Adventures of Melissa Wood ~~ Pet Sitter, Traveler, Nature & Animal Lover, Photographer

Well today is the day.  A friend of the homeowner’s has a friend that is interested in Riley (the black cat).  She has been set to come over for weeks now, but it seems as though everytime we set it up, something happens. First, the kittens had diarrhea; then ringworm.  Now, since they are all healed up and there is no more ringworm in the house, we set up today for a visit.

They came about 2:00.  Riley and Merlin both ran right up to them.  Originally, they were coming with the intention to just get one kitten.  At first they were interested in Riley; but then I sent pictures and they seemed to like Merlin.  But Riley wouldn’t leave her husband alone!  He curled up in his lap and really bonded with him.  And of course everybody loved Merlin!

So Merlin and Riley have a new home.  Now Merlin is known as “Snickers” and Riley’s new name is “Marvin”. 

Oreo is left behind.  He doesn’t like this and is voicing his displeasure.  I know this is stressful for him; he’s wandering around now looking for his friends.  He seems really traumatized and I’m sure is upset.  So I’m giving him the Bach Rescue Remedy which I know will help him to be calm.

I’m certainly sad to see those two little kittens go, but it never was the intention to keep them.  I’m glad they have found a good home.  Now, I must find a good home for Oreo:

Oreo - Available For Adoption!

Well the one thing I wanted to avoid in all of this ringworm issue with the kittens, was having Amadeus contract it.  And he has.  It’ s not bad; only one spot on his face above his right eye and one spot on his right leg.  I guess with all the walking back and forth over the carpet that the kittens have played on for several weeks, it’s not that much of a stretch that he would get it too.  And then of course I have it and I’m in contact with him numerous times daily.  Even though I try to be conscious of washing my hands and clothing, I’m sure at some point he’s been exposed.  Unfortunately, I probably waited a week too long to sanitize the carpet and I’m sure he picked it up about 10 days ago; it has an incubation period where it doesn’t show up right away.

Since Amadeus is 17 and he just recently went through an illness when his “family” went to Europe, his system is very sensitive.  I called the property owner to let her know what was going on.  She doesn’t want to give him any medicine, but she decides to call the two vets and confer with them on this issue.  They both agree; his system is too fragile and even though he has been without any health incidents for weeks now, it’s just too risky to give him some toxic medicine.  So we decide on purely topical treatments. 

So 3-4 times daily, I am applying Melaleuca (Tea Tree Oil) to his lesions.  In between those applications, I’m using the Tea Tree Relief Spray from Desert Essence too. 

He sure likes it when I apply these to him.  I think it must be soothing for his skin (just like it is for me).  I’m also giving him Bach Flower Remedy Crab Apple and homeopathic Sepia for the skin issues.  Both of these are going in his water and we’ll see how that does in a few days.

Well today I’ve finally noticed that my ringworm has improved.  I’ve been using two things regularly and I think they are both helping alot.

First, my  beloved Young Living Essential Oil Lavender which is really great for soothing the skin and for me, seemed to work better than the Melaleuca (Tea Tree) Oil after awhile.  I think the Melaleuca Oil helped to initially stop it from spreading, but it didn’t help the itching.  But the Lavender Oil helped alot.

The other thing I’ve been using is Tea Tree Relief Spray from Desert Essence.  This product is awesome too and I feel really helped me get over this.

Over the years as a Naturopathic Doctor, I have recommended Lavender Essential Oil to many of my patients to help prevent scars after injuries, surgeries or burns.  So I am continuing the Lavender Essential Oil to prevent scarring from the rings that the fungus has made on my skin.

The kittens are also improving.  No new spots on any of them and I can tell that they are slowly starting to heal.  I am also using the Relief Spray on them as I think it really helps to soothe their tender skin.

This morning when I got up and let the kittens out, Riley started coughing and hacking.  Doesn’t sound good.  Has lots of fluid in his lungs and it’s really easy to hear it.  Sounds like he has pneumonia.

Off to the vet I go.  Since I’ve had past experience at this vet’s office, I decide to get there really early so they have to take me 1st.  So there I am, waiting in the parking lot 20 minutes before they open.  At least it’s a nice morning out and he and I sit outside for awhile. 

Eventually the vets office opens and they take me in.  The vet tells me that since the latest medicine I’m giving him for the ringworm is liquid, and it doesn’t taste good, that it’s very common for kittens to aspirate some of the liquid into their lungs.  He said it sounds worse than it actually is, but that he will naturally clear this up on his own.  He informs me he’s not even going to medicate him (YAY!!!).

