# Poor Oliver and his ear!!!!! --- Oliver is gone



## lydelia

I know I don't post here alot, so I feel bad for asking you all for opinions, but I am just really worried about my Oliver. 

He is a 4 yrs old domestic short hair and orange  My hubby took him to the vet 10 days ago for shots and the vet noticed that he had an ear infection. (Which was weird because we really had no idea that he had one. His ear was just a little dirty and I asked Simon to get the vet to look at it and the vet decided that he had a really bad ear infection.) So we began a regimen of drops, 3 twice a day for ten days. It's now ten days later and Oliver's ear is bright red and swollen a little, almost all the way up. Also, he has some sores around his ear that look like sores from over scratching and now he also has a huge on in front of the 'other' ear and on his chin. The doctor thought that maybe the redness was from the drops and said that I should wait and see if the redness goes away. I stopped the drops yesterday and his ear looks a lot worse today. I am going to call the vet back tomorrow and tell him what is going on and see what he has to say. He said that if he comes back in he might have to be sedated so that he can look in his ear, wayyyy in, and see if maybe the infection is way down in his ear. My poor baby!!!! It makes me nervous when they have to be put to sleep ... not to mention it's expensive. Hubby and I just cleared off a credit card (a small one). I guess Oliver will help us fill it back up.


Sigh, I have just had such a week. Oliver's poor ear, I have a rattie named Eugene who has an infection in his leg that I am treating and hubby has pink eye. When it rains it pours I guess.

Does anyone have any idea of what could be wrong with Oliver? I know that you all are not vets, but there is so much knowledge on this forum I was just wondering if someone knew anything. Hubby and I have been so lucky and the only illness we ever had was Miss Kitty getting a UTI and that has since been under control. 

Thanks for letting me get this off of my chest.


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## RockysMom

Poor Oliver. I hope he is ok. Sorry to hear you are going thru all this. You are right though when it rains it pours. Sunny skies should be around the corner !


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## Superkitties

Please don't feel bad just because you're not a constant poster! Post count is overrated, and quality is much better than quantity any day. I'm glad you thought of us for questions about your kitty, that's why we're here.

What a trying time for you and Oliver. I don't have any suggestions, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it gets better soon. Hopefully some of our other members will have better ideas.


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## lydelia

Well, Oliver's ear is no better today. It now has more junk coming out of it and the other ear (his right one -- the one that had the sore in front of it) has clear stuff starting to come out of it now. I called the vet back today and he said that I should bring him in on Monday so that he can sedate him and take a look down in his ears to see what is going on. In the meantime, I am supposed to wash out Oliver's ears with 1/3 of vinegar, water, and rubbing alcohol and continue the drops. 

Poor baby .... I feel so bad for him and I think that he really is starting not to care for me too much, since just about everytime I go for him lately I am doing something to his ears.  

On a good note, Eugene's leg looks better and he seems like he feels better and Hubby said that his eye feels better. So at least that is some good news. :wink:


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## RockysMom

Good about Eugene's leg and hubby's eyes ! Hopefully by this time next week Oliver's ears will be alot better. I'm sure he can't wait. Let us know what happens on Monday at the Vets. Tell Oliver to take it easy !


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## The Cat Whisperer

Sorry to hear his ears are not getting better!  
The good thing is he will forgive you after all this is over! 
Is there no way the vet can get him in today?
Good luck Monday and let us know how it goes!


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## lydelia

Well, this is the deal. If I took him to the vet today he would have had to stay overnite because of having to be sedated for the vet to look in his ears. If I could'bve brought him this morning he would not have had to stay overnight and that would have been fine, but an overnight stay just adds to the bill and right now with Eugene and Simon and Oliver sick, money is getting to a tight spot. Too, when I called the vet today he said that doing the washes and keeping on with the ear drops might make his ears easier to look into on Monday anyway and that that might be the best way to go anyway. I wish I had just taken him this morning, that way we could already know what is wrong, but I did not realize that his ears were so bad until I got home at lunch to look at them.

Thanks for all the support guys. I will let you all know what happens with him on Monday.


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## linguafranca

That's so frustrating - it's always harder not to know what you are dealing with. I kind of understand because my kitty Tigga (who I have been fostering for a long time and have just adopted) has been having ear infection issues for a while now. She had mites and an infection and the vet said it was probably a chronic infection because she had had mites for so long. So we tortured the poor thing for a week and a half with putting stuff in her ears (which she *hates*) and the vet said she was all better. And then she got adopted by someone and then they returned her to us and now she has scratched a bunch of the hair between her eyes and ears off and has scratches on her ears again...sigh...another vet visit for us...and no doubt more ear drop battles...
Hope Oliver has something that isn't too tough to deal with...


