Tabs goes back to Bunny's Place

Tabs is VERY tired of living alone in the house, so she sits by the grille and keeps asking to be let back into Bunny's Place.

It's strange how previously, she was always dying to get out (making her daily escapades the moment anyone enters the room, even devising a crafty way of waiting from afar and dashing out the moment we open the grille so that we don't suspect she is trying to make an escape!), now she wants to get in!

The grass is always greener on "the other side", I suppose. And one doesn't quite appreciate what one has until one leaves it...then longs to get back to it!

I'm bored!!

Tabs has two shaven areas - under the neck (for the jugular blood taking) and on the leg (for the drip). It will take time for her medium-length hair to grow back.

She seems much, much better today. The sneezing is down to a bare minimum and she is active again.

Today is Day 4 of the Vibravet. The vet did say it would take 3-4 days to see results. Tabs has to finish the whole course of 2 weeks. Then, I shall have to fortify her with probiotics, which I am already doing now (using Nutri+Gen), but I give it many hours after administering the antibiotics.

Meanwhile, Cow started sneezing yesterday and I quickly gave him Vetri DMG. I haven't heard him sneeze since then (fingers crossed). By the way, did you know that Vetri DMG is an all-natural product? No wonder it is so effective.

http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/vetri-science-dmg-reviews

http://www.medi-vet.com/Vetri-DMG-Dogs-p/14016.htm

This morning, I gave the Petalive Immunity and Liver Support to Cow, Bunny and Tiger.

Bunny looks "fat" here because he is doing the gopher pose!

Everyone else gets Vetri DMG.

The mother-and-daughter, also the fiercest of the brood.

Pole, a model local cat, in terms of size and shape.
This little lady is all muscle, so don't mess with her. She is definitely stronger than me.

I'm just letting Tabs in for awhile and will monitor her condition. As long as she stays away from the rest, it ought to be alright. If I don't, she will still sit right outside the grille and the rest will go to the grille to see her, which is closer proximity.

The vet says her flu only spreads through the air and not through food or water.

Flu or no flu, and whatever the weather, Indy keeps watch for intruders.

He is the alpha.

Indy rules!!

(Indy is also all-muscle.)

Tabs goes berserk...because of the tshirt!

We thought that since Tabs is looking for warm mats and warm places to rest in, putting on a tshirt might make her more comfortable.



That's Indy's tshirt, remember? But Tabs didn't like it at all and started going on "reverse gear". That's moving backwards, something cats always do when they are afraid. We thought it would be just a while, so we let her be.

Then she totally went berserk and dashed around the house, moving backwards as well. It was a little creepy.

Finally, she settled down inside the storeroom and was calm.

But she would only calm down when sitting. The moment she got up, she walked backwards again, and this was after an hour.

So, no, the tshirt got to go. It was causing her more stress than comfort.

Strange how cats' personalities are different. Remember how Indy actually LIKED wearing his tshirts, especially this yellow gay-rocker cape. He completely loved it!

Au naturelle, that's my way.

The big scare from Bunny

Bunny hadn't been well lately. But he is FIV+ and between Bunny and Tiger, he is definitely the weaker of the two.

He lost weight after taking the Chitosan (which was good), but it happened too fast, and that really scared me. Now, I think it was all coincidental. He was losing weight due to some unknown reason. Then he started getting his low-grade fevers (something that happens often, which we would solve using Vetri DMG for 1-2 days and he would be alright).

But this time, it was different, the fevers stopped, but he seemed inactive. In fact, very inactive.

And during this time, Tabs was sick and I wasn't home to monitor him as I was at the clinic with Tabs all day.

Through it all, luckily he did not lose his appetite.

I was really worried because a vet told me that the lifespan of FIV+ cats is about 7 years (I don't know how far that is true, I hope it isn't).

By Friday, I knew something was not quite right about Bunny. He was having his low-grade fevers again. To take him to a conventional vet would involve blood tests and medicines. More drugs. And we know for Bunny's case, it's his immune system that needs a boost. Drugs might not do him much good.

