Monday, April 6, 2009

Kitty Update #5: A New Hope

Went to visit kitty today. Over the weekend when we went to visit, we were brought back to where they keep all the patients in their cages. Glea spent both of those visits curled up in the back of the cage. She let us pat her and she purred, but she stayed curled up and mostly had her eyes closed. She looked like she felt like crap. And I was pretty sure she was scared.

Today when we visited, they brought her into a room with us. I don't know if it's just because of the quieter environment or because she's feeling better, but he was much more alert, with her eyes open. She stood and moved about a bit, and seemed much more relaxed. And she ATE. The doctor told us that twice earlier today she had gotten her to eat by patting her and basically shoving the food bowl right in front of her face. They brought in some food for us to try to feed her too. We had no luck with their food, but I had brought a can from home, and when I gave that to her, and patted her head, she licked the gravy off for a LONG time, and then she actually ate some, too. And she did it enthusiastically, like she was really hungry. I think it was a combination of the more relaxed environment and of her feeling better. I left them another can for later.

Other good news is that her kidney enzymes are DOWN from yesterday. *knock wood* It does seem that the treatments are helping. In fact, we have a tentative plan to take her home tomorrow! *knock wood* In addition to the thyroid medicine I'll need to give her, I will, for the time being, have to give her subcutaneous fluids by needle twice a day. I'm not thrilled about that part, but we need to get our baby home. The nurse came in today and showed me how to do it, and they'll show me again tomorrow. Did I mention I'm not thrilled about that part?

We still don't know what was causing the kidney enzyme levels to be raised in the first place, and even though her blood sugar test came out normal, sometimes hyperthyroidism can mask diabetes, so we're not out of the woods, but things are looking better.
*knock wood*



The red arrows on the following two x-rays point to the needles that she
has apparently been eating:

3 comments:

Angela said...

I was away and missed all the updates. I'm glad things are looking better for Glea. *knocks wood*

(((hugs))))

allison said...

Aww, I am glad you and Glea got some cuddle time together and I am glad she's on the road to coming home. Subcutaneous drips can be hard to do by yourself; hopefully Jake can help you hold her while you do it. It might be a breeze if Glea is fairly mellow about it. Either way, she will feel much, MUCH better after you do it for a few days, so it's all for the best. Good luck to all of you!

Jenn said...

Oh kitty - get better!!