Sad New about our Kittens

We were so excited @ the birth of what we thought was our final litter
as breeders, & I was delighted when Blue~Belle had four wonderful
little white mice. She had an easy birth & all was well(2nd Feb 07).
Shortly after then, Lilly became very ill, & had to be taken to the
clinic on the spot, where she was diagnosed with Pyometra..which was a
tale in itself. As I posted at the time, I thought that it was
possible that Lilly has cat flu, but when I asked my vet@ that time,
she assured me that it couldn't be, because all of our cats were
vaccinated against Flu....
It was not until we got Lilly out of the first surgery & in to the
second surgery, that I got someone willing to me..The new vet took a
full panel of bloods & did a few other tests & confirmed that we did
indeed have a rampant case of mutant flu.5 other cases had been
diagnosed recently in our local are, & out of those 5, only 2cats had
made it through to the other side, &Are still with us to tell the
tale.

This would explain some of the drooling that Lilly was suffering & the
bacterial infection that she contracted after catching flu.
Lilly had a strain of calicivirus which lead to Pneumonia in her
instance.
Once we got her home, I isolated her because I knew in my gut that we
were fighting more than Pyometra here, because Biffy, her ex mate also
started sniffling whilst she was @ the clinic, then the green/yellow
eye secretions started, high temperature and bubbling nose too. I
asked the vet to look at him too, & she did. He was injected with
amoxi & given oral Marobycil @10mg daily . I was also supplied with
spare courses of antibiotics to treat any further cats that contracted
the flu too.
Lilly suffered the worst case, then Biffy was a very close second,
Tazy got the next dose but didn't seem over distressed by it, then
Belle(mummy) got it too. She didn;'t seem to be suffering too much
with it, but I was advised to give her the Marobycil@ 10mg daily to
help out if the kittens contracted it.
Both Lucy(fur!) & Ringo don't seem affected at all, Tiggy didn't
suffer from it at all either.
As soon as Lilly did get home, I isolated her from all of the other
cats, then started isolating the other cats from each other too. It
would seem that it was like shutting the gate after the horse has
bolted though. The incubation period was well over, & I think that
both mother & kittens were exposed to the flue well before Lilly even
went into the clinic.
Despite isolating them all, & trying to observe clinical cleanliness,
it made no difference at all.
As soon as they started displaying symptoms, & we tried to treat
them, it was looking trying to hold back an enormous tidal wave...It
was impossible..all of the kittens were showing upper respiritory
congestion, one after another, hour by hour...I tried to kid myself
that we might be able to save a few of them, but in reality, it was a
lost cause.
At two weeks old, we were just getting to know who was who & love them
for whom they were too. To watch them race downhill so fast was like
watching the light in their little souls wink out..terrible to observe
& a crying shame to all who were touched by their lives. They were
wonderful babes & loved beyond measure.
Their Poor mother is devastated as we are, but there is nothing I can
do to lessen her grief(
We are obviously devastated too, & I can tell you the sorrow that we
feel right now..guilt included for not realising sooner too...
The only consolation to this sad story is that we have still got all
of our adult cats, but it doesn't damped the heat of that loss...only
time will help that one.....
My only other consolation is that now that they have crossed the
Rainbow Bridge, that they suffer no longer & will be with Jasper, who
crossed it last November. He will guide them all to the place where
there is plenty & purrs of peace that envelope them all.
Good Bye Cornelius Fudge, White eye, Nose Blaze, Mittzi the mitted
too, we loved you all & wish you purrs of affection in your new home.
Sheelagh
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Haemorrhagic fever and high mortality associated with feline
calicivirus (FCV) infection

Feline calicivirus (FCV) is one of the cat flu viruses which most
commonly causes signs of upper respiratory tract

disease such as sneezing, nasal discharge, mouth ulceration and
conjunctivitis. Several outbreaks of severe disease associated with
FCV have recently been reported in the USA. In these outbreaks,
swelling of the head and paws was noted as well as other signs
including flu signs, jaundice and bleeding from the nose and the
bowel. Up to half of the affected cats died as a result of this
infection which was caused by a particularly severe strain of FCV.
Both adult cats and kittens were affected by this infection and many
of the cats were vaccinated for FCV suggesting that the vaccines for
this disease are not completely protective for this strain. So far, no
confirmed reports of similar outbreaks have been seen outside the USA
although one unconfirmed report suggested that this strain may also
exist in the UK.

The Veterinary Record, August 2002
did indeed have a rampant case of mutant

Sheelagh, I was thinking about Belle's kittens this morning and
wondering how they were doing. I was hoping that no news was good
news, but this is terrible news. I am so sorry. Once upon a time, a
mother bird built a nest in the exhaust of our fan. Not realizing
there was a nest of newly hatched baby birds in there, we turned the
fan on at some point. It frightened the mother away. Then, one by one,
her babies got hungry and started looking for her and fell out of the
nest and broke their necks. My husband euthanized two of them (because
their necks were broken, but they were still alive). We tried to save
the others but it was of no use. We thought we had succeeded, but they
were all dead in the morning. It was so depressing. So, I can only
imagine how sad you feel over the loss of Belle's kittens with whom
you had bonded and had a relationship and loved. Thank you for posting
the information about the flu, BTW. It may help to save someone else's
cats. And stop beating yourself up for not reacting sooner. You of all
people know that kittens are unfortunately very fragile. Purrs for you
and Belle.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.


