Rassy cat & Howard, Sick with kidney failure Options

[forduffy]

Hey Joanne,
I just wanted to stop by and tell you that I can not believe the uncanny resemblance that Whiskers has to Rassy. Best of luck with your new addition! Both boys are so handsome!
Take care,
Stephanie

[goliath]

Well, i seem to have a fixation for cats that look like Rassy. I have given them a name. I call them Rassy Cats.

Now that's catchy JoAnn! LOL I like the ring in that. I bet that makes you laugh and smile alot. RIGHT???

Glad to hear Charlie is doing better too. You are a wonderful and patient Mom. Keep up the good work.

[goliath]

Well...........the pic worked well! Two kittyloves lookin' for something to cause a little mischief. The looks on their faces say it all. LOL

[forduffy]

Hey Joanne,
I love the pictures. I like your new breed of cats. My Duffy had a tuxedo too so I understand your fixation with the markings. Anyone who tells you that you are trying to replace Rassy obviously doesn't know the type of person that you are.
I'm happy to hear that Charlie is doing well and that Whiskers has no special needs but poor Mario! Those food and skin allergies sound horrible. That poor baby. One of my cousins had a dog with skin allergies too. I actually saw a TV show once that had a dog in a shelter who had an allergy to humans. It makes sense that cats and dogs would have allergies like us-I am highly allergic-but it breaks our hearts watching them suffer. They are our babies.

Thank you so much for offering me your shoulder- I really appreciate that and I offer you the same. You are such a special person. Things have been crazy in my life lately and I haven't had much time to get onto the forum but I come around as often as I can, and my life should start to slow down now. Like you, I am moving to another state soon so things have been hectic.
I wish you many hugs, Joanne, and to your little ones. I really hope that Mario starts to feel a little relief. I am no stranger to allergies, myself and they are really awful. Take care.

[goliath]

Rassy Cat certainly has a beautiful and full tail just as the rest of his markings are gorgeous. You tickle me when you speak of how your Howard waited for your hubby. What is so special about that is your hubby's warm greeting in return. That tender spot in our hearts is always remembered by all the little things they do.

[forduffy]

Joanne, you have a very enlightened way of looking at life and I think that that's great. I love that picture of Howard- such beautiful babies.

[goliath]

Joanne, you have a very enlightened way of looking at life and I think that that's great.

Carrying a positive attitude definately helps to enhance our outlook on life. Each day is a gift and an opportunity to give thanks for all we have. We can share the sunshine and warm each other's hearts.

[goliath]

The day I really forgive myself, is the day, I let all the guilt go. I guess the day I forgive myself, is the day I forgive him....And still, I guess, however angry he is with me for how I feel about him, perphas he will forgive me.
Still working on this. I am not an expert....just a human being trying to come to terms with my loss.

Times come when we recognize what needs to be done in any given situation. When we become able to free ourselves of undesirable feelings we make more room for the fuzzy warm feelings that make us feel so good. We can create change if we allow ourselves to.

We all are working on ourelves JoAnn. None of us is an expert, especially me. I can only share with others what has worked for me and what did not work for me. If one person benefits, then it makes my effort all the more worthwhile.

May the sunshine in your heart touch all those around you.

[goliath]

Well, the words are nice to hear, but behind these posts there is an individual who basically fell apart. And all I can say is thank you to everyone who posted to me and supported me. What I learned is just how comforting kind words can be and to know, there were others who cared enough to help me through my grief.[/i]

I understand all in what you say JoAnn. Behind all of my posts there also is an individual who once was completely crippled and helpless. That person is behind me now. Little by little those broken pieces of my heart have mended. It is very comforting to me as well to read other's respones in my threads. For I too am still recovering. No matter where I post it is important, whether it is about Goliath or Gidget, or my newby baby Browser.

We do all care and share and I have always loved to share words of inspiration to others because not only does it help them, but me as well. As I continue in this journey of growing, I don't know where it will take me. But I do know I am headed in the right direction.