FIV+ cats are immune compromised.

By Friday night, Bunny started sneezing. Oh dear, oh dear....he has probably caught Tabs' flu bug. If it's viral, the incubation period is 2 weeks. I couldn't have known.  I only had Vetri DMG and I know once Bunny gets the flu, it will be a complete nightmare. The last time he caught the flu, he grew SO weak, it took him 3 weeks to recover during which time we thought we were going to lose him.

At the same time, Connie had just introduced me to this site: http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/pet-ailment-disease-list-remedy.html. She has used three of their products with successful results on three of her dogs. One for a thyroid problem, one for a bladder problem (it healed in just 2 days) and the latest for a liver problem. And all three could not really be cured by conventional medicines.

I was desperate for Bunny.

To order would take at least a few working days and it was already Friday. Bunny was deteriorating right before my eyes.

Connie says she could spare me one bottle of her Immunity and Liver Support which she is currently using for her dog (who was terribly sick a few weeks ago with bad liver readings and could not get well with conventional medicine but her dog is  now well, after being given this supplement; the liver readings are back to normal too), so I made a judgment call and decided to try it on Bunny.

I had read up everything on the website, but could not find any independent review. Their own testimonials are good, though. And three different products had worked very well on three of Connie's dogs. I know that's not peer-reviewed research findings, but at least it's testimonial from a trusted friend.

What did I have to lose? The product is all-natural and Bunny wasn't responding to Vetri DMG this time. He needs to be constantly on immune boosters and liver protection can't go wrong too.  Maybe he isn't detoxifying and the toxins in his body are making him sick. I was guessing, of course, but for Bunny's case, a conventional vet can only diagnose based on blood test results, and I did not want to subject him to that since he is FIV+. Many things can go wrong with an FIV+ cat. It is very different with a healthy cat.

So I gave Bunny the supplement on Saturday.

That night, something quite "terrible" happened. Bunny's eyes swelled up, became reddish and he felt very hot to the touch. Now, on hindsight, I think that was the healing crisis. With natural medicines, a healing crisis can happen. The body just "brings out" all the toxins in order to heal.

That got me really worried too. Is the supplement working or not? But I remember the healing crisis and I had no other choice, but to have faith in the supplement. I read the testimonials again and may users reported healing within days.

It was also Saturday late night when this happened. I could either rush him to emergency or wait it out until the next day. The thing is he never lost his appetite through it all, so I decided to wait it out. Appetite is a good gauge. The vet always told me: If your pet stops eating, bring your pet in. Don't wait.

The other reason I did not want to rush Bunny in is that I know conventional vets would just say, "He's FIV+, this is to be expected" and then, maybe do blood tests.

I decide to wait until the next day because Bunny still had his appetite.

The next day, Bunny seemed better. He definitely looked better. The swelling in the eyes had disappeared. He seemed a little more active too. He wasn't feverish anymore.

That was a relief. If he had got even worse, I would have stopped giving the supplement. It would mean it isn't right for him. But he seemed better. And the sneezing had stopped too!

I continued giving the supplement and today (this is after 3 days).....take a look at Bunny!

The website says results can be seen in 2-14 days.

Bunny looks so much better now, compared to 3 days ago when he looked really ill, was inactive and felt hot to the touch.

The only thing is that his appetite also improved so much after taking the supplement!

But having had such a scare, I gave in to all his snack calls this time.

Eat, Bunny, eat...you need food to get well!

Maybe this is Bunny's optimum weight, and he needs this "weight" to sustain his wellbeing? I don't know, I'm just saying, because after losing all that weight, he didn't seem well at all.

Bunny says: Thank you, Aunty Connie!

Our disclaimer holds. Please consult your vet before giving your pets any supplements.

This is just a sharing. I made a judgment call on Bunny because of my own preference for natural products, but we certainly do not recommend that. Always consult your vet for professional advice.

It is such a relief to see that everyone is okay, isn't it?

