wandering star
I just got home from the vet.
The whole drive down there, we sat in some of the worst LA traffic I’ve seen in years (at least it felt that way . . . my perception was obviously skewed by grief and worry) and Sketch howled and panted the entire way, so I scritched his little fang face, and told him how so many kitties and monkeys were pulling for him, and how we were getting closer to the doctor who would take care of him and help him feel better. The truthis, I was trying to convince myself more than him. By the time we got there, he was breathing so hard he wasn’t even holding his head up, and I was convinced that he was going to die before I could get him into the waiting room.
As soon as we walked in, a tech came over and put him into an oxygen cage to help him calm down and breathe, while Anne and I waited to talk with the doctor.
After a few tense minutes, the vet came in, and told us that Sketch has congestive heart failure, and that’s why his lungs are filling up with fluid. He said that this is a common condition in Maine Coon cats, and he’s treated it many times before. It was very reassuring to hear so much confidence from the vet. At least now we have an idea of how to proceed.
We still don’t know what brought it on, and until we perform the cardiac ultrasound, we won’t know for sure, or how to treat it. The vet told us that he can drain Sketch’s lungs with Lasix, and when Sketch calms down, he’ll be able to do the ultrasound. He’s pretty sure it’s hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, though, and he told us that he just saw a kitty this morning who he treated a year ago, who looked just like Sketch when she came in. I don’t want to have false hope, but Anne keeps saying, “I just don’t think it’s Sketch’s time to go,” and I desperately want to believe her.
The really sad news is that, even after his lungs are cleared out, we won’t ever be able to reverse the damage to his heart, and he will eventually die from it. If we *are* able to drain his lungs and figure out what’s wrong with his heart, he should have good quality of life, though he’ll spend the rest of it on medication.
The really encouraging news is that the vet knew right away what was wrong, and how to get Sketch comfortable and stabilized. He told us that once a cat is stabilized from this sort of thing, it’s very rare for them to worsen or die. So we’re hopeful, but prepared for the worst, as well.
You know that saying, “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best”? When you’re actually doing it, it’s a lot harder than it sounds.
The doctor wants to take things slowly with Sketch, so he doesn’t stress him out and make things worse, so right now we’re just focused on making him comfortable and getting his lungs clear. Once that’s done, we’ll do the ultrasound, and then we’ll get a better picture of what comes next. I doubt we’ll know anything for at least 24 hours.
I want to thank everyone who has kept Anne, me, and Sketch in your thoughts. Your comments and e-mails have meant a great deal to us (even Sketch, who only reads at a first grade level.)
I’ll post more when I know more.
Discover more from WIL WHEATON dot NET
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Wil – Great news to hear such confidence from the vet. Sketch is lucky to have such caring friends… should we all be so blessed! I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed.
–T
That sounds encouraging Wil. I’m glad to hear that it’s treatable. Viva Sketch!
Wil that is awesome. I have been checking all day to find out how things turned out. I agree with Anne. Its not his time yet. Hearing your good news makes me want to go home and hug all my furry babies and thank the powers that be that I have them in my life. Thank you and thank Sketch and family for reminding me of just how lucky I am to have pets.
My thoughts are with you in the coming days but I just know everything will be okay:)
Looks like most of the WWdN posters were right Wil. I’m glad you are able to have some more time with Sketch.
Sketch will be in my thoughts. I’ve just been through this (with my kitty), I know how awful waiting can be. Be strong, as you usually are 🙂
Wil –
*mojo for Sketch*
I work for a medical device company called Guidant. We make pacemakers and implantable defibrillators for use in humans.
We also make devices used to treat conjestive heart failure. It resynchronizes the two sides of the heart so that they pump equal amounts of blood. I doubt you would be able to find one that could be used on a cat, but I just wanted to let you know one of the treatment options. I don’t know how much the doctor has told you, but basically the lungs fill up with fluid because the left side of the heart isn’t pumping as much blood out of the lungs as the right side is pumping into the lungs.
This disease is all too common in humans, so I would imagine that quite a bit of research has been done. Good luck to you and to Sketch!
Go Sketch Go!!! What wonderful news! Good luck, my happy thoughts are with you all.
