Hmmm.... How to describe Thursday's events in Teeny Tiny Tabby Town? Newsworthy? Interesting? Odd? Unbelievable? All of the above? Sure, why not?
After a very late night of neighborhood fireworks that shook up the animal population here, I made the groggy trip to the vet first thing Thursday morning with Penny and the munchkins in tow. Our not-so-pregnant princess Penny was due to be spayed and receive her vaccinations, taking her next step to adoption.
You remember Penny's story, right? She came to our rescue "pregnant" from an Up North animal shelter. When our vet couldn't detect the pregnancy, we had them shave her belly and look for a spay scar. Finding none, Penny came back home for a 4-week waiting period to either deliver her kittens or prove herself not-so-pregnant. Since her month was up and we were still kitten-free, I scheduled the spay and vaccines for Thursday.
Showing off her shaved, non-pregnant belly
My normally quiet and reserved Penelope became an opera singer on the way to the vet clinic. I should have known she was trying to tell me something... something important. But since I don't speak fluent feline, we kept driving to the clinic and checked in for her procedure.
A few hours later, while I was in the physical therapy clinic rehabbing my elbow, my cell phone rang. It was the vet office. "The doctor was wondering how long you've had Penny," she asked, "Has Penny ever gone into heat while she's been with you?" After answering "Since Memorial Day weekend" and "No, she's never gone into heat here," the vet tech dropped a bombshell.... "Well, we're in the middle of Penny's spay and the doctor didn't find a uterus."
Um... what??? Insert a photo of me looking shocked here.
"Well, I tried telling you..." PS... this is not me ;-)
Our dear sweet darling Penelope, who everyone thought was pregnant in May, was not only NOT pregnant but she has already been spayed. It's mystifying. There was absolutely no visible spay scar. There was also no uterus, no ovaries, and nothing left to remove. The vet stitched our girl back up (I imagine she will definitely have a visible spay scar now), gave her the vaccinations and pain medications, and sent her to recovery.
My opera singer was completely silent on the way home. She's still groggy and a bit unsteady on her feet (it's an hour after arriving home as I write this), but she's resting comfortably at home. We're going to take it very easy this weekend.
"Why is everything tilted?"
"I can't believe this is happening to me."
"I think I need to lie down for a while... maybe until next Tuesday."
******************************************
The kittens had an entirely different kind of adventure. Tuesday afternoon, after I had them home for just under 24 hours and was ready to declare them flea free and all systems go for recovery, I received a phone call from my fearless foster leader Paula. She had taken the remaining kittens from the home where my trouble triplets were rescued. The remaining babies had ringworm, which I have since learned is neither a worm nor necessarily in the shape of a ring. My kittens needed to be checked for this highly contagious fungus. They were put on the vet schedule for immediately following the holiday, which coincidentally was when Penny was headed to the clinic herself.
"Hey! I just got here! I don't think I like where this story is going..."
"I'm quite comfy here, thank you. I don't need to go to the vet."
"Okay, I'll go. But can we take the window with us? This is my most favorite spot ever."
I held onto hope on Tuesday and Wednesday... the kittens with ringworm amazingly did not have fleas, which seemed impossible since my babies were so completely infested with them. While I was careful to make certain I kept clean and avoided cross-contamination with the other animals in the house, I told myself that my kittens couldn't have been infected, that they probably were kept isolated from these others and everything would turn out just fine.
I received a second call from the vet clinic Thursday afternoon with the news on my kittens. They went under the black light... and they glowed. ARG!!!!!!!!! I was still savoring being flea free and now we had fungus. That will bring you back down to earth quickly. Each kitten has a small infection... Eloise and Henry on their ears; Porter on his muzzle. I brought them home and let them loose in the foster room to run off a day's worth of pent up energy.
If I thought the treatment for fleas pushed all the buttons of my OCD tendencies, the treatment of the ringworm just might shove me over the cliff. Bathing each kitten in medicated shampoo once per day for 14-21 days (Say, what????? If I had a photo of myself looking shocked, I would insert it again right here) and applying ointment to the infected spots. It's a very good thing that I already love them very much.
