Tropical Fish Forum
General Non-Fishkeeping Chat => Other Pets => Topic started by: Sue on December 18, 2019, 04:17:01 PM
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As some of you may know, in August our younger son split up from his partner and moved back in with us while he looked for, then started the buying process for a new house. He's almost ready to exchange contracts but he won't be able to move before Christmas.
He also brought with him his cat Dylan. The RSPCA said he was 5 when our son got him 11 years ago, but the vet reckoned he was older. In spring, Dylan got a thorn in one eye. Nothing worked, he was in a lot of pain, so the vet removed his eye. So we now have an elderly, one eyed cat living with us.
About a month ago he started sneezing, then one day I heard this sort of explosion and found Dylan sitting on my son's bed surrounded by a spatter of blood. The vet said it was probably cat flu, gave him an antibiotic and steroid injection and said just keep an eye on him. That was Monday last week and he had an appointment to have a camera inserted up his nose last night.
On Friday, he couldn't get in through the cat flap. Same on Saturday lunchtime. Our son went away overnight, and Dylan spent all Saturday afternoon, evening, all Sunday and Monday just walking and walking. He never stopped. He became very passive, allowing us to touch him at any time. We were very, very worried. His personality had gone, he was working on auto pilot. The worst part was he kept walking into tight spaces and getting stuck. He went though the staircase spindles on the landing and my husband managed to catch him. There are spare duvet covers over all the staircase to hide the spindles; pillows stuffed into spaces; furniture moved to close up gaps; a suitcase across the top of the stairs so he can't fall down. He went to the vet on Monday evening, we didn't expect him to come home. But the vet gave him a stronger steroid injection. Our son had found a small lump on Dylan's forehead the week after his eye op. It is now the size of half a golf ball. The vet thought it was either bone cancer which was now pressing on his brain, or a brain tumour.
Tuesday morning, he walked and walked again. Our son took the afternoon off work to be with him, and he perked up - and slept and slept. Today is Wednesday. Dylan came into our room last night and demanded to be be fed - he'd eaten all the wet food put out in the evening - then lifted into our bed and be stroked for hours. This morning he woke us up at around 7, wanting more food as he'd eaten all the food I put in his dish at 3 am. At lunchtime he begged some cold cooked chicken off my husband then went into the garden and next door's garden, finished the morning's wet food, ate half his dry food, then asked for more wet food. He even managed to climb the stairs on his own. He is now asleep on his favourite dining chair - the one next to the fish tank because it is warmer there.
We cannot believe it. From a cat which looked about to die on Monday, he is back. His personality has returned. He is eating like he's not fed for a month. His weight had dropped from 4 kilos to just 3. The way he's eating, he'll put it back in next to no time. He is still quite weak, and seems scared to go anywhere unless there is a human with him but the change is extraordinary.
We are new to cats, he's only been with us 4 months. Is this type of recovery normal for an elderly cat? Is the lump on his forehead just a co-incidence and the problem was an infection?
Have any other cat owners had this happen?
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I know very little about cats per se.
However, I wouldn't read too much, or too optimistically, into what seems a positive change in behaviour at this stage. There's a lot been happening - the blood spattering (hopefully 'flu but may need to keep this monitored), a camera inserted up his nose (could induce some trauma to the surrounding structures), the antibiotic and steroid injections (which may have side effects), and the incessant walking and squeezing into tight spaces (which may be due to the stress or side effects of any of the aforementioned treatments or may indicate something else being up and the golf-ball sized lump and potential explanations for that would be something to bear in mind as a possibility). It might be - and I do hope it is - that the treatment has worked, side effects have diminished, and he's getting back to normal. On the other hand, humans and animals have a tendency to look like they're just getting back on track, and everyone heaves a sigh of relief, when there's a sudden demise - not wanting to put a dampener on things but just a suggestion to interpret everything so far with caution. I'd just monitor the situation over the next while - a lot of things need a "wait and see" approach.
Best of luck - I really do hope this is him on the mend!
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This is one reason we are so glad our son can't move before Christmas even though the vendor want to complete on Friday. His solicitor says they aren't yet in a position to exchange contracts. Dylan cannot move to a new home yet.
I forgot to mention he didn't actually have the camera up his nose. Because of the way he was when he saw the vet the night before, she didn't think she should put him through it.
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I have had cats previously. Both had grown up together, so when I went to the animal shelter for a female kitten, and was shown 2 older males that had been in the shelter for 3 years, well, I had to take them both. They were great company for many years, and moved house a few times, without any obvious distress.
I can't advise on your current situation as mine was very different. The one cat collapsed suddenly, we knew he had a heart condition, but it was still a shock. The other was with me for a good few years after that, and eventually had to be put down due to a lung condition. The only reason I knew that there was a problem was he was a bit off his food, and on the second day he even didn't seem keen on being hand fed chicken or ham whilst laying on the sofa, so I took him to the vet and that was it.
