The Cats’ Health

It seems as though the cats have been at the vet a lot lately, but really it’s Basil who’s had to have a lot of visits, and I’ll get to his labwork and ultrasound results in a sec.

Hopper went today for her senior check-up. At our vet they offer more comprehensive exams for cats who are ten years old and up. The first exam is when they take all the bloodwork, X-rays, blood pressure, and all kinds of stuff they don’t normally check on younger cats. Part of the senior exam is to bring your cat in twice a year, so Hopper had her second exam today.

Everything was normal except that she lost a pound since her exam six months ago, but the vet determined that she’s OK, other than the fact that she could use a dental. However, she said it could wait ’til next year during which they can do her regular labwork so we wouldn’t have to do it twice. The vet didn’t think there was anything wrong with her and gave her a clean bill of health. Anyway, Hopper could have lost the weight since she and Basil are both on the Eukanuba Low-Residue diet now, so the doctor gave us a handout with some Web sites on which we can check the calories for nearly all cat foods currently on the market.

This second exam, luckily for Hopper, didn’t involve as much as the first one. Basically it was like a regular check-up for younger cats. Some people may think that the vets are just trying to make more money by suggesting that clients bring in their older cats twice a year, but if we hadn’t brought Basil in for his second check-up, we would never have known about his condition. By bringing in senior cats twice yearly, the vets can catch illnesses, including cancer, earlier so they can be treated faster and maybe even cured, depending on what it is.

As for Hee Seop, he’s been on a diet since last spring because he’s — was — overweight. I think he started out at around 14 or 15 lbs. and is now down to 11 lbs. 14 oz.; his target weight is 11 lbs. So every one to two months, he goes in for a free weight check. Since Hopper was going, we figured we might as well schedule his weight check, too. In fact, on the way home, Hopper deigned to ride in the same carrier with Hee Seop! She can’t stand him! We brought them in separate carriers, so this was quite a surprise.

Basil, Basil, Basil. He’s supposed to have another check-up scheduled in the next week or so to make sure his new treatment regimen is working. We got his lab results on the day my grandfather died, so I hadn’t gotten around to revealing them.

He has pancreatitis, which means he has trouble digesting certain vitamins and enzymes. This was the cause of all his vomiting and inability to digest his food, which is why he’s on that Eukanuba diet. Even before the bloodwork, the doctor put him on Pepcid AC and metoclopramide (an anti-nausea medication). Since his test results came back positive for pancreatitis, he is now on Denosyl, which helps him digest his food easier. We also give him a shot of vitamin B₁₂ once a week, since this is one of the nutrients his body now has difficulty digesting.

It wasn’t as “good” a result as simply irritable bowel syndrome, and if his next check-up shows that the Denosyl and vitamin supplements aren’t helping, it could be the worst case scenario: lymphoma, which is cancer and can’t be cured. However, I seriously doubt he has lymphoma. We’re still waiting to hear back from his doctor as to whether or not we should continue giving him fluids, since he isn’t dehydrated, though now we only “water” him every four days instead of every two.

As for the cardiac ultrasound he had on Tuesday, the results were good! Though he has a slightly leaky mitral valve, they described his heart murmur as “innocent.” No extra meds; just an annual ultrasound, which was a HUGE relief, let me tell you!

Really, he’s been himself since he started taking the metoclopramide and stopped vomiting. He picks on Hopper once in a while, roughhouses with the boys — his activity and energy level are pretty normal. Yay!