Ringworm is completely unknown territory for me. If you have experience dealing with it, please feel free to give advice as often as you like. The kittens are under strict quarantine and I am enforcing strenuous handling and hand-washing rules with the rest of the family to avoid contaminating the other critters in the house.
I'm heading to the store to purchase anti-fungal medications to treat my hands this month. In an excellent stroke of luck, my husband is leaving on Saturday with the kids for a week's vacation to North Carolina so there will be more control over the kittens' environment and their health regimen. I'm hoping that they're mostly healed by the time the family returns.
***I've always called this week "Sanity Restoration". My husband is frequently deployed and away from home. One week per year, he plans a trip (usually camping, but this time meeting family at the beach) and takes the kids away without mom so I can get a much needed break. I'm not sure how relaxing this week will be with Operation Destroy Fungus underway, but at least I'll have extra time to concentrate on the battle.
**************************************************
"Hey, wait a minute! I have a complaint!! I was supposed to be today!! Henry got his day. Eloise got her day. How come I have to wait all the way until Monday?"
*****************************************************
FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE
After talking with Paula, I've learned that out of all the kittens taken from that house our babies are the healthiest (isn't that frightening?) and have the least amount of ringworm "glow". I had noticed a spot on each of them... Eloise and Henry on the tip of the ears and Porter near his nose. But (and here is the great news) after one application of the medication, the spots have cleared up! I'm not naive enough to believe that the ringworm is gone... we'll keep up with the program and be careful about contamination. But it gives me hope and that's good enough for today.
Penny is much like herself this morning. She's eating, drinking, purring, and seeking out affection. Her information is being put on the website this weekend, so she's officially adoptable now. If you know of anyone in southeastern Michigan who's looking for a fabulous cat, send them our way please :-)
Oh, my. That is quite the day. Maybe this litter is your "initiation" into fostering and (hopefully) things will be less stressful with the next batch.
ReplyDeleteI'm certainly learning quickly, that's for sure! Our real estate agent who handled the purchase of our new house was brand new as well. She's another military wife and we wanted to help give her experience... boy, did she ever get experience. Between things the seller didn't disclose, a shifty selling agent, and delays that would turn your hair prematurely gray, she did things that experienced agents never have. That's how I choose to view this adventure... the next litter can't possibly surprise me as much. ((Dear Universe, that was NOT a challenge!))
DeleteCould Penelope have had a side spay? My Alice was spayed that way before I got her - her side was still shaved - so her scar is not in the 'normal' place. Supposedly, it also prevents that pouch so many female cats get as they age.
ReplyDeleteAnd good luck with all that daily kitten bathing!!!!
I never knew there was such a thing as a side spay! It would surprise me since Penny came from a more rural area, but it's really the only explanation (other than she just never had the parts to begin with!)
DeleteThanks for the well wishes. I'm being told that they can probably get away with bathing ever 2 to 3 days. We'll see how this progresses. Porter already distrusts me when I come at him with the eyedrops and ringworm medication. He's going to LOVE the extra baths. :-)
One of my kitties arrived with ringworm and the second quickly caught it as well. The really fun moment was when I got infected (thank you massive cat scratch for letting all the fungus in, I really appreciated it). What I was told is that ringworm is very serious for kittens. You have the be extremely vigilant to get them through. Adults with healthy immune systems should be able to shrug an infection right off (my female cat, who caught the ringworm from my male cat, developed only a tiny patch and healed quickly without any additional treatments from me). Good luck with your babies and you may want to take extra care to mark the carrier you used for the infected babies so none of your other animals cross paths with it. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! All of the carriers have already been sprayed out with the garden hose, but I'm going to do a diluted bleach spray this afternoon and let them sit in the sun. With temps passing 100 today (in Michigan???), we should be able to bake and bleach the infection out. But you're right, the kittens will be the only ones to use that carrier.
