“OH, look at this kitty! He's adorable!” My co-worker Kelly came running back to the cat room with an 8 week old tabby kitten that had been brought into the shelter. This kitten was a myriad of spots and strips, giving it the appearance of a mini Ocelot. He was in perfect health and was as affectionate as any well-socialized kitten could be. Apparently the good Samaritans that brought him in had found him wandering around.....
It's not hard to fall in love with a kitten, no matter how beautiful they are; kittens have that certain innocence and wonder about them that somehow, for a moment, erases the negativity that often surrounds us in this world. It was no surprise that Kelly was immediately smitten and called her boyfriend to discuss adopting this kitten. He agreed, and shortly thereafter, they took the kitten home and named him Bagheera, after the jungle book character (even though he wasn't black).
Bagheera adjusted well to Kelly's household and her boyfriend's cat, but several months later, Kelly and her boyfriend decided to part ways. For Kelly, this meant a move back to Kansas, as she had no family in Ohio. Since she was moving back in with her parents, Kelly asked me to take care of Bagheera until she could find her own place. I of course agreed.
I took Bagheera home and then went over to Kelly's house to help load her things in her car and offer moral support. Once Kelly arrived in Kansas, we wrote back and forth a few times. The last note I sent her was a Christmas card letting her know that Bagheera was doing well and had mixed in nicely with my other kitties. I never heard from her again. I will never know why, but I suspect that she wasn't able to keep Bagheera and that she found it too painful to say goodbye. And since I had told her that Bagheera would have a home with me if she couldn't keep him, she may have just decided to take me up on my offer. Whatever the reason, I had acquired a new fur child in my life...
Fast forward 8 ½ years.......
It's May 2006, and I'm about to go into my second surgery for the evening at DoveLewis Emergency Animal hospital. The night has been non-stop, and I really don't want to deal with any phone calls, so when I'm told that my husband is on the line, I ask the receptionist to take a message. She informs me that he is bringing Bagheera in, as he seems to have hurt his leg. “What??!” I immediately call him back and try to get more info. As I go into surgery, my mind is racing: if it's a broken leg, will he need surgery? How will I keep him separated from the other cats? How on earth did this happen anyway?
The overnight shift comes on, and I look out the window of the surgery suite to see the doctors examining Bagheera. I ask the overnight tech to step in for me, so I can find out what's wrong. The news I am about to receive is not what I expected, nor is it good: Bagheera's leg is fine, but the docs are concerned because they hear crackles in his chest. X-rays reveal congestive heart failure, so he is admitted.
Having been in this field for many years, I am used to dealing with sickness and trauma. However, when it is one of my own, I find myself too close to the situation; I simply cannot work on my own cats. I turn Bagheera's care over to my trusted co-workers while I try and hold myself together for the remainder of my shift. An IV catheter is placed and Bagheera is given Lasix to drain the fluid in his lungs; a Nitroglycerin patch is placed as a vasodialator, and he is put in an oxygen cage. I set up a time with the doctors to have an echo cardiogram done the next morning.
After a sleepless night, I call to find out that although Bagheera did well overnight, the diagnosis is not good. He has Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). For those of you not in the medical field, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopthy is a form of heart disease where the heart muscle becomes thickened, causing it to pump less efficiently. It has often been called the “silent killer”, as cats can have this disease without showing symptoms and then one day suddenly die of heart failure. These cats can also develop a blood clot, which paralyzes the back legs (called a saddle thrombus). This very painful condition often results in euthanasia, as it is difficult to dissolve the clot. Finally, cats with this disease can go into congestive heart failure, as Bagheera did. Often times a doctor can auscult a heart murmur or a gallop rhythm, indicating that the heart is working much harder than it should to pump blood. The cause of HCM is unknown, but it is thought to be mainly hereditary. Certain breeds, such as Ragdolls and Maine Coons seem to be more susceptible as well. Once a cat shows symptoms, the diagnosis is 1-2 years, although I have read about cats living longer on medication. This is not a disease that is curable, but it is manageable with medication, good nutrition, and a minimal stress.
Bagheera is started on Lasix (a diuretic) 6.25mg twice daily , Benazepril (a vasodialator) 2.5mg once daily, Diltiazam (a calcium channel blocker to slow the heart rate)60mg once daily, and a ¼ baby aspirin every 3 days. Aspirin is not something normally given to cats, as they don't metabolize it very quickly, but in Bagheera's case, he is at a greater risk of throwing a clot.
I make an appointment with a cardiologist to have Bagheera re-echoed 6 weeks later. He is concerned at that time about the possibility of a blood clot, and increases the aspirin dose to 1 whole tablet every 3 days and the Lasix to 12.5mg in the morning (the evening dose remains the same). He advises me that although Bagheera is asymptomatic, he is a “walking time bomb.” Six months later, in November, another echo revealed a little more thickening in the heart wall, but we kept his medications the same. This last week, Bagheera had another echo. The news is grave: the disease is progressing slowly and now the cardiologist has noticed a small pocket of fluid in the sac around the heart. Bagheera's bloodwork looks good, so his Lasix dose is increased to 12.5mg twice daily. The cardiologist wants to see Bagheera in another 6 months, or sooner, if there are problems. I am dishearted, as I feel that we are losing a little bit of ground. Still, Bagheera appears to be doing well and enjoying life. And the fact that he has a very mellow disposition has worked in his favour, especially in dealing with the vet visits and medications....
I know that in spite of all my best efforts, Bagheera will one day succumb to this disease. The fact that he has done well on medication for a year is encouraging because to me it means that we are managing his heart disease. And right now, that's all I can hope for.
We never realize how precious life is, until something like this happens. But in reality, any one of my kitties could become ill at any given moment. The difference is that I know what Bagheera will eventually die from and I can at least try and prepare myself. Regardless I've learned to treasure each and every one of my little urchins; to spend some time with them and show them they're loved; to appreciate all that they've taught me with the wisdom and unconditional love that only a companion animal can possess; and to be thankful for whatever time we have together in this life.
Ellen 5/6/07
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