The old man can't win

[kitty_b]

so a lot of you remember the 3-legged cat i rescued named Mojo.

well, on top of the heart murmur and bad teeth, we now know he has feline herpes. my cats have already been exposed, so we're not going to get rid of him. he's just too sweet to give up on. he cries to be in our laps, and has to sleep with us at night. (if you kick him out, he just sleeps on the bathroom floor mat by our door.)

the good news is that feline herpes isn't life threatening. the bad news is that some of my other cats will get it (we suspect the youngest already has), and so everyone is going to need lysine supplementations for the rest of their lives.

oh well. the things we do for our pets.

Mojo showing off his serious side:

 

[phil jones]

i am very sorry for all of you what bad luck he's had and you to but you love him and will do your best for him we all know that :clap: :clap: :clap: :worship: :worship: keep your chin up my love to all of you ---- phil

 

[jenniferinny]

Aww, cute guy!

Don't worry too much about the feline herpes.. It affects some cats more then others, but, for the most part it's not something that's a big deal at all..
Most cats catch feline herpes as kittens. More then likely, your cats have already had it.. Most of the time, it just causes an eye infection along with some respiratory symptoms.. Though, there's some unfortunate cats that get the mouth ulcers.. It is frequently confused in diagnosis for a Upper respiratory infection..
About 80% of cats are estimated to have had it..
I foster sick kittens for a local shelter, most of which have feline herpes, and none of my adult cats have gotten any active symptoms..

 

[kitty_b]

yeah, everyone freaks out so bad over herpes... but i know with proper management and treating any secondary infections, everyone will be fine.

i just wish this poor guy could catch a break. i'm honestly more concerned about his heart murmur, but i don't think the degree of seriousness could be determined without several hundred dollars of tests being performed. and even then, there's most likely nothing that can be done.

all i can say is that this is one SPOILED boy now

 

[OldHag]

My cat had feline herpies heart murmur AND a type of feline AIDS. He lived for 18 yrs!! Just had to be careful to keep him well.

Glad this cat found someone who is willing to work with him and love him. Your awesome!

 

[kitty_b]

the NCSU vet school is running a study on HCM (hypertropic cardiomyopathy) in cats, and i've contacted them regarding mojo.

given his level of inactivity, combined with the murmur and higher heart rate, we believe he has HCM. unfortunately, i can't easily afford the $300-600 required to diagnose the condition. on top of that, HCM is treatable but not curable.

the technician in charge of the study is enthusiastic about mojo and has forwarded my email to the head investigator to see if he is appropriate for the last slot in the study.

hopefully mojo will be accepted, and we can finally assess his condition (free of charge for us). once it is diagnosed, he'll be put on a trial medication that is given topically rather than orally (less stress). obviously, if he indeed has HCM i will continue treatment after the trial is finished.

here's hoping mojo can be helped, and that we can help the scientific community in the process.

for the picture lovers, here are a couple new photos of this sweet old man.

 

[Malevolus]

Hopefully if he has HCM, the medication will work. I honestly don't know much about it in cats, or if there's surgeries for it, like there is in humans. But as a person with HCM, I can say that medications have worked from me. Since 2001 when I was diagnosed, I've gone from 95% efficiency down to 75% in September of 06. My doc was impressed with that progression, so, hopefully meds will work for your lil guy

 

[Anastasia]

KittyB u are one of them wonderful people
I wish would be more on this planet
Good luck to you, My Dear

 

[kitty_b]

i got a call this morning from the technician.

mojo has been accepted for the study and will have his evaluation and first treatment on february 20th

 

[Mina]

That is wonderful!!! Congrats to you and to MoJo. I hope it helps him.

 

[Truff135]

That's great news!!! Keep us posted on how it goes!

 

[kitty_b]

looks like mojo has another eye infection. back to the vet tomorrow. :wall:
i cleaned his eye out and gave him some drops of medication leftover from his last eye infection. his eye isn't as swollen or squinty as it was when the picture was taken (about 15 minutes ago), but if it doesn't look normal by tonight he's still going in tomorrow.

 

[kitty_b]

there are definite benefits to working for a vet and then continuing to keep him as your "pet doctor."

the visit only cost me $23 because he gave me a 15% discount. in addition, he's agreed to just sell me new bottles of eye medication when i need them. in short, no more dragging mojo to the vet (which stresses him out a lot) every time he has an eye infection. i can just treat him when needed and pay the few bucks for a new bottle when i run out.

i mentioned the HCM study to him, and he was very interested in hearing about the results. he also did a recheck of mojo's teeth and said that they don't look "bad enough" to warrant a dental procedure. (he's already missing several teeth and his breath is pretty potent, so i wanted to make sure he was okay.)

MAN, i'm such a bleeding heart.

 

[kitty_b]

Just got a call from the technician. Mojo did well, but he has severe enough HCM to be admitted to the study.

I'll be picking him up around 3:30, and should get a full report on his condition then. The good news is that we can now treat him, and his blood panel has removed our fears of other underlying issues (such as renal failure, cancer, etc).

EDIT: His HCM is mild. Mild enough that if his final bloodwork (monitoring a new protein associated with heart disease) comes back looking good, he won't even need to start permanent medication. His bloodwork also suggests that he may be developing asthma.

The left ventricle of his heart is thickened enough to be considered hypertrophic, but it's not alarming and his right atrium looks normal. He probably has an inefficiency with his mitral valve, but there's nothing to do for that. His lungs may be slightly enlarged and opaque (personal disagreement between the radiologist and cardiologist) due to asthma or herpes, but nothing serious. His left front leg is showing early signs of bowing and he'll most likely develop arthritis within the next few years (not surprising). The vet also noticed some wheezing when he gets "relaxed" which may be due to herpes, asthma, or both.

But no kidney problems, and nothing to suggest cancer. And he got a perfect score for being a good patient.

 

[kitty_b]

mojo is definitely getting tired of going in to the veterinary hospital. i don't blame him, since he gets blood drawn at least once every time he's there.

tomorrow is his last day. it's a good thing too, because his blood pressure and heart rate have gotten progressively higher at each visit. poor old man is ready for a vacation from the wonderful world of medical research.

on a lighter note: "mom, are you done with that 'thesis' thing yet?"

 

[Anastasia]

Awe, you're such a good Mom
bless ur heart

 

[kitty_b]

mojo is back home! no medication for now, but they want to do a follow up in a year to check his heart. of course, that will come out of my pocket.

i'm probably going to put him on arthritis supplements soon. given that he's already developing it in his only front leg, we need to try to minimize his discomfort and keep him active.

 

[Staley]

Thats really sad. Good luck with the cat. I dont know what i'd do if I lost mine.
I've had my cat longer then I havent.(if that doesnt make sense . I've had my cat for 10 years and I am 18)
Staley

 

[hairmetalspider]

If more people were like you...

Thats all I have to say. Hes lucky to have you as an owner.