Peanut and Butter

Finally, Butter seems to be healing from the fungal infection, and it could be a combination of Apple Cider Vinegar, Vetri DMG, time and this Ayurvedic herbal cream recommended by my friend, Amy.  Amy says her clients have been using it for about 10 years now, with heaps of praises for its efficacy. 

This is the cream:

http://www.cababstractsplus.org/abstracts/Abstract.aspx?AcNo=20043098357

I applied the cream on just three of the stubborn bald spots on Butter over three days.  It appears to be effective because the fur is already growing back now.  The only thing with the cream is that it is dark brown and it stains the skin quite severely.  The good thing is that (and Amy testifies to this) the animal will not lick the cream.  This is probably due to its strong herbal scent. 

Above the left eye, you'd notice a small patch of darkish brown - that's what's left of the cream after almost five days.

A few dark brown spots on the back - this used to be a totally bald spot.  The spot above the right armpit also was bald previously.

Hey, what about me?  Well, Peanut, you do not need the Ayurvedic cream because you have recovered.

Updates on Xiao Li and Teddybear

Both Xiao Li and Teddybear are doing very well.  A few days ago, they both got their second vaccination. 

Here is a recent photo:

Getting their daily treat of steamed chicken in the morning.  Both of them have very good appetite and Teddy will finish off all the food left behind by Xiao Li...if there is any!

Peanut and Butter go for their first vaccination

This morning, I brought Peanut and Butter for their first vaccination. 

Here's the clinic cat, RayRay, saying hi to Peanut.  Butter is standing behind.

The vet examined Peanut and says his fungal spots are healing well.  I'm glad I did not opt for any medication except for the Apple Cider Vinegar, which is safe.  Peanut seems to respond very well to it.  

Butter is not responding as well, but in certain spots, the fur is growing back too.    So, I hope he will recover in time.   

There used to be a large bald (fungal) spot above Butter's left eye, but the fur is growing back now.  

A new kid on the block?

Early this morning, as I was feeding my brood in the kitchen, I heard a distinctive mewing just outside my back gate.  When I looked out, it was a little black kitten, about 3-4 months old, standing right outside my back gate and mewing his heart out. 

Wii was standing nearby, and it looked as though Wii had brought the kitten to our house. 

So, I quickly took a bowl of kibbles and opened the gate.  The little one ran off to hide in the plants by the drain, but when I got closer, he (assuming it's male) peeped out. 

I poured some kibbles by the drain, but he did not want any.  Then, I put the bowl down, and he started eating.

That's the little black kitten.  My first thought this morning was that he looked exactly like Beauty, the kitten at the vet's. 

After eating, he started walking away, so I was hoping he has a home somewhere, and Wii had just invited him to come over for a meal.

That was at 7am this morning.

It is now 11am, and the little kitten came over and mewed again.

That's him with Wii.  I gave him a bowl of food, and he ate again. 

Licking his lips after the snack.

He seemed quite confident and is not afraid of people. 

Wii and he are definitely friends.

As in the morning, after eating and socialising for awhile, he walked back in the same direction. 

Looks like we may have a new kid on the block? 

Passed the 7th day mark...

I have been waiting and waiting for this day...Peanut and Butter have been clear of diarrhoea for 7 days now.  I hope this means they have finally (!) recovered.  It has been an uphill "battle" for me, managing their persistent diarrhoea.  I stopped the antibiotics after 6 days. 

Now, the next battle is their fungus.  I was told that the antibiotics would have lowered their immunity, thus aggravating the fungus.  And I have been advised not to start them on any medication for the fungus at this point because they have just recovered from the diarrhoea and they are still very young. 

They are only on Vetri DMG and I am still applying the Apple Cider Vinegar dabs.  Peanut seems to be responding to the ACV but not Butter. 

Here are the two bouncing pixies, playing in the basket:

The vet has advised me to ignore the fungus for now and just concentrate on getting them back to good health.  Both of them are eating well and very playful.

Tara is adopted!

Tara, our first distemper survivor, is finally adopted!  We'd like to thank my mother's friend, Annie, and her family, for giving Tara a lovely home. 

Here are photos of Tara in her new home. 

My mother, Annie and her son, with Tara.

Their domestic helper, who will be looking after Tara.

You be good here, Tara. 

Tara has all her old things with her - her bowl, her cage, etc.

Tara has a beautiful new home now, with a big compound to run about. 

Thank you, Annie and family, for taking in Tara.

A Klang Pound and distemper survivor, with a fairy-tale ending.

The "downdog"

Bobby had been sick for 2 days. He vomited and stopped eating.

But Bobby has always had his own way of curing himself since years ago. He would fast and do what we call, in yoga, the "downdog" pose. It's a dog stretch, but he would do it for a long time, maintaining that position. We have noticed that when he is sick, he would specially do this pose many times a day, and his tail would be down. The indication that he is recovering is to watch the tail. When the tail goes up during a downdog pose, it means he is getting well.

He got better today.  Now, he is on steamed chicken as well.  So, it's steamed chicken for the bouncing pixies and Bobby!

