Cat update

[PKRWUD]

I'm sure most members aren't concerned, and I can't say that I blame them, but to those who asked, here's an update:

One of my 7 cats, Oscar, has been acting strange for a few months now. He's only 7 or 8 years old, so I figured it wasn't a big deal, and that he'd get over it on his own. Well, he didn't. He became real lethargic, and lost alot of weight. His skin was real dry and flaky, too. I called my Vet, and described things, and he said it sounded like cancer, but he would need to run some tests to be sure. Since I don't have any human children of my own, my cats are like my kids, so I took him in. After checking him out, the Vet said it seemed more like renal failure, but blood and urine tests needed to be done to confirm this. I okayed them, and then took him home. The next day when I returned from Moorpark, where I spent the day working on the Sprint car, there were two messages from the Vet urging me to call, but he was gone for the day by the time I got the chance to call. The next morning at 8am, he called and we talked. As it turns out, Oscar has become a diabetic. We discussed the possible treatment, and the quality of life we could expect him to have, and I decided to start giving him insulin injections twice a day. Fortunately, the $30 bottle of insulin will last for 6 to 8 months, because his dosage is so small, but the needles will cost me $20 a month. Anyway, he has been responding very well. The needles are so small, he doesn't even feel them. His weight is already up to eight pounds (he was down to six), and he is becoming his playful self again. It's really an amazing transformation to witness.

I know most people will see this as a waste of money, but for me it's just short of a miracle. The Vet says he could easily live another 8 years or more. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I need to be out of town for more than a couple days, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Take care,
-Chris

[Dark_5.0]

On a kind of related subject....One of my good friends that I work with was feeling really sick and had blurred vision...He finaly went to the doctor and his blood sugar was like 500 and they said that he was damn lucky that he didnt go into a coma....Turns out he is diabetic and almost found out the hard way. He has to take 4 insulin shots a day and pills. Its scary cause if that would have been me I would have died for sure, When I feel down I automaticly think caffiene the first thing I would have done is went and bought some Jolt cola...I am doctor phobic.....No doubt in my mind if that would have been me I would be dead for sure.

Good luck with your cat/kid

Later,

[srv1]

Originally posted by PKRWUD

I know most people will see this as a waste of money, but for me it's just short of a miracle.

last time i checked, there isnt a price on life. how is giving something to live, a waste? i can't imagine who would think that..

good to hear about your cat. 7 cats? wow. i would be sick as a dog(irony?). i am allergic to cats. good luck...

[PKRWUD]

Thanks James.

Dark_5.0-
It is scary. Oscar had a blood sugar level over 450 (80 - 100 is normal). What's really scary is that in the past, Vet's have recommended adding sugar to the cats water dish to help them along. I almost did this with Oscar, but decided to call the Vet first.

I hope your friend is coming along well.

Take care,
-Chris

[Old Guy with 87 GT]

glad to here your pet is doing good .......,i like cats, think they make great pets ....so i would'nt consider spending money on him a waste......if you can afford it, spending money on any pet is definatly not a waste..........hope he gets well

i grew up around cats and never new they could get diabetes......learn somthing new everyday

[red82gt]

My aunt's dog was diabetic. He was diagnosed whn he was 8years old and lived until he was almost 14 with my aunt giving him his shots daily. Hopefully oscar will respond like my aunt's dog did and will still live a pretty normal life.

[joe4speed]

My cat is a part of me as well, and I would do just what you are doing! You're a good man.
I wish you guys the best of luck!

[PKRWUD]

Thanks guys.

Take care,
-Chris

[Crazy Horse GT]

great new's chris, you know i hate cat's but i am not mean to them, im glad it worked out ok, good deal take care.

[RAGE_5.0]

chris i do not think that is a waste of money. Pets become part of the family and no expense should be spared.

I'm glad oscar is doing better chris

Thats great dude! I was somewhat expecting to hear bad news but that is great news. I'm sure that you and your bro will be hanging out for some yrs to come. Good to see that it is something that can be helped.

I tried to email you but it was returned, you need to read or delete some of that mail bro...

P.S. I finally got a new cpu(yes, not a mac)

[PKRWUD]

Thanks again.

Rick-
Hey man, it's about time you made it back! I've been real busy, and often go 6 or 7 days without touching my Mac, and when my email reaches 300, the server starts returning it to the sender. I get between 50-70 emails a day, so it doesn't take long to fill up. I'll go download them shortly.

Glad you're back, even if you couldn't upgrade to a Mac!

Take care,
-Chris

Hey Chris, taking care of your cat and not letting anything happen to it is like taking care of you child. There is so much pleasure in having a pet to love, cherish, and to keep you company I am really proud to hear that you care so much..and the response from all the guys was great..You Can't put a price on anything that means that much to you..animals are human too. So to speak..Am real glad that its gaining its weight back, thats real important..by the way whats you little kittys name anyway...Well take care of the little ones and keep us posted

[mustangman65_79]

Hey Chris,

I too, was expecting bad news, but I happy it's not.

Money no object when it's your kids your helping out. I could understand a stray, but your own, I'd do that same. I love cats. I love all pets.

[DRASTiK]

I know most people will see this as a waste of money

anyone who thinks this way, should NEVER have a pet of any kind, or even a plant for that matter.

I'm glad to hear Oscar's doing better.

[Dark Knight]

I'd never get any work done on the car if it wasnt for mechanicat... ;-)
here he is after a day of working in the car...
he even cleaned his tools off... ;-)

[Mr 5 0]

PKRWUD:

Not a cat lover (but I do love dogs) and when (and if) you ever have a child you'll see that there is a vast difference between pets and children.

That said, I understand your concern for your cat, Oscar, and I was glad to read that although he has a problem, it's treatable and all is well.

When you're away you'll probably need the services of a professional pet boarding facility or a very trusted friend to give him the necessary shots.

[PKRWUD]

Originally posted by gt lee
..by the way whats you little kittys name anyway...

Oscar (diabetic), Spaz, Gar, Barney, Teaka, Randy (Rhoads), and Rudy (Sarzo).

Cat pics

Take care,
-Chris

[joe4speed]

Originally posted by PKRWUD


Oscar (diabetic), Spaz, Gar, Barney, Teaka, Randy (Rhoads), and Rudy (Sarzo).

Cat pics

Take care,
-Chris

LOL we have a 13 yr old cat named Spaz too!!!LOL The other cat is Foo. LOL

[mustangman65_79]

hey, Dark Knight, thats too funny about your cat. I dog would just watch me under my car. She'd wait till I quit cussing, and looked at her, she would then crawl under with me and cheer me up. It was funny to see her doing a low crawl(military ppl know what this is).

I was crying as I wrote this, I miss her so...