Never in a Million Years

Having kids has brought into my life many situations that I have always said, "Never in a million years did I imagine I'd be...."

A few years ago, after a dog came to live with us, I discovered I had asthma that was out of control. I think I've always had it. My doctors tell me this, too. It certainly explains a lot about my life...especially in regards to singing and flute playing. My life seriously went downhill when we got our dog. I spent much of my life on the couch and had three sinus infections. While I tested negative to dog, I suspect it was a false negative due to limited exposure. Or maybe it was simply the fact that our dog shed 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Nevertheless, we got to a point where something had to go....the cat or the dog. Since the cat had lived with us for a longer time, we rehomed our dog. My live improved dramatically. But it was a very sad time for my children and I.

My doctors tell me that they suspect I've always been allergic to cats. I've had one in my house for my entire life except for my college years and for about 4yrs of our early married life. When I first went to have this problem addressed, I had no less than two doctors exclaim regarding my nose and ask if I could actually smell. When I first began my asthma medications, I remember being in awe of the feeling of air pass freely through my airways. Ski also noticed that I could sleep without snoring....something my friends and family have teased me about my entire life.

Since I could not bear to break the hearts of my children twice, I opted for allergy shots. I have not been able to increase to the full dose since I was having immense welts even with premedicating with two antihistamines. So I continue on a lowered maximum dosage. I have seen some improvement, but I am doubtful that I will see great improvements since I can't do the full treatment.

I have other asthma triggers. Dust mites are one. Cold is another...and I can't be treated for that. I also will have attacks if I experience extreme emotions.

Because of the allergies and asthma, my kitty and I have a love hate relationship. I adore her. But ever since she came to live with us, she has not been fond of me. If I nuzzle her as I love to do, I have to pay for it with allergy misery. She is fiercely independent. I love my kitty, but I long for a day without cats in my home. It would make my life much easier. We think about a "hair dog" but they are pricey and dogs....they're a lot of work.

Late Thursday afternoon, my son was vacuuming in the den. My cat had taken to sleeping under the couch so when the vacuum neared, she ran out from behind it. She knocked over a picture that had been leaning against the couch and made her way to the kitchen. There, my daughter noticed that she was not moving properly. Since it was so late in the afternoon, we decided to take her in on Friday to the vet.

We spent a tense evening watching our cat. She was not using her back legs at all. We took her food upstairs and the children left her up there. We found her hours later sitting in the hallway. I googled possibilities....and they were not good. People told me that you can't tell if a cat is in pain and she could be severely injured.

I was concerned for my son. He wondered if he had hurt her. I was afraid that she somehow had a serious injury and would need surgery that we could not afford and we would have to opt to put her down. I imagined that this would be the cause of much guilt on his part.

The time for us to leave for the appointment had come. I told the children before we left that she might not be coming home. There were a number of things that could be wrong and none of them sounded good. I had them say goodbye. It was heartbreaking.

I cried the entire ride to the vet's office.

We sat in the exam room and the dr ran through the list of possibilities. Things she had seen in vet school. She told us she didn't feel it was certain things because our cat did not appear to be in any pain. We opted for xrays and bloodwork.

She has no broken bones.
She has no tumor on her spine.
She does not have feline leukemia
feline AIDS
Kidney Infection
Does not appear to have a serious blood clot as these cause severe pain and no murmur is present
She is not diabetic
No heartworms
No infection

The doctor said her bloodwork was....beautiful.

She currently has no feeling in her right rear leg and has limited use in her left rear leg.

The possibilities are:
stroke....but this is VERY rare and she would probably have some other symptoms.
Disc issue....common in dachshunds and can be seen in cats. Would require a super expensive visit to the veterinary neurologist and possibly more expensive surgery.
Partial clot....this is not life threatening and can resolve to normal function without treatment. If this is the cause, she may or may not walk normally after the clot dissipates.

So, we know she is not in pain. She is eating and doing all other bodily functions...we just have to help her by putting her in the litter box and helping her clean. We are doing pt with her which includes doing range of motion exercises on both rear legs. If she is going to regain the use of her legs, we do not want her muscles to atrophy. If that happens, she still will not be able to walk.

Since she climbed down the stairs twice, we have moved everything downstairs. We don't want her falling down the stairs and injuring herself. We are watching for signs of a serious clot or worsening of her condition. The dr says she is perfectly happy and her meowing is probably her asking us "Why can't I walk like normal?"

She is getting lots of love and attention. We laugh as we watch her move about the house, but we also feel great compassion towards her. She is like having a baby, old person, and pet all mixed into one. She has always been a feisty cat and we think that this is helping her during this time. She is determined to do everything on her own. I caught her trying to get in her box so we know we must find an alternative to prevent her from hurting herself.

And through it all, I told dh.... if we had to put her to sleep, I wanted another cat. Silly, silly, silly me.