Squishy Merlin's 2 year GA anniversary and Leroy update

[squeem3]

Last year's 1 year GA anniversary

Two years ago tomorrow Squish Merlin became a GA wings_cat I still think back of his last week and wonder what happened that made him get so sick :sad: Then I think about all the happy times with Squishy. I occasionally look at his pictures. I still can't bring myself to look at the videos of Squishy hooked up to tubes in the ER.

One year ago tomorrow I brought Leroy home :smile: Squishy had it all planned for me to get a new kitten on his 1 year GA anniversary :smile: Though I'm not sure what he had in mind when he picked out Leroy. Leroy has turned out to be quite a busy body troublemaker :shock:

And expensive @-) Leroy saw Dr. B yesterday. He drove my brother nuts in the car with his constant meowing @-) Leroy just doesn't like to be confined in a carrier. We walked by Squishy's memorial plaque on the huge Tree of Life sculpture on the way to the waiting area. We didn't wait long to see Dr. B. Dr. B did a basic exam on Leroy. Leroy just soaked up the attention Dr. B spent a few minues just feeling Leroy's throat. He must have felt something there. Dr. B's vet tech took Leroy to the back for bloodwork and more attention from all the vet techs who hang out back there :lol: They get really excited over not too common breeds. Leroy got his anal glands expressed, too. So that's why his butt always stinks ohmygod_smile After Leroy came back, Dr. B sent us to radiology for xrays. I don't know how they got Leroy to hold still (no sedation) but they did and got the xrays done. The radiologist had gone off to lunch so Dr. B wasn't able to discuss the xrays with him/her. So he sent us off and told us he'd call later in the day. I didn't get a call back yesterday but the vet tech sent an email with the bloodwork results and said that the xrays were mostly fine. There was a spot on the xray that Dr. B wanted to discuss some more with the radiologist :shock: Now I'm thinking, great, Leroy is just over a year old and he's already has health issues @-)

Bloodwork is fine. Bg a lovely blue 100 Creatine was a little high, 1.9 mg/dl and the reference range is 0.7 to 1.8. Creatine kinsase was off the chart :shock: 1805 U/L in a reference range of 70 to 340. But I'm not worried. I found an old post from Jess and Earl here on FDMB where she said that if a cat contracts muscles during the blood draw (and Leroy probably did since he doesn't hold still for very long), the creatine kinase level will be really high. Platelet count is low but there is a side note saying that they were clumped so the actual count maybe higher. PDW is high at 85.1 with a reference range of 51.2 to 70.5. What is PDW?

Today Dr. B called. There is a small hazy spot on the xray which may be normal for Leroy or may be a concern. He has a few thoughts: asthma, nasopharyngeal polyps, post nasl drip. He felt a slight swollen area in Leroy's throat :shock: that might be causing swallowing problems. Dr. B said a barium test could be done under xray to track how Leroy swallows. Nasopharyngeal polyps are common in young cats and surgery would need to be done to look for polyps, possibly a CT too. Right now, Dr. B wants to review the videos of Leroy with some other vets for their opinion. He's going to call by Wednesday and we'll discuss what the next step will be. Great. A few days of nailbite_smile and worrying what expensive health issue Leroy might have.

I saw the vet at work today and gave him an update on Leroy. He was laughing and said that I don't have the best luck with pets. Which is true. I don't. Every pet I own, no matter how small or what species, is guaranteed to end up with at least one major health issue @-)

 

[mybuddybinks]

Squeem-
sending you comfort on Squishy merlin's anniversary,
and big smiles for Leroy's one year!

hoping as well that Leroy's health issues are small, easily managed, and inexpensive!

celi & binks

 

[Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA)]

Hi Squeem,
I hope it will all turn out to be a non-issue! Sending lots of positive thoughts for Leroy and hope you will get a good report from the meeting of the vets.

Squishy Merlin is watching over you and Leroy. Don't forget that! Our GAs know when we need their help.

Stay positive! Scritches for Leroy,

Ella & Rusty

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

interesting news on leroy's throat - i hope it ends up being something innocent like postnasal drip. icky though that might be. at least it would be cheap! and it would never leave piles of things to be stepped in barefoot on your floors.

i bet squishy merlin was the first kitty names that i noticed when i came on FDMB. although i didn't know him, i've always been fascinated by him and it sounds like he was quite a character. i'm glad you got to share life with him and i hope his memories bring you much joy!

