FINALLY! I SUCCEEDED ADMINISTERING TUVOK'S SUBQ ON MY OWN!!!!!

 

First of all, I am not a nurse. I just have a lot of cats since 2010....owh wow after typing this I realised it has been almost 11 years since I rescued Ms Lily.... If she's still alive I hope she makes some family happy. If she passed....I hope shes happy out in the rainbow world out there....well today I am going to potpet about Tuvok; Lily's son. 25/9/2021 Tuvok had a bloodtest and diagnosed with acute kidney infection. On the same day, he was already receiving some fluids and given kzillion antibiotics, multivitamins and some kidney medicine. He then started with RC renal care initially with soft food but now he's fine with kibbles. Tuvok is 10 human years = 60 cat years. So he's pretty old. His gums had a lot of tartar and the vet manually extracted them on 25/9. Tuvok has to be administered subcutaneous fluid every 2 days. If he is responding well, the frequency shall be lessened. Whatever the frequency is, he is still needed to be injected with fluids. Every time if we do that at the vet  they are going to charge us so imagine over time how the cost will accumulate. If you are financially sound, then its alright. However, with the pandemic and loss of income, I simply cant afford it right now.......well, the vet has advised me to do it at home and gave me a 10 min training. During the training, it seemed easy. That's because you have "assistance" from the vet or the nurse. So when you are at home...the real challenge began....

1st attempt I failed miserably which I had to take Tuvok back to the vet to get his subq fluids. 2nd attempt also failed and I had to go back to the vet as well. Finally today, after threatening myself (not gonna reveal it here)...I made it!!!!

Here are some laymen things you need to do based on my own personal experience:

1. Mentally prepare yourself. You have to get yourself in a relaxed environment.
2. Build up confidence by getting some tips over the net. There are numerous videos on You Tube to learn how on to injecting your feline family with Subcutaneous fluids.
3. Make sure all apparatus are ready and tested water flow. Play around with the stopper to make sure no blockage.
4. Don't push too hard on the cat if you failed. Bring to the vet alternatively. 
5. Depending on the size of the cat, get vet advice on the right size of the needles. If you use needles that are too thin, the water flow will be slower which means the cat has to stay longer. If no problem cat that will be easy. However if the cat is not cooperative, this will create problems. Tuvok is just a small 4kg cat so the perfect one for him is 21G (green color base).
6. Get that "Cave" when pinching the skin to insert the needles. This is the part that NOT everyone can bear especially when you are not in medical field. inserting needles or even poking one is a stressful thing to do. However, I have 1 year experience in injecting insulin for Benjamin Sisko my diabetic cat, so a lot of anxiousness has gone with that experience.  If the cats ran....just leave it. Get some rest and repeat in another hour or so. Don't give up easily.
7. Make sure your cat is comfortable. I put Tuvok on my lap and make sure he gets a lot of pet under his chins lotsa love. 
8. Use fresh needles each time to ensure hygiene.
9. Dispose the needles responsibly or accumulate and bring to your vets to dispose. Be aware of your local dos and don'ts for needles disposals.
10. Give your cat a treat during or after treatment. As many vets advice, make it a positive experience. 
11. Give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done....Im going to get ice cream now and i deserved it!

That's it for now. 

OUR NEW DIET - RENAL SUPPORT

 

Ahhhh here we go; After Tuvok is diagnosed with Acute Kidney Infection, his diet is changed as well. I started him on Renal support. He didn't eat it at first but he was ok today. Dah lapar betul agaknyer....Thank God...these things are not cheap either. The Diabetic kibbles are for Ben only when his BG was high. If within the ok parameter as per vet advice, I will just give Ben the normal kibbles.

Tuvok is acting back to himself again...cheeky but a bit wobbly....teringat kat Lily....where is she right now? Dead or alive? I tak tau.....she ran from home 8 years ago....she and kenit....ahhh thats another sad story...teringat kenit dropped by to say goodbye before I pindah 7 years ago.....alaaa da melodramatic pulak....nak cerita pasal kibbles ni ja...