On Feb 19, 3:58 pm, "sheelagh" wrote:
We were so excited @ the birth of what we thought was our final litter
as breeders, & I was delighted when Blue~Belle had four wonderful
little white mice. She had an easy birth & all was well(2nd Feb 07).
Shortly after then, Lilly became very ill, & had to be taken to the
clinic on the spot, where she was diagnosed with Pyometra..which was a
tale in itself. As I posted at the time, I thought that it was
possible that Lilly has cat flu, but when I asked my vet@ that time,
she assured me that it couldn't be, because all of our cats were
vaccinated against Flu....
It was not until we got Lilly out of the first surgery & in to the
second surgery, that I got someone willing to me..The new vet took a
full panel of bloods & did a few other tests & confirmed that we did
indeed have a rampant case of mutant flu.5 other cases had been
diagnosed recently in our local are, & out of those 5, only 2cats had
made it through to the other side, &Are still with us to tell the
tale.

This would explain some of the drooling that Lilly was suffering & the
bacterial infection that she contracted after catching flu.
Lilly had a strain of calicivirus which lead to Pneumonia in her
instance.
Once we got her home, I isolated her because I knew in my gut that we
were fighting more than Pyometra here, because Biffy, her ex mate also
started sniffling whilst she was @ the clinic, then the green/yellow
eye secretions started, high temperature and bubbling nose too. I
asked the vet to look at him too, & she did. He was injected with
amoxi & given oral Marobycil @10mg daily . I was also supplied with
spare courses of antibiotics to treat any further cats that contracted
the flu too.
Lilly suffered the worst case, then Biffy was a very close second,
Tazy got the next dose but didn't seem over distressed by it, then
Belle(mummy) got it too. She didn;'t seem to be suffering too much
with it, but I was advised to give her the Marobycil@ 10mg daily to
help out if the kittens contracted it.
Both Lucy(fur!) & Ringo don't seem affected at all, Tiggy didn't
suffer from it at all either.
As soon as Lilly did get home, I isolated her from all of the other
cats, then started isolating the other cats from each other too. It
would seem that it was like shutting the gate after the horse has
bolted though. The incubation period was well over, & I think that
both mother & kittens were exposed to the flue well before Lilly even
went into the clinic.
Despite isolating them all, & trying to observe clinical cleanliness,
it made no difference at all.
As soon as they started displaying symptoms, & we tried to treat
them, it was looking trying to hold back an enormous tidal wave...It
was impossible..all of the kittens were showing upper respiritory
congestion, one after another, hour by hour...I tried to kid myself
that we might be able to save a few of them, but in reality, it was a
lost cause.
At two weeks old, we were just getting to know who was who & love them
for whom they were too. To watch them race downhill so fast was like
watching the light in their little souls wink out..terrible to observe
& a crying shame to all who were touched by their lives. They were
wonderful babes & loved beyond measure.
Their Poor mother is devastated as we are, but there is nothing I can
do to lessen her grief(
We are obviously devastated too, & I can tell you the sorrow that we
feel right now..guilt included for not realising sooner too...
The only consolation to this sad story is that we have still got all
of our adult cats, but it doesn't damped the heat of that loss...only
time will help that one.....
My only other consolation is that now that they have crossed the
Rainbow Bridge, that they suffer no longer & will be with Jasper, who
crossed it last November. He will guide them all to the place where
there is plenty & purrs of peace that envelope them all.
Good Bye Cornelius Fudge, White eye, Nose Blaze, Mittzi the mitted
too, we loved you all & wish you purrs of affection in your new home.
Sheelagh
---------------------------------------------------------------------------*----------------------
Haemorrhagic fever and high mortality associated with feline
calicivirus (FCV) infection

Feline calicivirus (FCV) is one of the cat flu viruses which most
commonly causes signs of upper respiratory tract

disease such as sneezing, nasal discharge, mouth ulceration and
conjunctivitis. Several outbreaks of severe disease associated with
FCV have recently been reported in the USA. In these outbreaks,
swelling of the head and paws was noted as well as other signs
including flu signs, jaundice and bleeding from the nose and the
bowel. Up to half of the affected cats died as a result of this
infection which was caused by a particularly severe strain of FCV.
Both adult cats and kittens were affected by this infection and many
of the cats were vaccinated for FCV suggesting that the vaccines for
this disease are not completely protective for this strain. So far, no
confirmed reports of similar outbreaks have been seen outside the USA
although one unconfirmed report suggested that this strain may also
exist in the UK.

The Veterinary Record, August 2002
did indeed have a rampant case of mutant

on Mon, 19 Feb 2007 20:58:53 GMT, "sheelagh"
wrote:

Their Poor mother is devastated as we are, but there is nothing I can
do to lessen her grief(
We are obviously devastated too, & I can tell you the sorrow that we
feel right now..guilt included for not realising sooner too...
The only consolation to this sad story is that we have still got all
of our adult cats, but it doesn't damped the heat of that loss...only
time will help that one.....

Oh, Sheelagh... I'm deeply sorry and terribly sad to hear this news.

Please, whatever else you do, just please don't add guilt on top of the
deep sorrow you are already suffering. You have done a wonderful job
caring for your cats, including those kittens.

You have my deepest sympathy... and quite a lot of my tears, too.