Today, my students were shocked to see me. They said I looked extremely tired. Strange, because I didn't feel extremely tired. Maybe it's all the sleepless nights and worry. I thought I was going to camp at the clinic for Bunny, but it looks like that won't happen now (touchwood!!).

Me is okay too!

Yes, Timmy, you too!!

Tabs and Tabbies United!

I have been managing the medicine-feeding of Tabs alone most of the time, so there hasn't been time to take photos and put up a blogpost. But thank you very much for all your kind wishes and enquries about Tabs.

She is slowly improving though still sneezing. We know it will take time to heal.

After going on the Vibravet paste (the vet said two notches once a day), I noticed she became very sluggish. That was a Sunday and that really got me worried. So I texted the vet who later replied to say it ought to be alright as long as Tabs' appetite was still good. I was worried about possible allergies to Doxycycline. I checked the web and it says it's possible, but the symptoms are headache, dizziness, etc. Now how would we know if a cat has a headache, right? The cat would probably just sleep, which was what Tabs did....practically all day.

So I asked the vet if it would be okay to stagger the dose, ie. one notch twice a day instead of two notches once a day, so that the dosage assimilated by the body would be less each time. The vet said it was okay.

Her sleepiness lasted the whole day (but on hindsight, maybe it's just a long rest that she needed in order to recover) and she finally became active only at night. That was a relief!

Today, I gave her one notch in the morning and one more in the evening. She did not sleep so much, so I guess this is the way to go. And she seems much better too though she is still sneezing quite a bit.

Because of the sneezing, I had to quarantine her inside the house. But somehow, one patio cat got in...

I don't know how Vincent got in!

But he ended up accompanying Tabs all afternoon while she took her healing rest.

And not only Vincent, but Heidi (hey, another tabby?) also got in and went upstairs to visit Tabs!

Tabbies United!!!

Last night, when Tabs was sitting by our bedroom window, I caught Vincent outside on the roof trying to get in. He had come to visit Tabs.

And meanwhile, Tiger too has been worried about Tabs and keeps meowing at the grille, but Tiger, being FIV+, cannot run the risk of catching her flu, so we only let Tiger out at a distance, then it's back inside the room for him. At least he knows Tabs is safe.

Tabs does occasionally come to the grille and sit outside, asking to be let in.

All in good time, Tabs. We got to play it safe and we cannot let your germs infect the rest of your friends.

Everyone is being fortified with Vetri DMG (inside and outside cats).

Coming up next, the Bunny story and big scare...

Teddy Blanket (No. 7) up for auction!!

Here's the very first blanket I hand-stitched - the Teddy Blanket (No. 7)!!

We are only putting it up for one night for the auction.

Rules of the auction:

1. Please check the latest comment for the latest bid before putting in yours.

2. All bids are placed as comments on this blogpost. All comments will be published instantly in chronological order. 

3. The auction ends at 2pm, on Monday, 14th October 2013. 

May the highest bidder win!
100% of the winning bid will be channeled to our Fund for the animals.

Since the trend is to bid at the last minute (!), we are starting it at RM150.

Do we hear RM150?

The bids as they come in:

14th October 2013:
1.56pm, Chucky & Blackie - RM850
1.55pm, i-am-teddybear - RM800
1.35pm, Chucky & Blackie - RM650.

13th October 2013:
8.01pm, Wine Dogs - RM400.
5.00pm, Liew Wy - RM300.

The front.

A close-up.

The back is a big piece of Teddy Bear cloth with an orange frame.

The blanket is 3-layered. There is a white piece of cloth in between the front and the back. All cotton material.

The front is totally hand-stitched.

That's the completed front patchwork, all by hand.

The top-sew, the back and the frame are done by my mum. It requires hand-tacking followed by machine work.

It's all for the animals, folks! We work hard for the funds!

Anyone interested in a Teddy Bear blanket?

Happy bidding!

Willy visits!

This morning as we were reversing the car out to take Tabs to the vet's, we saw....

Willy!!

Hi, Willy!!

