Ahem. Can hardly believe it’s that time of year again.
On or about this day in history, four years ago, a Star was born.
Happy Birthday Newt!
To have been told that he was “going to die any day; just keep him
comfortable” at a mere 11 weeks old, we never dared to Hope that he
would see his first birthday, let alone his FOURTH!
He is living proof that an excellent quality of
life can often be achieved for these special needs liver shunt kitties, in spite of
seemingly insurmountable odds. Thanks so much to each of you who have
shared your stories of your own shunt kitties – proof that we are not alone in
our devotion to our little Pookie Bear.
With Love and Hope,
a very proud and thankful Newt’s mum
I am so pleased to find this blog. I have a liver shunt cat, Tinkerbell. She is now 6 years old and was diagnosed with the liver shunt in her first 18 months of life. We got her as a rescue cat, very small and we thought she was much younger. After ten days of having her she displayed very odd behaviour, suddenly attacked us one day having been fine before and pressing her head into corners of the room. We took her to our vet and they put her on a drip and she was fine but it was a year later after a scan and other tests that they told us what it was. She is now on antibiotics but it is fun giving it to her as she also has a thickened heart wall and on beta blockers so I hate forcing the tablets down as it disturbs her, so we give them in food but this can be a battle but she takes it eventually. She is gorgeous, black with copper coloured eyes and I think has Siamese in her as she has wedge shaped face and very pointy ears. She suffers the salivation and down days and she is an indoor cat due to her problems. She keeps our dog in tow, giving him the odd slap about the face when he annoys her with his running around. She is very loveable and gentle and I feel so sad when she looks fragile. She is very much on the lookout for home cooked meals in the kitchen and we have to keep a vigilant eye on her to make sure she hasn’t robbed our chicken off the counter. I am concerned having read the posts that our vet only sees her twice a year and says he is pleased and to just carry on monitoring her progress. I didn’t realise there was an op she could have, but maybe her heart defect hampers that op. Tinkerbell is the most loving cat I have ever had and a very special one and she brings light to our lives every single day. A bright and brave character.