nemo says

Didn’t they say it’s almost May?

Nemo squinting

Then WHY is it still freaking cold???!!!! *stomps*

daily notes

Evedrop

It’s been such a long time since Nemo and I last wrote. I think an update on Nemo, especially his health, is in order. Let me start off by saying that Nemo is doing great, healthy, happy, and hungrier than ever!

In May 2007 we took Nemo to Dr. Liz for a regular checkup. The result came back a couple of days later—Nemo was tested FIV negative!!! We were thrilled! At that time I already made peace with his illness but it was still exciting news. I didn’t really believe that the virus was completely gone from his body. Whether that was the case or not, one thing was true—that he was in top condition at that moment. We continued to do what we’d been doing for the past year and a half. He continued to take the same supplements and went to Dr. Peter Dobias every 3 months.

At the end of 2007, it was time for another regular checkup with Dr. Liz. Again, Nemo was healthy like a horse and Dr. Liz said he looked EXCELLENT. We did another in-house ELISA (FIV) test, as usual. The test came out clean at first, then two very faint dots showed up, indicating possible FIV+. The only way to be sure was to send his blood work to a lab down in the US for a Western Blot test. We knew it wouldn’t change the way we care for Nemo but we had to know. 2 weeks later the result came—Nemo was confirmed to be FIV+.

It didn’t come as a surprise. Our hope for a completely healthy life for Nemo was gone. But we knew that Nemo could still be happy for a LONG time. The FIV+ status didn’t matter. What mattered was that Nemo was the healthiest, most content, best behaving, and most wonderful cat in the world, and we were going to do everything we could to keep it that way. We decided that Nemo would, and wanted to live until he was at least 20 years old!

Since then, Rufus, one of Nemo’s FIV+ sponsor brother has passed away but his other FIV+ brothers have all been adopted by good families! That is life, isn’t it? There are bad news but good news are often just around the corner. Weâ’ve chosen new FIV+ brothers for Nemo. He is still sticking around so obvious the reason why he came to us, his mission, is still not done. I guess we will have to continue to help FIV+ cats and figure out what it is that Nemo is trying to teach us. It is a beautiful life when Nemo is in it.

Young Nemo

daily notes

Breakfast: 65g Non-medicated raw rabbit with bones for dogs, 1 capsules Pro-Biotic Acidophilus For Life, 1 perle Wheat germ oil fortified, 1 tablet Nu-Cat Senior
Morning play: 10 minutes. Blue toy shark on a fishing rod. Tubie.
Dinner: Non-medicated 65g raw rabbit with bones for dogs. 1 tablet Nu-Cat Senior
Evening play : 18 minutes. Blue toy shark on a fishing rod, Orange toy octopus on a fishing rod, Tubie.
Bed-time play: 15 minutes. Blue toy shark on a fishing rod, leather strings on a fishing rod, Tubie.
Supplements: Feline Immune System Support, Feline Hepatic Support

Nemo didn’t get up until the alarm went off this morning again. Other than that, he was very active at night! Homemade tunnelHe kept running through his tubie to get the toy. For a few times he even ran through his tubie and then his tunnel like he was doing “super dog”. He seems happy. He also seems a little less aloof than when the basement was just done. I guess he’s done exploring everything new now he’s ready to spend more time with us.

daily notes

Breakfast: 65g Non-medicated raw rabbit with bones for dogs, 1 capsules Pro-Biotic Acidophilus For Life, 1 perle Wheat germ oil fortified, 1 tablet Nu-Cat Senior
Morning play: 10 minutes. Leather strings on a fishing rod. Tubie.
Dinner: Non-medicated 65g raw rabbit with bones for dogs. 1 tablet Nu-Cat Senior
Evening play : 5 minutes. Shark on a fishing rod. Tubie.
Bed-time play: 10 minutes. Shark on a fishing rod Tubie.
Supplements: Feline Immune System Support, Feline Hepatic Support

Sleeping beautyNemo slept next to my pillow all night until the alarm went off. He hasn’t been this sleepy in almost 3 weeks. I guess the new remedy is doing its job in his body. He was quite active all night. After dinner he kept wanting to play. We played with him for about 10 minutes until he lost interest and settled down. We also did some training tonight. Nemo wasn’t nearly as excited as previous training sessions but he learned a new command today–IN. He’d get into his perch by when I say the word “IN”. I don’t think he completely gets it yet but it’s just the matter of time. He didn’t enjoy training tonight probably because I used dried smoked salmon as rewards, not Innova kibbles. He likes the kibbles better.

