Smoke is not doing well

[Samurai_Writer]

I have an appointment for him on Saturday, although I will take him in sooner if needed. He has been peeing outside his litterbox, and also has been just acting a little strange. Like hanging out in my shower or a basket of towels in the bathroom for hours. He is still eating and drinking fine, and still jumping up and down off furniture ok -- even up to the windowsills from my bed, which is a really high jump. However, he hasn't been gaining any weight, even with being on thyroid medication for the past month. He also seems to be breathing a bit heavily after jumping up on the bed or table, like it is an exertion for him now. Anyway, I hope we can find out what is going on with him. He's 14 1/2 -- his mom died when she was 15.

[lukasahero]

1. Smoke is a beautiful boy

I will keep him in my thoughts and prayers and hope that your worry is premature. :hug:

[japple]

2. Sorry to hear Smoke is not doing well. Hope it is something that

can be treated easily. He is a beautiful guy.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. I hope that your boy just needs some adjustment to his meds and you have

many years to enjoy his company.
He is a handsome boy.

[MsTryska]

4. I wonder if hanging out in the shower is because he's hot..

how are you giving him the T-meds? By pill or gel?

I use the gel with my Dolla. It took a couple of months to really get the dose right. He started gaining his weight back once it was sorted. I tend to know how he's doing by the consistency of his poop.

if it's soft, he's undermedicated, if it's firm, he's doing okay.

unfortunately, just a couple of days after my vet gave his bloodwork the thumbs up and agreed on his dosage, he's been going back to really soft poop, and long hours by himself under the bed. So we'll see. I'll give him a couple more weeks.

[Lisa0825]

5. I hope he's going to be OK

:hug:

[livetohike]

6. Maybe Smoke's meds need adjusted. If he is still eating

and drinking normally that is a good sign. Please keep us posted.

[Eurobabe]

7. thyroid disease is a pain in the ass for any living thing!

you can have many of the same symptoms from being either hypo (low) ot hyper (high). I assume animals feel it the same way. I'd get jt. pain if I was under or overmedicated, and feel like everything was too much for me if I wasn't in the sweet spot.

Hope your kitty will be okay. Keep us updated.

[egadsbrain]

10. Thanks for posting this "48"

I shared my life with 4 rescued diabetic cats a number of years ago and when I met someone who was diabetic would pester them with questions about how it felt. I wanted to understand the reality of their condition not the vets clinical description of symptoms and assumed "feelings." If only they could speak, or we humans were more sensitive to their language!

[MsTryska]

13. tell me about it!

i'm actually in a sweet spot now - if i'm undermedicated i just feel tired all the time - if i'm overmedicated i feel worn out. *lol*

[ThingsGottaChange]

8. We're hoping for the best!

Touky, Mica, Duke and me! :hug:

[roguevalley]

9. take care. please let us know how he is. HUGS!

[egadsbrain]

11. Hope he's feeling better...

Have you had Smoke's blood pressure & heart checked out? It sounds like he might be having some heart trouble re: labored breathing, lethargy? It's good he still has an appetite though. That's a biggie when you're talking about "quality of life!"

[Lorien]

12. Get him screened for cardiomyopathy ASAP

if he has it, and his kidneys are in good shape he can be treated for the HCM and the hyperthyroid at the same time. My beloved late kitty Peewee started out with hyperthyroid that later developed into HCM, but his kidneys were too weak for the proposed treatments. :cry:

Here's hoping that Smoke will be feeling better soon! :loveya: :hug:

[Samurai_Writer]

14. UPDATE: Bad news about Smoke

He's got fluid in his chest and abdomen. There are only a few things that it could be, the foremost being cancer. They are doing a chest tap on him today and running some more bloodwork. He'll be given some steroids and diuretics to take, but I think I am not going to do any heroic measures. He's 14 years old. I'm just going to bring him home and keep him as comfortable as possible. After what I went through last year with Magic (and the expense), I don't think I could do it all again. :(

[IndyOp]

15. I am so sorry...

Smoke looks a lot like my kitty David who departed last year at age 16. :(

The steroids and diuretics will make him feel better. Please treat yourself gently, too.