I know this sounds really stupid, but don’t forget to explain things to your other pets. They are probably very concerned about Sketch as well and will need some reassurance. (okay, I watch too much pet psychic)
Somebody up there likes you, Wil. I’m glad to hear that things are looking up a bit. I know you like quotes; I’m fond of them myself. Two for you and the family:
“Shall I tell you what I find beautiful about you? You are at your best when things are worst….” – From the movie “Starman”
“There is still hope.” – Arwen, “The Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers”
I’ll keep up the mojo and ask The Boss to keep an eye on the Fat Boy.
Keeping the Ol’ Scepter of Justice on the charger, just in case,
The Goddess of Justice and Vengeance
(Cautiously) good news, wil. Still sending the mojo from myself and Monkey (a cat. not a monkey. once had a vet when I told them the name of my cat say “so it’s a monkey?”)
Hopefully looking forward to pictures of a re-energized and well Sketch sometime in the near future.
Went through the same thing with my Beandog a few years ago. Well, sort of. Life threatening. Big, scary C-word. Waiting. Specialists. In the end they had to remove his ear. I’m just happy he’s healthy.
It will be the same for Sketch.
Well, except he’ll still have directional hearing… But you get my point. Maybe.
Go Sketch! Feel better soon.
I am SO glad your cat is doing well… I really hope things are ok for you and Sketch. Take care, and hope you have a good day (considering)
Sincerely,
Aaron the Cluka
Sounds like a good vet bud. he’ll be fine I’d say. Just make sure when he comes home that he stays in doors for a bit. Im a chemist and work for pharmaceutical company (animal and helathcare products).
Two common causes for it in animals are a hypertyroid or a lack of taurin (an amino acid)from the diet.
If its only from a hyperthyroid, then he might return fully to normal without a need for medication once the lungs are cleared.
If its not due to a hyper tyroid, then ask vet if the following human drugs can be of use for animals if the dosage is reduced.
Frusemide 80mg
Spironalactone 100mg
Ramipril 10mg
Carvedilol 37.5mg
Warfarin 3 or 4mg
Thyroxine 25mcg
Thiamine 100mg
Multi-Vits 1 tablet
Fluoxetine 20mg
Lansoprazole 30mg
The treatment will prolong his life by about 3 years. I’d say he’ll be ok buddy. Any pic of what the cat looks like by the way? (just curious cos i luv cats)
Very good news. I think Sketch will become a very old cat. I’m sure he gets well soon.
My cat Baine was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy over 4 years ago. At that time the vet said he had six months to a year. He does not at this point have any symptoms or any change in lifestyles.
I wish Sketch and your whole family much health
While CHF isn’t curable, it is very treatable, in both cats & humans. One of my aunts lived nearly 20 years after she was diagnosed, because she was very careful to take her meds every morning & evening. I hope Sketch is a good pilltaker!
Oh, man. I am so sending good kitty mojo your direction.
We’re in a similar fix here; my partner’s 18-year-old cat, Licorice, is showing signs of decline and he and his family are pretty ripped up about What To Do.
Thinking good thunks, dude.
Continued mojo for the fellow.
Good to hear. Cautiously optimistic for you all.
Hang in there. 🙂
Thats great news. I had to take my cat Nermal (yeah blame the ex-husband) to the vet today for wheezing and coughing. She’s a pure breed Russian Blue and the vet told me to quit smoking. That will keep her from getting worse. I was planning on it now I really am for her health and saftey.
Your in my prayers
I’m sorry, I hope Sketch gets better! Give him some mojo for me! You’re in my thoughts.
Good luck with Sketch. Sounds like a great fuzzball.
*ear skritch for Sketch*
Sending good thoughts your way, and Sketch’s way, of course. Let us know when you know something definite.
Fingers crossed.
Thank you, everyone.
I just got off the phone with Sketch’s doctor. He told me that Sketch was resting comfortably, and had calmed down considerably since we brought him in this morning. He said that they got his IV catheter into his paw without any difficulty, and they are going to take Xrays in about an hour or so.
I have to leave for the rest of the evening, so I won’t be able to offer any more updates. If I’m not too tired when I get home tonight, I’ll share whatever I know then.
Thank you all again for your support and kindness.
Sketch and Wil,
Still sending major positive mojo your way, (cautiously optimistic!) Take care all.
Tim from Nor Cal (and Ping, Copper, Mr. Bojangles, Domino & their staff)
Focus on the positive…a good quality of life, even on meds., And you’ll get VERY good at shoving pills down his throat, not having to rely in sticking them in food.