Anyway....these kibbles are available at vets. Kalau kat shopee tu hati2 lah takut fakes....

Nampaknyer macam tuan kucing ni kene makan mee segera je lah ha ha....

MR TUVOK SUB Q ROUTINE

Mr. Tuvok is not too happy with this new routine

If your kidney is screwed, you have to get dialysis machine to do the job for ya. Same with cats. So after that blood test vet put Mr. Tuvok under this Sub Q routine for 3 days and today is his 3rd day. After today he will have to come back the next 3 days for another session. Tuvok is on antibiotics for the next 7 days. At this juncture I am not at the right mind to write more about Tuvok, how we arrived at this point. Tuvok is 10 human years which makes him 60 years old hero cat I was there watching him being delivered by his momma (Lily, the stray rescued from my old office). I am certainly don't want to watch him die like his brother Mr. Spock. 

Mr. Spock passed away 30th October 2020 from UTI. Get better soon big guy.

MR TUVOK IS NOT WELL

It's been 2 days Mr. Tuvok tak bising kat pintu waking me up as he always did…I woke up because of Azan dan Alarm. Later this morning I saw Tuvok puked white foam repeatedly. I wanted to rush to the veterinary but unfortunately they only open around 11am+- ….So I went at approximately 245pm after zohor. The one that is the nearest to my house. Mr. Tuvok super hate traveling and he meowed all the way to the clinic. Honestly I felt a bit “numb”… terasa seperti macam dah agak dah ….anak-anak Lily ni memang banyak health problem.

At the vet there were a few people so the waiting was manageable. As expected doctor suggested blood tests. Approximately 30mins later the results came in.  Tuvok has kidney problem/infections…ntah apa ntah dokter dok explain….masuk tinga kiri dan keluar semula la jawapnyer….so now kena masuk air…later bila nengok bills baru owh tau Subcuteneous Fluid…Doctor also buat manual descaling sebab Tuvok dah berumur katanya kalau dibiuskan dorg worry….so aku ok kan jelah

Possibly his diet are going to change as well. Doc said she may put Tuvok under Renal Diet.

Went home. I felt very heavy in my heart. Poor Tuvok.

It seemed like we are going to have a rough journey ahead of us.

BEN IS SAFELY HOME

I received an email from the vet this morning:

Hi,

We did an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) on Ben but we didn’t see anything alarming from the ultrasound.

We also rechecked its urine and to ensure there is no ketone.

So far from all the diagnostic tests (blood test, X-ray and heart ultrasound), Ben has been cleared.

Do you want to bring Ben back to monitor?

We think that Ben is having slight fast breathing but he is breathing comfortably now. We think it could be due to him being nervous in the hospital.

Phew....All is looking well. After 3 days at the hospital, Ben is home safely. I am RM1K++ poorer but felt like RM10K happier. Alhamdulillah

Later, someone I know contributed RM500 for Ben's Medical. God bless her and her family 🙏✌

I got the same parking spot as I admitted Ben 3 days ago.....

LIFE WITH MY CATS

A year ago, I was so sceptical to take care of A CAT, let alone 8 of them. I was more nervous not knowing what to do with them. It is definitely different from ogling at other peoples' cats than actually have the responsibility to yourself. I thought I couldn't do it. Growing up, we always had cats in our house only I had not been living at home for a while...so, having cats were always my mother's responsibility. Dad couldn't give a crap about cats until he met "Billy". But that's another heart warming cat story ;-)

Let me start from the very beginning;

Once upon a time, approximately 2 years back, I heard a loud kitty cry coming from the vicinity of my office. It was quite late in the evening. I told the office caretaker to look out for the kitty before I left the office. The next day when I started work, the voice was still there, only a little "coarse". I told the caretaker to look for this kitty and bring it some food and water. He finally managed to rescue the kitty from the drain in front of our office. He named her "Lily". When he found her, she was probably a little more than a month old. Very frail. We had to hide Lily from the bosses afraid that they might want us to send Lily away.

