Happy Joe has been mentioned before...a book should be written about him and his journey, but for now...
Episode # ?? "The Most Troublesome Almond".
One dark, but not stormy, night, I noticed that HJB was more quiet and clingy than usual, and seemed heavier and  despondent.  Something was wrong. I called the communicator who had adopted him long-distance, and she said that he was "heavy" from his diaphragm to the end of his body. 
I took him to the new and excellent (!) Urgent Pet ER in El Cerrito: no travel, much less waiting.  They had seen Perry when he was failing. Xrays were taken, bloodwork, and a mini-ultrasound. The don't have a radiologist on site, as most ERs don't.  The doctors suggested that he might have an intestinal blockage, and to give him fluids and see if it unblocked over night.
I did, and it didn't. 
Next morning, I took him to the also excellent (!) Pet Emergency and Specialty Clinic of Marin (PESCM) and Joe got the ultrasound, and a lot of loving attention. 
He did have a blockage, and his intesines were greatly distended. Ouch and Oy Vey! Poor baby!!
He stayed at PESCM for surgery, and....when the surgeon called, she said that they had removed a whole almond from his duodenum, which is between the stomach and the small intestine.  Brilliantly, the surgeon cut into the stomach- less friable and stronger than the disturbed duodenum, and had retreived the almond from there. 
Due, I believe, to HJB's past life, he was obsessed with chocolate. (another story!) I had brought chocolate-covered almonds home from Costco. Wish I had not. One had gotten onto the floor, apparently. 
He stayed in hospital for several days. Complications arose: fluid in the chest, heart trauma, pneumonia from aspirating vomit while blocked...He was not eating, and had a fever. The doctors were all wonderful about keeping me updated. I knew that he was in the best of hands. 
Blessedly, happy Joe loves to meet new people, and even in his unhappy state, enjoyed engaging with the nurses and doctors! 
​He had gone in to PESCM on April 9, and was released April 12, with several medications. At home, he ate a bit,  but wasn't too comfortable, emotionally or physically. He spiked a fever on the 14th, 103.7, and I took him back to the closer ER. He saw a lovely young, smart, caring vet there (Urgent Pet El Cerrito, Dr. Julie Lowe DVM). She gave him pain meds, more blood work & x-rays, some IV meds, and stayed with him until 11:30, even though the clinic closed at 7:00!
Next morning we went back to PESCM. Another ultrasound showed fluid around his heart. He also had developed pneumonia, due to aspirating vomit during the blockage. Poor HJB!! Lots more details, pages of treatments and tests, but bottom line, he came home again on April 17, 2024. Whew!
He was given two different antibiotics and a blood thinner for home use. His incision looked just beautiful: tiny stitches, no redness or swelling. I made the decision not to have him use the e-collar. 
Worry about HJB was coupled with worry about how we could pay his bills. They had to be paid upfront, and exceeded twenty thousand dollars. So even though Joe had insurance, thank goodness, we had to scramble to get the money together. Healthy Paws insurance has already approved our claims, a separate claim for each hospital visit. Recommended!
I can't emphasize enough my admiration for the many doctors he saw--their expertise and obvious love. At both hospitals. Their level of care made an extremely stressful situation SO much less so!
Our guy goes back tomorrow to PESCM for stitch removal (YAY!!) and another look-see.  And goes back the Wednesday after that for another ultrasound, to see if his pneumonia is gone. 
I have every confidence in his having a full recovery!! Much love cat,  and of course, deserving of the best care. They all are.

Perry was not with us long, but he will never be forgotten. He and another Siamese cat showed up at one of my colonies, within days of one another, both with wobbly hind ends. I thought that they might have homes nearby, and observed them for a couple of days. One of them was thin and very unsteady, and I thought that he could not remain out there. I thought I'd give him one more day, in case he wanted to go home, or in case his family found him. I never saw him again.
Perry was robust except for the wobble. But as the days went on, I became worried, especially as the other one may have died. He let me stroke his back when he ate, another indication that he might have (or had had) a human family. Sooo....one evening I put my carrier (always in the car) down beside him, opened the top (always get a top-opener), scruffed him, and gently placed him into the carrier.  
We have a fairly big back bathroom, with a bay window, glass door to outside, big cat tree, etc., and I released him into it. He didn't freak out too much, but didn't let me touch him there...on his turf had been okay, but now... he was guarded.
A communicator I work with checked in with him, and said that he had a blood clot which was likely pressing on a nerve. She recommended several gemmotherapies, and one blood thinner. I put them into his food: had to use super-smelly commercial food to make sure he got it :-) but he was happy about that. The food I make is more bland...