Fingers crossed that Dylan is on the mend after the extra medication. Please keep us posted on progress.
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Dylan as been improving all week. The first sign was when he managed to jump onto the sofa and 'his' dining chair. Then he wanted to go out, but wouldn't (couldn't?) use the cat flap so we had to open the door for him and go out with him. He would 'go to the toilet' then come straight back in. The next stage was wandering round part of the garden - but only if one of us was with him, and he kept looking round to check we were still there.
This lunchtime he went out very confidently by himself, and stayed out for an hour and 10 minutes. We thought we'd lost him, but my husband spotted him in another garden. He came back by himself - and used the cat flap.
He has also still eating and eating. And at last ate the worming tablet hidden in his dry food.
Our son has decided it would be cruel to take him when he finally moves (hopefully in January). Not only would he have to learn a new territory but when he viewed the house, next door's cat was in the garden and a one-eyed cat would stand no chance in a fight over territory. So it looks like we have become cat keepers (our son is still the cat owner, and it is him that will still make decisions about Dylan)
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Thanks for the update, Sue - this sounds very promising in terms of improvement, and also a sensible decision to keep Dylan with you for the various reasons you mention. Fingers crossed for him.
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Glad to hear that Dylan is improving. :)
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Yes, we have become very attached to Dylan in the 4 months he's been here. Because we are here most of the day and our son spends over an hour each way commuting to work and back, Dylan sees a lot more of us than him and responds to us very well now. And we are learning to understand what his meows mean ;D He is a long haired black cat so we've even got used to everything being covered in black hair!
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He's bad again.
I thought it was odd that he didn't wake us up during Sunday night, then yesterday lunchtime he started walking and walking again. Our older son has just called in with our Christmas presents. He has two cats, and he also moved in with us for a month during late summer so he got to know Dylan quite well. He is worried.
Our younger son has been getting his life back. He is away most weekends and only sees Dylan for a couple of hours in the evening, and we've told him to shut his bedroom door at night as he has an hour's drive to work, a day at work, then an hour drive home so he needs his sleep. We are retired so we can cope with disturbed nights better than him. But he'll be home all day for a few days from tomorrow (as his current girlfriend is away for a few days) so he can see how bad the cat is.
I know our son is very reluctant to decide the time has come, but to be honest we can't see that he can last much longer like this. We are afraid to go out for more than half an hour, one of us needs to stay in the house with Dylan. At least he managed to tell me he needed the litter tray this morning so I carried him upstairs as he doesn't seem to know what stairs are any more - but he was limp in my arms not the usual 'get off me or else'. Have I mentioned that Dylan bit me in the summer and I ended up at Urgent Care the following evening with an infected arm? That is the Dylan we know, not this passive stuffed toy he's become.
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Hello @Sue
I am moved by your update on Dylan. It is very evident that you care for him greatly. My thoughts are with you, your family and, of course, Dylan at this difficult time.
JPC
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Oh Sue, so sorry to hear that Dylan is poorly again. It must be awful to see him this way. Thinking of you all at this difficult time.
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Poor Dylan. Thoughts are with you @Sue.
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In my thoughts Sue, hope he gets better soon
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In my thoughts too, Sue. Pets are absolutely wonderful but they do pull on our heartstrings, put us through a rollercoaster of concern, raised hopes, upset, etc.
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RIP Dylan.
The vet said he wouldn't live more than a few days and it was kinder to put him to sleep this afternoon than let him continue the way he was. He was so thin and weak after not sleeping or eating since Monday. He had stopped cleaning himself. And today there was pus coming out of his nose. It was time.
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Really sorry to hear this @Sue but it sounds like Dylan's time had come and as I always find myself saying where members loose fish on here. It sounds like an excellent life has been had. I'm sure he will make / has made a lasting impression on you and your family.
RIP Dylan.
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I'm so sorry to hear about Dylan @Sue
These decisions are always very difficult, even if it is the right time.
RIP Dylan. :'(
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Our son realised his time had come on Christmas Day, but we had to wait till today. Our other son and his wife came over for lunch and stayed till after we'd been to the vet. They have 2 cats and one was very badly mauled by a fox last year so they understand. Dylan spent most of this afternoon being cuddled by one person or another till it was time to leave. The vet was one our son had not seen before but he was so gentle with Dylan and so understanding and let us stay with Dylan till his heart had stopped.
We only knew him properly for the last 4 months of his life but he was a lovely cat.
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So sorry to hear Sue.
Had to do similar this year with our old dog, is heart breaking but was for the best. Still miss him even though we have a lovely new dog.
