huge fan of honey as a wound dressing. Like chamomile (but even more so!), it is bacteracidal and fungicidal. In fact, a sealed jar of honey some 3000 years old was found in a tomb in Egypt, and was pronounced as safe for human consumption as the day it went into the jar! We used to use honey on scrapes on horses to heal them without scarring. GO FOR IT! Warning, very, Very, VERY sticky, but IT WORKS!

 

[mustardandbologna]

Here is a photo of his neck. Apologies for the poor quality. The discoloration just appeared last night and I am concerned about infection. Warning, the image is unpleasant.







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[Lindzee2018]

Is it green? Can you send that pic to the vet? Maybe you can let them know your situation to see if they can suggest anything for the next two days?

Can you get some large non stick pads and then possibly some light wrap? Treat it sort of like a collar where you can get two fingers around it but have something around it that he cant get at?

The non stick pads wont absorb the ointment so it will stay on his neck.

I know this must be horrifying for you, I'm so sorry that you are enduring this as well as Richard having to go through it.

<3 hugs to you.