Let's See Your Cats!!!

I am very sorry to hear that.

 

So sorry to hear. At this point it’s about quality of life. We’re here if you need something, prayers included.

 

I am sorry to hear about this. May you have some good quality time with him.

 

Sorry to hear man

 

I’m so sorry to hear this!

 

Sorry to here.

 

Sorry to hear that.

We have one with a heart murmur, so we have to watch out for the same symptoms.

 

Sorry to hear this.

 

So sorry... makes me want to leave work, go home and give my kitties more hugs.

 

Update: My wife brought him home from the hospital about an hour ago, and he's in pretty rough shape but should perk up now that this CHF "crisis" is over. He's got hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy - a kind of enlargement of the heart - and that's what caused the CHF symptoms. Apparently it's congenital, and can sneak up on an otherwise health cat like it did with Henry. He will have to take 4 drugs twice a day indefinitely. We're both pharmacists, so compliance with his meds is not going to be an issue. However, the disease is advanced and can't be reversed, so even with perfect care he will likely only live another 6-12 months. All we can do is try to enjoy the time he has left, and make sure he has a good quality of life for as long as possible. This is the wife's cuddle buddy, and she's just crushed.

Thanks to all for the well wishes and encouragement.

 

I am deeply sorry and my best regards to your wife.

 

So sorry to here this. Enjoy the time you have left.

 

Again, sorry to hear OP. Make sure you take LOTS of pictures of him, both of you with him. Be creative and make it look like he's taking a selfie with you! Those will be the things you refer back to, give him the best quality of life you can! If he wants to sniff something, it gets sniffed. If he wants in a closet, he gets in. If he wants to share your breakfast or dinner, he get's a small sample. Bottom line, pamper the daylights out of him and love on him all you can. Talk to him and let him know. They may not be able to show it, but they do understand it.

 

So sorry to hear this for you both. Wish I could say something to make it easier on you.

 

So very sorry for both of you. I can’t say anything the others have not already said. Remember, we are here for you if you need us.

 

Smallest. Litter. Ever.

I've never seen a cat drop just one kitten before.

 

He’s adorable! Total keeper!

 

Here’s one of our orange turds


Ollie always sitting with a judgmental look...

 

Henry is settling back in at home. He's okay, but like a totally different cat. He was hyper and goofy before all this happened, and now he's groggy and fragile. We don't know if this is the new normal or if he's just trying to bounce back. Either way it's sad to watch. Anyway, he's back in his favorite spot in the cat tree looking out the window.


We have to give him meds twice a day, and that doesn't help the mood. I'm currently crushing the pills and putting them into capsules, but that only gets us down from 4 to 2. We're working with our vet on possible alternative brands/forms to see if I can get everything into one cap.

The other cats are still somewhat wary of him, as they always are after someone gets back from a long vet experience. We lost another cat last August and that freaked out Aurthur (Henry's brother) for months. He kept running from room to room crying out like he was looking for her. He was starting to do the same thing yesterday before we brought Henry home, and eventually losing him is going to be hard on Arthur when it happens.

So I'm working from home the rest of the week to keep an eye on Henry. We have also canceled some travel plans in September and October because we're not comfortable leaving him alone for too long, and he would miss his meds. Poor little guy.

A guess for everyone on TW.com this might be a chance to learn something. Other than the sage advice from @Norsemanvike above, keep an eye on your cats behavior and call the vet if something doesn't feel right. Also, if a cat's breathing rate is rapid and shallow while sleeping (>36), something may be very wrong. If my wife hadn't noticed that he was having problems, he probably would have died in a few hours from suffocation. Once could argue that this may have been better considering Henry's particular prognosis, but not all breathing issues are the result of irreversible disease.

Thanks for all of your support.

 

That's what the orange boys do.