I do hope you have good news Tina, am hoping to see a positive update here soon.....fingers crossed big style xx

Sending positive thoughts for you today Tina. Sending my love and prayers to you, Cass and your family x x Sister Tehya sends kisses too x x

Thank you so much for your kind words and positive thoughts.

Cassius was named after a fighter, and a fighter he certainly is, although he surely must have used up all nine lives by now!

Cassius made it through the night with minimal issues. Although he sat up by himself he was kept in the ICU overnight (with a vet student holding his paw all night long), and was monitored closely throughout the night.

We were asked to go in to the RDV this afternoon to see Cass and help assess the amount of neurological damage that may have occurred due to the hypoxia during his procedure yesterday. Thankfully, he recognised us immediately, and wailed for a cuddle. His voice is very gurgly and raspy, and he is still a bit woozy from the opiates, but hopefully he will recover quickly.

There will be some behavioural changes from this episode, and we will need to assess these over the next week or so before we know for sure that he is out of the woods. They may be minor changes or they may be major. If he occasionally forgets where the litter tray is, we can deal with that. If he starts walking into walls we may need to reassess his ongoing quality of life.

But for now, he is home, and he is loved. Thank you again.

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Big hugs for you all. been thinking about him all day after seeing Linda's post on facebook.

Give him a kiss from me xxxxx

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Lollo

oh my heart skipped a beat when I saw this thread had been updated, but so glad to hear he is out of the woods.

I hope that his neuro damage is minimal and still sending you all positive vibes xx

And so the adventures of Cassius the overly documented Robocat continue...


"For me?"

When we last saw our hero, he had arrived home after a bit of an issue at the RDV, and we were going to monitor him for any signs of brain damage after his hypoxic episode...

Well, I'm pleased to report that he isn't any stoopider than he was. He's still dumb as a stump, don't get me wrong, but there doesn't appear to be any lasting damage.


Gratuitous belly shot, just because it's cute...


Playing in Al-Cat-raz.

We did think there were going to be problems about four weeks ago, when Cassius developed a disorder called Feline hyperesthesia syndrome, or Rippling Skin disorder. Have a read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feline_hyp ... a_syndrome


However, it turns out that Cassius has been brewing an abscess under the tube in his throat for the past few weeks, and this seems to be the cause of the hyperesthesia episodes. As soon as we began expressing the goop from his neck and relieved a bit of the pressure, the severity and frequency of the episodes went right down.


Close-up of the O-tube site. You can't see the abscess, it's under the tube itself.
The stitching is also starting to unravel, so we needed to get that sorted too.


We have been trying to clean the area without resorting to surgery again, (cleaning video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0km2Qn ... YJlaehHqjg if you're interested...) but it's not been getting any better, so, it was off back to the RDV yesterday to have his O-tube restitched and the abscess lanced, drained and cleaned... What fun. Hopefully, now that the abscess is dealt with, the hyperesthesia episodes will stop completely.


The vets at the RDV take every precaution with Cass now, and there was a full team of vets on stand-by in case he even twitched wrong. Fortunately, yesterday's procedure went without a hitch, and I was able to pick him up yesterday afternoon.


Crazy eyed cat doped up on painkillers in the car...

And today he is napping happily on the sofa without a care in the world.

I'm exceeding pleased to be able to report that Cassius now weighs a very respectable 4.00kg! That's the heaviest he's ever been, and we are managing to maintain that weight with just two or three feeds a day (depending on who's home when...).

Cassius is happy and healthy, and that's the best thing I've been able to say here for a long time.


Home again, snoozing off the effects of the drugs.

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I'm so glad he's doing well! Thank you for the update.

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Dallas, TX USA
Diesel - snow Bengal born 09/01/2013 adopted Feb 2014
Tuck, Chloe, Buddy, Lewis & Tia - rescue kitties
Clyde, Bleu & Coal - Great Danes

Just checking in to see how Cass is doing?

I'm sorry, I know it's been a while since I updated you on Robocat, but everything has been going so well and I've not wanted to jinx it...

It's hard to believe, but our precious wee Cassius will be four in a couple of months! Not too bad for a cat that was given a 50/50 chance of surviving his first six months!

We have reached a stage and a routine where we can feed Cass and keep him healthy, and not disrupt our lives too badly. He is happy, and now weighs a very hefty 4.5kg; he now outweighs Ember.

We had both tubes replaced a couple of months ago - sort of a preventative maintenance thing, and he did extremely well under the sedative this time.



I've put together a short video showing his morning feeding routine if you're interested...

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1COqJAZh1XE[/youtube]

ETA - I can't get the youtube link to work. But if you search for 'PEG tube feeding a Megaesophagus Kitty' you'll find it...

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Oh, bless Cassius! What a good little boy. Glad to hear he is doing well. I love reading happy updates. The video of the feeding is so informational. Such a good little guy to sit there and handle everything. I had to give insulin shots and sub-q fluids to our kitty and felt in the beginning I could NEVER handle it! But you do what you have to do for your babies.

I have just read all your posts since the beginning. In awe of the love and care you have given Cassius. Hope he stays healthy and happy for years to come x

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Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

ohh, I love seeing Cass updates! So glad to hear he's doing well and you're all okay. Much love x

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The little monsters 3