--
Lynne

"sheelagh" wrote in message
oups.com...
.. ...
.... Good Bye Cornelius Fudge, White eye, Nose Blaze, Mittzi the mitted
too, we loved you all & wish you purrs of affection in your new home.
Sheelagh
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sheelagh,

Deepest condolences on your loss.

You did what you could to save them.

Annie

So sorry to hear about your kittens.

W


"sheelagh" wrote in message
oups.com...
We were so excited @ the birth of what we thought was our final litter
as breeders, & I was delighted when Blue~Belle had four wonderful
little white mice. She had an easy birth & all was well(2nd Feb 07).
Shortly after then, Lilly became very ill, & had to be taken to the
clinic on the spot, where she was diagnosed with Pyometra..which was a
tale in itself. As I posted at the time, I thought that it was
possible that Lilly has cat flu, but when I asked my vet@ that time,
she assured me that it couldn't be, because all of our cats were
vaccinated against Flu....
It was not until we got Lilly out of the first surgery & in to the
second surgery, that I got someone willing to me..The new vet took a
full panel of bloods & did a few other tests & confirmed that we did
indeed have a rampant case of mutant flu.5 other cases had been
diagnosed recently in our local are, & out of those 5, only 2cats had
made it through to the other side, &Are still with us to tell the
tale.

This would explain some of the drooling that Lilly was suffering & the
bacterial infection that she contracted after catching flu.
Lilly had a strain of calicivirus which lead to Pneumonia in her
instance.
Once we got her home, I isolated her because I knew in my gut that we
were fighting more than Pyometra here, because Biffy, her ex mate also
started sniffling whilst she was @ the clinic, then the green/yellow
eye secretions started, high temperature and bubbling nose too. I
asked the vet to look at him too, & she did. He was injected with
amoxi & given oral Marobycil @10mg daily . I was also supplied with
spare courses of antibiotics to treat any further cats that contracted
the flu too.
Lilly suffered the worst case, then Biffy was a very close second,
Tazy got the next dose but didn't seem over distressed by it, then
Belle(mummy) got it too. She didn;'t seem to be suffering too much
with it, but I was advised to give her the Marobycil@ 10mg daily to
help out if the kittens contracted it.
Both Lucy(fur!) & Ringo don't seem affected at all, Tiggy didn't
suffer from it at all either.
As soon as Lilly did get home, I isolated her from all of the other
cats, then started isolating the other cats from each other too. It
would seem that it was like shutting the gate after the horse has
bolted though. The incubation period was well over, & I think that
both mother & kittens were exposed to the flue well before Lilly even
went into the clinic.
Despite isolating them all, & trying to observe clinical cleanliness,
it made no difference at all.
As soon as they started displaying symptoms, & we tried to treat
them, it was looking trying to hold back an enormous tidal wave...It
was impossible..all of the kittens were showing upper respiritory
congestion, one after another, hour by hour...I tried to kid myself
that we might be able to save a few of them, but in reality, it was a
lost cause.
At two weeks old, we were just getting to know who was who & love them
for whom they were too. To watch them race downhill so fast was like
watching the light in their little souls wink out..terrible to observe
& a crying shame to all who were touched by their lives. They were
wonderful babes & loved beyond measure.
Their Poor mother is devastated as we are, but there is nothing I can
do to lessen her grief(
We are obviously devastated too, & I can tell you the sorrow that we
feel right now..guilt included for not realising sooner too...
The only consolation to this sad story is that we have still got all
of our adult cats, but it doesn't damped the heat of that loss...only
time will help that one.....
My only other consolation is that now that they have crossed the
Rainbow Bridge, that they suffer no longer & will be with Jasper, who
crossed it last November. He will guide them all to the place where
there is plenty & purrs of peace that envelope them all.
Good Bye Cornelius Fudge, White eye, Nose Blaze, Mittzi the mitted
too, we loved you all & wish you purrs of affection in your new home.
Sheelagh
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Haemorrhagic fever and high mortality associated with feline
calicivirus (FCV) infection

Feline calicivirus (FCV) is one of the cat flu viruses which most
commonly causes signs of upper respiratory tract

disease such as sneezing, nasal discharge, mouth ulceration and
conjunctivitis. Several outbreaks of severe disease associated with
FCV have recently been reported in the USA. In these outbreaks,
swelling of the head and paws was noted as well as other signs
including flu signs, jaundice and bleeding from the nose and the
bowel. Up to half of the affected cats died as a result of this
infection which was caused by a particularly severe strain of FCV.
Both adult cats and kittens were affected by this infection and many
of the cats were vaccinated for FCV suggesting that the vaccines for
this disease are not completely protective for this strain. So far, no
confirmed reports of similar outbreaks have been seen outside the USA
although one unconfirmed report suggested that this strain may also
exist in the UK.

The Veterinary Record, August 2002
did indeed have a rampant case of mutant

Oh Sheelagh,

I'm so very sorry. What a horrible, horrible loss. You've already been
through so much already with Jasper last fall and then Lilly. You are a
fabulous cat mom.

You're in my thoughts and my kitties send purrs and head butts your way.