DeleteNot to throw poo onto your already overturned apple cart, but did the vet warn you that ringworm is also contagious to humans?
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, that I knew. I immediately started obsessing about a spot on my finger. Until I remembered that I've had that spot for months and it definitely predates the kittens. In fact, it might be older than the kittens :-)
DeleteOh dear Kelly what a day. So sorry you had to deal with all that. Good luck with getting the kittens disease-free and trying to enjoy "de-stress week". (I would love one of those btw!) and wow about Penny! That is just weird to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Holly. Things are already improving (see the Friday update above). And I figure I can't spend 24 hours a day bathing kittens, so the Sanity Restoration week will have plenty of stress-free moments :-)
DeleteOh, gosh. That's quite a curve ball, ringworm, but try to just take it one day at a time and keep things in perspective. I feel super bad for poor Penny - makes ya wish girl kitties would submit to a "gynecological visit" to see what the plumbing's like. I'm pulling for you!
ReplyDeleteI KNOW!! As much as I hate those yearly visits, at least we know the score on our own bodies. Penny is doing so much better this morning. She's almost back to normal and seeking out attention and affection. (At least she's not holding it against me)
DeleteThanks for the good wishes. We'll beat this thing yet!
One of my cats, Casper, had ringworm when I got him as a kitten, a semi feral kitten as it turned out. It can be contagious to humans,but not all humans are susceptible to it. And a good anti-fungal cream, OTC is fine, will help with any human symptoms. I don't remember having to bathe Casper, but that was in 2005 so treatment was probably different then. Anyway, good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Suzy. I went out last night and got the cream (and a few pairs of gloves for when I do most of the handling). I'm using it as a precaution anyway. Maybe I'll find out it makes a good hand cream? :-)
DeleteOh bless your heart!! What a day! And poor Penny (and I'm watching Big Bang Theory, so I feel the need to go "Penny....Penny....Penny" ). I can't believe she is already spayed. What a life she has had. And ringworm? Can you see anything or is it only under the blacklight? I have no experience with that... You are having a fostering baptism by fire, that's for sure! Good luck and I'll be sending positive thoughts your way!
ReplyDeleteI could see a very small spot on each of them (Eloise and Henry on the tips of their ears and Porter near his nose). The vet tech says they gave off the least glow of any of the kittens from that house, but most of the diagnosis came from the glow under the blacklight. Good news is that after 1 dose of medication to those spots, they're already clearing up! I will still be careful and vigilant about contamination, but I'm a bit more hopeful about the whole thing.
DeleteUnfortunately, I have had FAR too much experience with cats and ringworm. The shelter where I volunteer always has a cat or two with it, and we have had a couple of truly hideous outbreaks where we had to orally medicate EVERY! SINGLE! CAT! for thirty days.
ReplyDeleteRingworm, although it sounds dreadful, is basically the same fungus that causes athlete's foot, and is fairly easy to treat in cats with otherwise healthy immune systems. Over the counter cream tends to do the trick, along with regular washing of all fabrics to kill the fungus. Have to admit I have never heard of daily bathing as a treatment - fortunately the kittens are too little to fight you much and it's so bloody hot here in Michigan that they shouldn't catch cold from it.
Keep your other cats away so they don't encounter it, wash your hands after you pet the babies, and you will get through this ok. You could also get some Accel (I think that's the spelling) spray and spray everything in their room. It's the disinfectant vets use between patients in their exam areas, and it's completely safe for animals, obviously.
And poor Penny! She needs lots and lots and lots of extra loving to make up for that. Fortunately she is in the right place!
Thanks for all of your advice, Teughcats. I'm hearing that I might not need to bathe them everyday after all (whew!). I've decided to wear long pants, long sleeves, socks, and gloves most of the time in the foster room and then change and wash before dealing with any of the other animals. I will definitely look for that spray, too!
