Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Untitled 216


Pastel on UArt, approx. 4.5" x 6".

Art purchase inquiries: please email me: jala [at] jalapfaff [dot com].

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"Well, hello there, my name is Fennec and I'm a goofball."

Vertigo!
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I'll be taking Rumi in to reweigh him this week. He needs to at least have held steady, if not actually (hopefully) gained a little weight, or else we will likely have to try putting him on steroids for at least a while (vet's recommendation; the assumption would be that he is allergic to something). The cause of all the weight loss is still a mystery. Tests ruled out a lot of conditions, but the actual reason remains an enigma thus far. When I pick him up lately, he feels about the same to me, maybe even gained a tiny bit? But maybe it's just wishful thinking.

It's not good for them (or anyone, probably) to be on steroids long-term, but for a short time it shouldn't cause problems. Miss Lemon is actually on steroids and has been for years, and probably will be her whole life; she has a poorly-understood autoimmune disorder that causes terribly painful swollen mouth and paw tissue when not on steroids.
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Hanging off the back of a jeep, Bihar, India.


More art on my website: jalapfaff.com


3 comments:

Caroline Simmill said...

Hi Jala, interesting to hear about Miss Lemon, our cat Angus has been a mystery to our vet too. He had his teeth cleaned and also x rayed and all looks perfect yet he suddenly found eating so hard to do. It was as if it was painful for him. He is now on an anti inflamatory drops each morning as it is thought his arthritis may be causing the problem he is so much better now and eating properly too. Like Miss Lemon being on the Steroids long term Angus is also having to be checked every six months to see how his liver and general health will stand up to the medication long term. Miss Lemon looked well in the last photos you took of her, the main thing is that she is able to enjoy her life and food too. Poor Rumi I hope he stays well, it is a mystery why he doesn't put on weight. Hope the visit to the vet shows he is ok with maybe some weight gain.

Jala Pfaff said...

Hi Caroline, arthritis is making it hard for your cat to eat?? How bizarre. I am starting to wonder if Rumi perhaps has an esophageal stricture, or perhaps his teeth/gums are in worse condition than they look, or both, such that it is painful somehow for him to eat. I'll be bringing him in tomorrow to get his weight. If he has still lost more weight, I'm going to ask my vet to recheck his throat and mouth. If she sees nothing wrong, then we'll put him on steroids just as a last resort to treat the enigmatic problem. How much does your kitty weigh?

Caroline Simmill said...

He weighs 4.4KG. The vet seemed to think that he had arthritis in his jaw! he has had his fair share of cat fights in his time as he is defending his territory from cat visitors to his garden. Recently a dog attacked him, poor fellow he managed to get away but I think his joints were worse after that. Have you had Rumi's teeth x rayed, I hope he is ok, it is not easy to examine a cat's throat and mouth during a normal vet visit as many cats feel uncomfortable with a vet holding their head and looking into their mouth. Angus was sedated. He is also seventeen years old.