Nishi's Having Seizures :(

My eldest cat (3 years old) Nishi started to have seizures all of a sudden. It started January 3, when i saw her fell from the foot of the bed, about 1.5 ft. high, and thought she just got out of balance. I followed her immediately and thought there was something wrong. Her ears were all outwards, and she was holding her one paw up. I got scared and thought she fell bad and carried her instantly to inspect and comfort her. Then she started twitching violently. She got me scratched up pretty bad but I did not let go because I was afraid that she might hurt herself. The seizure lasted for about a minute. My husband and I were in shock and I started crying because I didn't understand what the hell just happened. Nishi foamed in the mouth, and she was very exhausted.

We immediately took her to the vet clinic to get her checked up. They did a full blood chemistry to eliminate cause of seizure, but didn't find anything significant. I described what I saw, and how long it lasted. Seizure incidents are uncommon to cats, but unfortunately the doctor couldn't tell us what's wrong with Nishi. Blood test came out negative, there's no infection, temperature was normal. She also have an appetite, and she's very much alert and active after the incident. The doctor said she might have an idiopathic epilepsy, which just means seizure that has no apparent cause. They offered to admit Nishi, but they also said that all they can do is observation at most. Their advise was to bring home Nishi and observe, then take her back if anything happens. And that's what we did. Besides, I'm not really comfy leaving my cats in the vet clinic where there's more possibility that they can get exposed to other diseases.

5 days has passed after the first incident, Nishi was fine. So we were quite hopeful that it was a one time thing. But all of a sudden it happened again, without clear cause or trigger. It lasted for a minute again. After the seizure, Nishi was again foaming in the mouth, and very much exhausted. Then she recovered, walking around like nothing happened - only, she seemed to be disoriented. She seem to not recognize the house she's living in. She kept exploring everything, sniffing everything. But other than that, she looks perfectly normal.

Again, the vet couldn't explain what has occurred. She wasn't poisoned, she has no infection. She didn't have any injury in the head. Nothing. Their best bet is epilepsy. They prescribed us a drug to give her to help manage the seizures - but not to cure it. Since there seems to be no apparent cause, they can't cure anything. Seizures are very rare in cats, and probably that's why there are less veterinarians that know or expert about this. It's too unfortunate that Nishi got this problem - yet better than fatal diseases.

The seizures are getting more and more frequent, and all we could do is to observe the severity, how long it takes, and what exactly the seizures look like so we can tell it to the doctor. The doctor also mentioned that an MRI might help, but they don't think there's any MRI for cats around the metro. So yeah, we are kinda fucked.

Every time it happens, I cry. My husband is leaving tomorrow, and I don't know what I will do if Nishi would have seizures again - this time with just myself to rely on. I am so afraid. I don't want to lose Nishi. I love Nishi so much. Nishi has changed a huge part of myself and my life. I do not want to lose her. I am so afraid that one day, she will have a seizure and will not be able to recover from it. I don't know what else to do. I get paranoid all the time. I couldn't get out of the house because I am afraid that Nishi might have another incident and might hurt herself. I couldn't sleep well, because I always wanted to be aware of my surroundings, be able to get up immediately in case Nishi gets an attack when I'm asleep. I really wish the seizures would just magically go away, or at least tell us what's wrong so we know how to correct it.

Lottie is The Santa 2012

Sir Lots asked me if I can upload his Santa pictures before the holiday ends. So here it is! Two years ago, our Santa Claus was Patterick. But this year, Lottie's bigger than him and the santa suit we bought fits him better than Mr. McPatterson.  Funny he didn't mind looking ridiculous the whole evening. Sir Lottie is so much fun!

Roxy's Adopted!

Roxy, the highway calico's adopted! Thanks to Gerry, a very good friend of mine who prioritized Roxy to get a home. She, as well, needed people to adopt her rescues, but she put me on top of the list :).

It was emotional (once again) for me when the adopting family came by to pick her up. I was really happy to see that the family who took her in seem to be very loving and have thought of the adoption a long time before jumping to it. To me it proves commitment. Chris and Juliana (father and daughter) came by to pick her up and it was really heartwarming to see Juliana's excitement. First she hugged my sociable cats that like guests, even my hostile Nishi Maester (but of course we tried to stop her LOL). Then as soon as she met Roxy, she carried her and saw her eyes glimmer.