We noticed a funny new thing about Nemo tonight. Sleeping in the sunWhen he got excited he wagged his tail in a very funny way. He’d curl it up and swing it side by side. We are pretty used to the “hook” on the tip of his tail when he’s happy but this curly tail thing is completely new. We’re hoping it’s a sign of him feeling better physically.

daily notes

Breakfast: 65g Non-medicated raw rabbit with bones for dogs, 2 capsules Pro-Biotic Acidophilus For Life, 1perle Wheat germ oil fortified, 1 tablet Nu-Cat Senior
Morning play: 10 minutes. Leather strings on a fishing rod. Tubie.
Dinner: Non-medicated 65g raw rabbit with bones for dogs, small pinch of psyllium hust powder, small pinch of kelp and dulse, 1 tablet Nu-Cat Senior
Evening play : None
Supplements: None
Bed-time play: 10 minutes. Leather strings on a fishing rod. Tubie.

From under the chinWe gave the new remedy Dr. Peter Dobias prescribed to Nemo at around 8:30PM, which was an hour after his dinner. Seeing how much he turned around after the last supplement and remedy prescription, we can’t wait to see how this new remedy will help him. His itch in the right ear seemed to have subsided. He’s not itchy anymore. He is as hungry and active as in the past couple of weeks.

nemo says

Second visit to Doc P.D.

Good pose

*Turns head 360 degrees and looks at the back of his neck* Have I been punctured by that acupuncture thing? Doesn’t look like it. There’s no water leaks nor little plugs.

I didn’t do the acupuncture and physio yesterday because Doc P D wanted to see first how I was doing on the second homeopathic remedy. They booked me for the torture next Tuesday.

Doc P D said I was actually doing a lot better than he first saw me 3 weeks ago. There are a few things that may not goFeb 27 07 Anatomy away for a long time, (or may never go away), e.g. the bumps on my neck, my dry skin/flakes, the discomfort in my liver/bladder area on the right side of the spine. We will now focus on releasing the tension and blockage around my neck/shoulder area. Hopefully the bumps and dry skin will slowly go away when the congestion is gone.

It was a very interesting session yesterday! Doc P D said because the physical signs of discomfort on my body are no longer very evident, now we really have to pay attention to my disposition. He asked Mike and Susie if there’s anything that they wanted to tell him, anything that stands out. They started by talking about me being very aggressive while Mike stepped on my tail the other day, to my spending a lot of time downstairs in the basement, to my dry skin, to Susie’s worry of me dying from FIV, to Susie’s fear for dead insects/animals and why she gets so emotional about my sponsor brothers getting sick (that wimp cried in Doc P D’s office!), to why they think I came to them in the first place. Doc P.D. said understanding these things could play a role in my treatment. He said that, believe it or not, according to statistics people who fear of losing their pets actually lose their pets more often! He said we all die, sooner or later. He said I would die once my purpose on the earth is fulfilled but I WOULD definitely be sticking around until then.

My beautiful profile Susie told Doc P D. that she felt I came to her for a reason, too. She feels her mission is to help FIV kitties any way she can. That’s why she made the website. She hopes that one day her documentation of one FIV kitty (me!) will help to find the cure. Doc P.D. took a short visit to my website. He said this was extraordinary. He will read what’s on my website and maybe together we can have an amazing journey. He also said that maybe I am here to teach Susie about the meaning of life and death since she has this horrible fear of the dead. You know what? That’s exactly what Susie has been thinking, too! She’s never had a pet before so she thinks that maybe having a health compromised cat as her first cat is a sign for her to face the fear.

The visit lasted 50 minutes. I totally lost interest when they started talking about Susie instead of me. I lied in my crate and looked at them with my very displeased eyes. It was dinner time and all they did was talk about Susie’s mental issues! We all knew she was mental already so what’s the big deal? I needed FOOD!

susie says

SeriousnessWe noticed that Nemo seemed to have an itch in his right ear again after he came home. He scratched it a few times tonight and his right ear appeared folded down a little, too, just like last time he came back from the first visit to Dr. Peter Dobias. Last time we thought it was the reaction to the remedy, that he’s body was trying to cleanse itself. But he’s itchy again and we haven’t given him the new remedy yet. We suspect it would be the stress from being among dogs in the waiting room but we will bring it up with Dr. Peter Dobias next time we see him.

He refused to come to bed to get his supplement pills tonight, which was quite odd. Normally he’d come over as soon as he heard the bottles. I left the two pills next to my pillow in case he came over during the night. He didn’t come to bed all night.

nemo says

Interview with Busbee

BUSBEE: Hey Nemo, how’s it going?

NEMO: Hey Busbee. Went to the homeopath yesterday!

BUSBEE: How’d it go??

NEMO: It went really well. Dr. Peter Dobias is completely different from the previous one I went to. Cat day afternoonHe did SOOOOO much to me. He asked lots of questions and he did a thorough physical check on me. He poked me here and there for a long time until I got upset and hissed at him! Oh wait a minute, he continued to poked me even after I hissed at him.