So that’s a relief!  So we’re back home now, but I can tell he doesn’t feel good. Instead of his normal romping around the room with Oreo and Merlin, he’s sitting in the crate on his fluffy bed, curled up.  This definitely isn’t normal Riley behavior.  He must really not feel good!  Hopefully, he’ll rest today and be back to normal tomorrow!  I’m going to monitor him and make sure he improves on his own; otherwise, I will give him some homeopathic medicine; but for now, I will wait and see how he does.

Well I finally have had time today to really scrub down this place.  For weeks now, the kittens have been in a very large crate in the dining room.  Of course, I let them out to play, but they are getting to that stage where they are trying to get into everything and climbing up on things.

So in addition to thoroughly scrubbing down everything, I have to “kitten-proof” this room.  I need to start letting them stay out longer and longer and I can’t always be here to watch them, so I have to change this room so that they can’t get into too much trouble.

I start by removing the 10 dining room chairs and putting them in the livingroom.  They don’t have access to the livingroom as it’s separated and closed off, so that’s good. 

Then, I have to focus on cleaning and sanitizing this room.  First with the coccsidia bacteria that Merlin had that then everyone else got, then to the ringworm issue, this room needs to be sanitized! So I take all of their toys outside.  Each thing gets a very thorough scrubbing with the hose and Simple Green.  For the extra sanitizing, killing of fungus and bacteria, I am using my beloved Essential Oils from Young Living.  In particular, Thieves, Purification and Melaleuca (Tea Tree Oil) I use in combination in a spray bottle and really thoroughly clean EVERYTHING.  Even the carpeted Cat Tree that they climb on, it’s getting doused with it!  Everything smells so fresh and clean.  My main purpose with doing this is to ensure that Amadeus doesn’t get ringworm; he walks across this carpet everyday since his food bowls and water are in the kitchen, so I want to make sure he is safe and not exposed to the ringworm.

Next, it’s time for another bath.  All 3 kittens get the bath and of course, they hate it just as much as last time!  I put them in a smaller crate outside to dry; I decided not to torture them any further by using the hair dryer and since it’s 100 degrees today, they could just dry naturally outdoors.  I think they enjoyed it for awhile.  But then Oreo voiced his displeasure at being in the heat, so I brought them back indoors.

In the meantime, I got a bucket of hot water and again I added my Thieves, Purification and Melaleuca Essential Oil. I scrubbed the tile flooring in the dining room and then sprayed the same mixture all over the carpet.   This for sure will kill any remaining fungus or bacteria that they might have traipsed around this room. 

Once everything dried, I let them loose in here.  New things to explore as kittens like it when stuff gets moved around, so I put things in new places and it was like having all new things!  They were entertained for hours and last night, never heard a peep out of them as I think they crashed and slept like babies.  So did I thankfully!

Well today all the kittens got a bath with the medicated anti-fungal shampoo that is supposed to kill ringworm.  Or at least slow it down. 

Bathing kittens is fun.  First of all, they don’t like water and don’t like being wet at all.  Fortunately, they are still small enough that I can still hang on to them and their claws have not developed into lethal weapons yet.  But the thing about this shampoo is that they have to have to have it on their skin for 10 MINUTES!  It’s quite the challenge to keep them in the sink, soaking wet and covered in shampoo for 10 minutes.  They don’t like it and in particular, Oreo is VERY vocal about voicing his displeasure at this.

After the bath, comes the blowdrying.  None of them appreciate the fact that I’m using my hair blowdryer to get them dry.  I’m sure the noise scares them, but I don’t want them to get chilled either.  So they get about 1/2 dry and then back in their crate they go.

Of course now with all of them having this fungus, the crate has to be scrubbed down with Simple Green and Tea Tree (Melaleuca) Essential Oil to help kill the fungus.  I have to wash their bedding and toys too.  This keeps me busy most of the day!

Well Amadeus’ teeth are great!  He’s even eating crunchy food now, so I’m officially stopping the Ars Alb today.  I’m so glad that he’s fully recovered.  Here he is, rubbing on my lamp!

Amadeus

Well it only took 3 days.  The swelling, inflammation and redness surrounding Amadeus’ teeth and gums have improved at least 60-70%.  The Ars Alb really worked!  The pet owner has decided to cancel the appointment with the vet for the teeth cleaning.  Amadeus seems to be much better and is not being so careful and tender with his mouth now.  So this is good!

Well after researching and reading, I finally have decided on Ars Alb 30c to address Amadeus’ teeth issues.  Am starting that today in his water.  We have stopped the Nux Vomica and the Bach Flower remedies as he has completely recovered and there is no sign of any more issue like we had before.

We’ll see how the Ars Alb does for addressing his teeth.

Well the property owners came home today from Europe after being gone for 2 weeks.  They had a great time over there, but I think glad to be home anyway.  For the next week, they are packing for their 4 month trip to their summer home in upper Minnesota.