Lily was adorable, she plays with only the caretaker and not anyone else. We somehow managed to hide her from everyone else except from the neighbour's cat. She was pregnant and a couple of months later, she gave birth to 3 bouncy babies. 2 females and 1 male. We couldn't hide them any more and the caretaker suddenly had his handful of chores. The D day happened when we had to give them away. For some reasons, I went soft that day. I told the caretaker to pack Lily and the 3 stooges in a box and brought them to my home. It was raining heavily and we had to go through massive traffic jam to get home. Lily and the babies were so quiet and as Lily peeked out of the box, I saw her shaking with fearful eyes. I burst into tears. I honestly did not know what to do or didn't know what I was doing.

It went haywire that evening when Lily were trying to get her kids settled in my house but the 3 children were running all over the area and refused to go into the house. As it was raining and the surrounding area was quite dark, I had no idea where they all went. The next day I left some food in front of the house but no sign of Lily and kids. I left for work and when I was back home I saw them hiding in the drain. I tried to retrieve them but they moved further into the drain so I stopped "harassing". An hour later I saw Lily went into the house and went straight up the staircase while the little munchkins hopping happily following their mom upstairs. I was like, duh.. aren't they a smart bunch.

I went to the stores and started to get some supplies; Kitty litter box, kitty litters and heaps of food. That was all I knew what to do. When I got home, they were crapping all over the place. I looked at Lily in anger and Lily looked at my face in sheer fear.

I rolled up all the carpets and started to make space for them. A few weeks went by and they knew what to do. I breathed a little easier.

One day, I came back from work, I found the entire curtain rails fell off and you could see my interior from outside. Hmm, they been awfully busy.

Their faces were totally innocent. That was really testing my patience.

They started to hunt around my house for lizards, cockroaches and small snakes. Everyday I had different gifts from them.

I had been stalling bringing them to the vet because I didn't think that was necessary at the time. Procrastination was biting me in the back when Lily was pregnant again.

The 3 children were growing up so fast so I scheduled for them to be neutered and a month after they all fell ill. They were hospitalised for a week of viral infection. I went home early every day that week to visit them at the vet. He charged me arms and legs so I was determined to find a different vet but only to find the more expensive ones.

Then Lily gave birth to 4 beautiful babies right in front of me. I felt like a midwife. I think I did just that. The moment they were born I knew who their father was; that big fat garfield who been hanging out my house a few times. God must love me cause a new veterinary was opened right smack near my house. I paid this new vet a visit and he was an amazing vet with a lot to teach me. We discussed a lot of things and made plans for Lily and 7 babies. Yes, he was very reasonably priced and did not hesitate to give amazing "tips". Lily loves him. You could see Lily's big eyes looking at him and obeyed everything he said.

We had Lily spayed and Lily became a happy momma and no more a grumpy old lady attitude. The 4 babies were de-wormed, vaccinated and soon all are scheduled to be neutered.

I get great tips from friends who have experience with small animals/pets.

I don't post any pictures of them here. The privilege is only for my FB friends.

This is what you should do if you are planning on having cat(s):

1. get them to the nearby vet. do not procrastinate

2. get sound advice from friends/family/vets who have REAL experience taking proper care for their pets.

3. surf internet for background readings in caring for them. learn about their breed and diseases.

4.pledge to take care of them for life. so that if you bump into few hurdles you be determined to overcome them.

5. love them. they love you back for sure.

Since having them around, I am truly happy even when there were moments I wanted to give up. They have brought out my good qualities. They made me a diligent and patience individual. At least I think so. They have made me see things in different perspectives. I only have God to thank for sending them into my life.

I now believe in spaying/neutering and against pet breeding. There are too many strays and human beings abuse them. If you want to have pets, adopt. You can have mine if you can't find any suitable pets. HA HA I am just kidding.

HAPPY 2012 EVERYONE

YOU MUST LOVE CATS!