Doesn't he look bigger and very healthy too?

I gave him some food before we drove off.

Later in the afternoon...

Tabs found this perfect hiding place in the storeroom.

The patio cats came to visit when they had a chance to come in, but only for a short visit.

Willy came again this evening.

I'm just thinking, do you suppose his owners have gone off for a holiday and he's here for food?

He looks fantastic, doesn't he?

The Patio Cats congregate across the road to observe what is happening.

Vincent looks like he wants to start locking horns with Ginger, doesn't he?

Heidi says, "Stop it, you two!"

Timmy, Daffodil and Rosie prefer to play it safe and mind their own business.

Meanwhile, Bunny doesn't seem well. I'm afraid he may have caught Tabs' bug. I'm fortifying him with immune boosters. Bunny and Tiger are both FIV+, but Bunny is weaker. I hope the immune boosters work.

Tabs is done with the injections!

Today is Tabs' last day for the antibiotic injections! The vet decided 6 days of Clavomox is enough and so Tabs was only given the Marbocyl injection for today.

However, since Tabs is sneezing and her lymph nodes are enlarged, and in case, the sneezing is due to chlamydia, doxycycline is recommended. Her sneezing isn't so bad, but if the pathogens are not completely cleared from her system, she can become a carrier and infect other cats. So far, it's upper respiratory only and she sneezes a total of about 10 times in a day.

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/respiratory/c_ct_chlamydiosis



Gone are the days of the dreadful Doxy pill, now there is the option of using this VibraVet paste, which is much easier to administer and is actually palatable. Tabs needs it for 2 weeks to complete the course.

No more joy car-rides, Tabs!

I'm sure she is relieved.

Once again, a big thank you goes to Dr Edmund Yeoh, for seeing Tabs through this journey.

And thank you everyone, for all your kind wishes and prayers for Tabs too!

Meanwhile, I'm looking at this site for my cats: http://m.nativeremedies.com/petalive/immune-system-and-protection.html. My friend has used their products on her dogs with amazing results.

Our disclaimer holds. Please consult your vet before giving any supplements to your pets and the animals under your care.

 

Tabs is sneezing (a secondary infection)

We brought Tabs for her two antibiotic injections today. Even yesterday, I had noticed her sneezing, but only a few times and the vet said to just monitor first as he did not want to pump her with more medicines.

Today, the sneezing is more prominent. Tabs' lungs are clear (luckily!) but her lymph nodes are enlarged. The vet said to wait one more day before starting her on Doxy, which, as far as I have experienced, all animals simply hate. However, there is a paste now (Vibravet paste) and it is palatable, though expensive. Never mind, it is better than running the risk of stressing the pet with the dreadful Doxy pill; money can be earned back.

So, it looks like Tabs has got a secondary infection now and has to be isolated from the rest.

Her temperature is normal.

So we decided to put her in the living room and bar the Patio Cats from coming into the house. The vet said isolation is important as a runny nose can spread.

But Tabs wanted to go in.

And Tiger wanted to go out!

No, the meeting of the tabbies would have to wait for awhile until Tabs stops sneezing. We cannot risk everyone getting a runny nose.

I'll just eat my grass then.

Finally, Tabs eats Monge!

Her appetite is back to normal now, which is good. I hope the runny nose will clear soon. Meanwhile, everyone is fortified with Vetri DMG.

Secondary infections are scary. All precautions had already been taken; minimum stay at the vet's, discharge immediately when possible, private cubicle away from other sick animals, immune boosters given, yet a secondary infection can develop.

Some things are out of our control, so we would just have to manage them as best as we can.

Tabs, on the road to recovery

It's been quite a journey for Tabs this time. It was totally unexpected, though. How could an indoor pet suddenly get so, so sick? Fully vaccinated, as-good-as-it-can-get nutrition, protected, and yet our best guess now is that she contracted a viral and bacterial infection (one or both, we don't know for sure) from somewhere and had little resistance to it.