DeleteAlso... medicating an entire shelter full of cats for thirty straight days??? I'd rather bathe my three for 2-3 weeks. :-)
Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about getting ringworm yourself. I've only gotten it once, it was a little spot on my arm, and it went away with the OTC cream. Just wash your hands and maybe arms after you snuggle the babies and it should be fine.
DeleteYeah, the daily medicating of 100 or so cats was so not fun. On the other hand I can pill a cat as well as any vet now!
Yeah, I'm already over the craziness. There's just no way that I can change and be fully covered and protect every little bit of myself while still caring for these babies in the way that they need. My bigger worry isn't myself, but the other animals in the house. I can handles dosing myself with meds but would prefer not to wrestle a 16 pound resistant cat. I am the hand-washing and laundry queen in the meantime.
DeleteThe first cat my husband and I adopted in 2004 -- a lovely 7-year-old tortie-and-white we named Snack -- had some bad ringworm on her tail, about an inch from the tip. All her fur fell out in that one spot, so the poor thing had this hilarious little poof of fur right at the end of her tail. It went away with a topical treatment, but my husband did end up with his own little spot of ringworm. (Again, it went away pretty easily.)
ReplyDeleteOk, that didn't add to the conversation at all. But it sounds like you are doing everything right, what with the gloves and all, so I wouldn't worry too much!
Alex, you added tremendously to the conversation to know that even if we get it, it goes away easily. You've eased my mind. Thanks!
DeleteHi, Kelly -- love the blog! My youngest girl cat, Stinkerbellie, had a side spay, too. I had her "fixed" at the same low-cost clinic I'd had all my cats done at, run by a group called KittiCo in Dallas, but that was the first side spay I'd seen. She came home not with a shaved tummy but a shaved side and hip. And Janna -- I didn't know the procedure even had a name till I saw your reply! (It didn't seem to prevent any pouchyness in her stomach, but that could be due to overeating, too...)
ReplyDeleteThank you, MeowLady! I love the name Stinkerbellie!
DeleteI have to tell you that I was halfway through reading this earlier (and feeling itchy, heh) when Fred came in and asked me to come look at Maxi. She suddenly has a few patches of very thin fur on her back. I was so sure it was going to be ringworm. A trip to the vet and some bloodwork (which came back perfectly fine) determined that it's probably due to dry skin.
ReplyDeleteSo apparently you cannot catch ringworm over the internet by reading about it. :)
Also, Penny likes to keep you guessing, doesn't she!
Every stinking time a kitten scratches me, it itches. Can you imagine how many times I have diagnosed myself with ringworm in the past two days??? I haven't gotten yet, not planning to either. I just need to chill out... and have a cocktail before bath time. ;-)
DeletePenny is a lady of mystery, I tell you. I often wonder if she's holding out about anything else. There ARE two years of her life unaccounted for, you know. Perhaps she's a secret agent who needed a side spay to remain undercover.
LOL Kelly-you better not let here get near the computer then because when she finds out you've posted her identity up here and broken her cover, you are gonna have a REAL mess on your hands!
DeleteIf I'm not posting on Monday, you might want to alert the authorities ;-)
DeleteI've watched several vets around me do spays, and they do it on such small kittens with such tiny incisions that it is not surprising that there are no spay scars. It is sad to think that because of this there are kitties going under more then once.
ReplyDeleteringworm! ugh! I have been so fortunate that I have yet to come in contact with that directly. I hope they come up clear really soon
Thanks, Connie. Henry and Eloise are looking much better. Porter took a turn for the worse, but I think he's beginning to clear up.
DeleteHi Kelly what ringworm meds did you use?
ReplyDeleteFor the kittens, the vet prescribed baths with Dermazole shampoo (which removes fungal spores from the fur) along with Micanazole drops that we put on the ringworm spots twice a day. The bathing was no fun, but the drops were easy to apply and seemed to do the trick.
DeleteAdult animals can receive stronger medication in pill form. I've also been told that you can use over-the-counter ointment manufactured for humans on the ringworm spots of adult animals.
Good luck!