Progress in the High Dependency Unit

We are seeing some more encouraging signs of progress in Ratty's condition.

Yesterday, when I turned him onto his belly and propped his legs apart (so he wouldn't roll over), he kept his head up himself and ate some fish and jelly from the plate:

Each meal now consists of the 'recovery food' which I still squirt into his mouth with the syringe, followed by a plate of fish jelly and now increasing proportions of fish.  Then he has a few mililtres of water from the syringe.  He doesn't much like the vet food but it is highly nutritious so I won't stop giving it to him.  He loves the fish and gets very excited when he smells it coming - and now sees me bringing it. 

His vision has definitely improved, his eyes are brighter and he tracks people.  This morning I was playing with the piece of ribbon and he was trying to catch it with his front paws and his mouth.

Last night while he was in the sphynx position, he began washing his forelegs - a first.

He is getting stronger all the time.  He lifts his head to see what is going on, turns to look at you and maows.  His maows are also getting stronger and more Ratty-like.

He is more alert for longer periods of time.

He loves company and talks to you as soon as you enter the room.  He loves being patted and played with and massaged. We turn him over to stop bed sores, make him wiggle his legs and practise kicking, stroke and generally make a fuss of him.

Marius says he is actually a cunning cat who figured the only way he would get inside was by some dramatic acting.  Our friends who were over for Thanksgiving dinner last night said Ratty will never get better - why would he with the lavish and luxurious attention he's receiving?

Let us not fool ourselves - he is still a very sick, vulnerable and dependent cat.  I don't know how much more he will improve, nor how long I will be able to provide 'round-the-clock nursing'  (esecially if I  become ill again).  As I said the other day, I can only take this journey one step at a time, eyes open but in the dark.

We are all very pleased that these tiny signs of improvement continue.

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Something Different - the Alien in the Kitchen



Wolfe in the salad bowl

Not quite sure how she got up there, but Wolfe is still trying to find a place that can be 'her' territory.



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The Patient Report - High Dependency Unit

Thank you for all your kind words and healing energy going Ratty's way.  It is nice to think that one insignificant street cat has virtual friends in all corners of the globe.

You've asked what is the Vet's prognosis - the Vet doesn't have one.  He and his colleagues are baffled by Ratty.  Most of his neurological symptoms would be explained by a head injury - severe concussion - but there are some (unspecified) that would not.  On Monday the Vet said if Ratty had been poisoned he would have been fitting or bleeding, (or dead) and he is not.  The Vet said somewhere else he might suspect anti-freeze (apparently cats are quite attracted to it) which is highly toxic, but Ratty is most unlikely to have found anti-freeze here.  I'm not sure that there is any in the country at all.  The Vets are hoping that the 'head injury?' will resolve itself after a few more days.  Sometimes animals recover completely from a similar position, after 14 days they tell me.

So, we don't know.

There are some small positive signs of improvement, milestones to recovery:

1. Ratty licked my fingers yesterday, and later licked lumps of cat-food-fish-jelly off my fingers and 'fed' himself.  This morning he ate a  few tiny pieces of fish with his jelly.
2. We were worried that he was blind but last night he tried to play with a piece of ribbon I was dangling (slightly lifting his paws and batting with them) and he tracks people and cats in the room.  So we think his eyesight is at least partially returning.
3. He can push quite hard against pressure on his paws.
4. He lifted his head to get to the fish smell.
5. Some of his reflexes are returning; when he was held in the air he managed to put a front paw down to the bed to stop himself falling (on Monday he just curled up in a pitiable way).

Are these important enough, positive enough to keep going?  I think so. 

He seems secure and content.  The resident cats haven't bothered him (although Ming looks pretty fed up by all the new cats in her life).  He does not appear to be in any pain.  My cat-radar is not telling me all hope is lost.

We nursed our Siamese cat Lulu in a similar way while she was dying of a brain tumour.  We had her at home for about three weeks, incontinent, paralysed from the waist down, needing force-feeding etc.  We kept her comfortable, warm and cuddled.  When she started having fits, several times a day and came out of them clearly distressed, we knew it was time to send her on her way.  At that time, the Vet in Seremban only gave her a tiny dose to put her to sleep - she was so weak and ill. 

I don't know if this reassures you that when or if the time comes to dispense Ratty we will do it, feeling it is the correct way.  At this point, it doesn't seem the humane or ethical thing to do.

Ratty is at my feet on his portable bed snoozing.  He's been licking his mouth in his sleep (another milestone reached yesterday) and wriggling a little.  His coat is smooth and glossy, his eyes bright and shiny and his maow is getting louder.

We can only wait and see.

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The Doyle Cat Hospital and Foundlings Home

Ratty is home.  I do not know whether I am merely postponing the inevitable, creating a rod for my own back, or, as I hope, giving him the best chance for recovery.  I am reminded of the episode in David Lean's film Lawrence of Arabia, where TEL goes back across the anvil desert to rescue the fellow who'd fallen asleep and off his camel during the crossing.  His comrades protested that 'It is written' and that Lawrence was going against the Almighty's will.  He brings the man back to the camp, but has to execute him (?I think, it is years since I saw it) later. 

Well, I hope I won't have to execute Ratty myself. 

We brought him home last night in the same box I'd taken him to the Vet's in on Monday morning.  All the resident cats had a sniff or two at the box, but no one growled or snarled or hissed.  Even Mr Territorial Army Macc didn't, although he came up to check on Ratty in the bedroom.

The people at the Vet's were terrific, especially the veterinarian nurse who'd cared for Ratty.  She was so pleased we were prepared to bring him home and give him some more time.  She gave us pads to put under him (he has no bladder control, poor boy), syringes to feed him with, and tins of 'recovery food' which we can pump into him.  They also gave me a discount on his hospital stay, because he is a stray, he gets 'strays rates'.  (They give discounted neutering and spaying rates for strays too.)

Ratty is not well.  He can move his head and can make little maows, he can purr and paddle his paws.  This morning he was licking my fingers, which I think is an improvement.  Unfortunately, he seems to have no vision beyond reacting to light.  His hearing is excellent and so is his sense of smell.  He is not in pain as far as we can judge and seems to be content.

I cannot predict the future.  Last night I said to Marius, I have no plan.  For once in my life I am really just taking things one step at a time.

I am amazed at how good the cats are to him.  When I came back from my morning walk I discovered that Wolfe had given him a little wash:  at least I assume that is where he got the tidy licks on his shoulders from.   He face and ears were a tiny bit damp when I stroked him too.  Sister Wolfe. 

For now, Ratty is safe and comfortable.  He is lying on a chair cushion and a couple of towels beside my feet.

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Ratty Redux

He still has 8 lives left - right?

There has been no change in his condition from last night but we have decided to bring him home and look after him here for a few days.  He can't eat himself but we have experience with 'force feeding' a sick cat before. 

We will give him a few more days and see if he picks up. 

When Marius comes home tonight we will trek out to the Vet (again) and retrieve the poor chap.

Thanks for keeping all the paws, whiskers, toes etc crossed and please send healing powers his way.  I will post some photos of his progress in due course.

Ratty & LG

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