Snap!

She's a good girl really. Mere hours after I posted the last post yesterday, and conveniently before the vets closed, she decided to start howling. I was able to ring and make an appointment for lunchtime for her tests, and we'll be going off to stud tomorrow.

She's fine, in good health, a little portly but we knew that already. More importantly though, the SNAP test showed she is FeLV and FIV free, and can therefore be taken to stud. The studs are tested regularly too, and seeing as queens are indoor cats usually, and studs always, (well outdoors secure heated pens, anyway...) the risk of infection is low. I've never heard of a case, in fact.

Poor Indigo, the vets was a little traumatic for her. Several emergency cases had come in and so the wait for her appointment was rather long, with a waiting room full of stressed people, barking dogs and so on. I'd popped a towel in her carrier for her to snuggle on but she had got so scared she'd burrowed right under it, well it's muggy today and I had to keep checking her to make sure she wasn't overheating. Then the poor vet couldn't find a vein, so she had to have a patch on her neck shaved, and... well all in all it was a bit stressful for the poor thing.

By the time we got home she hadn't called for several hours, and she didn''t call for another hour or two after that. Stress can cause a cat to come out of call, so I decided not to push my luck and drive to the stud today- it's a longish drive anyway and time was ticking on. She's called again since we came home so that's OK. Tomorrow will still be within 48 hours of her starting to call, and that's plenty of time.

It's all rather exciting, really!

Theo Tuesday

Originally posted on my private blog- posted to http://indikon-tonkinese.blogspot.com/ on 06/01/11

Theo, atop the largest cat tree, his favourite perch

I'm keeping a close eye on Theo today. He seems quiet, and I'm concerned he might be heading for one of his funny turns again.*sigh*

Usually when he's unwell, he doesn't perch in his high spot. He stays low and hides in corners or in hidden places- under the clothes airer is a favourite. He also sits in a semi kittyloaf, tucked in but still taking the weight on his paws and (presumably) not on his wobbly digestive system. He looks pained and bewildered as cats do when they are unwell.

Theo isn't doing any of those things yet. He's still up high, for one thing. But there's something about his attitude that makes me wonder. He's slept all day (again not unheard of, but...) and hasn't moaned at me to go on his daily walk yet. In fact he hasn't come out of the bedroom yet. Hmm.

I hope I'm wrong. Still, if he is ill again he'll be having further tests this time to try and get to the bottom of it, so if he is it might ultimately be a positive thing. I just hate it when any of my cats are poorly.

Old Floof

Originally posted on my private blog- posted to http://indikon-tonkinese.blogspot.com/ on 06/01/11

Theo has been growing his winter coat, and is currently very very floofy indeed. Unfortunately, in the past month he's also developed two knots, small ones, but nevertheless they have had to be cut out. By me, I hasten to add, they weren't nearly bad enough to be a vet/ groomer job, but nevertheless a timely reminder to stay on top of grooming. We've never had knot problems before, so I can only think it's the fullness of his coat that's suddenly presenting an issue.

The girls aren't remotely concerning. Ava, who is also quite floofy but not to Theo's level adores being brushed, and it's part of our evening routine. Sofia likes a brush too, and whilst she doesn't strictly speaking need it, it helps to get rid of any loose hairs. Indie is so shorthaired she needs little more than the occasional swipe with a soft brush which again, she finds quite pleasant.

Theo though, he isn't a big fan of the brush. He never has been, even from a small kitten. Birman fur is quite silky and not really inclined to knot, unlike breeds like the Persian who need thorough brushing every day. As a result it's never become a routine. I tend to pounce on him when he's sleepy and acquiescent and give him a quick going over, which he seems to tolerate, and he quite enjoys his throat being brushed, poking out his tongue comically. But the knots have both formed in the floof between and under his front legs where it's difficult to get with a brush and where he doesn't like to be exposed- it's a vulnerable area for a cat I guess.

Nevertheless, today he had no option but to consent to a thorough brushing. He disliked it, but he dislikes knot removal even more so I didn't feel at all guilty. He's currently in the highest place in the house (up the cat tree and along the bookshelves) radiating displeasure; his dignity has been upset, I feel! I would take his picture, but I think that might annoy him further, so I've posted an old one from about two years back. Must have been before his first winter, as his tail colour is much darker now.

(Incidentally, in all the worry about Indigo, I forgot to update on Theo's test results last month. They were all clear. My cats go in for unidentifiable illnesses, it seems! But his kidneys and so on all seem to be working fine. Phew! Of course that doesn't explain his illnesses, and the plan now is that IF he has another episode, he will be admitted at that point and further tests run- a scan and an endoscopy in all probability. Of course I'm hoping he doesn't have any more funny turns and that those tests will not be necessary. Anyway, now back to the floof...)

I couldn't imagine being a breeder of longhairs, I must say! They must spend all day brushing their cats, and then brushing themselves- one round with Theo and I'm all over cat hair. Not to mention the carpets, the sofa... They have my wholehearted respect, but I'll stick to my one floofy guy, thanks!

Relief

Originally posted on my private blog- posted to http://indikon-tonkinese.blogspot.com/ on 06/01/11

I'm so very relieved! Indigo's initial results are looking good.

They took two scrapes of Indigo's head- quite deep ones including the scab, the skin around it and some of the hairs. They then looked at these under a lamp and microscope to see what was going on.

Now, in about 50% of ringworm cases, the hairs/skin flouresce under a special lamp... and there was no flourescence in Indigo's sample. The hair shafts also looked mormal, another indicator it isn't ringworm as the fungus (NOT a worm!) usually does something funny to the hair shafts. There was also no sign of mange mites.

