Daily Photo: Cruising With Mewsette
We’ve had a few changes in Mewsette’s diagnoses that have kept me busy, to say the least! It’s been a fairly rough road for Mewsette, and I’m spending all the time I need to in keeping her feeling well as we work on all the things, so aside from my new artwork and monthly calendar I haven’t posted anywhere at all. It’s time to catch up.
I last updated on May 2, the day before we headed to her regular veterinarian for a pre-dental exam and blood tests. We discovered three main things: in the five weeks since her last blood tests at PetWellClinic her hyperthyroid disease had switched completely over to hypothyroid disease; she has developed non-regenerative anemia; and is likely experiencing symptoms of pancreatitis similar to Mr. Sunshine but without the spiking fever. Also, her kidneys are two very different sizes but are still functioning just fine. All tests for FIV, FeLV, heartworms and all parasites were negative and all organ function was normal. Her xrays showed the two different kidneys but nothing else really. She has not gained any weight.
Her tooth resorption and need for a serious dental have taken a back seat due to these developments, but the symptoms I saw developing through April are consistent with these conditions. When I saw her a little weak and wobbly near the end of March it seemed to follow her dose of gabapentin and we changed to buprenorphine, but when her gait and her activity level remained lower than before, and she was having trouble with constipation, I asked about osteoarthritis treatment. Because she had responded so well and quickly with Adequan in 2021 we started injections, but nothing really changed. I could only afford them weekly instead of twice a week as is recommended, and these other symptoms were developing, so I stopped and waited for the visit with her veterinarian.
She is apparently experiencing a lot more abdominal pain than dental pain, and the weakness is a combination of the hypothyroid condition and the anemia. The abdominal pain is acting like pancreatitis, but could also be IBD or even lymphoma. The anemia is likely secondary to they hypothyroid disease since no infections were present.
The hypothyroid disease is very odd since it very rarely happens in cats, though a condition called euthyroid sick syndrome is usually what happens. This is a condition that looks and acts like hypothyroid disease, but it doesn’t test out that way, nor does it respond well or at all to medication for hypothyroid disease.
Incidentally, I was diagnosed with a similar condition in 2001 and my doctor and I went through years of different thyroid stimulants and supplements and though I ended up on medication, it only worked temporarily and I cycled on and off of it. The condition resolved on its own around 2014-2015. Stress levels can deeply affect your thyroid, and that was the time when my brother had had his brain injury and then my mother her lung cancer surgery with serious medical complications following, and I was self-employed and trying to keep up with all of it as each was expected not to survive. That will kill a thyroid for sure. I’m not sure Mewsette’s is due to stress, but I understand the way the disease functions in her body.
In Mewsette, for one of a few possible reasons, reaction to methimazole being one of them, the thyroid drops its function level over time. Her March 25 blood tests showed her T4 at 8, which is pretty high and clearly hyperthyroid. We increased her medication at that time, though I had already begun to see some of these recent changes developing prior to that which was the reason I took her to PetWellClinic in the first place. This thyroid condition developed over the five weeks between the March 25 and May 2 exams.
I’m balancing a lot of support and palliative care for her through the days, and I’ve spent some pretty late nights observing her, and also noting that she often has a great appetite at 3:30 a.m. But it’s her reduced dose of Felimazole, gabapentin for pain and Miralax for constipation and Cerenia for vomiting and Miratiz for her appetite, and a small dose of subcutaneous fluids, and two Chinese herb combinations and each a renal and enteric supplement, each day. Also, reiki, and a small Assisi Loop for short treatments which Dr. Michelle brought for her dental issues but which works wonders on her abdomen. Whatever food she will eat, small bite by small bite, keeping everyone else out of it, along with treats.
Mr. Sunshine has been a very comforting and healing brother. The two are regularly found cuddling in interesting combinations on the self-warming mat by the window.
If Morty and Mr. Max weren’t in the studio I’d put her in there overnight and for a few periods during the day so she could eat at leisure and still spend time with us, but doing all this in the space with the rest of the felines means staying with her a lot of the day, usually in the kitchen. We also enjoy visiting the back yard at least once each day, except for the really crappy days last week. It’s been beautiful for just about the past week and I wish she had more energy to enjoy it, on the other hand I know that being able to walk around in the sun and grass and fresh air is great for her physically and emotionally, and it’s the time I see her acting most like herself.