[misskittymc]

Joanne,
I lost my dear baby Ginger to kidney disease. I put her to sleep last night. Like your Lilly, she was down to 5lbs. I am also tormented with "what ifs" and "should'ves." I miss her so much. XOXO

[misskittymc]

Joanne,
Thank you for your kind words. As tough as the decision is, we definitely do not want our dear babies to suffer. It's interesting that you mention seizures because that was one of my greatest fears. A friend of mine has lost 2 kitties to CRF, and she told me that one of them had seizures and died on her kitchen floor. Considering how much Ginger loved going outside, I didn't want to deprive her of that joy, but I can honestly tell you that since the warm weather started I hardly had a peaceful moment while she was outside. My greatest fear was that she would have a seizure and die outside away from me. Considering how much weight she had lost and how quickly she seemed to be deteriorating, I knew it was only a matter of time before her other organs started giving out. Take care of your other kitties. I found a website that was very helpful, you may already be familiar with it... www.felinecrf.org. This website offers not only medical information but also very helpful suggestions to control or at least minimize the impact of some symptoms. For example, Ginger would throw up every single day, at least 3 times a day. Then I read that if you raise their food bowl, this minimizes stomach acid and helps with the vomiting. It also helps if they eat at least a little before bed. These tips were definitely helpful; I put her food bowl on top of a small flower pot, and Ginger went for weeks without throwing up. I'm sorry about your babies, I hope your Lilly and Charlie continue to do well.

[misskittymc]

Btw, is that chocolate siamese, Lilly? She looks a little like my Minna!

[myhrtisbrkn]

I think all cats are beautiful,but WOW ...Charlie is a stunner! I could be a little biased, since he reminds me very much of my beautiful Siammix Fleasy, who I lost to crf and a killer vet 15 years ago. It's good to hear he and Lilly are doing well.

Judy's so right...baby steps forward sometimes a step back, especially with what you've gone through.


Kisses for Kittys,
Dayna

[MrFuji'sPop]

Hi folks,
I've been browsing here for about a month. Had my almost 16 yr old oriental shorthair PTS June 3, after battle with CRF. Unfortunately what put him over edge was bad reaction to drug for urinary blockage. Yes the food and vaccines are causing alot of the diseases we see in our pets today. There are some decent natural foods out there , such as Wellness, EVO, Natural brand, and some raw natural diets. If you google natural cat food you'l see lots of great info. Main thing is to have meat as 1st ingredient(preferably chicken/turkey, minimizing the beef and fish products), and no grains, glutens,by-products. I fed a homemade raw chicken diet after diagnosed with CRF. He loved it, but it is very time-consuming and must add all the proper nutrients in specific amounts.

Also, check out Feline Instincts/Felines pride site- great info on food. Other great site is ShirleysWellnessCafe.com. It has human and pet info on everything you can image, including natural 'vaccines' called Nosodes.

[openhearted87]

That's when life is cruel....not allowing us to save the one life put into our lives and allowed that strong beautiful bond to be created...then life comes in the future and takes them away.

Hi Judy

I wanted toshare some bad news with you. Not like I havent shared so much with you already. Mario is sick. Now I find out he has a heart murmur. How can this be. He has been to this vet so many times since I got him at the end of Nov. You know I found a wonderful homeopath vet in WA. Things were going quite well for me. She cured Lily of her digestive issues. I was beginning to doubt Lily would ever be well. But this vet in wa did it. she has been working with me for one month concerning Mario. He has finally stopped itching and licking like he was....He had a few good days and then bingo back to his old ways. Well, the vet I used had him in and out for seven months and his problems only got worse. So, today, I got this sixth sense feeling. His coat looks wonderful. His fur is growing in, but now he has a heart murmur. Mario is not that old of a cat. Well, I came hom and cried. Then I sent the report to the vet in WA. Things dont make sense. The things she has had me doing, dont cause heart murmurs. Her first question to me, this just came up? So she told me we would go alone with what the allopath vet says for a week. Then there may be some testing. Whatever the results, nothing will be done without her imput. She did tell me there were hollistic treatments for heart murmurs.

