Last month, I told you a bit about little Blossom and Thorn, the undersized (but not underwhelming) sister and brother pair. I have good news about both for you this month, and Thorn’s is the best kind of news – he’s been adopted! “Mental dullness” and all, his family fell head over heels for our teeny boy, and he’s settled in well to his new home.
Blossom’s news might not seem very good on it’s face, but really, it’s excellent for her. We took this sweet little girl, who’d been suffering from chronic constipation since her first days, to see a specialist. After examining her, the specialist recommended surgery to remove Blossom’s colon. Drastic, right? But a sub-total colectomy can improve a cat’s life considerably.
It turned out that Blossom had congenital megacolon, a condition where a cat’s colon becomes grossly enlarged and loses motility, usually due to chronic constipation. Cats with megacolon can be treated differently, depending on how their condition presents and progresses. Goldie, for example, has manageable megacolon. We treat him with stool softeners and medication to help his bowel motility, and he’s doing great. Gingko, on the other hand, is in Blossom’s situation; he had a sub-total colectomy to treat his megacolon before he came to Tabby’s Place.
It remains to be seen just how Blossom’s body responds to her surgery. She may have some problems with incontinence, or she may not. And if she does, she may grow out of them. I can tell you, though, she is over the moon that she doesn’t have to have enemas on a regular basis anymore, and now that she’s recovered from the surgery, she looks fantastic. I’d say she’s already put on significant weight, her eyes are bright, and her coat is glossy. She looks the picture of health.
Blossom is the lone remaining little kitty in her room, which she still shares with teenagers JJ, Samantha, and Sadie. You can see that she has a bit of catching up to do if she wants to be as tall as JJ, though! I’m just so glad for her that she’s finally feeling better and can delight in being a kitten without getting poked and prodded so often!
I’m also going to give you a little teaser for next month…last week, when I stopped in to visit, I peeked in on of our holding rooms. What did I see? Wall to wall kitten. Literally. Our cats in holding are caged until they pass quarantine, and the bank of cages facing the door was overrun with little ones – I counted fourteen, ranging from itsy bitsys that would fit in my hand to tweeners that were daring me to say they’re cute. I won’t have the chance to spend time with them all until after they’ve cleared, but I can’t wait to tell you about them next month!
Thank you so very much for supporting our littlest ones. Thanks to you, they’re surrounded by the best care and love possible each and every moment.