Sorry for the totally off topic diary, but I know there is a lot of collective knowledge here and a lot of love for the kittehs. I've posted here in the past about my CH (cerebellar hypoplasia) cat, Buhaki (an Egyptian name BTW) so I'm hoping to not get blasted for discussing this today. I'm literally using every venue I have where I can reach people to try to discuss this and perhaps get some input/clarity to whats going on. If you're not totally annoyed with me by now for coming here about a cat issue, follow me over the fold for the details?
Bu is roughly 12, I got him when he was only a baby...he and his sister had been found on a farm, their mother dead from what was guessed to be distemper. He and his sister both had cerebellar hypoplasia, underdeveloped cerebellums, which affects motor coordination and balance. Someone here posted this video a while back that shows what the life of a CH kitty is like (albeit, a CH kitty only mildly affected...some have it far worse, some cannot walk at all). In Bu's case its mild enough that he gets around fine, eats, drinks, uses the box, plays, etc....basically wobbles some, walks strangely and can't get up on the kitchen counter (thats a bonus, actually). This video is Charley, who is about the same as Bu and looks a lot like him as well....
Bu has gotten along fine, and as he was weaned by bottle with a human has a very strong attachment to people, so coupled with his dependency on me for help now and then, has created a stronger bond than I've ever had with any other pet. He was vaccinated when little, never declawed, fixed around age 3 and only outside ever again the few times we moved when he went from one place to the other. Very sheltered life.
Anyway, recently he'd been sitting around with his tongue just barely sticking out and at first I assumed it was a Bu quirk (there are many) but started to worry he had a bad tooth. He didn't leave his mouth open, wasn't panting, just let it sit like that. The last 2 days he'd started coughing, which I was on the fence about being concerned over as its shedding time here and could have been hairballs. Yesterday I called to make an appt. at the vet for my day off next Tuesday. I had a panicked moment at work after that, remembering years ago that a vet told me the one thing to watch for with an aging CH cat is that they can aspirate water when drinking because their head bobs a little, which could lead to pneumonia. Almost called to make the appt. for that afternoon but didn't.
When we got home I checked on him and when he purred to greet us I could hear the congestion. Took him immediately to the emergency care clinic and they did a full work up and x-ray of the chest, confirming my fear...pneumonia. I had my 6 year old with me and it took 3 hours to get the whole thing done and I was fried by the time they gave me any information so I'm struggling now with lots of questions about the details and results. The vet there and my own both say its a bacterial infection, not aspirated. His white blood cell count is 27,120 which is crazy high, he had slight dehydration & a fever of only .5 above normal. However, his kidneys are in the normal range which is amazing for his age and given that he is ill. He's eating like a horse, drinking, using the box....sleeping a lot and coughing some but otherwise social and seeming pretty ok. We started him on antib's last night and he has had 2 doses. My vet today seemed very very concerned over how he could get this as "bad" as it is when he lives inside and has limited experience outside at all...she made me feel like I have to watch him every second despite my pointing out his healthy appetite and behavior.
I've got another call in to her with more questions but meanwhile waffle between optimism and terror. At the risk of totally peeving non-cat people (and with respect to the fact that this is primarily a politics related board), I'm just hoping for some insight from anyone who knows more about this. And some love for the BuRocker aka BuManchu aka Buhaki.