Sick Kitty's blog

He was doing so well...

Fig was doing so well recently!  Soooo well!  I didn't want to post anything because I figured the minute I said how great he was he'd be sick again... well, he's sick again.  We put him on antibiotics on Monday, but they have not made an impact on his symptoms, which is really concerning.  That has never happened to us with this antibiotic before.  Not good...  

I have this incredibly hopeless feeling weighing on me.  I've never had a pet who was so sick all the time with no one knowing what was wrong.  And I look at him and I just feel so bad because I can tell that he just feels unwell.  He puts up with this unwell-ness basically 24-7.  He doesn't deserve this.  Fig is one of the most loving, sensitive, and sweet animals I have ever know and it just breaks my heart to see him unhappy.

Chris and I feel completely helpless.  We have done everything we can and we just cannot figure out what is wrong and how to fix it.  

Fig's recent condition

12/11/09 – Fig has been fighting cold like symptoms off and on for several months.  Since we are going on vacation we relent and get him an antibiotic.  He always gets stressed out when we leave for more than 2 days...

12/31/09 – We are back from vaca.  It’s very cold today. Fig has a runny nose – left nostril only - so bizarre!  Gave him Little Noses (decongestant for babies) and half an allergy pill.

1/1/10 – No runny nose.  Temperature outside is warmer.  We are now giving him a half an allergy pill every night before bed.

1/2/10 - This AM his left nostril was running a tiny bit.  We gave him Little Noses.  He looks ok now...  He just wants to nap and cuddle today!

Here's a pic of Fig napping with our other kitty Moxie Pop.  Fig is the bigger kitty! 

Sick Kitty

My husband and I have created the Sick Kitty blog to document our kitty Fig’s ongoing struggles with upper respiratory infections.  I'm hoping this blog will help us on our quest toward a healthier life for our cat.

Back story:

There's a lot of back story so here's the abridged version:

-Fig has had chronic upper respiratory infections off and on since we adopted him 6.5 years ago (we think he is about 7 or 8 years old); however, he has been ill about every other month for at least the past year.

-Fig was "diagnosed" with Feline Herpes (respiratory) about 3 years ago - most vets we met with don't know for sure if it is Feline Herpes because the current testing is invasive and not quite accurate...

-Since then we have seen many traditional vets, specialists, and even a homeopathic vet.  He is given L-lysine with his food in the AM and nose drops (Saline and/or a decongestant) and allergy meds as needed.  I have also reached out to the pet community through online blogs and forums.

- Past treatments include: vitamins, supplements (including colostrum), and acupuncture (seriously, I know it's crazy, but I'll try almost anything!).