Somehow, I wonder if they were grasping for straws trying to look to blame...I dont know. I do know there is a lady vet at the allopath who told me they do work with some homeopath patients. She wasnt opposed to work with my homeopath vet in WA. I have watched Mario suffer for the last seven months or so with skin allergies, digestive issues and now this. Just how much is this little baby supposed to endure. And now here I am at least knowing, that the words if only etc are not cropping up in my face. Somehow, Rassy cat prepared me for dealing with Mario.

tonight I intend to spend lots of time with him even more than I normally do. Whiskers loves Mario. He would be in bad shape if anything happened and so would I. How many tears will I shed for my kids. Mario is probably the saddest because he has not had that many good days feeling good. When we move, he is going on raw food. I have a vet lined up in Utah who is homeopath. and will work with the vet in wa. For now, I have Mario on wysong which she told me about. Its a wonderful diet for him. I just wonder if his heart murmur could have been caused in part due to crummy food.

As I tell you about Mario, I know this is going to break your heart too. I remember how you refer to him as that little dickens. I can't begin to tell you how sweet he is. He makes such cute noises when he talks. And he is just so loving.

Why Mario what did he do....
Joanne

i'm so sorry to hear about mario's state after all you all have been through. kitties can live with a heart murmur though.the only thing i know that can cause a heart murmur is too much fluids from an IV.that happened to a kitty i used to have. i would take one day at a time. it seems like when it rains, it pours sometimes. i dont know why some have to go through so much or pass sooner than another. i wish i could make sense of it. my heart is with you. i hope you and your kitties find strength in each other.my heart is with you all.

with love corina and her angels

[openhearted87]

i'm so sorry to hear about mario's state after all you all have been through. kitties can live with a heart murmur though.the only thing i know that can cause a heart murmur is too much fluids from an IV.that happened to a kitty i used to have. i would take one day at a time. it seems like when it rains, it pours sometimes. i dont know why some have to go through so much or pass sooner than another. i wish i could make sense of it. my heart is with you. i hope you and your kitties find strength in each other.my heart is with you all.

with love corina and her angels

i'm sorry you are going through this. we are here for you through it all.your babies are adorable. i have a kitty who looks similar to your fluffy baby but he has no tail.

with love corina and her angels

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[Gabbycat94]

Joanne,

I just found the group last week. I completely agree with out about the food. I had been feeding Science diet and Iams to my kitties and I kept losing really young kitties under 10 to kideny failures. I never heard of CRF until a year ago. My Dylan got very sick. I lost him to CRF with hypertion 04/26/08. Since 1995 i been losing kitties to CRF and didn't know therewas such a diase. I been to multiple vets they just told your cats got kidney disease and they are dying. CRF is not curable but it highly treatable if caught earlly.

I just assume everyone will have kidney issues and they all the same food spike with phos binder. I am sorry about you losing Rassy cat almost a year ago. He was blessed to have the opportunity of living a life of being loved and cherished . I switched all the kitties to Wellness brand as it has the corn in it. I think the corn was creating the kidney issues.


Blessings,
Michelle

[myhrtisbrkn]

Joanne,

I wholeheartedly agree about the vaccinations, I attribute a lot of BKs tremendous longevity to the fact that he has always been an inside cat, and because getting him to the vets was a tremendous effort for my very elderly mother he has almost never been vaccinated.



thinking of you kids during your move,
Dayna

[myhrtisbrkn]

I feel I've been very fortunate, in that, since BK. and I started this long battle with crf 2 years ago,our vet has never once raised the issue of vaccinations...Which tells me that he knows they are problematic, or at the very least unnecessary.

I so wish I could comfort you on the self-blame issue. We all struggle with that one...it's just an unavoidable down-side to being willing to be responsible for innocent life. But for me, and I believe that for you, the alternative is not an option.

Dayna

[oliver's mama]

Hi Joanne,

I just wanted to check in and let you know I didn't forget about asking around about fatty liver tips. The one girl I asked didn't know anything in particular and the other was on vacation until last Tues. Her dog had just died that weekend, so things have been rough for her. However, she did bring me in a book of her's to look through by Dr. Goldstein (?) although she did say it is about 10 years old. She said it's a really good book though. I plan on looking at it tomorrow, so I will keep you posted if I find anything that might seem even remotely helpful (I think she said there are some recipes in there for home-made food, although don't quote me on that just yet.) Lily's bloodwork came back worse, so believe me, I am on the lookout for some good advice too and will share it promptly. Hugs and I hope you and your babies are hanging in there...

Sarah