Roxy, trying to be cute!

I gave Chris Roxy's vaccination card and offered to get her the last round, but he said he'll do it. Apparently, there are 2 vets in their family. I bought Roxy a send off gifts which includes a few cans of wet food and a bag of kibbles. Chris gave me peace of mind that Roxy is in good hands. He said he already bought cat stuff so the "Pangkabuhayan Showcase" was not all necessary haha!

I was really emotional when I have to give her away. I was trying to hold back my tears and just be happy, but I couldn't. In the 6 weeks we spent together, I did get attached to this tiny cat. I couldn't hold on to her though. I was sad that I won't be able to see her everyday, but I am overwhelmed with happiness to see that she found a new family to care for her, a family that will give her a new chance in life.

When they left, Chris even asked me if he owes me anything - which really, gives my heart a sense of security, that he is willing to spend on Roxy, meaning, if she gets sick or needs medical assistance in the future, they will not think twice of spending for her well being. And of course, I said no :). All I needed was for them to love, care and be patient with Roxy, and I am confident they will.

Roxy enjoying my gym bag. Thanks for the fur!

 Thank you Chris and Juliana for opening your home and your heart to Roxy. She and I will be forever grateful. Bless your hearts!

The Highway Calico Has A Sister

Today, I drove back to the same highway where I found Roxy, the calico kitten I picked up yesterday, going to Greenhills to fulfill my postponed plans. And guess what I saw - a kitten the same size and same coat as Roxy, maybe 3-5 meters to where I exactly picked up Roxy, only she's dead flat on the  road  :(. It is possible that Roxy wasn't thrown alone there, and maybe this kitten was her sister. Why didn't I see the little poor thing yesterday? I felt so bad, if only she was sitting with Roxy when I saw her. When I picked up Roxy, it didn't occur to me to look around the area. Aside from I was in a hurry as it's dangerous enough that my car was in full stop and I, walking around, it never occurred to me that there could be more kittens.

See, if I didn't turn around and pick up Roxy, she would have died. How the hell did they get there in the first place? I don't know. People here are very creative when they decide to throw away unwanted cats/kittens/dogs. You'll see them in the places where you can never explain how they ended up by themselves. Maybe someone dropped them off there when the traffic is light, or at night time. Maybe the street/highway cleaners took them there since they are the only ones permitted to walk on the sides and on the islands of highways... I have no proof, but these are just the things that goes in my head. I heard so many horror stories, and knew people who actually did stuff to dispose of unwanted animals. Some put the unwanted liter in plastic bags and throw them in the garbage. If the animal is a burden, they throw them in places where they know they will never be able to find their way back. Worse, they take these animals in places that has zero possibility to survive. This is what I can and will never understand how people can stomach and do these things? And mind you, these people don't even feel bad at all. This country is the most hypocritical country in the world. We pose to be a God-fearing, strong Catholic nation. We are raged by the Reproductive Health Bill because we fight for the natural laws of life, value the assumption of life of sperm and eggs when they unite. We fight for life. But why do we only value ours? If you think life is sacred and should be respected, why not in all forms? Why not in all God's creation? People are evil. Majority of the human race is disappointing, embarrassing. Animal welfare is just one problem area where we people are so bad with.

When I came back I hugged Roxy. At least she's alive.

Highway Calico

My list why I hate driving in this city can go on and on. Through the years I have learned to live with and grow on those things I hated, except one thing - dead cats - the main reason I despise driving.

I don't go out often and in fact, I despise going out specially if it will require me to drive. It's stressful enough to blend in with the worst drivers of all time, but to see ran over cats, that's another story. It's like 9 out of 10 times of driving, I see dead cats.

I was going to pickup the tripod i sent for service a month ago and was suppose to meet up with my friends for lunch. I took EDSA, the highway where numerous times I have seen either ran over cats, or cats trapped at the middle, which of course, have zero chance to survive. The traffic was moderate to slow moving, and as I approached the Rockwell ramp, i noticed a tiny thing sitting at the foot of the pole foundation of the fly over. I momentarily went blank, and didn't know what to do, and then just drove by.

