Duchess is home

[cjsmith]

They didn't get a urine sample. Her bladder simply does not fill. But she's straining a lot, and she did pass

several chunks of pinkish-white tissue

at the vet's this afternoon. He started her on antibiotics, gave her an anti-inflammatory to calm down the whole likely-infected area, and is sending the tissue to the path lab. I've got ten days' worth of antibiotics to continue. We'll figure out what ELSE needs to be done when the lab report comes back. I wish they'd started on the antibiotics yesterday, but I do admit they wouldn't have the tissue sample now if they had sent me home with pills yesterday.

Duchess is now in the bathroom, where I have taken up all the rugs, and she is, in vet parlance, "soiled". She's also obviously uncomfortable. I can't decide whether I want to bathe her because she'll be happier clean, or let her be because a bath is the last thing she wants to deal with right now.

I hope this is just a bad infection. A bad enough case could cause her to shed damaged bladder lining or urethra lining. The most obvious other possibility, sadly, is "a tumor" (I think my vet didn't want to say the C word).

Comments

[platypus]

Oh, poor girl. I really hope she starts improving. Can you wipe her down with a damp cloth a little to maybe make her feel cleaner without being too, uh, violated?

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Good idea, thanks. That might work.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I tried that. She may not be nearly as clean as she would be with a bath, but she's also not nearly as ticked off either. :-) A good compromise! Thanks again.

[sharya.livejournal.com]

My cats all have liked to be petted with a wet hand... it seems to pick up a lot of the hair. I suspect the wet hand feels like a great big tongue to them.

I am so praying for your kitty.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

My cats love that too! I don't often do it because it makes a mess of my hand. :-)

Thank you. Prayers, vibes, good thoughts and purrs are the best thing for now!

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

~kitty recovery vibes~ & *kitty-mommy-hugs*

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks on both counts.

[hopeforyou.livejournal.com]

Oh, poor Duchess. =(

I hope everything is okay, that it's just a bad infection, and that she's feeling better soon.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I feel so bad for her!

I hope YOU'RE feeling better soon, too. Yeesh. :-(

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

Oh, poor Duchess!! And poor CJ!!

*hugs* for you and *soft scritches* for her.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks on both counts. She's still lovin' the scritches (at least around her head)!

[deedeebythebay.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. Oh sweet gentle hugs. I'll be thinking of you and Duchess. *hugs*

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks. She's being remarkably good-natured about all this so far.

[ohhjuliet.livejournal.com]

Sending well wishes to Duchess.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I just swabbed her down with warm/damp cloths and man, she's a mess. I didn't expect the blood. Poor kitty! :-( :-(

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

hugs and scritches and comforts to both of you from me and the boys.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Hey, is today the BIG DAY? How are you feeling? G'luck!

[nosrednayduj]

If it is the dreaded C-word, I hope your surgeon is more competent than Frankie's. The operation was not a success. But Frankie was 15; I don't know how old Duchess is and whether she would be a better candidate to survive. Here's hoping she does really well with the antibiotics!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I know a very smart and determined feline oncology specialist who has saved one of my cats in the past. Duchess is eleven. If she does have cancer, and if it is at all survivable, there's some hope.

My condolences on the loss of Frankie those years ago. Time dulls the ache, but we never completely stop missing them.

[dizzdvl.livejournal.com]

just *HUGS*

and lots of kitty love on the way

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Exactly what's needed :)

[airporter.livejournal.com]

I'm happy that Duchess is at home, where she knows her surroundings and her people. Give her a skritch or two from this stranger.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I will. She likes scritches from strangers.

[wooddragon.livejournal.com]

Gizmo, Leo, Lucky, Taj, Romeo, Bob, Joyce, Steve and I are all sending good thoughts Duchess' way. Poor kitty!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[hnybny.livejournal.com]

The tissue sample will help rule out a lot of things so lets hope for the best. Cato and I send feline hugs!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

It sure will. I hope it comes back "normal bladder lining" (of course, she could still have cystitis of the bladder, but that's better than cancer).

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

Oh, the poor little girl. I know how painful it is watching someone you love in pain ... and knowing they don't understand why it hurts makes it even harder. If it's any consolation, remember that animals don't suffer when they're in pain. A human in that condition would be terrified, thinking of the future ... how much longer can I stand this, am I going to die, what's really wrong with me, why aren't those antibiotics working yet, thoughts going round and round, on and on. Animals don't do that. They just deal with it.

Let me tell you a story. My friend Nancy had a sheltie whose leg joints started deteriorating when she was only 2 years old. By the time she was 5, Cinnamon's wrists and ankles (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/dog/label/anatomy/labelanswers.GIF) were completely gone, and the lower half of all four legs were attached to the upper half only by tendons and skin. They hung uselessly, and she got around almost like a seal, on her forearms and knees, with the lower parts of her legs flopping uselessly. She had to have been in tremendous pain, and it was heartbreaking to watch her flopping around, especially struggling to get up and down steps.