:hug:

[Tammie]

16. Sorry to hear the news....

Smoke is a real beauty. I hope everything works out for the best. I'll keep Smoke in my thoughts..

[Lorien]

17. So sorry RadFemFL

it does sound like HCM after all. I took heroic measures with my Peewee when he developed it, and in hindsight, I wish I hadn't. I put him through far too much. :cry:

I'm so very sorry about Smoke. I wish there were more that I could offer besides a cyber hug. :cry: :hug: :loveya:

[Samurai_Writer]

18. Sterling is acting strange around Smoke too

They used to pretty much ignore each other. Now Sterling is coming up to Smoke and sniffing him alot. Also, Sterling is getting more demanding and is hissing at Smoke when I feed them both. I separated their food so Smoke is eating downstairs and Sterling in the normal place in the kitchen upstairs. I guess Sterling knows what is up.

Smoke is doing OK. They drained 120cc's of fluid from him yesterday. That's a lot for a 5 pound cat. He's still eating and drinking, and sleeping with me, although he's spending more time in the laundrybasket in the bathroom downstairs. He's still able to go up and down the stairs, which is good, and still jumping up on my platform bed and on the window above it, which is pretty high as well.

The vet said even with draining the fluid, it usually comes back shortly, like within a day or two. We will see how he is doing in a few days.

Hugs,
Bella

[Samurai_Writer]

20. The vet said it's more likely cancer

with HCM, the fluid would only be in his chest cavity, but it's in his abdomen as well. Also, he didn't detect any increased heart rate or murmur.

[Samurai_Writer]

19. ANOTHER UPDATE: Bloodwork came back

The vet called me tonight with the results of Smoke's senior screen. All his bloodwork is normal, including his thyroid (he's on one pill a day to regulate it). That's good news, but it most likely means that his problem is a cancerous tumor in his chest. So I will just be monitoring him closely, and if he starts to collect fluid in his chest again, the vet will put him on diuretics. It's just a wait and see thing now, to see how much time Smoke has left. I just want to make sure the rest of his days are happy and comfortable ones.

[livetohike]

21. Wouldn't something come up in the bloodwork to indicate cancer

:shrug:

Sending good thoughts your way for you, Smoke and all the other kitties.

:hug:

[superconnected]

22. So there's still hope it isn't cancer?

Sending good wishes your way.

[CC]

23. Sorry to hear about Smoke.

Sending good thoughts his way and :hug:s your way.

[serryjw]

24. Hey sweetie.....

Just checking in..How's Smoke doing? Send big hugs..

[Samurai_Writer]

25. Smoke is doing OK for now

Still eating and drinking, still able to go up and down the stairs and jump up on my high bed. His breathing isn't as labored since they drained that fluid from him. Guess I am just in a wait and see mode for the time being.

[serryjw]

26. All you can do is enjoy him

None of us have a clue how much time we have.You know he loves you. Keep him happy and comfortable and give him lots of love.

[BrklynLiberal]

27. So far, so good. One day at a time.

:hug:

[Samurai_Writer]

28. UPDATE for Friday

The fluid in Smoke's abdomen and chest has returned, and his breathing is labored again. The vet gave me diuretics to see if it will help him. However, he does seem to be declining. I had to raise his water bowl, because he would just stand there looking at the bowl and not drink. When I raised it, he started drinking. He's still eating, and still going up and down the stairs OK. I will be watching him closely this weekend to see how he does on the diuretics.

[MaggieSwanson]

29. How is Smoke doing today?

I've been thinking of you two a lot the past few days.

:hug:

[Samurai_Writer]

30. SUNDAY update

Thanks for asking! :hug:

The diuretics are working. He's breathing a little easier and doesn't have as much fluid. However, his balance still seems to be off -- he keeps trying to jump up on the table (which he used to do easily until last week), and keeps falling. But he is still eating and drinking and going up and down the stairs fine. Just have to wait and see how long the diuretics help, I guess.

[Grateful for Hope]

31. I hope that Smoke continues to hold his own

and that he will even improve.

Sending positive thoughts your way.