Prayers needed for my kitten...

Community Introductions & Off Topic
1

Hi all,

As some of you guys know, at the start of December my family & I became the proud “parents” of two beautiful Balinese kittens - these two babies, known as Louis & Toby, were 12 weeks old when we got them and are without question the greatest joy in our lives! http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/images/smilies/smile.gif

This morning we took them to the vet’s to be “snipped” (sure you can guess what that means!) and, whilst Toby was able to be done, they were unable to do Louis, as his pre-anesthetic blood test revealed that his kidneys are not functioning properly - he’s basically in the early stages of kidney failure! http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/images/smilies/frown.gif And, although they just scrape in to the bracket of being acceptable, the amount of red blood cells in his blood are extremely low, and he is likely to develop anemia {spellcheck?}…

Our vet has recommended he be referred to a specialist to ascertain how bad the problem is, and even though the bill is £500 - £2000, my family & I agree that we shall find the money somehow, as we all feel we need to know the answer before making any sort of decision. The vet’s prognosis at this early stage is that Louis could live for some years yet, or that he could be dead before his 1st birthday! http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/images/smilies/frown.gif

Please can I take the liberty of asking all of you who believe in such things to pray for Louis, and to send your positive energy to him - I know that you guys have all been so kind to me in the past, for this favour you would always have my deepest thanks. http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/images/smilies/smile.gif

http://www.thundercatslair.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=124&d=1173394985

This attached pic was taken on Christmas Day morning - Louis is the chocolate-point kitten on the left.

Take care, everyone, and thanks for listening.

Louis & Toby.jpg

2

I’m really sad to hear this Chris. I know how awful it can be when this crap happens! I wish you all the best in dealing with this awful news. I’m sure you will do whats right for him and you of course have my best wishes. Please keep is informed!

3

Can only mirror what Neil just said.. Life can stir up some horrible situations. I know you and your family will do your best for him. I pray for the best mf friend :slight_smile:

4

They are so cute! My thoughts are with you Chris.

5

Chris, I know that your pets re basically an extension of your family and its tough to go thru something like this. However I do firmly believe that cats do have 9 lives and Louis will pull thru and stay with you for a long while. My thoughts are with you and your family and hope for a speedy recovery of Louis

6

so sorry to hear that news, its always hard when that happens i hope everything turns out well and my thoughts are with you.

7

I know how you feel, Chris. I have two cats myself. It’s heartbreaking when a pet becomes seriously ill, and it’s even more painful when the pet is as young as Louis is. I hope he pulls out of it.:bengali:

8

Aw, such cute kitties. Best of luck to you and them, hon :hugs:

9

Chris I hope things turn out ok for your kittens

10

Hey, Chris. I’m sorry to hear about your cat. Life can really get to us sometimes. I want you to know that the cat and your family are in my thoughts and prayers, and I hope all goes well. Hang in there, friend…

11

Oh Chris, I am so sorry! I know how you feel, been through this myself (just with dogs)! I hope that all turns out well and that Louis will recover quick!!!
You, your family and the kittens are in my thoughts!!!

Nadja

P.S. They are just too adorable!

12

Hey Chris, my very best wishes for your kitten’s health.

13

Keep us posted on Louis’s progress.

14

Update on Louis…

Chris here…

Hey everyone, I just wanted to update you guys on the situation with Louis. Louis went to see the specialist today, who performed a variety of tests on him including ultrasound - I’m afraid the diagnosis, whilst not entirely unexpected, is very bad. Louis basically has deformed kidneys - both of his kidneys are really tiny and one is completely misshapen. The specialist says that Louis is living on almost zero kidney function, and also that he has anemia, a result of his dysfunctional metabolism. The specialist also said that what Louis has is very rare, and is most probably the very worst case of this problem that she has ever seen, particularly in an animal so young - although she can’t say for 100% certain, the specialist indicated that the problem is likely genetic and something Louis has had from birth. http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/images/smilies/frown.gif

Louis will need a special diet (which we’ve started him on as of this evening), regular injections and drip therapy. Although at the present time he’s not suffering in any way (and in fact is bounding around playing, totally oblivious to everything!), unfortunately the prognosis for his life expectancy is very bad - the specialist has told my Mum that she expects Louis’s life to be measured in months rather than years, and basically would consider it a major result if Louis were still alive to celebrate his 1st birthday in September. It’s unlikely that we’ll still have Louis by this Christmas… http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/images/smilies/frown.gif