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## lydelia

Well, I did not take Ollie to the vet this morning because his ear looked 100% better this morning. I think the vinegar/alcohol/water washes are doing the trick. I called my vet and he said that it is good that his ear is looking better and to keep up the washes, but on both ears to make sure that the other one does not get infected. I asked him for how long and he said to do it for 2 more weeks at least. 8O That is forever!!!! Poor Oliver... I am feeding him some Fancy Feast in the meantime to make up for it though. He doesn't seem to be too mad at me. I am just glad that his ear is getting better. That way at least maybe I won't have to have him put under to have his ear cleaned.


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## RockysMom

That is great news that Oliver's ears are improving. Maybe they needed to get worse before getting better. Hopefully he is on the mend now. But doing the drops for 2 more weeks has got to be hard for you and Oliver. At least pets don't hold grudges. I think that is great if you don't have to put Oliver under. Keep up the good work!


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## lydelia

Well ... Oliver's ear (the infected one) looks a lot better and it is not red at all now. The one that was not infected still looks ok, it is a little red, but I think that might be from the medicine. He acts like it bothers him alot more when I put meds in the one that was not infected though than the one that was. Makes me think he might have had an ear infection before in that ear and maybe it is super sensitve. 

Anyway, point of this update is to say that Oliver is now acting sick. Lately, he has been lazing around alot more and everytime I see him he is just sitting around with his eyes closed. His nose has recently been running clear (dripping) and his eyes are running a little. We have three food bowls here that we fill with a scoop of food in the morning and a half of one in the evening, unless we give them some Fancy Feast that night then we hold off on the dry until in the morning. For the past couple of days, the bowls have been being left fuller and fuller. I know that Oliver is the big eater, and he is the one that will usually help keep the bowls empty. Tonight two have a little food in them and one is completely full. Oliver also turned up his nose at Fancy Feast which is something that he never does. He will just about eat anything that does not eat him first most all of the time. Tonight, it looks like he just sort of licked at the food and then left it. 

Sigh ... my poor baby. Hubby it taking him to the vet tomorrow. He doesn't seem to think that Ollie is very sick, but I am worried. I just hope that this time the vet can get something figured out to get him better. If not then I think that I will be seeking a second opinion from a different vet.

Sorry for the long post again. Can I ask a question? This all seemed to happen when/after he got his shots. Could shots have caused this to happen to him? He has never had a reaction to them before. Miss Kitty will sometimes have a fever after hers, but that is all. 

Thanks for listening.


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## RockysMom

Poor Oliver. Sorry to hear the latest. Good that you are taking him to the vet, just so hard to tell what is wrong. Highly recommend your idea of seeing a second vet if you can't get answers. I've heard of some pets having reactions to vaccinations but I don't know what the reactions are. Maybe someone else can help you. Ollie - get better !


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## lydelia

Back from the vet. He said that Ollie's ear is no better and that they are going to go in there on Monday and irrigate it and look and see if he can see where the infection is. He gave us new drops and an oral antibiotic to try until he can get to his ear on Monday. Ollie is still not eating. I tried to give him some tuna today and all he did was lick off the juice from it. 

Maybe once the doc cleans out his ear he will feel better.  In the meantime, I am going to be forcing some water to him just to make sure that he is getting at least a little everyday. I may also liquify some Fancy Feast and syringe that to him too, just to make sure he is getting something and maybe once he gets some food in him it will spur his appetite. When I used to foster kittens for the Humane Society forcing them food for a day or would help to get their appetite going.


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## RockysMom

What did your vet say about Ollie not eating? Maybe the infection is gone alot farther now just like when children get throat and ear infections and they aren't hungry. But this seems to have been lasting quite awhile. It is too bad this is friday again and you have to wait until Monday. Anytime a cat isn't eating is worrisome. Another thing you could try feeding him is Gerber baby food - 2nd foods, meat only -. My vet recommended it when Rocky was having the runs after trying to adjust to a new food. I'm thinking of this for your cat because it is very smooth and would go down easily if the infection has spread to his throat (don't know if cats get a sore throat:!) . Rocky loved the Turkey. Let us know what happens on Monday.


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## lydelia

Thanks for the advice. I will go and get some of the baby food tonight and see if I can get him to eat some of it. Maybe if it is something that he can just lap up instead of chew then maybe he will eat it. I know that if my ears hurt, it hurts to chew. Maybe that is why he won't eat.