Bonnie

"sheelagh" wrote in message
oups.com...
We were so excited @ the birth of what we thought was our final litter
as breeders, & I was delighted when Blue~Belle had four wonderful
little white mice. She had an easy birth & all was well(2nd Feb 07).
Shortly after then, Lilly became very ill, & had to be taken to the
clinic on the spot, where she was diagnosed with Pyometra..which was a
tale in itself. As I posted at the time, I thought that it was
possible that Lilly has cat flu, but when I asked my vet@ that time,
she assured me that it couldn't be, because all of our cats were
vaccinated against Flu....
It was not until we got Lilly out of the first surgery & in to the
second surgery, that I got someone willing to me..The new vet took a
full panel of bloods & did a few other tests & confirmed that we did
indeed have a rampant case of mutant flu.5 other cases had been
diagnosed recently in our local are, & out of those 5, only 2cats had
made it through to the other side, &Are still with us to tell the
tale.

This would explain some of the drooling that Lilly was suffering & the
bacterial infection that she contracted after catching flu.
Lilly had a strain of calicivirus which lead to Pneumonia in her
instance.
Once we got her home, I isolated her because I knew in my gut that we
were fighting more than Pyometra here, because Biffy, her ex mate also
started sniffling whilst she was @ the clinic, then the green/yellow
eye secretions started, high temperature and bubbling nose too. I
asked the vet to look at him too, & she did. He was injected with
amoxi & given oral Marobycil @10mg daily . I was also supplied with
spare courses of antibiotics to treat any further cats that contracted
the flu too.
Lilly suffered the worst case, then Biffy was a very close second,
Tazy got the next dose but didn't seem over distressed by it, then
Belle(mummy) got it too. She didn;'t seem to be suffering too much
with it, but I was advised to give her the Marobycil@ 10mg daily to
help out if the kittens contracted it.
Both Lucy(fur!) & Ringo don't seem affected at all, Tiggy didn't
suffer from it at all either.
As soon as Lilly did get home, I isolated her from all of the other
cats, then started isolating the other cats from each other too. It
would seem that it was like shutting the gate after the horse has
bolted though. The incubation period was well over, & I think that
both mother & kittens were exposed to the flue well before Lilly even
went into the clinic.
Despite isolating them all, & trying to observe clinical cleanliness,
it made no difference at all.
As soon as they started displaying symptoms, & we tried to treat
them, it was looking trying to hold back an enormous tidal wave...It
was impossible..all of the kittens were showing upper respiritory
congestion, one after another, hour by hour...I tried to kid myself
that we might be able to save a few of them, but in reality, it was a
lost cause.
At two weeks old, we were just getting to know who was who & love them
for whom they were too. To watch them race downhill so fast was like
watching the light in their little souls wink out..terrible to observe
& a crying shame to all who were touched by their lives. They were
wonderful babes & loved beyond measure.
Their Poor mother is devastated as we are, but there is nothing I can
do to lessen her grief(
We are obviously devastated too, & I can tell you the sorrow that we
feel right now..guilt included for not realising sooner too...
The only consolation to this sad story is that we have still got all
of our adult cats, but it doesn't damped the heat of that loss...only
time will help that one.....
My only other consolation is that now that they have crossed the
Rainbow Bridge, that they suffer no longer & will be with Jasper, who
crossed it last November. He will guide them all to the place where
there is plenty & purrs of peace that envelope them all.
Good Bye Cornelius Fudge, White eye, Nose Blaze, Mittzi the mitted
too, we loved you all & wish you purrs of affection in your new home.
Sheelagh
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Haemorrhagic fever and high mortality associated with feline
calicivirus (FCV) infection

Feline calicivirus (FCV) is one of the cat flu viruses which most
commonly causes signs of upper respiratory tract

disease such as sneezing, nasal discharge, mouth ulceration and
conjunctivitis. Several outbreaks of severe disease associated with
FCV have recently been reported in the USA. In these outbreaks,
swelling of the head and paws was noted as well as other signs
including flu signs, jaundice and bleeding from the nose and the
bowel. Up to half of the affected cats died as a result of this
infection which was caused by a particularly severe strain of FCV.
Both adult cats and kittens were affected by this infection and many
of the cats were vaccinated for FCV suggesting that the vaccines for
this disease are not completely protective for this strain. So far, no
confirmed reports of similar outbreaks have been seen outside the USA
although one unconfirmed report suggested that this strain may also
exist in the UK.

The Veterinary Record, August 2002
did indeed have a rampant case of mutant

Oh shoot, how horrible. You've had just too much to bear recently.

I'm sorry about the kittens. My condolences to Belle, too.

Sounds like you are lucky that everyone else made it.

Rhonda

sheelagh wrote:
We were so excited @ the birth of what we thought was our final litter
as breeders, & I was delighted when Blue~Belle had four wonderful
little white mice. She had an easy birth & all was well(2nd Feb 07).
Shortly after then, Lilly became very ill, & had to be taken to the
clinic on the spot, where she was diagnosed with Pyometra..which was a
tale in itself. As I posted at the time, I thought that it was
possible that Lilly has cat flu, but when I asked my vet@ that time,
she assured me that it couldn't be, because all of our cats were
vaccinated against Flu....
It was not until we got Lilly out of the first surgery & in to the
second surgery, that I got someone willing to me..The new vet took a
full panel of bloods & did a few other tests & confirmed that we did
indeed have a rampant case of mutant flu.5 other cases had been
diagnosed recently in our local are, & out of those 5, only 2cats had
made it through to the other side, &Are still with us to tell the
tale.