Here she is exploring the back yard after her reiki treatment three days ago–click the photo below to see a video of Mewsette which will open in a new window. This video is hosted in my Dropbox folder; sometimes I don’t want to add these really short videos onto my YouTube channel so I decided to give this a try.
If clicking the photo doesn’t work, click here for the video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4g9cip5l2wxq7dj/20230508_113105.mp4?raw=1
I don’t have any other social media posts to catch up with because I haven’t actually posted anything anywhere since the beginning of May. But we’ve been enjoying our time since the wonderful spring weather has returned, and I’ve been working off some of my own stress in the garden and yard, sometimes supurrvised, and sometimes they let me out all by myself.
If you’d like to help us with the costs…
I have two ultrasounds coming up—I’m so excited to have found that one of our shelters offers low-cost ultrasounds as part of their low-cost clinic! Mewsette needs an ultrasound and Mr. Sunshine still needs one from last autumn, and I can get these two done and hopefully find out more about both of their conditions. This along with all the visits for blood tests and veterinary checkups pretty much take up any extra money I have, but I’m just inching along with both Mewsette and Mr. Sunshine. I keep thinking that with both of them, if I’d had the money sooner, I may have caught the earlier symptoms of what we see now before it became critical.
As always, if you would like to help me with veterinary costs, which will include dentals for all four of them, and Giuseppe and Jelly Bean haven’t had their senior exams yet at all. Morty still needs prescription foods until I can get him back to the veterinarian for some blood tests so we can find out more about his particular condition, and all of them need to eat.
- Consider a Custom Pet Memorial Votive for yourself or a family member or friend. Remember that they don’t actually have to be memorials—a votive with someone’s pet on it while they are very much alive is also a nice custom gift!
- Visit www.PortraitsOfAnimals.net. I am currently preparing my basement studio for handmade goods but it will be a couple weeks before I start stocking things, but look around in my Handmade Gifts Gallery.
- I have four Stained Glass Cats small votives which I now offer with string lights in addition to an LED votive for your choice of lighting.
- I still have plenty of feline garden flags, though I’m currently out of a few designs.
- I have one of each of the Tortie Girls block prints and one of Awakening, all are matted and framed.
- And consider even a small portrait of one or more of your fine felines!
If you have any questions, please let me know! And thanks for any help.
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Mewsette lets the warm sun wash her back while she sits and simply looks lovely. Read more and purchase.
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All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.
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Weekly schedule of features:
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Monday: Adoptable Cats, TNR & Shelters
Tuesday: Rescue Stories
Wednesday: Commissioned Portrait or Featured Artwork
Thursday: New Merchandise
Friday: Book Review, Health and Welfare, Advocacy
Saturday: Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat, Living Green With Pets, Creating With Cats
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I am sorry poor Mewsette has so much going on with her. I am prying for her and Mr Sunshine. XO
She really turned a corner today, I’m so happy. I hope I can keep this going and maybe try to move her ultrasound up a little sooner.
Purrs and prayer to sweet Mewsette from all of us. That beautiful girl sure is ealing with a lot.
Thank you Brian! Just like her brother Mr. Sunshine was last autumn, and now he’s feeling fine and enjoys all the games I play to get his hypertension meds into him. They will both be getting an ultrasound at the end of the month and we’ll see what shows up then.
We send purrayers and Power of the Paw to Mewsette – and to all kitties as they age, as mine are. Our own issues as we age are augmented by our concern for our kitties.
You are right, Mary–I can tell my doctor where it hurts and discuss but we have to poke and prod our kitties to figure it out and sometimes it’s very expensive and complicated. Mewsette thanks you!
Sending lots of purrs to sweet Mewsette!!
Hope she will feel well soon.
Purrs, Julie
Thank you so much! Things were still pretty rough yesterday but last night she was feeling better and this morning she’s almost back to normal, still just a little weak, but we had a great time in the garden. Hoping to keep her this way!