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## lydelia

Well, over the weekend Oliver got worse and worse. He stopped moving around hardly at all and would not eat at all or drink. So, I forced him some water and some Nutrical to help him keep his strength. I thought maybe he was just nauseated because of his ear. Well, this morning when I picked him up to take him to the vet he was having a hrd time breathing. When I got him there the vet took his temp and said that it was 96 and should have been 101 at least. He said that his ear looked good and that that was not the cause of all this trouble. He is still there right now. They did some blood work on him and all of his liver levels were high and they did a chest x-ray that showed some fluid on his lungs. 

Poor Ollie!!!! I have been crying all day. I told my hubby at lunch and he cried too. We feel terrible!!!!! Right now all we can think about is why did we not see this? What signs did we miss? Was there something else we could have done? Right now the Dr. suspects FIP, which I am not sure how he could even get that since he NEVER goes outside. The thing is that we have only had him for 2 years and we got him from the Humane Society so we don't know alot about his background. 

Anyway, just thought I would update this for all of you all who are following it. We will know more when the FIP test comes back. The Dr. sends out for that one.


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## RockysMom

Oh, I'm so sorry about Oliver. You were doing what you could, taking him to the vet. Maybe the vet should have known to do more tests right away. I bet this has all been so hard on you. Hope all turns out ok for Oliver. The waiting is tough. Hang in there. Will keep you in my thoughts for a happy outcome.


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## Lisa 216

I'm sorry to hear this. I hope you get some good news from the vet.

(((((Hugs)))))

Head butts to Ollie from my gang of kitties.


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## Superkitties

OMG, that's awful. *Crossing fingers* it's not FIP.


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## lydelia

Thanks for all the good wishes ya'll, but my husband and I are going to have Ollie put to sleep. Yesterday while I was at work, Oliver developed a blood clot in the 'saddle' part of his veins and lost use of his hind legs. The Dr. believes this was from his temperature being so low. They still do not know what is wrong with his lungs. There are specialists in TN and Knoxville KY that could take out the clot but he may or may not gain the use of his legs and whatever is wrong with his lungs may cause him to die under anesthesia or may kill him when he wakes up. Not to mention the surgery alone will cost upwards to 1500 to 3000 dollars.

My poor baby!!!! That is no way for him to live. We already feel horrible that he had to live his last day at the vet of all places, but they would not let us take him home since they do not know what is wrong with him. I don't think it is fair to put him through all of that surgery only to have his lungs kill him instead. He is suffering so much right now ... 

We are going to see him at 8am this morning when the vet opens, and unless a miracle happens, we are going to go ahead with our plans to send him to the rainbow bridge. We cannot stand to see him this way and we know he would not want to live like this. 

Thanks for everyone who was praying for Oliver. I will post later and let you all know how it goes. Right now the screen is blurry ... can't seem to stop crying.

I don't know if I have posted a pic of Oliver here before but here is a post from another site with him in it http://www.ratpalace.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=15586&highlight=. He is the top two. I have better pics of him that I may post at a later date.

Here is the best pic we have of him http://www.foolscourt.com/lydelia/images/DSC00560.JPG


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## Lisa 216

Oh, no. I'm so sorry.  

You are doing a kind and loving thing in helping to end his suffering. Poor baby. 

Of course you will miss him terribly. Be good to yourself during this difficult time.


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## RockysMom

I was crying reading your post. How sad i am for you. He is so cute in his pictures and looked like he had a happy life. That is all you can do for him, how long or short it is. He was lucky to have you for as long as he did. Best for him not to be in any pain. My thoughts are with you and your family.


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## lydelia

Thanks everyone. 

When we were on our way to the vet he called an told us that Oliver has died. Needless to say we cried, alot. We went over to hubby's parents house and asked if we could bury Oliver there and we said yes. So, his mom and I went back to the vet to get Oliver and then we buried him with his food bowl, favorite blanket, a picture of us and his favorite toys. We will miss him dearly, but right now I think that we are relieved that this whole ordeal is over for him. We were so worried about him, but now he is somewhere better. 

We'll miss you Oliver!

--Update-- The vet called and said that it was FIP that took Oliver. He said that it is caused by the corona virus and that Oliver had both a chronic infection and an acute one and that the corona virus was contagious. He also said that most cats carry the corona virus, but it veeerry rarely turns into FIP. He said what most likely caused it was getting his shots and having an ear infection at the same time. He said that it probably lowered his immune system enough for the virus to take hold. 


Unfortunately, since it is a virus there is really nothing we can do even if Catbot and Miss Kitty both have it. The only thing we can do it hope that it does not turn into FIP... per the vet. He said that we should have some blood work done on them just to get a baseline of blood work for them, but that is about it. He did say that we should not introduce any new cats into the household at all in order to prevent the infection from spreading to them. 

Anyway, at least we know what took Oliver. I just hope that it does not take my other babies as well. I know that FIP is pretty rare, but I cannot help but to worry.