The only thing I can conclude is that she had been too well-protected. But those were her circumstances as she walked into our lives as an abandoned or lost pet (with a collar) when we were about to move house. To leave her in the old neighbourhood would have meant she would live as a stray, so we brought her along. Over here in the new house, everyone had to be confined since it was a new place and I would afraid they would run back to the old house as cats are prone to do.

In any case, Tabs is on the road to recovery now and I am truly thankful.

Her appetite has returned (though not completely, and she is not as "greedy" for food as before) and she is actively escaping from the grille again (back to her old tricks). However, she started sneezing yesterday, and I mentioned it to the vet who said she ought to be alright as she is still covered by antibiotics. This must be another secondary infection.

The vet did say Tabs is fat (as seen from the X-Ray, so there's no denying that, we saw the fat deposits) and needs to lose weight after this. Her ideal weight is 4kg and she was 4.45kg just before she got sick. Then, she went down to 4.3kg after having not eaten, went up to 4.7kg (after days of force-feeding and being on drips) and is now, about 4.5kg (as of yesterday).

We're getting there....slowly. Obesity kills, so please, please...chubby may not be good. Bunny & Tiger's weight are both down now. I'm working on Cow and Timmy. But alas....Timmy!! Timmy is a very challenging case.

Meanwhile, I have been fortifying Bunny, Tiger and Indy with Vetri DMG, just in case. Why not the rest? The rest cannot be force-fed anything without the risk of me getting scratched, bitten, going for another tetanus jab or even getting a finger amputated (that would be Cow, Pole and Cleo). I might put the liquid Vetri DMG into their food and pray they won't smell it out. They just might.

By the way, Vetri DMG can be purchased online here: www.entirelypets.com. Take a look at their prices. I have just ordered. But please find out about the company's track record before you make any purchase.

After having gone through the antibiotics (tomorrow being the last day of her injections), it's time to replenish Tabs with prebiotics and probiotics.

The vet had prescribed Gentle Digest and I'm adding this...Nutri+Gen Probiotics. I've asked and was told Korean products are reliable as they do extensive research.

But as always, our disclaimer holds. Please consult your vet before you give any supplements to your pets.

It is all natural; GMO/fat/chemical free.

Tabs loves the taste.

It can serve as a multi-vitamin as well. I was interested more because it is all natural and not chemical.

She has claimed this spot and the chair as well.

The good thing is that ever since Tabs came back, no one has bullied her, not even Bunny. I guess they know when to draw the line.

I'm watching out for Tabs.

Good boy, "Mandela" Tiger!

Oh no....again? (it's still the snake year)

Today, when the driver delivered the Caliber dogfood (for Lester) to my house, he noticed a snake lying right there in the middle of my garden.

He told me, "ular".

I said, "Bukanlah...tali sahaja."

"Bukan, ular", he said.

It looked like a white rope shimmering in the sunshine, something I thought the cats had brought in.

But he was right, it was a snake alright, but it was dead.

I was worried about the patio cats. Only Heidi, Rosie and Timmy were around. The rest were missing.

Anyway, the kind driver picked up the snake with the garden broom and threw it into the drain outside.

Luckily Ming-Yi isn't afraid so she managed to locate the snake in the drain to examine the markings. It was brown with a yellow collar. It is probably from the same family as the previous ones - the wolf snake (or house snake), which is supposedly non-venomous.

Still I was worried for the cats.

Soon, Vincent and Daffodil came back, unharmed.

Ginger was still missing.

We called the security guard and he came by, picked up the snake with his bare hands (oh my gosh!) and said he would take it down to the big monsoon drain to discard it.

My guess is either Timmy killed it (he is the only hunter) or they brought it back from somewhere. It was lying right in the middle of my garden and I thought it was a piece of rope.

By 3pm, I decided to feed everyone dinner but Ginger was still not around.

So I called for him, and thankfully, he turned up on the ledge and walked back.

Phew! All the patio cats are safe.

I make sure there is enough water in their food.

A special treat for Ginger.

Mummy's boy.