Everything around here is good.  With all the drama surrounding Amadeus and his illness, I have neglected to report on the other animals here.  There are two other cats in the house and the dog Sadie who got walked every day.  We took great walks along the San Antonio River everyday and I enjoyed watching the various bird life down there…there’s quite an assortment of herons and egrets and other birds that are around.   Then there is the 1 cat outside (Mittens) that got daily attention and then the 10 rescue cats (5 of which are visually impaired) in the guest house.  Everyone is healthy and happy and this pleases the property owners. 

Especially with regard to Amadeus.  The “Mrs.” says that he actually is better than he was before they left.  She can see a difference in his focusing; he doesn’t seem so “spacey” like he did originally and he has stopped pacing back and forth around and around the perimeter of the house.  He seems more content now and much more happy.  I have showed her how to administer the meds; still continuing the Nux Vomica and the Bach Flower Wild Rose and Olive. 

Apparently, they had an existing appointment at the vets office for Amadeus to get his teeth cleaned.  The owner has now decided that after all the trauma while they were gone and now that he has fully recovered, taking him to the vet to be put under anesthesia is probably NOT in his best interest.  I offer to help…perhaps there is a homeopathic remedy that I can give him that will help his teeth.

So I examine his teeth.  Gums are red and very swollen and puffy.  He has always had an issue with his teeth and in fact for being 17, is lucky he has any!  I can tell when he eats that it hurts him; his mouth is very tender and sore.  We have a week before his appointment, so I’m going to do some research and figure out what remedy to give him.

BOTH cats are now doing really well.  I believe Amadeus has totally recovered.  I stopped the Nux Vomica once; he threw up again later that day.  So I’m back to giving it to him in his water, 3-4 times a day.  I”m still also continuing with the Bach Flowers Wild Rose and Olive.  Like the homeopathic, I stopped them once and then he got lethargic and acted like he was giving up again.  So I have started them again as well.  He apparently still needs them and as long as he is recuperating, I will continue to give them to him.  He perked right back up after I gave them to him again, so I will continue them as it’s obvious from his behavior that he still needs them.

I’ve been back to my old apartment several times over the last few days.  I’ve been checking on my feral kitty that I had befriended when I lived there.  He’s got that huge abcess on his head and it’s slowly draining, but I keep having to lance that area with a safety pin to get the pus pocket to continually drain.  It is draining, but only a little bit at a time, so each day I poke him with the pin and he keeps letting me do it!  The swelling is slowly subsiding, and I know he is doing much better.  I’m still continuing the homeopathics in his water.

Well I went to check on my apartment cat that I’ve been working with the last few days.  His fever is gone, so the Belladonna 30c worked it’s magic and got him over that.  But he still has a giant puffy place on his head where the pus is stuck.  I don’t have any choice; I have to lance it.  So I bring my alcohol swabs and a giant safety pin.  I was able to finally stick his head with it and get to the place where the pus is located.  Finally started to drain.  He was so tolerant of me doing this…this isn’t normal behavior for a feral cat!  But I think he obviously was in pain and uncomfortable and since I’ve worked on him before, he trusts me and knew I was trying to help.  All the while, purring like a kitten.

So it is draining now.  Continuing the homeopathics in his water to keep the infection down and to help make sure it doesn’t get any worse.

Well I think we’re over the worst of Amadeus’ illness.  He’s moving around a bit, drinking (without me forcing it down his throat) and eating a bit.  Giving him chopped up chicken with tuna juice all over it.  And of course, continuing the homeopathics and flowers.  He gets those in water, 4-5 times a day.  The Nux Vomica really has helped…he’s not vomiting anymore…hasn’t in 2 days ever since I switched the remedy.  He must really need this one!  And I’m going to keep giving it to him as obviously, it’s helping.

So after 5 days of emails back and forth to Europe keeping my property owners apprised of his condition, I get to finally write an email that is more encouraging and to let her know that it looks like he’s over the hump!

Well Amadeus survived the night and I’m so unbelievably grateful.  I really thought at one point during the night that the next time I got up to check on him, that he would have died.  But he made it!  I got up almost every 2 hours to check on him and force a little water down his throat (with the homeopathics and Flower Remedies mixed in with the water). 

He seems a little better this morning.  It’s hard for me to explain, but his energy has shifted somehow.  I’m changing the homeopathic remedy that I was giving him.  I’m going to switch from Merc Cor to Nux Vomica 30c.  I only have pellets so I’m dissolving 1 pellet in water. I also have decided to stop the flower remedy Clematis.  So I’m mixing in the Nux Vomica, Olive and Wild Rose in some water.  Then giving him a dropper ful of that, every couple of hours.  We’ll see how that does.

Well the 17 year old cat that is one of the many cats that I am pet sitting for, is not doing well at all.  He has stopped eating and drinking.  He’s extremely lethargic and I know he’s dehydrated. 

