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Good thoughts for our Babe-kitty, please.
I haven't wanted to say anything because words make it a little too real, but Babe's had a nasty upper respiratory for a while, and late last week her pupils dilated and stayed that way - not good. So, she's been to the vet and now to specialists. She's definitely (we could tell, anyway, but they confirmed) lost most of her vision, she does still seem to be able to tell high-contrast things apart if they're big enough, but otherwise has trouble. She navigates okay, but much more slowly, since she's having to use every other sense to compensate.
At this point, the two most likely possibilities are both scary, but I definitely prefer the more probable one. There's a fungal infection that starts out as a respiratory and can move to the nerves (and they're pretty sure the optic nerve is involved because both eyes went at the same time). It requires a long-term treatment and has a 60-80% survival rate, with maybe 25-50% chance she gets her vision back. That's not great, but it's not horrible, and if she never gets her vision back, even if she goes entirely blind, she can have a good life (she's indoor-only already, after all). The other high-ranking possibility is brain cancer, which...I just don't want to think about.
She doesn't seem to be in any discomfort or pain (except the occasional sneezing/coughing fit from the respiratory part, but I think those upset me more than her, to be honest). She's snuggly, purring, walking around, and eating.
And I am so, so scared for her, and wishing anyone had id'd this before it progressed to blindness. (If it is the fungal one, though, it's not entirely surprising they didn't - she's been indoor-only for a year and a half, and indoor cats aren't normally exposed to this. I don't know if cats can harbor it a while before it goes active or not, though - and she was an indoor-outdoor cat before that. Still....)
Many thanks to Scott, who has been shepherding the vet appointments since he works much closer to home and our usual vet (and even, as it turns out, the specialist clinic that they sent us to) than I do. Though if she goes back in Friday, which she may depending on the results they get and all, I will probably take her since I don't work most Fridays and this one is no exception.
Prayers for Babe, please. I'm hoping it will be the fungal infection or something else treatable (preferably curable), and that she'll survive just fine, and get some or all of her eyesight back. (I would guess 'some' is more likely than 'all' - one of the other reasons the fungal infection seems more probable is that they can see some lesions in the back of the eyes. I'm guessing those won't help with the eyesight recovery part, but - even if she can get back to where she can navigate the stairs without, say, forgetting the last one and flopping gracelessly to the landing...I'd be happier. Not that I have any room to say much, as I've missed that stair too, with my eyes working.)
At this point, the two most likely possibilities are both scary, but I definitely prefer the more probable one. There's a fungal infection that starts out as a respiratory and can move to the nerves (and they're pretty sure the optic nerve is involved because both eyes went at the same time). It requires a long-term treatment and has a 60-80% survival rate, with maybe 25-50% chance she gets her vision back. That's not great, but it's not horrible, and if she never gets her vision back, even if she goes entirely blind, she can have a good life (she's indoor-only already, after all). The other high-ranking possibility is brain cancer, which...I just don't want to think about.
She doesn't seem to be in any discomfort or pain (except the occasional sneezing/coughing fit from the respiratory part, but I think those upset me more than her, to be honest). She's snuggly, purring, walking around, and eating.
And I am so, so scared for her, and wishing anyone had id'd this before it progressed to blindness. (If it is the fungal one, though, it's not entirely surprising they didn't - she's been indoor-only for a year and a half, and indoor cats aren't normally exposed to this. I don't know if cats can harbor it a while before it goes active or not, though - and she was an indoor-outdoor cat before that. Still....)
Many thanks to Scott, who has been shepherding the vet appointments since he works much closer to home and our usual vet (and even, as it turns out, the specialist clinic that they sent us to) than I do. Though if she goes back in Friday, which she may depending on the results they get and all, I will probably take her since I don't work most Fridays and this one is no exception.
Prayers for Babe, please. I'm hoping it will be the fungal infection or something else treatable (preferably curable), and that she'll survive just fine, and get some or all of her eyesight back. (I would guess 'some' is more likely than 'all' - one of the other reasons the fungal infection seems more probable is that they can see some lesions in the back of the eyes. I'm guessing those won't help with the eyesight recovery part, but - even if she can get back to where she can navigate the stairs without, say, forgetting the last one and flopping gracelessly to the landing...I'd be happier. Not that I have any room to say much, as I've missed that stair too, with my eyes working.)
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