Luckily I sent Sakura (renamed Hiro) to the vet’s (severe flu)

An update: Sakura has been renamed Hiro now. 

I managed to drop Sakura at the vet’s while I was on my way to my dental surgery and collected her after that.

Luckily I sent her.

Sakura has severe flu and a lot of allergic cells.

An X-ray was taken and it showed that her right lung isn’t inflating. Only the left is. Even her heart is pushed to the right because the right lung is not inflating (in other words, “collapsed”).

The X-ray image of the lungs should be black, but when there are white spots as in Sakura’s, it means there is inflammation. Her bronchioles are also inflamed. If not treated, it would lead to bronchopneumonia. Currently, it is to be monitored and her prognosis is “fair”. Her ear-prick blood test shows a lot of lymphocytes too (Have to check for FIV/FeLV later, when she is past 6 months old. Now she is too young and there is usually a false negative result). There are elevated white blood cells and a lot of allergic cells as well. But Sakura’s heart is okay.

Sakura has been prescribed two antibiotics – Doxycycline and Curam, an antihistamine syrup and a mucolytic syrup for the flu. She was also dewormed and given Revolution spot-on. Nicol eyedrop has been given for her eye discharge as well.

The vet says if Sakura turns blue or gasps for breath, it is to be treated as an emergency. Right now, she snorts and has heavy breathing (this is because her right lung isn’t inflating).

Sakura was nebulized at the clinic too and I can continue doing it twice daily to clear her congestion. She also has a fever, with a temperature of 39.3 degrees.

Judging from Sakura’s feistiness this morning, I did not imagine she could be THIS sick. Luckily I took no chances and managed to get her checked today.

Cats always only show sick symptoms only when it is “too late”. They are ever resilient.

I guess (again, I might be anthropomorphising) Misty knew Sakura needed help. So she brought her to me. Maybe.

When we came home from the vet’s, I tried to show Misty that Sakura was in the carrier, but she wasn’t interested at all. She only wanted to eat.

Only Riley was interested. I have to keep Riley away too because it’s the flu and it is contagious. So since Riley likes being in the room with Samantha and the princesses, I let her stay there.

Get well soon, Sakura. You stay strong, please.

The vet says I would have to weigh Sakura daily. She weighed only 363g today.

This is just when I could stop weighing the princesses upstairs, now it’s all over again. The work just does not stop, does it?

Sakura is estimated to be 4 weeks old (just as I estimated too). So she is the same age as the princesses upstairs (Kai, Akira and Indra) but look at the difference between being born at home and bring born on the street. Sakura is 363g but the princesses upstairs have shot past 600g already.

Being born on the street is tough.

Neuter, neuter, neuter!!

I have to catch Misty for neutering. A neighbour’s pedigree and collared unneutered tomcat has been coming to our porch. Uh-oh… It’s Bushy with the collar.