I have started forcing water down his throat with a 1 oz. dropper.  I’m probably only getting in 20-30 drops at a time, but I know it is better than nothing.  I am now also giving him Bach Flower Remedies.  I feel that part of his illness is partly due to the emotional stress he is under because his “family” is now in Europe.  So now in his water I am putting, Wild Rose (for giving up and showing no interest in getting better), Olive (for the suffering of this illness that he has endured for days), and Clematis (he seems really “spacey” and out of it).  I am also continuing with the homeopathic I started yesterday.

I’m not sure if he will make it through the night.

Well the spot on his head that I had drained yesterday is MUCH better, but he now has a fever.  He doesn’t feel well, I can tell.  I took him some food and he’s not that interested in eating the dry, but I can get him to eat the wet food.  I mixed up a blend of homeopathics for him to help him through this:  Arnica 200c (for the injury), Staphysagria 200c (to help ensure it doesn’t get infected), Hepar Sulph 200c (to help abcess drain), Inflammation (calm down the inflammation), and Belladonna 200c (to address his fever).  I put it on his food and left the bottle with my friend so she can dose him more regularly in his water.

Well the vet finally called me at 6pm…and on a Friday!  Wants me to come get some medication for Amadeus.  But now?!  On a Friday night when they close in 1/2 hour?  I can’t make it there with traffic issues.  To say I’m furious and disappointed is an understatement.  I think perhaps she knows that now from my tone of voice on the phone!

This afternoon since I had still not heard from her, I called the property owners in Europe.  The Mrs.  is VERY upset with the vet and has asked me if I would work on Amadeus using natural therapies.  Since I am a Naturopath and for years have helped my clients with some of their animals, I decided to try homeopathy.  I started him on Merc Cor because of his diarrhea.  So I gave him a dose tonight.  Also put him on Slippery Elm herb, 1/2 capsule sprinkled over his food that he is “sort-of” eating.  Wants to drink ALOT too and then he throws up; it’s a vicious cycle. 

On another note, a friend from my old apartment complex called today.  Apparently the feral cat that I had befriended over there has gotten in a nasty cat fight.  She called me concerned and didn’t know what to do. I had given him some homeopathic and natural remedies in the past when this had happened.  So I went over to take a look at him.  She was right…his head and face were all VERY swollen….his eyes almost swollen shut.  He had several lacerations on his head that have scabbed over, but had abcessed; the pus couldn’t get out.   I remembered from the past that I had used Hepar Sulph to get out the abcess.  I picked the scab off from the right side of his face and I gave him a dose of Hepar Sulph 200c.  Within minutes, the yellow pus started to drain out.  He was a good sport about it; let me push on his head and force it to all “drain” out.  I tried getting the main scab on top of his head, but he had enough of me!  So I decided to call it a day and check on him tomorrow.

Well today is Day 2 after the property owners left for Europe.  This is not good as their elderly cat is still very sick.  I’ve talked to the Vet twice; she doesn’t seem very concerned and has not asked me to bring him in.  Apparently, this is something that they’ve gone through with him before.  So I’m trying to get him to eat, but he keeps vomiting and having diarrhea.  I know he’s getting dehydrated.  I’m set to talk to her later today, so we’ll see what other advice she has for me.

Last week, I had received a call from a couple that found my website (http://www.houseandpetsitting.com). They live here in San Antonio, down in a historical part of our city known as King William. We scheduled the appointment for today.

So I went down and met with them. Initially, they were just looking for someone to pet sit for them for 2 weeks in May when they go to Europe for 2 weeks. But during the course of our conversation, it turns out they travel alot and go away for 4 months every summer. They are smart….they escape the brutal Texas heat and go north to cooler climate!

Funny thing is, I have been thinking for quite some time about giving up my apartment and wondering how I might go about doing that. Saving the money every month would be a blessing, but I also need a roof over my head! This sounds like the perfect opportunity.

They have a large home and guest home on the San Antonio River. It’s quite beautiful down here. They would definitely need a cartetaker to oversee the property and make sure that all is well with the garden and house. But more importantly, they need care and companionship for the 3 cats in the main house (one of which is an elderly 17 year old!), the 10 cats in the guest house (several of which are blind), the dog and 1 outside kitty. They do alot of cat rescue work here and are quite actively involved in protecting nature and animals. It’s quite the menagerie here, but with my love of animals, this is no problem for me! Also a common interest, is their love of natural health and healing. I have explained to them that I am a Naturopathic Doctor and that I do natural healing work with animals too. You never know, my training might come in handy around here with all these animals!

We seriously discuss me moving in. I have to check on my apartment and find out when my lease is up and I need to consider these options very carefully. So we agree to talk again in a week or two.