But you know what? Cinnamon was a very happy dog. Her tail was always wagging, and she loved to play, and have her belly rubbed ... and she loved to chase squirrels and romp with her "cousins" (Nancy's daughter's two big dogs)! She was always full of verve and joy, despite her handicap. When she was about 11, she lost her ability to walk more than a few feet, so Nancy got a little red wagon for her and pulled her around (they live on several acres) so she could be with them the way she always was. But to everyone's astonishment, after a few months, she started getting around on her own again! None of the humans in her life -- her family, or the vet -- understood why, but Cinnamon never questioned any of it. She just dealt with whatever came her way with aplomb.

Of course she was slowing down with age, and she died when she was 12 or 13, having lived almost all of her life with an enormous handicap. But she didn't know she was supposed to be "disabled," and she didn't appear to mind the pain. She just accepted her life the way it was, because she was a dog, and animals don't contemplate their condition.

So Duchess is not suffering, even if she's in pain. I'm sure she's not thrilled about being locked in the bathroom, but even then, when you're not there she's not worrying about it -- she just accepts it, because that's what animals do. Cinnamon was a tremendous inspiration to everyone who knew her, and I hope her story will inspire and comfort you too, along with the hugs and healthy thoughts I'm sending your way.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Animals have the whole Buddhist thing down, don't they?

There is a hopeful sign: after I cleaned up last night, the floor is not wet this morning. (There's litter sand all over it, but no urine.) If she's continent I can let her out of the bathroom. She'll need a real bath first, though.

[valcat.livejournal.com]

I am sorry Duchess is locked in the bathroom but I know it is what she needs right now. I told Friday about her and he is also sending loud purrs to Duchess. (He is not much good at baths, I have been washing him all his life.) But I am still sending purrs and soothing tongue-baths to her.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Val. She could use a bit of a bath right now. I may have to do it (shh, don't tell her).

[meows-r-us.livejournal.com]

Sending very good vibes to you and Duchess.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Vibes/prayers/good-thoughts/purrs are just about the best thing for her right now!

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Oh eek! I hope she's just got a bit of treatable infection.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I sure hope so too!

[firecat]

Oh poor baby kitty and poor CJ. Good wishes for Duchess's quick recovery.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thank you. My poor sweetie.

[rampling.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh, poor Duchess! I sure hope the anti-inflammatory helps her!

And, hey, don't forget that not all tumors are 'the C word' -- my leeeetle 3cm spinal neck tumor was 'benign'. So they're not equivalent, and I'm extremely happy and lucky in that regard.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

She's perkier today. AND the floor is dry. Fingers crossed!

A good point, though in this case he meant the C word. My nerve tumors were benign too! :-)

[shadopanther.livejournal.com]

Poor kitty! I hope she is better soon!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks! She's perkier this morning.

[kimatha.livejournal.com]

Oh, poor Duchess! That sounds just awful, for you and for her. *hugs* and *pets* Having a sick kitty is a special kind of terrible. I'd be more inclined to think it's an infection rather than a tumor, given how fast it's developed.

I see from the comments that you've already been able to clean her up with a damp cloth. They also make "Kitty Wipes" specifically for cats. We've used them on Buddy many times.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, she's not too pleased with being stuck in the bathroom, and she's so fastidious that I am thinking the only reason she hasn't bathed herself is she's not feeling good. *sigh*

I sure do hope you're right about the infection. The waiting is going to be hard.

Oh, cool! Kitty Wipes! I never would have thought of it.

[kennita.livejournal.com]

Not like I can understand just how much kitties hate water, but...

Might she find warm water with Epsom salts soothing, once she got over freaking out over being wet? Maybe in a container that would let her sit with her hindquarters in the warm water and her forepaws outside? Temperature and breeze control would be key, I'm sure, as would making sure that a warm fluffy towel was available immediately after getting out of the water.

Do soft strokes on her belly seem to hurt, or do they seem to feel better? Can she eat? Might catnip pleasantly distract her from the pain?

I hate thinking there's nothing I can do, so I keep trying to think of something, even about things I know next to nothing about -- like cats. I can only imagine how it must be for you. Hang in there. *pets* and *comforts* for both of you.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

She's going to have to have a bath (the damp cloth didn't do everything, not by a long shot). So I may as well try to make it soothing! She'll hate it, but it WILL soothe her tissues a bit.

She eats and drinks just fine. I'll toss in a catnip mouse and see what she does! Cool idea! That will tell me how perky she's feeling.

Thanks.

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

Keeping all appropriate body parts crossed.
Here's hoping the antibiotics take care of it.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thank you! She is at least looking perkier.