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From your description, it clearly was time. However, how lovely that you had such a characterful feline in the family who clearly enriched all your lives as you all did his. It's brought a lump to my throat reading of his last afternoon and right up until the end - although terribly sad, it seems he couldn't have had a better death, knowing how loved he was. I think I'm going to have to get a tissue now... :'(
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Thank you all. We knew Dylan for the 11 years since our son got him from the cat rescue centre, but we only got really know him after he moved in here. He definitely enriched our lives :)
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He definitely enriched our lives
And that's probably the best way to remember Dylan.
JPC
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A post script to this thread......
Tomorrow we collect our new cat.
He's a 15 year old cream coloured pedigree British shorthair. We'll be his 4th owners. I don't know about the first; the second discovered her daughter was allergic to him; the third is a friend of my daughter-in-law.
The friend got him about 5 years ago shortly after she married. She wanted a dog but everyone said it was cruel to leave a dog alone all day while she was at work, so she adopted Leo. Then she got her dog, a springer spaniel from, of all place, Romania. The poor thing had to spend 6 months in quarantine and now has attachment issues. Then she had a baby who is now a few months old. The cat was being ignored in favour of the dog and baby so she decided it was unfair on him so he needed a new home. We went to see him today and he's lovely.
Our other son, Dylan's owner, is still apologising for us having to watch Dylan's downward spiral so hopefully our getting another cat will reassure him we haven't been put off cats.
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I didn’t expect you would get another sue (don’t know why... I think I assumed you’d not had cats before Dylan as so therefore were unlikely to again) so this feels like such a nice end to one chapter the story and great beginning of a new one!
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To be honest, I'm not really into cats - I prefer my fish ;D But my husband misses Dylan, and he said shortly after Dylan came that once he'd gone (expecting him to move out with our son) that he'd want another cat. My husband had a cat when he was a child, she looked just like Dylan apparently. So Leo will really be his cat.
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I nice post script to the story Sue. I'm sure your new cat will get all the love it deserves from you and your husband.
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You know that we are going to ask for pics once Leo has settled in. ;D
I think it's fantastic that you are giving a settled home to a cat that has had several owners. I hope that you all enjoy being together and that Leo enjoys watching your fish as much as you do.
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Lovely news. A new cat seems such a good plan under the circumstances. :cheers:
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Porteous Wonderwall (!) aka Leo was picked up this afternoon. According to his family tree he is a lilac silver spotted British shorthair. We are currently ignoring him while he tentatively explores. He was confined to the ground floor of a small house until this afternoon, though owner #2 allowed him upstairs, and he is currently wandering round the bedrooms.
He's a bit overweight. Owner #3 managed to get his weight down quite a bit - when they collected him from owner #2 his food included packs of human porridge!!
Photos to follow when he's settled :)
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Porridge?!? Sheesh. ::)
I'm looking forward to seeing Leo. :)
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This is Leo. As you can see, he is somewhat overweight, but you should have seen him when we got him. We weighed him with our bathroom scales yesterday and he's 6.2 kg. He's lost a fair bit of weight in the last two weeks because we haven't fed him any treats and he's a lot more active than at his last home.
He has a tendency to roll over on his back to look 'cute'. Our sons have suggested he did this to get treats. He's doing it less and less since that doesn't work any more.
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Lovely - 8) :afro :cheers: 8)
Congrats on not succumbing to his efforts to gain treats - a nice cuddle/ tummy rub would hopefully suffice for him.
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Both our sons have or had cats (Dylan, and Tilly & Tom) and we have been told countless times that the way to get seriously clawed is to touch a cat's tummy. So we don't touch him there just in case :o
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I did wonder, as soon as I'd written that, whether that applied to cats. Useful to know, in the event I ever find myself in a cat's company!
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Leo is gorgeous. ;D
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We think so, but then we're biased ;D
On a slightly different note, I have failed miserably to photograph my new pearl gouramis. At least Leo keeps still for several minutes at a time.
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I went looking for photos of your pearls yesterday Sue... keep trying for us, they are such lovely fish! Leo is gorgeous too. I’ll admit I’m not really a cat person, but Leo’s colours and marking are very attractive indeed.
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Cracking cat, such a lovely colour. I can concur with the tummy tickling, we had two cats many years ago now, Flashy wasn't too bad if you tickled her tummy but she didn't really like it, but Foxy went into full attack mode if you even attempted to tickle her there!
Always wanted to get a cat again, but I'll stick to fish for now :)
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According to his pedigree chart, he's officially lilac silver spotted, which is a type of tabby :)
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Another photo, just because he looks so cute ;D
Leo has been our cat for 3 1/2 weeks, and last evening he spent an hour and a half like this. My husband could hardly move when he stood up.
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:afro
He's clearly settled in well. Such a lovely story.
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Yep, completely settled in. ;D