Kitty Junior Came Back Home

Kitty Jr. at the Vet's office

December 7, 2011-Kitty Junior's Mom called me yesterday. KJ has returned to her home. He is half the kitty, weightwise, that he was when he left about a month ago. Mom plans to get him to a vet to have him checked out. A friend who knows about blood glucose testing will come over to show her how to do that. Mom hadn't yet given the supplies away. DCIN has offered to help to continue to provide diabetic supplies for KJ.

I love this boy's face and his ear tip.

******************************************************************************

November 9, 2011--I am sad to say that Kitty Junior prefers the wild life. The kitty door was left open one night when he was free in the house, and he slipped away. I don't know if he was still on insulin when he packed his bags for the great outdoors. DCIN had sent testing supplies that the adoptive Mom will donate to a local shelter, which has a need for them.

Have a good life, KJ!!

*******************************************************************************
October 5, 2011--I called the vet yesterday. She has found an adoptive home for this dear boy. No experience with diabetes, but experience with hypertension. Welcome home, Kitty Junior!!

**************************************************************************
October 2, 2011--KJ has until "sometime" this week to find a way out of a vet clinic in Charlottesville VA or he will be destroyed--simply for being diabetic. (I write that bold, italicized text so often, I need to develop a keyboard short cut to insert the phrase.)

KJ was foster cat to a woman who does dog rescue in the area. When he was diagnosed diabetic, she felt it would be too costly and time-consuming to care for KJ. Thus the trip to the vet for euthanasia, and the vet asked for a relinquishment.

Our hero vet is not the practice owner, and the practice owner doesn't want another office cat. So our hero vet has only bought KJ a few more days (and a nice place to stay) until his number is up.

I am trying to get photos and medical information on KJ. The hero vet said that young (4YO) KJ is likely diabetic from a dry food diet and being overweight. Kitty Junior also has primary hypertension and is on Amlodipine (Norvasc) BID. (Blood tests were done for an underlying condition, such as renal problems, but none were found.) The hero vet says this med is on the $4 generic drug list of many large stores (Walmart, Target). KJ's BP level is normal on the Amlodipine. KJ had suffered detached retinas about 9 monthsago, but they reattached with treatment and his vision is fine.

(I asked the hero vet the long-term effects of uncontrolled high blood pressure in a cat. She said they were eye problems--such as the detached retina KJ he already suffered and miraculously recovered from--and congestive heart failure from thickening of the heart muscle.)

See the notes from vet records below for information on ears and dental health.

KJ is on Lantus, 1U BID to start.

The reason the foster Mom took KJ to the vet at the time he was DX diabetic was because he was straining to urinate. He was DX with a urinary tract infection and given a Covenia shot. At that time his blood glucose level was in the 500s.


Notes from vet records, which are available to potential adopters. Eartipped. Overweight at 15lbc, 10oz. BAR--bright, alert, responsive. Left mandibular K9 fractured. Mild dental calculus. Heart and lungs within normal limits. Moderate amount of dark brown crusty debris/dried blood in ear canals. (This ear condition has been going on since the vet late 2010. Tested negative for earmites. Did test positive for bacterial cocci and yeast. Apparently KJ scratches inside his ear canal. Has been treated in the past with Tresaderm antibiotic drops.) Hypertension controlled on Amlodipine.

To recap--Young, overweight diabetic cat on a dry food diet with a UTI. Also has primary hypertension, "yucky" ears, and needs dental care. Anyone want to sign up to adopt a soon-to-be-broken diabetic cat with a couple other problems?  ~Venita