 

[Georgia and Simon (GA)]

Sending you big hugs today on the anniversary of Squishy Merlin's 2 year GA. And also sending lots of prayers that little Leroy will be ok and everything will turn out fine. I think I also have been chosen to adopt kitties that turn out to have major health concerns. I think we are chosen because someone up there knows we will take the best care of them. We may be poorer because of it, but our lives are so much richer to have these sweet furballs share our lives.

 

[Ann & Tess GA]

Sending lots of white light and positive throat vines for Leroy. Hugs for you on Squishy Merlin's 2 year GA Anniversary.

 

[squeem3]

i bet squishy merlin was the first kitty names that i noticed when i came on FDMB. although i didn't know him, i've always been fascinated by him and it sounds like he was quite a character. i'm glad you got to share life with him and i hope his memories bring you much joy!

Squishy Merlin was sooo well behaved, a complete opposite of Leroy. Squishy never jumped on counters or tables, he had zero interest in my gerbils (Leroy thought they were his personal toys @-) ), he let me poke him multiple times a day for bg tests, he was basically slug and had no interest in playing. I think I have a video of him from way before he got sick. I'll have to find it and post it.

How Merlin got the nickname of Squishy: http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/read.php?22,1278907,1278907#msg-1278907

There's another 1 year GA post over on the Lalalalantus Yuku bard.

The GA announcement as posted by Cynthia (Cyn and Cosmo) on the Yuku board. (Does anyone still go to the Yuku board anymore?)

Further in the GA thread, I posted about a sign Squishy Merlin sent me only a few hours after he left:
A really weird thing happened this morning. I stumbled out of bed and out into the hall and just had to stare at the hallyway nightlight. Instead of the normal white glow, it had an orange halo around it. I blinked and rubbed my eyes but it was there: an orange halo. Merlin would often lie in front of that nightlight and wait for me to carry him to kitchen to feed/test/shoot (yes he was so spoiled). I left the hallway and when I came back a minut later, the orange halo was gone. I really think the orange halo was Merlin visiting home as an angel

And a bit further:
The orange halo came back this morning, this time around the kitchen nighlight. It's the same nighlight as the one in the hallway. I talked to the orange halo, even though it felt kind of silly. I think Merlin understood what I was saying beacuse the halo grew brighter before it shimmered away.

Merlin seems to like to communicate through light. I even got a memorial candle thing for him because he showed me this online ad one day and then for the longest time I could not find the ad again or remember what web site it was for. Eventually I found it and ordered a candle. The candle took several weeks to arrive because it took a side trip to Long Island (to visit Jojo maybe?) before it got back on track.

I think I also have been chosen to adopt kitties that turn out to have major health concerns. I think we are chosen because someone up there knows we will take the best care of them. We may be poorer because of it, but our lives are so much richer to have these sweet furballs share our lives.

I partially got Leroy from a breeder because I wanted to avoid health issues. So much for that idea ohmygod_smile Emma came from a rescue and so far has only had ileus for a few days (and it was discovered, a cute pancrease :lol: )

Someone once told me that I must be a magnet for pets who will end up with health issues because I will make sure that they will get the bet vet care possible. It's true. Who else would spend a few hundred dollars to fix a skin wound in a gerbil? O push for aggressive ER treatment no matter the cost?

 

[Linda and Bear Man]

I will always remember Squishy Merlin and miss him. I went back and read through his posts. I love the memorial tree.

I hope that Leroy's issue can be quickly diagnosed and simply treated.

Thank you for posting about Squishy. I love reading about him and how he communicates with you.

 

[squeem3]

I will always remember Squishy Merlin and miss him. I went back and read through his posts. I love the memorial tree.

I love the Tree of Life, too :smile: I never knew that one day Squishy would have his own little plaque up there, a gift from Dr. B and Dr. P.

I hope that Leroy's issue can be quickly diagnosed and simply treated.

I hope so, too nailbite_smile

Right now Leroy's being whiny @-) He just had one raw nugget and it's too early for his second raw nugget (he has a weird eating schedule :? ). I've already played with him and Emma. So no idea what he wants or needs :roll:

Thank you for posting about Squishy. I love reading about him and how he communicates with you.

Thanks, Linda :YMHUG: I enjoyed reading your GA anniversary post for Bear Man. So many memories of Bear Man there. He was such a great cat :smile: