The best kitty ever

[Georgina]

Whose latest foray into modern medicine was months of being treated for GI issues, only to settle on treating her for severe anxiety disorder. My poor crazy little cat.

[MacBeth]

So pretty.......

[Georgina]

And ever since she's been on her new medication, Bean and the Turtle have resumed their relationship.



She shunned him for quite some time. Now they're inseparable again.

[MacBeth]

So nice to see Bean loving her turtle again !!

[Calluna]

Awww...nice to see Bean and her turtle again! So, she just had anxiety? Wow. I'm glad you finally got it all figured out and she's being treated and starting to be back to her normal self again. She is such a beautiful cat.

[Georgina]

Well, hrm. Not really "just", but yes, a stuck anxiety response seems to have created, or contributed to, or exacerbated a GI issue. She has intestinal inflammation that was asymptomatic for diseases she was being treated for, like IBD, pancreatitis, and intestinal small cell lymphoma. Putting her on an anti-anxiety med has given her relief from her symptoms and blood tests indicate an improvement in some internal organ performance. So, yeah.

She's not quite herself. She's herself on drugs. I'm hoping to decrease her meds some time soon. But, weird.

And thank you. I think she's a pretty kitty. You should post some of your Ember pictures.

[Calluna]

Well, yeah, I know it was a lot of pretty severe problems, so maybe "just" is the wrong word. More that it's surprising that such severe problems could all be traced to anxiety, and just what does a cat have to get anxious about, especially one so well-cared for as Bean? That certainly would explain why she would always seem to start having trouble whenever you went away.

I need to get some new pictures of Ember, but usually when I think of it, she has no intention of staying still for a picture. Right now, she's being absolutely adorable, sleeping on the sofa with a tuft of tail sticking out from under her chin and one leg sticking out, but I know if I get up and get the camera, she'll instantly wake up and follow me. Maybe I'll get some new photos when I'm in the new house and am not surrounded by the mess of everything being pulled out to pack that I'm in the middle of right now.

[Georgina]

You are absolutely right, Calluna. And, actually, most people's first response is to laugh. (They don't know what Bean and I have been through in the past seven months, though.) Because a cat on Elavil is kind of a funny idea. I told an acquaintance that my little kitty is on anti-d(s) and she quipped, "Does that mean complains that she's put on weight and lost her libido?" That was funny too. And yes, it does seem surprising. I think the only person who wasn't surprised was my GP.

The new vet was surprised, too, with how well Bean is doing and was thrilled to bits with herself for sorting that one out. This diagnosis and treatment was a far, far left-field long shot.

When I think about it, though, living in perpetually stressful environments has caused me or, exacerbated in me, long-term and, likely, permanent stomach and intestinal problems. So.

But, a kitty. And a kitty who gets as much care and attention as Bean does. She's had quite a bit of cat-type-stress in her life for a few years. Major stuff, actually. Cats are very much creatures of habit and not just with their own routines but with their environment too. A lot of cats -- like my other cat, Frank -- get upset if you rearrange furniture. Generally, they experience anxiety or stress for a period of time and get over it. If it's prolonged, or compounded with other stuff that stresses a cat's world, their response can get "stuck". The vet said that, sometimes, their brain gets accustomed to firing down a stress response neuropathway and doesn't re-set. We're hoping to re-set with the drugs and be able to back her off them altogether. Or, maybe not. This treatment may be permanent.

Edited to remove life history.

She's always had GI issues of some sort or other, and I think it got inflamed and didn't have a chance to calm down. As she's calmer, she's physically more comfortable, and hopefully her guts will get, or is having, an opportunity to heal. And, the fingers-crossed part is that her intestines heal and her stress response/coping mechanisms re-set.

When I mentioned to my GP that her vet wasn't certain if stress could be directly related to GI issues, my doctor said, "Well it certainly does in humans. The vagus nerve runs straight from the brain to the stomach, so why not?" Part of it is figuring out or knowing what a cat would consider stress-inducing. Being one of the best-loved kitties on the planet likely helps but can't overcome her particular make-up alone.

Keep your fingers crossed with me, please.

[Calluna]

Yes, stress can cause GI problems, I just hadn't realized how stressful little Bean's life had been.

I'll keep my fingers crossed, and Ember is keeping her paws crossed that this is the end of all those troubles for her, with or without medication.

I'm hoping that when Ember moves to the new house, she'll transition well. Keeping all this in mind, I think I'll plan to move the furniture on a Thursday or Friday when I can take some time off and spend a long weekend with her so she's not suddenly in a new house all by herself. I'm going to have to figure out a place for her to be on moving day too, and I'm most worried that will be stressful for her. Maybe I can arrange to drop her off at the farm for a day to visit with the folks in the office there so at least it's a place she's been before. Of course, she knows something is up, because I've been busy packing up lots of stuff.

[Georgina]

Yeah, and that was hitting the high points over the past couple of years and didn't include a high-stress stay at a friend's place where she had to stay locked in one room because of large dogs and other cats. And when she was allowed to wander out in the house, one of the other cats snuck up on her and bit her tail at the base of her spine. That, of course, became a cyst that burst in the middle of the night and was another adventure in emergency clinic vet services and followed up by a horrible reaction to medication.

Then she had her regular GI issues act up a few times and that was a couple more weekend extravaganzas at the emergency clinic.

Then there was mould growing in the back of a closet from a water leak from an apartment above, unbeknownst to me, and Bean slept in that closet and got really ill for a while with allergies.

And, and, and. Illness is stressful compounding all of that other stuff. It's certainly been lots for her. She's a trouper.

I'm sure Ember will do well with your move. Taking a few extra days to stay home with her post-move is a great idea. Having her out of the way for the day someplace familiar is a good idea too. I'd bet that Ember's coping skills are in good shape. You're aware enough and sensitive that you two will make a smooth transition, I'm sure.

I can't wait for pictures. She's such a pretty cat. Her fur looks sooo soft in the pictures I've seen.

[Calluna]

I'm sure Ember is figuring out that something is up since I've already been packing stuff and taking apart the furniture that assembles and disassembles to get it ready for moving. I hope she adjusts easily to a new home. I hope that if by the time I get her in there, I already have all the furniture she's familiar with and has whatever smells on it that cats can smell to tell them it's theirs, she'll know it's her new home.

And, yes, her fur is VERY soft. She's very snuggly if she stays still long enough to snuggle (she has to put up with a big snuggle when I get up in the morning and when I get home from work at the end of the day...she's not really into snuggles, and would rather play).