I guess it is not surprising that Bobby does the downdog since yoga positions are also derived from animal poses. And the downdog is especially recommended for us humans when we are sick too.

Animals know better?

So, we learn from them....

Altogether now...one, two, three...

Tails up? 

Alright, now you try...

On the homefront

It's been about 4 days since the last bout of diarrhoea from Peanut and Butter.  I hope it won't recur.  They are currently still on steamed chicken and RC Babycat kibbles.  I'm still giving the medication Beaglobe (which contains Tryzine), and it is still a battle when it comes to medicine time.

I think Peanut is responding to the ACV treatment for his fungal spots, but not Butter.  They are both on Vetri DMG to boost their immune system.  I was really hoping I would not have to resort to medication for their fungus, but I'll see how things go by next week and seek the advice of the vet since they are growing and eating well now.

It's been a great challenge looking after Peanut and Butter.  I have never encountered any kitten with these many problems before, but I guess the more you deal with, the more problems you'll experience. 

I need a good break after this...but only after they both recover from the fungus. 

The Bouncing Pixies

Who are the "Bouncing Pixies"? 

Here they are....

                                         Why, it's Peanut and Butter! 

Every morning, it is such a joy (and a relief too, when they were having bad diarrhoea) to see them bouncing out of the room when I open the door. 

These days, the moment they hear me in the kitchen, they would already start mewing and scratching at the door.  Then, the moment I open the door, they make a direct bee-line to Bobby's bowl, hoping to steal some food (I make sure Bobby has finished eating before I open the door).  The rest of the cats eat on "Level One" (that means on the kitchen slab) so the pixies can't reach those bowls.   

So far, both their faeces have been well-formed, but as the vet has advised, do not celebrate yet, until it stays that way for one week.  Ok...shh...

The fungus is still there and I am searching for safe and natural cures besides the Apple Cider Vinegar.   Both vets whom I have consulted have said it is better to wait until they are bigger and stronger before trying on any medication.  I hope I don't need to - I hope they will get well before that happens. 

Peanut-Butter updates

Peanut and Butter are eating well.  I am putting in some RC intestinal kibbles together with their steamed chicken.  When they were examined two days ago, the vet detected fungal spots on them too, but he said the diarrhoea should be arrested first since the fungal problem is not life-threatening. 

I have been applying Apple Cider Vinegar on their fungal spots.  Today, I got them liquid Vetri DMG as well.  Since most fungal medication and creams are toxic, the vet advised against the use of these.  I did try povidone iodine, which is considered very safe, but Peanut liked it all off immediately. 

The vet hopes that the Vetri DMG will boost their immunity, and the body will combat the fungus in due time. 

Peanut-Butter's current interest

Peanut and Butter's current hit favourite toys seem to be the two kitchen slippers.  Here they are again, playing on and with the slippers.

They don't fight over the slippers.  Butter takes the dark blue thongs, Peanut takes the Japanese slippers.

Slide the paw in...that's nice and comfy.

Now, for a snooze on the slippers.

Push it to the side, and play!

Good for scratching and sharpening claws.

I'm bored with mine.  Can I try yours now?  Exchange? 

There has been no diarrhoea today.  I sort of lost the battle with the RC Intestinal kibbles.  They simply hate it.  So, it's steamed chicken for both now. 

Peanut is still straining to pass urine, but the urine is not blood-stained today.  I hope this is an improvement.  But he is still passing out only very small amounts.

This morning I had to rush off for work very early, so I had to give them the bitter antibiotics right after their breakfast.  Butter got so angry, he faced the wall and refused to look at it after that.  No pacifying could comfort him.  He must have felt tricked.  Poor little thing...

He was ok when I came home in between work to feed them. 

The evening medicine round wasn't as bad because I wasn't in a rush.   

Teddybear and Xiao Li's updates

The good news is that Teddybear and Xiao Li have settled in very well, and are in good health. 

Here are some photos:

It is really so nice to know that they are both doing well.

One thing after another

Peanut-Butter seems to be afflicted with one thing after another.  Apart from the stubborn diarrhoea, I noticed that Peanut's urine seemed to be decreasing.  Since this morning, he strained twice, and the urine was blood-stained too.  I suspected FLUTD, so I rushed them both to the vet's in between work.  I really prayed it wouldn't be FLUTD. 

It turned out that my worst fears were realised.  It IS FLUTD, but there is no blockage yet, so the vet said it isn't critical.  But here's the confusion : According to this vet, the diarrhoea is more urgent and has to be treated first.  And he says it isn't caused by the isospora felis.  That is just a secondary ailment.  There is a primary source of the diarrhoea which we cannot accurately diagnose for now.  Whatever it is, the diarrhoea has to be treated via diet control.  Both of them have to be on intestinal food and an antibiotic called Beaglobe (I think it's a brandname). 

The dilemma is that the treatment for FLUTD causes diarrhoea, so that cannot be administered yet since Peanut HAS diarrhoea now.  However, the antibiotic Beaglobe can also address the urinary problem to a certain degree.

My task for the next few days is to make them eat the intestinal food (which isn't very palatable), and hope the diarrhoea will be arrested. 