Ok, I gotta call someone. But I was driving and can't reach my phone.
Ok, I will pull over then call someone. But it's still a few kilometers more to have a safe spot for pulling over.
Shit. Who do I call?
Alright, I'll come back for it after lunch. Only, it's going to take a while.
Can you wait little fellow?

(just a special note here, I am not generalizing, I know a lot of people who would die to help but there's really nothing in their power to do anything at certain instances.)
So I always hated reading people's posts on those animal welfare sites I am a member of about animals getting abused, or trapped somewhere, or sick animals needing urgent help, because that's all they do. Post, express their sentiments and empathy. Tell the rest of the world how sorry they feel, but really, all there is to it was just somehow relieve themselves of the guilt by telling an NGO to go pick it up, help it, so they can convince themselves  they did something, clear their conscience and move on with life - when in these times, we all need to move a finger, do something and act in order to get a good change. Hah, I sound so self-righteous which really gives me goosebumps, but just a little sentiment over my own kind...

And there it hit me. I knew that if I just call the Animal Welfare NGOs, or post it to the animal advocacy facebook pages, there's a bigger chance I'm just gonna be passed around, receive empathy posts that i wish could help. I guess I would feel less guilty and would be inclined to really seek help from the NGO or police or whoever has the power IF the traffic was fast moving and that if I do it myself, I will endanger my life and the lives of others. But no, the traffic was pretty bad. I felt like a hypocrite for a moment. I know exactly what's the right thing to do, I wasn't just convince to do it because I was afraid. But given the traffic condition, I felt like there's a way if I just chose to stop - and I didn't. It sucks that it took me a while before  I said, fuck it, I'm going to turn around. I did a huge circle, exited the highway, drove all over the city just to get back to it on the same lane, praying that the traffic was still slow moving and that the cat's still there, praying that she doesn't get desperate enough to cross or do something stupid.

My heart was pounding hard and I'm pretty scared, I have never stopped at the middle of a highway EVER, let alone step out and walk around. I was afraid of many things. Getting hit by a stupid truck driver, getting people pissed because my car is in full stop, getting traffic police's attention and get a ticket, afraid to scare the cat, run off and send her to her death. Afraid that she might bite or scratch me because I have nothing to catch her with except my bare hands. And then I reached the lane. When I got back, the traffic was still relatively slow. I slowed down, and then went to a full stop when I reached the spot. I immediately jumped out of my car to the foot of the fly over, grabbed the kitty as fast as I could, put her at the back seat, then drove off like nothing happened. I was fairly surprised that I didn't get honkings from the cars behind me. Great success!

The kitty was crying so loud in distress. I couldn't comfort her as I drive. As soon as I exited the highway, I pulled over, gave her something to eat ( i keep cat food in the car yeah!) and it was a heart breaking sight. She was starving. She was munching the food with sound, like a starving sound. Who knows how long she's been in that condition?

She's skin and bones and so filthy. I didn't know if she was hurt so I went to the animal clinic, to which, unfortunately, is too filled for me to even get a parking. I stalled for about 15 minutes and see how she's going to stabilize after eating. And then she seemed to walk OK. Then she started rubbing her head against my hand when i reached to her. Then she meowed normally. So I decided to go home, cleaned her up, fed her more, then vet tomorrow.

Getting To Know LL, Our Latest Rescue

We found LL on Ayala ave walking back from the theater on a late Sunday evening. He's about 2 months old. Mark have seen  and fed him once loitering in that area begging for food. But at that time he didn't notice his condition since he also got busy feeding other cats he found in the area. Luckily, he was still there when we happen to walk by. This time we were able to give him a closer look. We found out that his left eye's gone, and the other eye seems to be small and under developed. Although he seemed to have a companion (elderly) cat around him, we thought that there's no way he will be able to survive the street life in that condition. Eventually he will go blind. He will either die of hunger since he wouldn't be able to look for food, or would end up getting run over by a car in that busy street.

