Theo and his shaved belly. You may be sure I find it necessary to stroke and kiss that baldy bit many times a day!!! Mmmm all soft and warm...
His belly was shaved for the ultrasound. Incidentally, you can see, in the pic above, especially, just how skinny he has become. And how deceptive the floof is! Poor old Theo.
So, Theo's biopsies came back, and they didn't find any evidence of tumours, but some evidence of inflammation. His blood was normal, and he's responded positively to a change of diet. The diagnosis is IBD- inflammatory bowel disease. He's on steroids for at least a couple of months, a big whack of them to be gradually tapered off or at least down, and he's on a strictly controlled diet. Very bland, hydrolysed kibble, nasty smelling plasticky stuff from a can if I choose (I don't think I'll bother, it really does look like plastic...), no meat and no treats. poor Theo!
This means he can't have free run in the kitten room any more, and has to wait until I have taken away the kitten's kibble before he can come in. I don't think it is the kibble he reacts to, in all honesty and it may be possible to reintroduce certain foods later on, I don't know. But for the moment it's strictly controlled, and Ava and Sofia have to follow it too. Ava, fortunately, seems to be OK with the new food we have, but I don't think Sofia is too impressed.
He is a very bad boy though, and can sniff out a missed bit of kibble at thirty paces. And does. The other day I caught him with both paws under the sofa trying to hook out a stray piece of kibble that had been knocked under there. I mean, goodness knows how long it had been there!
My cats are insured with Tesco, and thank goodness again, I received a cheque from them for £500 yesterday, covering the first lot of Theo's treatment! Just in time, as I needed to buy a set of baby scales- vet has recommended regular weighings for the boy until he puts a bit on, and says baby scales are more accurate at his size than adult scales. So we now have a new gadget, and most comforting it is too. Theo hasn't put anything on yet, but his weight does seem to have stabilised. Given that what he is eating is so utterly uninspiring, I see that as a good result!
Speaking of the vets, the babies are now booked in for their first jabs. Can they really be that old???
Speaking of the vets, the babies are now booked in for their first jabs. Can they really be that old???
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