This would explain some of the drooling that Lilly was suffering & the
bacterial infection that she contracted after catching flu.
Lilly had a strain of calicivirus which lead to Pneumonia in her
instance.
Once we got her home, I isolated her because I knew in my gut that we
were fighting more than Pyometra here, because Biffy, her ex mate also
started sniffling whilst she was @ the clinic, then the green/yellow
eye secretions started, high temperature and bubbling nose too. I
asked the vet to look at him too, & she did. He was injected with
amoxi & given oral Marobycil @10mg daily . I was also supplied with
spare courses of antibiotics to treat any further cats that contracted
the flu too.
Lilly suffered the worst case, then Biffy was a very close second,
Tazy got the next dose but didn't seem over distressed by it, then
Belle(mummy) got it too. She didn;'t seem to be suffering too much
with it, but I was advised to give her the Marobycil@ 10mg daily to
help out if the kittens contracted it.
Both Lucy(fur!) & Ringo don't seem affected at all, Tiggy didn't
suffer from it at all either.
As soon as Lilly did get home, I isolated her from all of the other
cats, then started isolating the other cats from each other too. It
would seem that it was like shutting the gate after the horse has
bolted though. The incubation period was well over, & I think that
both mother & kittens were exposed to the flue well before Lilly even
went into the clinic.
Despite isolating them all, & trying to observe clinical cleanliness,
it made no difference at all.
As soon as they started displaying symptoms, & we tried to treat
them, it was looking trying to hold back an enormous tidal wave...It
was impossible..all of the kittens were showing upper respiritory
congestion, one after another, hour by hour...I tried to kid myself
that we might be able to save a few of them, but in reality, it was a
lost cause.
At two weeks old, we were just getting to know who was who & love them
for whom they were too. To watch them race downhill so fast was like
watching the light in their little souls wink out..terrible to observe
& a crying shame to all who were touched by their lives. They were
wonderful babes & loved beyond measure.
Their Poor mother is devastated as we are, but there is nothing I can
do to lessen her grief(
We are obviously devastated too, & I can tell you the sorrow that we
feel right now..guilt included for not realising sooner too...
The only consolation to this sad story is that we have still got all
of our adult cats, but it doesn't damped the heat of that loss...only
time will help that one.....
My only other consolation is that now that they have crossed the
Rainbow Bridge, that they suffer no longer & will be with Jasper, who
crossed it last November. He will guide them all to the place where
there is plenty & purrs of peace that envelope them all.
Good Bye Cornelius Fudge, White eye, Nose Blaze, Mittzi the mitted
too, we loved you all & wish you purrs of affection in your new home.
Sheelagh
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Haemorrhagic fever and high mortality associated with feline
calicivirus (FCV) infection

Feline calicivirus (FCV) is one of the cat flu viruses which most
commonly causes signs of upper respiratory tract

disease such as sneezing, nasal discharge, mouth ulceration and
conjunctivitis. Several outbreaks of severe disease associated with
FCV have recently been reported in the USA. In these outbreaks,
swelling of the head and paws was noted as well as other signs
including flu signs, jaundice and bleeding from the nose and the
bowel. Up to half of the affected cats died as a result of this
infection which was caused by a particularly severe strain of FCV.
Both adult cats and kittens were affected by this infection and many
of the cats were vaccinated for FCV suggesting that the vaccines for
this disease are not completely protective for this strain. So far, no
confirmed reports of similar outbreaks have been seen outside the USA
although one unconfirmed report suggested that this strain may also
exist in the UK.

The Veterinary Record, August 2002
did indeed have a rampant case of mutant

TEARS
I am so sorry

"sheelagh" wrote in message
oups.com...
We were so excited @ the birth of what we thought was our final litter
as breeders, & I was delighted when Blue~Belle had four wonderful
little white mice. She had an easy birth & all was well(2nd Feb 07).
Shortly after then, Lilly became very ill, & had to be taken to the
clinic on the spot, where she was diagnosed with Pyometra..which was a
tale in itself. As I posted at the time, I thought that it was
possible that Lilly has cat flu, but when I asked my vet@ that time,
she assured me that it couldn't be, because all of our cats were
vaccinated against Flu....
It was not until we got Lilly out of the first surgery & in to the
second surgery, that I got someone willing to me..The new vet took a
full panel of bloods & did a few other tests & confirmed that we did
indeed have a rampant case of mutant flu.5 other cases had been
diagnosed recently in our local are, & out of those 5, only 2cats had
made it through to the other side, &Are still with us to tell the
tale.