We honestly don't have space anymore for another rescue. Our flat is small and is crowded already with 6 full grown cats. I'm also a bit anxious about compromising the health of my 6 cats as they are almost ready to fly and move in with my husband out of the country, if I were to take another one in. But anyhow, we ended bringing him with us - we just didn't have the hearts to turn our back on a blinding kitten. It was difficult to take him away too from his cat companion, but it's just that LL's less likely to survive in his condition. The other cat was healthy looking, and was relieved to see that the tip of its ear was clipped, meaning it has been trapped and neutered.

So there, we were unprepared and all we got was our small reusable grocery bag.  So we took him inside the bag and luckily he wasn't violent at all. I didn't end up getting bitten or scratched. We immediately went to the 24 hour vet clinic close in our area to get him checked and confined for a few days. According to the vet, it was probably an inborn condition where the left eye didn't grow at all, or can also be caused by a trauma to the eye. Other than that, his appetite was good and no signs of respiratory infection.

He spent 3 days confined in the vet clinic for observation. This evening we picked him up to bring him home. He has to be quarantined so we divided our inner balcony in to two. He's living on one side with full accommodation - a poop box, a nice comfy towel inside a carrier without doors so he can go in and out like his room, with food and water, and most specially TOYS.

As soon as he's 100% recovered, we will then have to find him a home.
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Update:

It was unfortunate that LL died after a week :(. He was well for a few days. He wasn't very active but he does have an appetite. But he grew weak one day and couldn't stand on his own and rushed him to the pet hospital, where he was confined. The vet didn't know what was wrong with him so we agreed that as soon as he stabilizes, he will have a blood test for  FIP, the disease the vet's suspecting LL have.

We were scheduled to go out of town a day later while LL's staying in the animal hospital. Everyday we get updates from the vet. He was slowly deteriorating and they still couldn't extract blood.

When we were waiting for our flight to go back home, the vet called and informed us that LL's really in bad shape and that we have to be prepared for the inevitable. We were worried and sad, but we didn't know what to do. As soon as we landed and headed back home, we planned to just drop off our stuff and drive to the animal hospital to see LL. Unfortunately, when we did get home, it was too late. LL just died...

We rushed to the clinic and saw LL's lifeless body, skin and bones. I cried and asked the doctor if they ever found out what was wrong with him. The doctor said they didn't get a chance to get him tested for FIP, but that's still their suspicion. I caressed LL for the last time and said my good bye. At least he didn't die alone in the street...

I got paranoid and didn't rest anymore. When we got back in the house I sanitized everything and everywhere LL went. I scrubbed the balcony with lysol. I threw the litter, and the pooper scooper that I used for LL too. I mopped our floor with lysol and didn't rest until everything's clean. Then I started giving immunosin to my cats just to make sure that if ever they get the virus, they will have strong immune system to fight it off. Luckily, no one got sick.

I miss LL, and I was devastated that we weren't there when he passed. But I'm sure he knew that he was loved and cared for even for a short time. Good bye LL... we'll see each other again one day in the rainbow bridge.

Kitty Exposure on Reddit

So apparently, my good husband posted a photo of my cats on the bed with me in my "the oilier, the uglier" look, tinkering on my laptop. The comments are very interesting and amusing, I must say... and I'm greatly relieved to read that we are not alone in this world to own a lot of cats (yep, I admit 6 is more than enough). Well, that's not entirely true. I know a number of people who have a battalion of cats in their households, for the reason that they rescue a lot and doesn't have the heart to turn down and look away to those unfortunate, starving, abused, sickly cats/kittens on the streets.

But first, let me clarify - I do have a base station for working :P, and when the photo was taken, we just got up so that explains the big mess (haha excuses, excuses). 

Reading through the comments, I wanted to share one in particular because she practically nailed what you should expect more or less if ever you decide to adopt a cat - especially if you are considering more than one. Although I constantly look for potential adopters and promotes adoption to my friends, I also think it is responsible to tell them upfront what they are getting themselves in to. One of the many reasons there's so many stray cats in the streets is cat dumping. I am so sick and tired of seeing and hearing stories of pet owners who dump their pets all because they are tired of caring for them - either the cat is sick, have unwanted litter, misbehaved, or too much to handle. So when I find an interested adopter, I always make it to a point to set their expectations properly, and also to emphasize that getting a pet is a lifetime commitment. I wish I could make everyone realize that having a pet companion is like having another member of your family. It will be dependent on you, a part of you until the end of its days.