BUSBEE: Did Susie talk to him about the reversing FIV thing?

NEMO: He said something interesting about FIV. He said that there’re so many stray cats out there but only about 11% has FIV. He said that we contracted FIV because our body/immune system were already compromised in some ways. Otherwise we should’ve been able to fight it off as many healthy, strong cats.

BUSBEE: Hmmmm. Mom has heard something similar about FeLV. That if a cat hasn’t contracted it by the time they are a year old, then their body has built up an immunity and they will not contract it. Not real sure how true that it, but I suppose it makes sense. That is also what they say about the Feline Herpes virus. That if a cat has a strong immune system, even if they are exposed to Herpes, they won’t get it. Sort of makes sense, don’t you think?

NEMO: It does make sense. Dr. Peter Dobias said the question we should ask is why I contracted FIV in the first place. My body must be somehow compromised in the first place so the virus successfully attacked me. We need to work on closing that door first.

BUSBEE: So is he going to change any of your treatments or anything??

NEMO: Oh yeah, TOTALLY. He prescribed supplements based on my individual needs. Feb 2 07 AnatomyApparently my neck area is congested. It’s significant because it’s one area where everything flows through in our bodies. That’s why I have those little harmless bumps. Apparently my liver/gall bladder and small intestine are also bothering me a bit. He said he couldn’t say for sure whether some of my problems were caused by FIV but they are consistent with FIV symptoms. He will first focus on getting the leftover vaccine out of my body, improve my liver and intestine functions, and then work on my neck. He wouldn’t say that reversing FIV was impossible but he said it “wasn’t supposed to happen”. We should focus on keeping me happy and healthy for as long as possible.

BUSBEE: Well, it was an interesting theory but it’s good to get answers from someone like him. I think he would have told Susie if he thought it was possible. So what kind of supplements are you getting for your issues, or did he mix up a remedy for you? Sounds like it was a really productive visit. How does Susie feel about it?

NEMO: He gave me quite a lot. Oh oh oh! I have to tell you! Dr. Peter Dobias doesn’t recommend taking DMG for the long term. The following isn’t necessary either because they’re already in the raw food we eat: vitamin E, B complex, and taurine. I’m now taking: Feline Hepatic Support, Feline Immune Support, Probiotic, Nu Cat for Seniors (a “multi” thing. I have FIV so I’m taking “for seniors”), wheat germ oil. He also gave me a remedy called Thuya something. It’s just a one-time thing, though. Keep in mind that these are specific for me. It may not suit your condition, Busbee.

BUSBEE: Understood! Though I would think the Feline Immune Support love a sunny daywould be something good for me to take. The Hepatic support, for your liver, right? Probiotic for digestion, helps heal digestive tract, too. What’s with the DMG?? And how long is considered ‘long term’?

NEMO: I’ve been taking DMG for about 9 months now. It’s definitely too long. It may be tough on my liver. I think he doesn’t recommend taking it in general. He said he tries to keep things simple. There are so many homeopathic theories out there. Yes, Feline Immune System support is good for you, too, I think. Dr. Peter Dobias said he remembered discussing with Dr.Liz about me many many months ago. He recommended it to her. That’s why I’ve been taking it.

BUSBEE: Great! Of course mom bought the BIG bottle of DMG last time…MOL! We’ll switch over to the Feline Immune System support. Does Susie order that on line or what? Mom’ll have to Google it.

NEMO: We get it from Dr. Peter Dobias. This is the one: http://www.standardprocess.com/vet_catalog_search.asp

BUSBEE: Awesome, thanks! Mom’s found a couple of places she can order. She ordered Standard Process Rena Food for Buster when he was first diagnosed with CRF.

NEMO: Another important message from Dr. Peter Dobias is that cats with different dispositions have different immune reactions. For example, a very calm cat has a very calm immune reaction. It’s important to learn my disposition so we know my immune system reacts.

BUSBEE: That’s interesting, too! I think that I’m a pretty calm cat, that’s what my mom says.

NEMO: Dr. Peter Dobias said I was: VERY, very calm, not afraid at all, curious, smarter than average cats, OPINIONATEDOn Mike shoulder (how dare he!) He said I’m friendly but I don’t like to be handled much. He also said that it’s obvious I love both Susie and Mike but I’m totally in tune with Mike. He could sense that we had the same kind of energy and…something channel…something. *Mike saying in the background: both sweet, calm, good looking* Oh! He also said I was VERY curious and smarter than average cats. I heard that in three weeks (next visit) I’ll do physio and acupuncture on my neck. I don’t know what they are but I’m not sure that I want to know!

Note: Busbee is my long-lost twin brother on Catster. He is also FIV+.