Old School photobook thought we'd share

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Rock Star

I mean, you all KNOW I'm a rock star, but the Woman and the Vet specialist are shocked and amazed that I am eating so well.  My lab results came back as 100% hepatic lipidosis.  I've already gained weight back (you can feel my bones less) and I'm encouraged to eat eat eat eat eat.  Which I love.  So for now, I'm hanging in there and being spoiled rotten and they are going to put me on a liver antioxidant and as long as I keep eating all should be fine.

A really great link about hepatic lipidosis.  The Woman has a friend (who is a vet in another state) who sent this to her.

GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since there were so many loving purrs for me to eat.................I STARTED TO EAT ON MY OWN!!!!!!!!!!  No feeding tube!!!!  I love you all so much from the bottom of my heart (and the Woman too).  You all make us cry with your love and support.  We are sorry we can't get around to thank everyone personally, but know that each and every comment was lovingly read and cherished.

Even before the appetite stimulant I started to eat on my own.  Then I kept on rolling to the point where the specialist VET said I should go home.  She said I would start eating when I heard her voice and called me a "social eater" which is funny since I'm not at home.  She told the Woman and Awesome Man to spoil me rotten and pet me while I ate.

I yelled and screamed on the car ride home (in a new car!!) and looked right at the Woman and told her how horrible it was.  When I got home I got out bright and alert and went around to all of the liter boxes and left some extremely LARGE and voluminous poos.  I don't like to poo at the vet.  Then I got to have dinner served in the sleeping room with the Awesome Man petting me and I got to sleep in there too.  In the morning I got breakfast in bed again while the Woman pet me.  I purred and chowed down.  She cried, it was pathetic.

So as of now I'm home and doing great!  I even ate a lot of treats and played.  Now we're just waiting on the liver biopsy results and thyroid test.  But all in all I'm really doing well and I'm so happy to be home.

Feline Hepatic Lipidosis (Fatty Liver Syndrome)

The verdict is in and I've got exactly what the Woman was scared I have.  She is currently blaming herself for not getting me to the vet sooner, the Awesome Man for telling her he didn't think i was getting thin, and the stupid VET who on her last night at the practice didn't happen to think (from my very evident blood test results) there was much of a problem and "suggested" an ultrasound.  But, we have to move forward and stop the blame game right?  We seem to have caught it early and I've been hanging out with the techs at the hospital so I'm hanging.

My vet specialist is super smart and super nice and for once she was happy the Woman was educated in what was going on and what she is going to expect.  We don't have the details yet, and they are trying an appetite stimulant tonight, but this means I'm likely going to have a feeding tube inserted.  The humans will have to feed me 4x a day and it could be a few weeks, it could be up to a few months, I just have to decide when I want to eat again.  The humans are encouraged that I was eating yesterday but just haven't eaten since I've been at the vet. 

The cause is unknown.  They do know I don't have cancer (YEAH!!!) and the rest of my insides were good looking.  The humans really suspect it is Rufus.  Rufus has attached himself to the Tall Man even more than Kaze is attached to the Woman.  Rufus thinks the Awesome Man is his mother.  So we don't think we can kick him out of the house and I very well may have just gotten depressed and I'll get over it.  All of this is unknown and just guessing. 

So thank you all for your continued purrs, it helps us all so much knowing we aren't alone. 

Chase Face

Hi all!  Perfect time for a long awaited update right?  You all I'm sure want to hear about the Orinch Menis (he is SUCH a MENIS) or the meezers, or how handsome I am.  Unfortunately I can't give you what you want.  I'm sick.  Very sick.  I've lost 3 lbs. in the past few weeks, I'm lethargic, throwing up bile, and have had dire-rear. 

Last Wednesday the Woman (who I can't hate because she does keep pretty good tabs on me even though she's NEVER here anymore) notice I'm really skinny.  Well, she noticed even a week before that but the Awesome Man told her I'm fine.  Anyhow, she took me to the vet and we both disliked the vet we saw AND it was her last day in the practice....but they kept me overnight and gave me fluids and ran my blood and made sure I was eating.  They discharged me the next day without seeing anything really wrong (aparently...but I'll get to that).  The big-cheese vet man said if I wasn't better in a couple of days to get an ultrasound. 

We live next to, arguably, the best Vet School in the country: University of Pennsylvania.  All of our vets actually went there too.  They have 24/7 care and the Woman and Awesome man have been really busy so they planned on going tonight.  So the Woman calls and gets a rude lady who says they don't have any radioligists around and they can't do an ultrasound.  She calls the other hospital (that she despises from the Latte kitten fiasco) and they were friendly but also said no dice on the radiologist, they could admit me and have the radioligist appointment on WENDESDAY.  No dice.  She calls the local 24/7 clinic and they tell her about North Star which just opened about a month ago.  She called, and they said no problem on the ultrasound just bring me in. 