So here it is. Thank you flibbertygiblet of Reddit for a well composed comment. This will be a great reference for potential pet parents.

(note: I emphasized the word "more or less" because each cat has its own personality, and some may or may not be applicable like the costs - in a way, it is cheaper in the Philippines to provide food, cat litter, and medical care than it is in the United States. I do not intend to discourage people from adopting, nor to scare you of,  but I just wanted to give a rough idea of a serious cat care )

"5 cats is hectic, no getting around it. We have five, plus a dog, plus any number of fosters at different times. It is very fun and very rewarding, but here are a few things to consider.

• each cat needs his/her own litter box. We get away with 3 for the permanent 5, but that is because they are all neutered males and get along fairly well. Each foster gets their own.
• litter boxes must be cleaned daily. Plus, we completely dump/scrub/refill each one as needed(usually once every few weeks).
• the amount of money we spend on good food, plus supplements(raw food), plus litter, plus toys is mind boggling. Currently around $150-$200 a month for just the cats.
• Adaptation. We can't have fragile things on counters, vases of flowers, knick-knacks, stacks of mail, anything like that laying around. We must be vigilant about dropped tacks, staples, or toothpicks. No cords visible.
• Destruction! They will destroy all that you love unless precautions are taken. We just bought our house a few years ago and have not done much renovating yet. The damage they've done already has shown is what precautions we need to take. We have narrow windowsills, they scamper to sit in them. All walls underneath windows will have to have a sheet of plexiglas on them to protect from scratches. Same for all outward corners.

They will knock things off counters and break them. They will shed and dirty up every blanket in your house(we use duvet covers to combat this). You will get lazy one day, fail to clean the box, and they will pee on your bed(mattress and pillow protectors).

• Relationships. They have friends and enemies. There will be skirmishes, some you have to break up. Then there's just plain ol' rough housing. They will eat things they shouldn't. Kitty first aid knowledge is required.
• medical expenses. Even if all is well, and they are indoor(ours are except on leashes)they need medical care. Flea treatments, ear mite treatments(not a huge issue, our fosters sometimes bring them), yearly check ups, shots, spay/neuter. It adds the fuck up. $45 x 5 is a large yearly expense. That's just check-up and rabies shot(ours are on a schedule now, everyone due at once, you can stagger to make it easier). Then there's things like colds that turn into URIs and boogery eyes that get infected from scratching. That's another $35 trip to the vet plus medications(this is rare though).
• Feeding. Unless free fed, feeding can be a chore. And for free feeding, you need everyone to have self control(we are lucky here). Otherwise, it becomes a huge hassle and time eater to have to portion/feed/supervise the whole process.
• Lack of sleep. You will lose sleep with so many cats. Whether they are knocking things around, wrestling, arguing, yowling for no apparent reason, running laps, playing with loud toys, trying to get you to play, sleeping on your head, needing fed if hand raising kitten(or a litter), or just taking up way too much fucking space on your king sized bed, you will lose sleep.
• Time. This is the biggest one besides cost. I spend so much time watering, feeding, petting, playing with, cleaning up after, shooing off counters, snuggling, nail clipping, nip spraying/sprinkling, wrestling, walking, making toys, and everything else. It's a lot of work. Plus, we have a dog, so that's a lot more walking/training/playing.

The only way we are able to do this is because we have a unique situation. I work from home, as does my hubs about 75% of the time, and there's enough money that we don't have to skimp on care and feeding.
However, the cats(plus my dog of course)are the furry loves of my life. They can all be huge pains in the ass, but I wouldn't take a million dollars for any one of them. They are all unique in their personalities, and even though we didn't know it, each new one brought something we were missing. All the time, all the money, all the little annoyances are totally, 100% fucking worth it when they snuggle up for lovins, purr their hearts out, or do something so funny that it can change the outlook on a cloudy day."