Aspergillosis in Cats

Aspergillosis is a fungal infection in cats. Aspergillosis is an opportunistic fungal infection caused by the Aspergillus, a species of common mold found throughout the environment, including dust, straw, grass clippings, and hay. An opportunistic infection occurs when an organism which does not generally cause disease becomes an infectious agent once it has entered into an animals body. In the case of Aspergillosis, it becomes an infectious agent when the body's immune system is weakened from some other disease or illness.

There are two types of acquired Aspergillus infection: nasal and disseminated. Both types can affect cats, and while no particular breed is more prone than another, Persians show a slightly higher incidence.

Symptoms and Types

There are two types of Aspergillus infections. The first is the nasal form, where the infection is localized in the nasal passages and front sinuses. It is believed that this develops from direct nasal contact with the fungus. For example, if a cat is outside and around dust and grass clippings, the fungus may enter via the moist lining of the nose. The most commonly associated symptoms are nasal discharge and noisy breathing during inhaling.

The second type of Aspergillus infection is disseminated, meaning it is more widespread in the body, not only in the nasal area. It is not certain how this form enters the body. Disseminated aspergillosis is most commonly associated with nonspecific signs, such as lethargy, depression, vomiting, and diarrhea. Other symptoms may include protruding eyeballs.

Our Kiki was diagnosed with this disease by two different vets last year. They ran the necessary blood tests and performed a sinus endoscopy so they could get a biopsy sample to be sure and they also cleaned her sinus passages out as well. 

While there is no cure for this type of infection, the only thing we can give her is some meds on a daily basis to help make her comfortable. She has been eating good and as long as she is doing so and showing no other problematic symptoms, we will help her to fight this issue.

Oh, the horror! (re-post from my other blog)

What a hard week hubby and I have had! It all began when we noticed a lot of little "uncooked rice-like" non-moving "things" left on the blankets and comforters of every place our cat Leo had laid. I called up our vet and they told us to bring them a fecal sample from him to have analyzed at their out-sourced lab. In the meantime, I researched the issue via the pet vet sites (and people I know who also have cats) and everything pointed to tapeworms! How? I honestly do not know since all of our cats are completely and strictly indoor cats only!

A day later, the vet called us and said that he had isospora which is supposedly an intestinal parasite similar to giardia. Now, when I dropped off Leo's fecal, I also bagged up the samples of the "rice-like" dead tapeworms for them to look at as well. I asked them about it and they said he doesn't have tapeworm, just isospora and that they did not "know" what the rice-like things were. Well, turns out they may have been right about the isospora, but they were completely wrong about the tapeworms!

Because these parasites are so contagious, we have to treat all five cats for both issues. So, yesterday morning I called up the vet to let them know that hubby was going to pick up the cats meds and they said they will have them dosed and ready for us. Then when my husband showed up at the vets office to pick them up, he was told some BS about our one cat Midnight had not been seen in the last six months so they couldn't give us his portion. WHAT? How useless is that? Why would we treat only four of our cats and not all as seriously contagious as the problem is? They told us that since we already have an appointment set for this Monday night anyhow to have Midnight seen for three wart-like things on his tail, we should be able to pick up all the meds then ... (sigh)

 

(What the tapeworms actually look like. They break off in segments via the cats anus. Although they come out live, they do not live very long outside the host cat's body ~ that is when they dry up and die looking like uncooked rice.)

 

Last night, we left Leo out by himself in the cat's room to stretch his legs a bit as we have had to keep him in a cage and separated from the other cats until the problem is resolved. Two hours later, I went in the room to put him to bed and back in his cage and what did I see? EEKK!! A live, moving, disgusting tapeworm which had apparently just slithered out of his butt! That was it! I had had enough of the vet's BS and first thing this morning hubby and I drove over to the vet and demanded help! That is when they told us that he also had tapeworms as well as the isopora! Gimme a break, will ya? I was so upset and livid at that point that Dr. Heather had decided to take a break from a surgery she was working on to come out and straighten out their mess!

She maintained that she could lose her license if she dispensed meds to Midnight without the "six month check up." She also said that the tapeworms were more than likely from fleas ~ either ingested by one of the cats or caused by feces in the litter boxes. Now, our cats do not have fleas, but after further thought, hubby told me that he remembered seeing one on Fancy Pants (the idiot neighbor lady's Siamese cat) the last time we watched her for her owner. AH HA!!! Made logical sense at that point and, lesson learned! We will never take another stray cat in for any reason, temporarily or otherwise, that way ever again. I absolutely refuse to go through this nightmare again! Everything, including the water and food bowls, cats boxes, blankets, rugs, etc.) had to be completely washed and decontaminated as best we could.. On top of that, we had to treat all of the cats for fleas.

Dr. Heather must have felt sorry for us and had decided to dispense the isospora meds after all so long as we still agreed to bring Midnight to his scheduled appointment on Monday night. For some ridiculous reason unknown to us; however, she did not give us tapeworm meds, only the meds the cats were supposed to get before their office screwed up.