After I let him acclimate for a few days, I took him to the new Urgent Pet emergency clinic in El Cerrito. They are awesome!! He got in right away. They had to sedate him in order to examine, do imaging, etc. they were skilled and kind as they and I held him for the injection.  We agreed to have him neutered at that time, to save the risk of another sedation. Alas, the sedation wore off before they got to the neuter! But I'm grateful that they were judicious in their dosage...
His blood work was stellar...everything pretty much fine. I took him to PETS in berkeley for an ultrasound and another exam.The ultrasound showed some abnormalities, but nothing definitive or serious, it seemed. There was no sign of thrombosis; blood clot or clots, anywhere.

Perry then saw Dr. Reed in Richmond for another exam and acupuncture. 

He didn't improve; in fact worsened. A month had gone by. I had not seen him walking; he'd moved from the bay window to under the cat tree. He had been moving from there, a few steps, to the glass door, but...he'd been dragging his back legs. Around March 3 he slowed down, then stopped eating, and stopped using the litter box.

I had an appointment with a neurologist I love: Dr. Tun at PESCM in San Rafael. The appt was not till April 2, but the clinic called me March 6 and said they'd had a cancellation on March 7! By this time, it looked as if he was at the end of his life. I'd moved him into a big cage in the living room, to keep a better eye on him and to get meds into him. He had come to trust me, or maybe was too weak to care...He was immobile by this time, but I wanted to take him in anyway, to see if Dr. Tun had any  ideas as to what was going on.  His records were all sent to Dr. Tun.
Our appointment was at 11:00. I went out at 8:00, and when I returned at 8:45, he had died. Long live our Perry!

Never a dull moment! We have several mysterious situations at the moment.....
Starting with Sunny: She came to us unknown as to age or history. She was found in a box (a big one with food and water; better than most) with her siblings. This photo is out of focus, but captures her expression well. Sunny had a raw, mostly bare, coat, and was blind. She's been through a lot, but is a happy cat today, although still recovering from a coyote attack. 
The mystery with Sunny is that her coat is irritated, and she has +a persistent ear infection. We've changed her food to turkey based; may be a chicken allergy which irritates her coat. And three kinds of meds didn't clear up her (unusual in that's the outer ear) ear infection. She's been getting acupuncture, and different supplements. Back to Dr. Reed next week.
Next: Perry! Our latest, this gorgeous man came home from one of my colonies when his hind end got and stayed wobbly.   I took him to the new, highly-recommended Urgent Pet emergency clinic in El Cerrito; had heard good things about it. A communcator had told me that he had a blood clot which could break loose and do him damage...and to get him seen asap. The doctor and techs at Urgent Pet were just wonderful! Focused yet compassionate and calming, rand espectful of Perry, who was not used to being handled  They held him securely yet gently, head covered, and gave him a light sedation. 
His x-rays and blood work showed no problems at all! Some incipient bone spurs along his spine, but not enough to affect his mobility.    
The thinking was that the clot had pressed a nerve, affecting his movement.  I had been able to palpate his spine and back legs at the colony, and of course the vets did too. No sign of swelling, tenderness, or broken bone.
So, what to do? The communicator July Berin, recommended several methods of dissolving the clot. He has been getting these meds in his food. It may take some time...
Perry is bearing up well. He has a big (for a bathroom) room with a glass door and bay window. I hope he understands that we are doing our best to restore his mobility!!     
Mikey is our third mystery...I'll write about him in the next post. 
And Yes, this has cost thousands of dollars so far. and YES, I'd love some help with their bills! Our beautiful donate button is at the top of our website!, www.beeholistic.com!
Thanks for listening!