There were a couple of real woofie emergencies ahead of me that made the Woman cry seeing them so we waited a bit but not too long.  The vet man was really nice and was concerned with my blood results.  Oh yeah, knowing I'd be going to a specialist the Woman had asked the regular vet to send her my records.  It was a silly PITA because she PAID for them, she should get them and last we checked there were no HIPPA requirements for cats.  Anyhow, they were faxed along to her which made the most sense since we ended up at a completely different vet hospital than we thought.  My liver values are 3x the high range.  When she looked at that she got P.I.S.S.E.D.  that the vets hadn't pushed her as more of an emergency. 

So, where we stand is I'm in Central NJ getting fluids and awaiting the morning where the internist vet will be in and give me an ultrasound.  There are lots and lots of options of what is going wrong with me so we aren't freaking out yet.  I am just not myself, I feel really sleepy and uncomfortable and have very little interest in eating or drinking.  I weigh meezer weight 10 lbs.  Me!!  10 lbs!!  Things are not good with me and I can't wait to feel better.  Everyone's purrs from Facebook have been so wonderful and they remind the Woman that I'm not just her cat, I belong to all of my friends here, I have such a wonderful extended family even though we don't blog much anymore.  We love you all!

Finally, all of this is made so much less stressful to my humans because of my pet insurance.  We've said it all along, but this is the first time we've really needed it in 3 years of having it.  Pet Plan is such a blessing.  My bill is already $2,600 and all but $200 of that is covered under my policy; up to $8,000 (and I only have "bronze" coverage Kaze has gold for $12,000) per year.  Please everyone, have your humans consider insurance!!  It is only a couple hundred a year per cat.  The Awesome Man did the math and it would ake 250 months of payments to get to the point where it would be cheaper to have just paid for it yourself.  The hospital lady said only 10% of animals who come in have insurance, I hope I can inspire even just one of my friends to be covered.

Thank you all for the purrs and keep them coming!

Oringe Menice!!!

I am the ORinch meenisss, aka Rufus.  If you can believe it there are no recent pictures of me.  The other cats say you should be able to believe it since you all know how lazy the hooman woman is.  The Tall Man keeps telling her the world needs to hear about me and she needs to teach me to blog but she keeps sighing and falling asleep.  Something about working 2 jobs and going to school at night.  I don't know what any of that is, I just know I rarely see her.

So you all know I weaseled my way into the house right?  They call me "Rufus the Dufus" but I'm smart, really I am!  I knew to attach myself to the Tall Man and that would mean I wasn't going anywhere.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE my Tall Man.  His neck is juicy and tender and lickable.   He hugs really tight too!  My favorite thing to do is to nurse on his neck and purr (even louder than Kaze!).

I'm having trouble understanding this word, so I'm hoping you other cats can help me out.  "NO"?!  Sometimes it is "Rufus NO!"  I really don't get it?  I mean, it is when I scratch my clawrs on the carpet, or the sofa, or when I mowl at the door.  Worst is when I look at the screen door (I've bolted outside it is fun!!!!).  Sometimes it is followed by a squirt of water!  I'm smart though, I've found if I get out of range of the water squirt it can't get me :).

I'm officially a 'charachter' and my antics get me quite laughed at.  I've taught Latte some pouncing tricks from my days living on the street and he practices them on Kaze.  Kaze is a little witch, huh?  She won't let me near the Food Woman.  She's very possessive and sensitive BUT she's fun target practice.  She thinks there is a "safe zone" around the Woman....hahah NO.  I don't respect this word called "boundaries".  I play rough, and I play hard, but it is fun!  Hey, I'm the baby and I want to play play play!!

Chase taught me to get on top of the cabinets to hide from the hoomans to freak them out.  That's fun.  Latte likes to play tag with me, and I've even licked him once!  Kaze is learning to tolerate me as long as I stay away from "her" woman.

The Woman is sad and frustrated because I won't lick and nuzzle and love her like I do the Tall Man.  She says all of the animals end up loving him more even though she brought us all in, feeds us, and scoops our poop.  So last night I nursed on her fingers for her.  She seemed to like that. 

As a baby kitten I must have been taken from my mama-cat really young because I seriously full on nurse on fingers.  I create a suction with my front teeth on the finger pad of the human and I knead on his shoulder at the same time.  Oh, and PURR.  I'm a really loud purrer.  I'm a really loud talker too!  I "Mowl".  I chirp and coo and make loud noises all of the time.  They say I talk more than Kaze!!!! 

So we'll have to get some more pictures of me but I'm certainly loving my family!!

Pictures!

Mostly Rufus, but there is Kaze looking at Rufus, and Chase the day of his teeth being pulled.  We are shameful there are no Latte pics (And Chey will probably not be too thrilled).  We'll work on it.