This would explain some of the drooling that Lilly was suffering & the
bacterial infection that she contracted after catching flu.
Lilly had a strain of calicivirus which lead to Pneumonia in her
instance.
Once we got her home, I isolated her because I knew in my gut that we
were fighting more than Pyometra here, because Biffy, her ex mate also
started sniffling whilst she was @ the clinic, then the green/yellow
eye secretions started, high temperature and bubbling nose too. I
asked the vet to look at him too, & she did. He was injected with
amoxi & given oral Marobycil @10mg daily . I was also supplied with
spare courses of antibiotics to treat any further cats that contracted
the flu too.
Lilly suffered the worst case, then Biffy was a very close second,
Tazy got the next dose but didn't seem over distressed by it, then
Belle(mummy) got it too. She didn;'t seem to be suffering too much
with it, but I was advised to give her the Marobycil@ 10mg daily to
help out if the kittens contracted it.
Both Lucy(fur!) & Ringo don't seem affected at all, Tiggy didn't
suffer from it at all either.
As soon as Lilly did get home, I isolated her from all of the other
cats, then started isolating the other cats from each other too. It
would seem that it was like shutting the gate after the horse has
bolted though. The incubation period was well over, & I think that
both mother & kittens were exposed to the flue well before Lilly even
went into the clinic.
Despite isolating them all, & trying to observe clinical cleanliness,
it made no difference at all.
As soon as they started displaying symptoms, & we tried to treat
them, it was looking trying to hold back an enormous tidal wave...It
was impossible..all of the kittens were showing upper respiritory
congestion, one after another, hour by hour...I tried to kid myself
that we might be able to save a few of them, but in reality, it was a
lost cause.
At two weeks old, we were just getting to know who was who & love them
for whom they were too. To watch them race downhill so fast was like
watching the light in their little souls wink out..terrible to observe
& a crying shame to all who were touched by their lives. They were
wonderful babes & loved beyond measure.
Their Poor mother is devastated as we are, but there is nothing I can
do to lessen her grief(
We are obviously devastated too, & I can tell you the sorrow that we
feel right now..guilt included for not realising sooner too...
The only consolation to this sad story is that we have still got all
of our adult cats, but it doesn't damped the heat of that loss...only
time will help that one.....
My only other consolation is that now that they have crossed the
Rainbow Bridge, that they suffer no longer & will be with Jasper, who
crossed it last November. He will guide them all to the place where
there is plenty & purrs of peace that envelope them all.
Good Bye Cornelius Fudge, White eye, Nose Blaze, Mittzi the mitted
too, we loved you all & wish you purrs of affection in your new home.
Sheelagh
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Haemorrhagic fever and high mortality associated with feline
calicivirus (FCV) infection

Feline calicivirus (FCV) is one of the cat flu viruses which most
commonly causes signs of upper respiratory tract

disease such as sneezing, nasal discharge, mouth ulceration and
conjunctivitis. Several outbreaks of severe disease associated with
FCV have recently been reported in the USA. In these outbreaks,
swelling of the head and paws was noted as well as other signs
including flu signs, jaundice and bleeding from the nose and the
bowel. Up to half of the affected cats died as a result of this
infection which was caused by a particularly severe strain of FCV.
Both adult cats and kittens were affected by this infection and many
of the cats were vaccinated for FCV suggesting that the vaccines for
this disease are not completely protective for this strain. So far, no
confirmed reports of similar outbreaks have been seen outside the USA
although one unconfirmed report suggested that this strain may also
exist in the UK.

The Veterinary Record, August 2002
did indeed have a rampant case of mutant

On 19 Feb, 20:58, "sheelagh" wrote:
We were so excited @ the birth of what we thought was our final litter
as breeders, & I was delighted when Blue~Belle had four wonderful
little white mice. She had an easy birth & all was well(2nd Feb 07).
Shortly after then, Lilly became very ill, & had to be taken to the
clinic on the spot, where she was diagnosed with Pyometra..which was a
tale in itself. As I posted at the time, I thought that it was
possible that Lilly has cat flu, but when I asked my vet@ that time,
she assured me that it couldn't be, because all of our cats were
vaccinated against Flu....
It was not until we got Lilly out of the first surgery & in to the
second surgery, that I got someone willing to me..The new vet took a
full panel of bloods & did a few other tests & confirmed that we did
indeed have a rampant case of mutant flu.5 other cases had been
diagnosed recently in our local are, & out of those 5, only 2cats had
made it through to the other side, &Are still with us to tell the
tale.

This would explain some of the drooling that Lilly was suffering & the
bacterial infection that she contracted after catching flu.
Lilly had a strain of calicivirus which lead to Pneumonia in her
instance.
Once we got her home, I isolated her because I knew in my gut that we
were fighting more than Pyometra here, because Biffy, her ex mate also
started sniffling whilst she was @ the clinic, then the green/yellow
eye secretions started, high temperature and bubbling nose too. I
asked the vet to look at him too, & she did. He was injected with
amoxi & given oral Marobycil @10mg daily . I was also supplied with
spare courses of antibiotics to treat any further cats that contracted
the flu too.
Lilly suffered the worst case, then Biffy was a very close second,
Tazy got the next dose but didn't seem over distressed by it, then
Belle(mummy) got it too. She didn;'t seem to be suffering too much
with it, but I was advised to give her the Marobycil@ 10mg daily to
help out if the kittens contracted it.
Both Lucy(fur!) & Ringo don't seem affected at all, Tiggy didn't
suffer from it at all either.
As soon as Lilly did get home, I isolated her from all of the other
cats, then started isolating the other cats from each other too. It
would seem that it was like shutting the gate after the horse has
bolted though. The incubation period was well over, & I think that
both mother & kittens were exposed to the flue well before Lilly even
went into the clinic.
Despite isolating them all, & trying to observe clinical cleanliness,
it made no difference at all.
As soon as they started displaying symptoms, & we tried to treat
them, it was looking trying to hold back an enormous tidal wave...It
was impossible..all of the kittens were showing upper respiritory
congestion, one after another, hour by hour...I tried to kid myself
that we might be able to save a few of them, but in reality, it was a
lost cause.
At two weeks old, we were just getting to know who was who & love them
for whom they were too. To watch them race downhill so fast was like
watching the light in their little souls wink out..terrible to observe
& a crying shame to all who were touched by their lives. They were
wonderful babes & loved beyond measure.
Their Poor mother is devastated as we are, but there is nothing I can
do to lessen her grief(
We are obviously devastated too, & I can tell you the sorrow that we
feel right now..guilt included for not realising sooner too...
The only consolation to this sad story is that we have still got all
of our adult cats, but it doesn't damped the heat of that loss...only
time will help that one.....
My only other consolation is that now that they have crossed the
Rainbow Bridge, that they suffer no longer & will be with Jasper, who
crossed it last November. He will guide them all to the place where
there is plenty & purrs of peace that envelope them all.
Good Bye Cornelius Fudge, White eye, Nose Blaze, Mittzi the mitted
too, we loved you all & wish you purrs of affection in your new home.
Sheelagh
---------------------------------------------------------------------------*----------------------
Haemorrhagic fever and high mortality associated with feline
calicivirus (FCV) infection