And so we had to stop off at our local PetSmart and pick up tapeworm meds to give to all of the cats as well as giving them their isospora dosage. It isn't exactly over yet as only time will tell if the treatments worked, and we are keeping our fingers triple-crossed! All of this because we tried to do the right thing thinking that we were helping to save a nice, sweet cat. As the saying goes, "No good deed goes unpunished" ... how true!

That Kiki Cat

Greetings all! Just a little update on Kiki-girl. Long story short, we brought her home on Wednesday night after her lump removal surgery. While attempting to put her reverse e-collar on her, she managed to get her right leg underneath the collar and in doing so, cut part of her dessolvable stitches. After we were able to stop the bleeding, we had to take her back to our vet the next morning. Dr. Ostrich checked the stitches at her neck and since her wound had already begun to scab over, he advised us to forego the e-collar idea as she was not scratching at it and it would most likely only serve to make things worse. Also, she gave us such as hard time giving her the pain meds (both pill and liquid), he told us that so long as she had not appeared to be in any pain, not to worry about it since it was only stressing her out unecessarily.

She spent a couple of nights in the large dog cage so that she would have some time to allow her stitches to heal and she is now out and about the house with the rest of her siblings.

>^^<   >^^<   >^^<   >^^<   >^^<   >^^<   >^^<   >^^<  

Kiki's Surgery ...

Two weeks ago, we noticed a little lump on our Kiki-girl's neck, directly under her left ear and her left eye was watering very badly. So, we took her to our vet immediately and Dr. Heather suggested that the watery eye problem could possibly be allergies and prescribed some meds for her. And, since a few weeks ago our cat Haley had a respiratory infection which caused us to have to, one by one, take the other cats to the vet for an antibiolic shot, Dr. Heather also gave one to Kiki as well. She told us to keep a close eye on her lump and if it gets any bigger to bring her back right away.

That very night, Kiki's eye cleared up nicely, but a week later began watering again, and, we had noticed that her "little" lump had gotten bigger. And so, once again, we took her back to our vet and Dr. Heather shaved the fur under ear in order to examine her more closely. She did a series of tests which included blood work and urine, as well as a biopsy of her lump. She found nothing wrong, but since lumps are not a normal problem, particularly where cats are concerned, she suggested we get it removed as soon as possible ~ we strongly agreed with her!!!

So, we are scheduled to drop her off at the vets tomorrow night and her surgery for the removal of the lump will be done by Dr. Heather on Wednesday.  I know for a fact, that Dr. Heather was right and that these things can very easily turn cancerous. I also know for a fact that cats and cancer treatment do not mix! As far as we are concerned, better safe than sorry!

"Ah, come on ... seriously mom?"

I just couldn't resist posting a couple of quick pics of Kiki and Tabitha donning their new Witch's Hat ...

"Okay, that's enough, ma!"

"I said, ENOUGH already ..."

"Thank goodness that's over with! Now we can get some well-earned rest. After all, mom made us late for our late afternoon nap!"

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Surprise, Mom!!!

  
Who needs to pay for pest control when you have three four-legged female cats living with you in the house? Well, technically speaking, we also have our male cat, Mr. Midnight, but at his age he pretty much considers himself retired ... with the emphasis on the word "tired."...

Yesterday morning around 4:40-ish, I was awakened by a scurrying in the kitchen. I got up to see what was going on and saw none other than our huntress, Tabitha, batting something around on the floor with the other three cats just hovered over her watching intently. Was she playing with one of her toys? Nope, it was a poor little dead mouse which she had apparently (as cats are inbred to do regardless of whether or not they live indoor or outdoor) used it as her little play toy until the pitiful little thing most likely died of a heart-attack. 

None of the cats tried to eat it or anything, nor was there any type of mess on the floor anywhere ... just something that very much resembled their small cat mouse toy.

The last time we saw a mouse in our home, hubby managed to catch it and release it back outside before the cats could get to it. Not exactly the best way to wake up first thing in the morning but, unfortunately, it is feline instinct and a part of living with cats.  

Gotcha!!!

Our little Kiki-girl has always been very difficult when it comes to allowing us to take a really good pic of her. She hates it so much that she makes sure to shut both her eyes just before the camera flash goes off on the digital camera (which, BTW, is rather slow and delayed to say the least)!

That being the case, the only way she lets us take her pic is if we do not use the flash at all. However, today while I was playing with her I caught her off guard ... a very rare occurance I might say ...

"Gimme that string!!!"

"You're gonna do what with that camera?"

Kiki kisses!

Ahh, this is the life, eh ...

While our slightly older two female cats, Haley and Kiki, are claiming half of the sofa and our bed, Midnight and Tabitha continue to "cat bond."

It is not so uncommon to see the two of them either playing together on the living room floor, grooming each other, or very contently snuggling up to one another at any given time ...

Perhaps it is because I am finding a new appreciation for the more "simpler" things in life as I get older, but to me,  this IS the life!

Midnight's little gray shadow ...

For the past couple of weeks, not only have Midnight and Tabby become insparable, but it seems that Kiki is finally beginning to come around a bit as far as Tabby is concerned. For example, take notice how close Kiki is lying next to Tabby knowing that she is directly above her. This would have never been the scene two weeks ago ...