Obviously this has hit all of us pretty hard. The specialist has told us that with Louis we have to “treat each day as a bonus” - unfortunately where I feel particularly bitter is that we were in a situation where we had to take that mentality for six years with our old cat, Dusty (a.k.a. Doris!) who died last summer. However, whereas when Doris died you can easily justify it given that he was four weeks shy of 19 years old, with a kitten as young as Louis we were obviously not expecting to go back to this this early. Plus, the kittens had played a major role in getting me over my Grandad’s sudden and unexpected death - now of course it all comes flooding back. If we lose Louis before August, that will mean I will have lost three people I’ve been really close to in the space of a year - how many more body blows can life have to inflict? http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/images/smilies/frown.gif

Both the specialist and our regular vet feel that we should consider introducing a third kitten into the house, ideally sooner rather than later, so that Toby has company, as for a boisterous indoor cat to go from being a “duo” to a “solo” this young in his life isn’t a great idea - we definitely agree, although obviously at this exact moment it’s not something we particularly want to give detailed thought to.

Thank you, everybody, for all of your thoughts and prayers - although obviously there’s nothing to be done to prolong Louis’s life significantly, I’m sure that all of the positivity you’ve been sending his way has been one reason why he’s looked and acted so healthy these past couple of weeks. All of this is very much appreciated, my friends. http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/images/smilies/smile.gif

Take care… http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/images/smilies/smile.gif

15

Thanks for keeping us up to speed Chris. Really sorry to hear your bad news.

However I know Louis will be kept very happy over the next months with all your love and support. I also agree with the vet, in some cases a cat (never mind a kitten!) can pine for it’s brother/sister, which in turn can make that also ill :frowning:

Though I can certainly understand that is isn’t something you want to even think about right now.

Stay strong.

16

I am sorry to hear those news Chris! Don’t really know what to say!
Hang in there my friend!

Take care,

Nadja

P.S. And you know, Manny and I are always just an email away…

17

Chris I am so very sorry to hear this terrible news, I know though that Louis will be given much love and support and that he will be having the most happy times. Take Care my friend…remember we’re here for you anytime

18

I’m very sorry to hear this Chris :frowning:
We had a similar situation with my cat Mac last year, who had begun having problems with his kidneys, granted he was 13 years old, so it’s not the same. But on his medication he was able to live for an extra year.

Again, very sorry to hear this Chris.

19

Oh, how sad. It’s the unfortunate truth that when a dog’s or cat’s kidneys stop functioning, there’s little that any veterinarian can do in that situation. I had cats that I had to have put down because they were elderly and their kidneys had stopped working. In light of what you’ve said about Louis, I agree with the specialist and your family vet about getting a third cat. It won’t make Louis’s loss any less painful, but it will indeed make his remaining days that much brighter and give Toby an extra friend. And hopefully it will help you and your family make the transition as well.

Thinking of you and Louis.

20

Further kitten news… :slight_smile:

Chris here…

Hey everyone, apologies for reviving an old thread - I just wanted to update all you guys on our kitten situation! http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/images/smilies/smile.gif

You may recall a while ago we were contemplating getting a third kitten, predominantly for Toby (our healthy kitten) so that there would be a “transitional period” between a new kitten arriving and losing Louis? Well, a couple of weeks ago we collected the newest addition to our family, another beautiful Balinese kitten who we’ve named Thomas!

http://www.thundercatslair.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=134&d=1179612743

Although his introduction into our house was initially rather, er, “dramatic”, they all now get on really well and are really happy with each other, always playing together and cuddling up together!

http://www.thundercatslair.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=135&d=1179612748

Also, I thought you’d like to know that Louis at the moment is doing really well - he’s been receiving injections for his anemia that he’s responded really well to, so much so that the amount he receives has had to be scaled back from three times a week to twice a week to once a week, and now to once a fortnight! The vet is amazed at how well he’s doing - he’s also full of energy, really happy, and is also the heaviest he’s ever been, having had a growth spurt, and is now a pretty much normal weight for a kitten his age! :slight_smile:

Looking at him, our vet has actually stated that it may not be outside the realms of possibility for us to have Louis a little longer than initially thought - although Louis could go suddenly, dramatically downhill at any time, the vet stated that based on his current health we might even have him for another couple of years, which would be amazing! I’m rather reluctant to actually tell people this for fear of jinxing it (let’s face it, it sounds too good to be true) - but, at the same time I felt I should let you guys and girls know that, certainly at the present time, your prayers and positive thoughts seem to be working! Thank you!! http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/images/smilies/smile.gif

Take care… :slight_smile:

Thomas 1.jpg

Thomas, Louis & Toby.jpg