Feline calicivirus (FCV) is one of the cat flu viruses which most
commonly causes signs of upper respiratory tract

disease such as sneezing, nasal discharge, mouth ulceration and
conjunctivitis. Several outbreaks of severe disease associated with
FCV have recently been reported in the USA. In these outbreaks,
swelling of the head and paws was noted as well as other signs
including flu signs, jaundice and bleeding from the nose and the
bowel. Up to half of the affected cats died as a result of this
infection which was caused by a particularly severe strain of FCV.
Both adult cats and kittens were affected by this infection and many
of the cats were vaccinated for FCV suggesting that the vaccines for
this disease are not completely protective for this strain. So far, no
confirmed reports of similar outbreaks have been seen outside the USA
although one unconfirmed report suggested that this strain may also
exist in the UK.

The Veterinary Record, August 2002
did indeed have a rampant case of mutant

those poor kittens, you have my deepest sympathies, i was wondering
why you hadn;t posted in a while with updates on Lilly.
rest assured that all 4 are free from discomfort and pain now over the
rainbow bridge.

another example of poor practise displayed by your ex-vet in not doing
blood tests and considering the possibilty of a mutant strain of flu
in the area, please tell me you will go ahead with the report to the
rcvs now? she should have thought about it, it does not take a genius
to do that, after all the human flu virus, in fact any virus can
quickly mutate into something which is resistant to standard drugs and
which animals are not protected against and that is why old people and
others at risk have to go to get a new flu jab every year.

how is lilly doing now? is she feeling any better, any more photos?

very sad, Bookie

On 20 Feb, 05:53, "bookie" wrote:
On 19 Feb, 20:58, "sheelagh" wrote:





We were so excited @ the birth of what we thought was our final litter
as breeders, & I was delighted when Blue~Belle had four wonderful
little white mice. She had an easy birth & all was well(2nd Feb 07).
Shortly after then, Lilly became very ill, & had to be taken to the
clinic on the spot, where she was diagnosed with Pyometra..which was a
tale in itself. As I posted at the time, I thought that it was
possible that Lilly has cat flu, but when I asked my vet@ that time,
she assured me that it couldn't be, because all of our cats were
vaccinated against Flu....
It was not until we got Lilly out of the first surgery & in to the
second surgery, that I got someone willing to me..The new vet took a
full panel of bloods & did a few other tests & confirmed that we did
indeed have a rampant case of mutant flu.5 other cases had been
diagnosed recently in our local are, & out of those 5, only 2cats had
made it through to the other side, &Are still with us to tell the
tale.

This would explain some of the drooling that Lilly was suffering & the
bacterial infection that she contracted after catching flu.
Lilly had a strain of calicivirus which lead to Pneumonia in her
instance.
Once we got her home, I isolated her because I knew in my gut that we
were fighting more than Pyometra here, because Biffy, her ex mate also
started sniffling whilst she was @ the clinic, then the green/yellow
eye secretions started, high temperature and bubbling nose too. I
asked the vet to look at him too, & she did. He was injected with
amoxi & given oral Marobycil @10mg daily . I was also supplied with
spare courses of antibiotics to treat any further cats that contracted
the flu too.
Lilly suffered the worst case, then Biffy was a very close second,
Tazy got the next dose but didn't seem over distressed by it, then
Belle(mummy) got it too. She didn;'t seem to be suffering too much
with it, but I was advised to give her the Marobycil@ 10mg daily to
help out if the kittens contracted it.
Both Lucy(fur!) & Ringo don't seem affected at all, Tiggy didn't
suffer from it at all either.
As soon as Lilly did get home, I isolated her from all of the other
cats, then started isolating the other cats from each other too. It
would seem that it was like shutting the gate after the horse has
bolted though. The incubation period was well over, & I think that
both mother & kittens were exposed to the flue well before Lilly even
went into the clinic.
Despite isolating them all, & trying to observe clinical cleanliness,
it made no difference at all.
As soon as they started displaying symptoms, & we tried to treat
them, it was looking trying to hold back an enormous tidal wave...It
was impossible..all of the kittens were showing upper respiritory
congestion, one after another, hour by hour...I tried to kid myself
that we might be able to save a few of them, but in reality, it was a
lost cause.
At two weeks old, we were just getting to know who was who & love them
for whom they were too. To watch them race downhill so fast was like
watching the light in their little souls wink out..terrible to observe
& a crying shame to all who were touched by their lives. They were
wonderful babes & loved beyond measure.
Their Poor mother is devastated as we are, but there is nothing I can
do to lessen her grief(
We are obviously devastated too, & I can tell you the sorrow that we
feel right now..guilt included for not realising sooner too...
The only consolation to this sad story is that we have still got all
of our adult cats, but it doesn't damped the heat of that loss...only
time will help that one.....
My only other consolation is that now that they have crossed the
Rainbow Bridge, that they suffer no longer & will be with Jasper, who
crossed it last November. He will guide them all to the place where
there is plenty & purrs of peace that envelope them all.
Good Bye Cornelius Fudge, White eye, Nose Blaze, Mittzi the mitted
too, we loved you all & wish you purrs of affection in your new home.
Sheelagh
---------------------------------------------------------------------------**----------------------
Haemorrhagic fever and high mortality associated with feline
calicivirus (FCV) infection