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## Curlikat

Oh Lydelia, so sorry to read about Oliver and how suddenly illness took him from you. We are never ready to say goodbye to the ones we love but they stay forever in our hearts. He has been spared any more suffering. What a beautiful way you chose to say goodbye to him. I buried my beloved Siamese 7 years ago with forget-me-knots to mark her grave and I wish I had included photos of us.

((Hugs))


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## cal4ever0407

i'm so sorry.


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## emma_pen

I'm so incredibly sorry about Oliver - he was a beautiful boy, and you must be devastated. You definitely did all the right things, bless him. Take care, hun ((HUGS))


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## CinderandWhiskersMom

I am very sorry for your loss. Losing a pet is never easy.


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## Superkitties

Oh no, how terrible. I'm so sorry for your loss. RIP Oliver.

Moving this over to the Bridge for you.


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## emrldsky

I am so sorry to hear about this!! It is SO HARD to watch a beloved kitty die from FIP. I had my Rain Cloud less than 2 weeks when he passed away from it (he was only about 4 months, I had just gotten him from a shelter). *hugs* You did the ABSOLUTE BEST you could. 

I can't even think of what else to say.


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## allyally

:heart 

My heart goes out to you. *Hugs*


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## catgirl83

That made me cry! I'm so sorry for all you had to go through only to have it end this way. At least the choice of putting him to sleep did not have to come to you. But I am so sorry you did not get to be with him towards the end! 

There is sometimes nothing more we can do for our babies but love them. You made Ollie happy while he was here. That's a kindness that does not go unrewarded in this life.

Hugs!


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## lydelia

Thanks to everyone for your support. Simon and I actually slept last night for the first time in awhile. It's weird right now without Oliver. I mean, we still have Miss Kitty (mine) and Catbot (his) but, Oliver was OUR cat. We got him together from the Humane Society and he was ours. Now with him gone it's like there is this Oliver shaped space between us ... 

It's so quiet in the morning. I am so used to Oliver yodeling in the morning for his food and stretching up to punch us in the kidneys if we are sitting at the computer desk and he wants our attention. I miss him dragging his string around the house and meowing at us to play with him, but at least now I can talk about him without totally breaking apart. 

I am so glad that I found this forum. It's wonderful to know there is a place to go where everyone, without exception, will understand what we are going through, or at least be able to relate. It's hard sometimes dealing with the loss of an animal around someone who does not have one because they do not understand. Thank goodness for all of you!!!


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## MA

I'm so very sorry to be late on my condolences for the loss of your beloved Ollie. I just read the post and my heartaches to learn of his suffering and for your sadness.


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## EricsMama_CatLuver

i'm so sorry girl that oliver was taken so suddenly without a chance to say goodbye. If you ever want a poem written i'll be glad to write one for you, just pm me with a pic and with a description of his personality and what he used to love to do.

By the way your cat Cinder looks just like my Spaz kitty!


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## lydelia

Thanks everyone for your condolences. It doesn't matter if they are late :wink: . I really appreciate it.

Thanks for the offer of the poem Ericsmama. I will seriously consider it. My hubby and I are going to get a grave marker for Oliver once the ground settles and that would be something nice to put on there for him.


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## EricsMama_CatLuver

you are welcome, if you are the one that sent me a PM my email said i had one but it didn't show up in my inbox on here so i don't know........If it wasn't you than i hope who ever sent it writes back because its not in my box....lol


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## Good_Queen_Bess

I've only just read this post.

Poor Ollie! I looked at the pics of him, he was so beautiful. Do your other two cats miss him? Whenever we've had cat's put to sleep in the past, the other's always have a few "upset" days where they are lost without their companion and don't know what to do.


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## lydelia

Good_Queen_Bess: I really don't know. Miss Kitty has been really vocal since Olilver died and so has Catbot. They both have also been running around like crazy and have been crazy affectionate. Catbot especially has been going crazy!!!! For the first day or so after he was gone and while he was at the vet they looked for him and seemed a little down, but now they seem almost happy. Maybe that is because we are not as upset as we were over him and they can sense that? I am not really sure ... they did not really mourn like I thought they would, like going off of their food and stuff, but then we have been spoiling them rotten lately. Too, Miss Kitty and Catbot were together before we got Oliver, so maybe they weren't that close to Oliver ... 

Anyway, needless to say through that rambling I am not sure if they actually mourned him or if their craziness is them in mourning, but I do know that they missed him and looked for h im for awhile.


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## Good_Queen_Bess

It really sounds like they missed him for a few days.  Awww! But then they have realised he isn't coming back and have accepted it and are just enjoying being spolit!


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