Medical Updates of Critters in My Care

Hissy (18 yr old cat now)

Hissy has been tested for Heartworm and is negative. She has had all her shots and appeared normal on her first vet visit. However, later I noticed that there was a bulge on her right side when she laid on her left. I hardly noticed it at first since she always was up to greet me whenever I came into the room. But I caught her cat napping and saw that. It seems she has a body hernia. The vet feels that it was most likely caused by trying to escape the flood waters of Katrina and her age. What to do now is uncertain. A. We can just watch it and make sure it doesn't get worse or involve organs later down the road. B. Have the vet try to mend it with surgery. But the vet doesn't feel like there is enough there to mend since it is an older hernia and her age. C. Take her to a surgeon for evaluation and see if he wants to do a surgery with the possibility of a mesh added in case there isn't enough there to sew back together.
If she needs surgery, the estimate is $1500.
Hissy has since gained back all the weight she lost. According to her owner, who has since given her to me because she didn't want her to go through any more turmoil, she was fat before Katrina which is probably what saved her. Kind of like Pugsly's situation. But it is hard to put a cat on a diet when you have others that need to eat regular food. I have started to put Hissy in Penny's kennel in the morning when I feed the others to keep her from the other food. So you might say, that because Hissy is a pig, that action lands her in the dog house!

Gwen (4 yr old cat)

Has not been to the vet yet. She was given all her shots down in New Orleans and her follow-up de-wormer as well. She is loving attention and brushing, but is still very cautious of people. She lets myself and my husband pet her and brush her. So she is still a little too feral for a vet visit without losing all I have gained in her trust. I love her coloring as it is very unique. I cannot dscribe it here as that is part of how I validate ownership. Charger is now in my office with her and has done a lot to bring her out of her shell and show her that humans aren't bad after all.

Penny (3 years)

Penny has had all of her shots, but needs one more booster. She is scheduled to be spayed as soon as we can get her to act civil towards the vet. We have changed vets for her to the new office where my favorite vet has gone to. She seems to feel more comfortable there, but has not actually had a vet touch her yet.
Penny graduated her 7 weeks of Canine Obedience classes. She was actually boarded there for the most benefit to her. She is showing more and more characteristics of German Shepard. I wonder what else she is. Possibly Coyote?

Daisy (3 years)

Daisy has gone on to Portland with her new Mommy - my eldest daughter, Kate. She just told me that there is a place where she took Daisy to get her nails clipped that has a playtime scheduled for 1.5 hours every Sunday for all kinds of dogs. They get to run loose together and play as long as they all behave. From what I hear, Daisy was pretty cautious the first time, but has since made friends with all kinds of dogs. The funniest combination, Kate said, was Daisy and a Great Dane.

02/22/2009 - Daisy and her Mom have returned to Seattle where her Mom is now a Cordon Bleu Chef. Daisy likes this as she helps to taste test in the kitchen at home.

Charger (5 yr old cat)

You won't believe him now! That is what I tell everyone who was in the cattery and got to know about Charger - the mostly white cat with orange on his head and tail. He no longer does his charge (which I thought was cute). He has joined up with Gwen and they sleep together in my office. They are so cute together. Charger is like her big brother.
Charger has the run of the house. He doesn't really like the dogs - mostly Penny as she tends to chase him. She thinks he is playing with her. I don't think she understands the differences of cat and dogs. He hasn't tried to swipe at her - he just runs away.
He loves to sit in my lap while I work, although he does tend to creep up closer to my hands ending up between me and the keyboard.

Hello Kitty (older than 18 yr old, I am sure)

She is healthy and heartworm free and has had all her shots. She does have only one tooth, but seems to eat hard food well - she just doesn't chew it. She and Hissy are now out with the rest of the gang with the run of the entire house, except for the garage. Hissy does win the dominance battles, but Chloe wins those battles over Penny. If her owner doesn't find her, then she will definitely remain with our family and be renamed Chloe in remembrance of another Black and White Kitty lost in the Katrina Hurricane.
She has gained some weight back and is looking really good. She follows me all around the living room and kitchen howling to let me know when she is hungry - which is almost 4 times a day.

Pneumonia Kitty (11 yr old cat) A.K.A. Jean Lafitte or the original Spit Face.

He is definitely FIV+. He has made good progress, but I am always on my guard with him. We also felt bad calling him pneumonia kitty, so we have given him a name of a famous pirate from the New Orleans area, Jean Lafitte. We figured if he was tough and this kitty had his name, then he could beat the infections he has right now and become a placable and loving cat to someone someday. There is always hope.
He is now living in our bedroom in what we call the bonus room. It is a room built over the garage as part of the master bedroom. He can see us whenever we come and go. We talk to him more and more and he is starting to talk back.