Once they have him on the lasix, if they send him home with a scrip, pay real close attention to how much he drinks and pees. While it’s wonderful for pushing the fluid out, if the dose is too high (initially it might be, just to get that fluid out) it can wind up damaging the kidneys. That happened to our cat; luckily the damage wasn’t bad enough to cause long term problems, but it’s still something you want to pay close attention to since he won’t be able to say “Hey, I’m fricking thirsty and my litter box just flooded.”
I know it probably doesn’t help much to have a chorus of BTDT, but it seems like a lot of us have had the same problem with our kitties. And those kitties so totally own us…
We’ve got a 21 year old with kidney disease and a tumor in her bladder. She’s going to die at some point. The doctor wasn’t able to give us an estimate. We just give her meds to keep her comfy. She’s still bouncing around and purring and cuddling as much as she ever has. She’s such a lap kitty. We will be sad to see her go, but it’s hard to believe that as active and how long she has lived she’s really gonna be gone at some point.
I guess you know they won’t be around forever but she’s always defied the odds. When she was diagnosed with kidney disease 3-4 years ago, the doctors didn’t expect her to recover. We were desperate to try to get her feeling better so we didn’t have to euthanize her and we found an feline accupuncturist in the area we were living in. The changes were night and day. The next week, she was a hundred times better looking than she had been, and she had started eating again. She even gained weight! Her kidney values went back into the green. It was miraculous. Now she has the tumor thing, eventually her bladder will be completely closed off. There’s nothing we can do about it except keep her happy.
We also have a 12 year old we found abandoned last year. When we got her, she was a complete wreck. She has a thyroid condition, heart murmur, arthritis. The doctor was surprised she didn’t have fluid in her lungs when we took her in. We’ve been on a rollercoaster with this one at the vet now. We call her the walking vet bill, but she’s nearly completely stabilized. We plan to try to do this radioactive treatment to see if we can get rid of her thyroid condition permanently. *crosses fingers*
I hope that you can prolong Sketch’s quality of life for as long as you can. With modern meds it’s very possible. Never give up hope. We’re rootin for yah.
Glad to hear that the vet was able to see what was going on. Having congestive heart failure myself, I can understand how poor Sketch must have been feeling with all that buildup in his lungs.
Hopefully the damage to his heart isn’t too severe, and the Lasix will help tremendously with the fluid buildup. Still thinking good thoughts and sending good kitty-mojo down to L.A. for you all. Keep us updated!
Hey, just had one of my cats in at the vet cardiologist as well. Diagnosis: congenital heart defect, he has a tiny hole between his ventricles which results in slight pulmonary overcirulation, and slight aortic deficiency. (A little extra blood goes to his lungs again instead of going into the aorta like it should). Nothing really at all to do except monitor the guy, but the pumping sends blood through that tiny hole at high velocity (and therefore pressure) and so… poor guy. But he seems happy and healthy otherwise and the vet also said he should live a fairly normal life, which is good.
Just treasure what you’ve got while you’ve got it, eh?
You’re in our thoughts and prayers. Lots of mojo to you, Sketch, and your whole family.
I’m glad to know that the vet knows whats wrong with Sketch. Hang in there. Things are tough right not but at least you know what’s going on.
To get to where you are going you have to know where you are to start. I’m sure he’ll be up and clawing around your place in no time. 🙂
i’m keeping sketch in my thoughts!
hey wil, glad to hear that Sketch is a little better and that you at least know what it is. Still sending the mojo across the pond for Sketch and the family!
miao!
take care, love rach
that really does sound promising
so any idea why my cat keeps sneezing up brown snot…he’s been doing it for a couple years…and seems fine otherwise. maybe kittie sinus infection? is he allergic to his humans?
if anyone has any serious comments about this, email me at [email protected] as i don’t know if i’ll remember to check this comment thread
Great news, what a relief. My cat Squeak and I will keep the mojo coming, though!
If it’s worth anything, it’s good that you at least realized you might have to make The Decision. With my first cat, I think I was psychologically so afraid of having to face that decision that I didn’t even realize a decision had to be made. He was sick, and I didn’t even consider that he wouldn’t make it through. That’s something I’ve always regretted, even though he went quickly (a matter of days).
