Jax update

Well, Jax is definately sick.

He has the feline equivalent of shingles. Which means he is in a lot of pain, even if he is not acting like it and all of his nerve receptors are extremely sensitive. He got a cortosteroid shot today to help calm his nerve receptors and block pain. The vet said the effects of the shot should last at least a month, keeping him out of pain until the other treatment puts the shingles in remission.

After the shot takes effect, and he isn't in a lot of pain, he has to get a bath and comb out tomorrow to remove all the dander and stuff from his skin, so the lesions heal better.

The next day, after his skin oils have built back up, we have to put this oil treatment on his back to help knock out the shingles.

Just like in humans, shingles never go away, they just go into remission. Stress brings them back out. Meaning if we ever have a baby, move, get a dog, etc. he could flare back up. If that happens, we have to take him back and repeat the process.

The vet said that it probably was not his food that triggered the autoimmune response, but his kitty condo tower that he loved so very, very much. The carpet it is covered in is apparently treated with chemicals, and then when the cat scratches it, as it is meant for, those chemicals release and land all over the cat, in addition to being inhaled by the cat. Not good.

The vet says I can vaccuum and steam clean the tower and try it again, but no thanks. If it made him this sick, it can hit the dumpster. Its just not worth it.

In addition to all of that (like we need more!), he also is showing signs of feline type 2 diabetes. I had already bought him hypoallergenic food when all his problems started a month or so ago, but it is really expensive. The vet recommended some other options that are better priced (like 10.99 instead of 23.oo for 40 oz), but still better for him. Corn apparently is really bad for diabetic cats, since it converts to sugar quickly. He needs a grain free diet. No more Whiskas. I got him some of the new food, so we'll see how he likes it. He also cannot have any table scraps, which will break Donald's heart, since they love to share. The vet also said he should only be having 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food per day, not the 1.5 cups he has been getting.

Poor baby. This will be a rough change, between the bath, no table food, no kitty condo, switching foods again, and decreasing his food.

But to add insult to injury, he has to go back in 3-4 weeks for a rabies shot, too!