This was the best possible result today! I'm so thankful. Now it doesn't mean it's absolutely definitely NOT ringworm... the only definitive test is a culture, which will be started with Indigo's skin sample and grown over the next few weeks. But the lack of flourescence and the normal appearance of the hair shafts make ringworm fairly unlikely. The fact that Indigo is a house cat and doesn't come across other cats or dig around in soil other cats have dug in etc makes it even more unlikely.

The stud owner was pretty pleased too! She's been lovely about all this, but obviously she's had to put her stud into quarantine, in case Indigo was carrying something infectious when she went to stud! NOT the sort of reputation one wants to build up when one is just starting out in the breeding process, really! It's been highly embarrassing for me.

The pictures are pre scrape and show the lesions and the surrounding hair loss- I haven't got a photo of her head post scrape because it's too sore to touch. So I haven't been touching it, obviously.

The vet says there's only been a very slight improvement since she saw them before. I agree, but I think the wounds are 'further on'... the lumps are less lumpy and more crusty, which could mean they are starting the healing process. More importantly there are no NEW lumps, which I'm choosing to see as a very positive thing. So we're carrying on with the pregnancy safe antibiotic, and a general air of let's keep an eye on her see what happens.

We're still no closer to finding out what caused this in the first place though. Some kind of allergy, perhaps... but what?

I will say one thing though. This result couldn't have happened at a better time. Last night, as I was stroking her, I felt again a fullness to her undercarriage that wasn't there before- and it was NOT because she needed to use the litter tray this time! And her nipples, I'm ALMOST sure, have gone from a creamy-white colour to the palest rosy pink...

Everything At Once...

Originally posted on my private blog- posted to http://indikon-tonkinese.blogspot.com/ on 06/01/11

What a complicated day...

Indigo is at the vet. They are scraping her head today, in the hope of finding out what is wrong with her. They'll look at the hairs under a lamp (which detects about half of ringworm cases) and then grow some cultures. I'll know what the lamp reading is soon, I guess, but the cultures will take time. Days, weeks? I don't know.

On a purely domestic front, I managed to accidentally defrost my freezer over the weekend. I noticed last night. I planned to cook what's cookable today and refreeze it... but my cooker has packed in! And earlier today I had to cancel my debit card as well... so all in all not a good day at all.

I would say 'can things get any worse' but with Indigo at the vet, they jolly well might. Best not to tempt fate, then. Perhaps I'll just utter a wish that things get a little better, sometime real soon!

Progress

Originally posted on my private blog- posted to http://indikon-tonkinese.blogspot.com/ on 06/01/11

Theo came home yesterday evening after obligingly providing a good urine sample. It's got to go off to the lab, so I'm guessing it will be a while before any results come in. It's really rather clever, they have litter made of plastic balls, which don't absorb the wee, so it can be drained off to provide a sample. This can be done at home, but that's not very practical in a four cat household, so Theo spent the day at the vet.

Anyway, that's quite enough about cat widdle! The photo is of Theo on the day he came home to live with us. Wasn't he a cute little thing? Look at that little back foot! Theo was used to being in a home with lots of kittens and adult cats, and he came here to two adolescent females that were Not At All Amused at having a little brother all of a sudden... and he was a bit lonely at first, hence the dolphin to cuddle, and the fluffy bed to make it seem like he was still in a kitten pile.

I say my cats weren't amused... they weren't, but it wasn't as bad as all that, within a week they were all snuggling together happily. As introductions go it was pretty easy, Birmans are placid, easy going cats as a rule. Indigo on the other hand had to spend a good couple of weeks in the bathroom before being released into the rest of the house as she hissed up a storm at the sight of another cat. Prospective Tonk owners take note- Tonkinese are spirited animals, even as three month old kittens!

Speaking of Indigo, there's nothing exciting to report. She's not been observed mating, however, when the stud owner checked her yesterday, she and the stud were both washing themselves. This is typical post mating feline behaviour, so it could mean something had just happened. On the other hand, cats wash themselves a LOT anyway... it could mean nothing at all.

On the plus side though, it seems she's quite happy in her pen and with the stud for company, she's definitely not hiding in her bed and feeling miserable. Which relieves my mind no end.

Two Cats Missing...

Originally posted on my private blog- posted to http://indikon-tonkinese.blogspot.com/ on 06/01/11

It's a quiet day today. Indigo is still at stud, and Theo (the handsome gentleman on the right) is having a day at the vets, while they try to collect a urine sample. Theo has had several recent bouts of sickness with no apparent cause, a blood test yielded no answers so more tests are on the cards- an ultrasound and possibly an endoscopy (I think!) to try and work out what's upsetting him. Poor Theo!

Sofia and Ava, my moggies, are making the most of the peace and quiet by napping on the couch whilst I work. Theo is nearly as old as them (which isn't very old, all of my cats are currently under three years) but much more kittenish in his behaviour and would normally be stirring things up a bit, like a typical little brother.

Indigo is doing OK. When I left her at the stud's she was hidden under a blanket, refusing to come out, and there she stayed for the first 24 hours. This isn't at all uncommon, especially with a queen going to stud for the first time, but of course I've been worried. However, the stud owner telephoned me last night to say she'd come out of the bed, had a good look around and was happy to let the stud sniff and chirrup at her without any hissing, swiping or hiding. No action yet, but hopefully that will be the next step.

I am missing her though.