 

 

Also, Kiki has been hanging on me like a lost little soul since Midnight has a new buddy. Of course all she need do is get closer to Midnight even when Tabby is around. I guess time will tell if Kiki will ever really except her completely. She still continues to hiss at Tabby from time to time, but she is still a sight better than she had been for sure.

 

 

I have to say, the two of them are so cute together! These two sleep side by side on the bed all day, eat at the same time, play together in the evening, and then snuggle up again at bedtime. I am so glad that Tabby has been able to bond with atleast one of the cats.

Why does she do that?

 

Cats are, and have always been, a complete mystery! Perhaps that is a huge part of their allure. Our black and white female, Kiki, is a perfect example. Since our sweet little Maine Coon Tabitha has joined our little family, she has been an unbelievable wreck. At first I thought that she was merely upset at the fact that we brought another cat into the mix, and I am sure that that has a lot to do with it. But now, I am beginning to see signs of OCD. Yes, that's right. Animals, cats in particular, can develop this human behavioral disorder.

You see, when we first brought Kiki home to live with us, she was barely 2 months old. Barely old enough to be weaned off of her mother cat although we were told that she was no longer nursing. We noticed much later that she liked to "lick" things ~ rugs, covers, pillows, blankets, faces! Coming from a cat, it seemed a bit odd to us and so I began to do some research on why cats do this and I kept getting the same basic answer: Cats are prone to licking things when they are taken from their mother cat too soon.

And now, with the addition of Tabby we have noticed that this mannerism has gotten much worse. I am now beginnng to wonder if this is because she is so stressed out that she has developed a type of disorder such as OCD? Whereas I was rather unhappy with what seemed to be her unwillingness to adapt to the new cat (and I still haven't ruled that possibilty out), I am actually finding myself beginning to feel a bit sorry for her. I want to help her, but I do not have the first clue what to do. Is she hissing, growling and snarling all of the time because she is afraid of Tabby for some strange reason? Mind you, Tabby has shown absolutely no aggression toward any of our other cats what-so-ever since she has been in the house. In fact, if anything, she took a lot of abuse from them with their hissing and so forth immediately after she was brought in. Or, is she just simply having such a hard time adapting to the changes going on within the hierarchy?

Of course, that "hierarchy" has not changed one bit. Tabby does not chase Kiki or attempt to challenge her in any way. She does not even try to stare her down ever? The truth is that Kiki is still the boss. The alpha cat. If only she would give things a chance she would quickly realize this?

In the meantime though, we will continue to try to work with her by trying to make her feel safe (if that is in fact the problem?), make sure she knows that she is still loved and cared for so that she does not feel so insecure, and, last but not least, keep our paws crossed!

Getting to know you

Since Tabitha has been back from her surgery on Friday, she has gone through a kind of learning experience. While we still must keep her downstairs in her holding cage until her paws are fully healed, she spends a great deal of time upstairs with the rest of our furr babies.

For the first couple of days she hid underneath our sofa and we literally had to coax her out at bedtime with her favorite cat treats. However, each day seems to be getting better for her and today she decided to lie on top of the sofa rather than under it ~ allowing us to love on her a bit while she purred.

After this Thursday we will be able to keep her upstairs with all of us full-time and she will also be able to use the regular litter box. Something that I think she will come to enjoy immensely!!

 

In an effort to help encourage a bond between her and our other kitties, hubby bought some "Cat Dancer" toys ...

 

 

 

He actually bought the last four the pet store had left ~ our cats love these things and go through them like they are going out of style!

My Precious Boy ...

I call him my little boy, my pride and joy, my heart. I am talking about, of course, my furr baby Midnight. He is by far the most sweetest, docile, laid-back male cat we have ever had the pleasure of sharing our lives with.

Last night, he showed us just how loving a kitty he can be. While the other cats (both females) are still stewing about us bringing in yet another female into "their" home (how dare we!), Midnight is warming up to Tabby rather nicely. This is no surprise to us; however, since he has always been the little diplomat of the clan...

He is now beginning to share his toys and play with her. As you can see in the above pic, he is playing "footsie" with her from underneath the couch. I have also noticed that since we brought the scratching post back out for Tabby he has been playing with the little ball inside of it vigorously ~ having a great time while getting the excercise he is so desperately in need of ...

 

All pooped out!

 

 

 

WISHING A BLESSED SUNDAY TO ALL AND A VERY SAFE AND RELAXING LABOR DAY, TOO!!!



 



Cat-choo!!

Our poor little Kiki. For the past few days she has been sneezing quite a bit! My guess is that she has been lying in front of our air-conditioning vents too much hunting for those creepy crawly things that sometimes come upstairs via the cellar! Kiki is a great little huntress and has captured more than her share of bugs in the house.

Since our cats are never allowed outside of the house, I am afraid she may have caught some kind of respiratory infection of sorts. So on Monday morning, I will call up our vet and make an evening appointment to have her checked out. Better safe than sorry ...