Feline calicivirus (FCV) is one of the cat flu viruses which most
commonly causes signs of upper respiratory tract

disease such as sneezing, nasal discharge, mouth ulceration and
conjunctivitis. Several outbreaks of severe disease associated with
FCV have recently been reported in the USA. In these outbreaks,
swelling of the head and paws was noted as well as other signs
including flu signs, jaundice and bleeding from the nose and the
bowel. Up to half of the affected cats died as a result of this
infection which was caused by a particularly severe strain of FCV.
Both adult cats and kittens were affected by this infection and many
of the cats were vaccinated for FCV suggesting that the vaccines for
this disease are not completely protective for this strain. So far, no
confirmed reports of similar outbreaks have been seen outside the USA
although one unconfirmed report suggested that this strain may also
exist in the UK.

The Veterinary Record, August 2002
did indeed have a rampant case of mutant

those poor kittens, you have my deepest sympathies, i was wondering
why you hadn;t posted in a while with updates on Lilly.
rest assured that all 4 are free from discomfort and pain now over the
rainbow bridge.

another example of poor practise displayed by your ex-vet in not doing
blood tests and considering the possibility of a mutant strain of flu
in the area, please tell me you will go ahead with the report to the
rcvs now? she should have thought about it, it does not take a genius
to do that, after all the human flu virus, in fact any virus can
quickly mutate into something which is resistant to standard drugs and
which animals are not protected against and that is why old people and
others at risk have to go to get a new flu jab every year.

how is lilly doing now? is she feeling any better, any more photos?

very sad, Bookie- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

It was a terribly sad process to go through. Depressing, moral sapping
really. It was terribly hard to watch each one die & it didn't matter
how hard we tried to keep them alive, there was *nothing* we could do
to stop it happening.
Fading kittens.

I hoped when it started that even if we could save a couple then it
would have been worth all of the hard work, but when they all did, it
was simply heartbreaking. I would still try as we hard as we did again
if it were to happen all over again, because you have to try, don't
you?

One thing that has happened since the death of the last kitten, Belle
seems to have swung into full call again....?
Is this a normal thing? I have never lost a little of kittens like
this, so I have nothing to compare it to?
It doesn't matter if she does call, she won't get pregnant because she
is isolated, but I noticed her calling this morning & the but neither
boy is shouting back to her because we have no more tom's, The males
have all been done!
Belle is even using the lordosis stance, so best to get her done asap
I think...In a way it must be terribly cruel for her. I am sure it
must have affected her in some way?

Whilst putting all of the cats out into isolation, we had a bit of a
surprise
some while ago, I posted asking whether it would be appropriate to
allow Tiggy to mate because I thought she was calling (baring in mind
we have only had her since last October, & she has never called before
then..)..& everyone told me not to bother...So I took her away from
all of the males & penned her. I thought I had caught her right at the
start of her call, but it looks like she was already got at before I
separated her.
I don't think that she would have many kittens, but it is not the
point...
I have been corresponding with someone who has been advising me on how
to help myself through this terrible run of events, since Lilly was
taken in to clinic,& they have advised me to have the litter aborted.
I contacted my vet this morning who has advised me to take her down
for consultation, before agreeing to.
If I am perfectly honest with myself & all of you too, I am in two
minds as to what to do about this latest fiasco.
Part of me wants to take her down & insist on the kittens being
aborted,& Tiggy spayed, so that I don't have to go through this
situation ever again...
But the other half of me is telling me, take advice from the vet who
is dealing with her, & if he thinks that it is likely to have a decent
outcome, allow her to have them, & have her spayed straight afterwards
as soon as we can.
The situation is entirely of my own making, & I feel guilty for it
happening at all(OTOH I have never seen her in season before so had no
guidelines on what to expect of her &when either..;o(
We have done a complete house clean today & a complete spray with
Sporal D, in case of any fungal spores left, I have autoclaved all of
the animal equipment, & boiled all of their laundry too, then sprayed
it with sporal D for good measure. & when i say house cleaned, I mean
clinical!!
I am in two minds...can I go through this again?
Would I go through this again?
Or, do I allow my final queen to have her small litter? It does seem
rather appropriate and timely to find out now that she is pregnant,
now?
Any thoughts?
And thank you all for the purrs....they are so comforting
I can only say that I am pleased that they suffered no longer than
they had to, & that they are safe on the other side of the Bridge now
S;o)