I do hope your little kitty is okay. I have a dog who just turned 16, and it’s hard knowing she doesn’t have much time left.
*sends mojo to the sicky kitty* Poor thing. Wil, you tell Sketch that Bethy’s hoping for him. (yes, i use my cutesy name around the sick and children). Poor little kitty.
Dear Sketch,
You are a lucky cat to have such great owners. They obviously care for you a whole lot. So you better pay attention and do something good with all this mojo that’s being sent your way, cause we want a healthy Sketch around to keep Mr. Wil happy, a’ight?
Sincerely,
Clay
You have as much mojo as I and my main coon Friday can send your way.
Wil, cats are tuff little things. My cat (pumpkin)was on deaths doorway when i took her in, now 5 years later shes 14 and doing fine.
as i hope Sketch shall be as well.
Good mojo to you and yours from me and mine!!!
peace
c
Hey, good luck at the vet. Hope it all turns out for you and Sketch.
Glad to hear that Sketch is calm and comfy. Sending mojo that he gets good treatment!
Please pass on headscritches from me.
I hope Sketch gets better man. It sounds like the news you got from the vet was good though. I’ll keep a good thought for you all.
Sending good thoughts for Sketch. I’ve had pets all my life, with all the various health problems that they develop. We know we’re not going to outlive them from the minute we get them–it doesn’t make it any easier.
On something of a tangent. If you got Sketch from a Maine Coon breeder and still have contact info for them, letting them know that he developed cardiomyopathy would be good. Unfortunately, it shows up a lot in the breed and there’s no way for them to know which cats carry it until their kittens go out into the world and start getting sick. Letting them know that a particular line carries this problem can help them weed it out, so later kittens are less likely to carry the gene and their owners won’t have that particular brand of heartache.
Sending some mojo your way, Wil, Sketch, and fam…
We’re pulling for Sketch. My dog Paris is sending some good pet mojo Sketch’s way!!!
Dear Wil,
I hope I did this TypeKey thing correctly… I didn’t have it before, but you simply forced me to register because I just had to leave you a comment about your kitty, Sketch. Me and my two feline friends desperately want you to know that we are sending vast amounts of mojo over to your kitty friend and his family and friends. Specifically, we are targeting his heart and lungs. My cat Mergatroid just showed her solidarity with your cause by batting my glasses off of an endtable and into the trash, sort of metaphorically saying, “I don’t want to have to *see* any more kittens feeling sad.”
If there’s anything else we can do, let us know! Say hi to Kris and the boys for us.
It has been said that animals are incredible mirrors of the truth of what is going on inside of us, that they will speak/show the truth that we are not willing or able to see inside because we are so used to wearing masks, that some time we become the masks. I know for my self, I have had to really step into emotional honesty around my animals as their pack leader. Maybe that is only true for me though.
Take heart dear one, they KNOW how much you care. with my black lab, I said to her that as long as she would try, so would I and we really pulled out the stops. Then one day she just stopped. We might have bought her six more months but the quality of her life would have been so awful – ~ I couldnt make her go though that – and I KNOW she would have for me.
Then we have the Foxie girl – diagnosed with insulinoma 18 months ago. Only a $5,000 surgery had any chance – the vet thought we were crazy but was willing to try if we were. I remember we told her everything that was going to happen, how, we would come to visit her, sent her mental pictures of us petting her and holding her. And told her that she got to chose, but if she wanted to stay around, we really wanted her to stay. She did, not only that but she walked again against all odds after only a month. (We were prepared to care for her as a handicapped dog). Last October, she went down again, so we did it again, telling her she got to chose but how much she was wanted and reminding her all the things she would miss – (g). She came back again and is like a puppy (at 12 years).
My point is that if you listen to them, talk to them, they will let you know in your gut – trust your relationship with them! Our prayers are with you all as well.
I’m so glad that y’all have a good vet. That really can make all the difference. Sounds like you’re all in good hands.
I know it’s hard, sweetie, but please try to get some rest. Kitties pick up on our upset and make it their own. Your furbaby doesn’t need that… nor do you. Trying to stay positive is good for everyone.
PK sends purrs and lots of loose fur. It’s that time of year, after all. ;^) You and your family are still every much in our thoughts, love.
* hugs *
My heart goes out to you.
I had a very old kitty that passed away in about May. She was 19, so it was her time to go.
Sketch is in my thoughts.