I tried all means just now to make them eat, but they wouldn't eat.  Finally, I soaked the food in water, and managed to coax them into eating it.  Round One....

There'll be many more rounds to go.  The vet says he wants to see one full week of well-formed stools before declaring that the diarrhoea problem has been settled. 

Peanut is still passing out blood-stained urine now.  There has been no diarrhoea for many hours since this morning.  But the antibiotic is awfully bitter and it is a great challenge getting them to take it.  They both salivate like crazy after that. 

Poor them...

Poor me...

When things go wrong with kittens, it can be such a nightmare.  Many drugs cannot be given because they are too young and the drugs are toxic. 

Wii's progress

Now Wii eats inside the house.  Occasionally, Cow & Bunny still terrorise him, so we have to be on the look-out for those two. 

Tiger accompanies Wii while he eats.

Indy is on neutral ground. 

Pole is Cow & Bunny's sister, but she doesn't terrorise anyone.  She just comes back to eat several times a day, and off she goes back to her own territory in the neighbourhood. 

Live and let live,
Peace and goodwill to all. 

Peanut-Butter updates

Peanut and Butter have not recovered from their diarrhoea yet.  I guess these things take time. 

They are both active and like to play.

Trying on slippers for size?

Smiling for the camera?

A more serious pose...

Both are eating well, but the diarrhoea is still there. 

I hope they will get well soon.

The culprit identified

Butter was shooting diarrhoea again this morning...sigh.  Peanut too was passing out loose stools.  So, I thought it best to get them checked again in case it is another major worm infestation.  

It turned out that the culprit is a parasite called Isospora Felis (also known as "Coccidia" in chickens).  Peanut's stools had just some low-grade presence of the parasite while Butter had much more.  This made sense as Butter's diarrhoea is more severe.

Both are on medication now, and I pray this will solve the problem once and for all.  Their diarrhoea is really wearing me out. 

How on earth did they get this parasite, I'll never know.  They are confined in the room, and their food is kept in the fridge.   

There has been no diarrhoea for the past three hours, so that's good. 

A possible solution to Wii's problem

Wii has been terrorised by my two alphas, Cow & Bunny, for months, and he seemed to have found his own territory, ie. the backyard and the back alley of my house.  All was quite well until he grew increasingly scared of eating, even when he was alone in the backyard.  Very often, even with the windows closed, Cow & Bunny would sneaked up and stare at him from inside the house.  Wii was terrified of that as well.

An old photo - this was how Bunny would stare at Wii from a closed window.

Things came to a head recently when Wii was so terrified that he practically stopped eating altogether, whether Cow & Bunny were at the window or not. 

I didn't know what to do anymore.  Having to look after Peanut and Butter, I was on the verge of giving up with him.  He would mew in the backyard, but when I brought food out, he would stare at the food, then stare at the window back and forth, and finally simply refused to eat.  I would have to stand next to him, coax him, and once in a while, he might nibble on the kibbles, but lately, he would just walk away.  My only consolation was that he still looks very well-fed, so I think he has been getting food from a neighbour.   

Today, I decided to try something drastic, so I brought Wii inside the house, right into the kitchen. 

And what do you know?  It seems to be working....

Wii is eating....

Here's Wii eating in the kitchen.  But look at those eyes...he is still on the alert for possible Cow-Bunny territorial attacks. 

Tiger is always nearby to accompany him.

Terrorist No.1 is very near, but Wii didn't seem to be afraid.

Terrorist No.2 is also very near, but sleeping.

Right below, two little pixies are playing, oblivious to the happenings "above".

Ahh...the joys and innocence of childhood!

It's always an advantage being young and innocent.  You don't understand politics, so you're not bothered by it.  You are master of all you survey.  Play on, little pixies...play on joyfully before you grow up...

Peanut-Butter updates

As of this evening, Peanut's stools are firm, but Butter is still passing out loose stools.  Peanut was also smart enough to eat less, but Butter is as hungry as ever, so I think it could be due to over-eating. 

I hope it is just due to over-eating, and not worms again.  I can't risky deworming them too often because the deworming medicine is toxic. 

Both of them clamber to sleep on this plastic donation box.  They both seem to like it very much.  Now, for the first time, they are sharing the box. 

The very stubborn diarrhoea bug

Just when I thought all was going well, Butter came down with diarrhoea again about an hour ago.  I sensed he wasn't too well when he just wanted to sleep this evening.

That's Peanut keeping vigil for Butter, right outside the cage.

But both of them got up and wanted to eat.  Butter wasn't interested in the AD at all, and to my surprise, he only wanted to eat the steamed pumpkin.  I had begun introducing kibbles into their diet, but Peanut too did not want the AD or kibbles. 

This is the first time Butter is eating pumpking by itself.  He appeared to like it very much.  I suppose I should trust that they know what is best for them? 

Peanut also decided he only wanted to eat pumpkin.  But he passed out loose stools shortly after eating.

Both are still actively playing. 

I don't know what stubborn bug this is. 

I can only hope things will improve with time.