We have fully sponsored RM80 for the medical procedure on Ah Miao today.
This Medical Aid is given because Ah Miao was taken for neutering and an unexpected medical complication and reaction occurred.
Ah Miao is Nomi’s mother. When we were alerted to Nomi’s case, we found out that the mother-cat, Ah Miao, had not been neutered yet, so we advised the caregivers, Soo Tzan Jian (Nicholas) and Teng Yeeng Xuang (Aline) to consider getting Ah Miao spayed as she is free roaming and would easily get pregnant again and again.
Nicholas took Ah Miao for spaying today.
What happened was shocking and totally unexpected.
The vet had initially checked Ah Miao’s heart and lungs and everything sounded normal. But when the vet administered the anaesthesia, Ah Miao started heaving and stopped breathing. The surgery was aborted immediately and the vet continued to monitor Ah Miao. She stopped breathing a total of three times on the table.
The vet says it is most likely that Ah Miao had a heart attack as well. The cause for the complication is unknown but from the vet’s past experience with a similar case, he thinks Ah Miao has a diaphragmatic hernia too, just like Nomi.
We were shocked to hear of this unexpected news as we thought it would just be a simple spaying procedure.
So we continued texting with the vet for updates (see all videos below).
Miao’s condition is called dyspnea.
The vet finally decided to discharge Miao so that she could recuperate at home where she would be more comfortable.
Nicholas took Miao home and we continued to help monitor her breathing through the videos they sent. She was still heaving in the evening, but she was able to eat, which is good.
We also contacted our vet and was advised that if the breathing did not improve this evening, Miao should be taken to the emergency hospital.
Both vets agreed that further investigation is needed, ie. X-Rays, ultrasound and blood tests on the heart, kidneys and liver. Miao definitely has some underlying problems.
At this point in time, we are unsure if she can withstand or survive any surgery at all. We shall learn more after more investigation is done.
The vet said Miao could go home to recuperate after she was fully awake.
Her breathing was still laboured.
The tongue is pinking up here. At the clinic, it was purplish.
At 5.27pm.
At 5.58pm.
Eating at 6.19pm.
At 9.20pm.
The strangest thing is that Nicholas had never noticed Ah Miao panting or heaving before this. But upon further reflection, Nicholas remembers the following:
When I first found miao, she limped a little bit. (Hind leg) but no external injury of any sort. When she was younger she would walk with a little hump on her back (when she was younger her hind legs were abit longer than the front leg). Initially, She would often attack other stray cats in the neighbourhood. After I started feeding her, she became more calm and tone down. But after I bring her home she dont fight anymore.
The “hump” on the back could be a sign of pain which she could have sustained earlier on, or as a kitten. Miao could also have sustained a blunt force trauma before Nicholas found her. As a former street cat, her history is not known. The vet also said that sometimes in such cases, nothing can be discerned or observed until the cat goes for a medical procedure (in this case, spaying).
Nicholas will take Miao for a full check-up at our vet’s tomorrow.
We will continue to help Nicholas monitor Miao’s condition tonight and we hope her breathing will improve. If it doesn’t, an emergency procedure might be needed tonight, but we hope it will not come to this.
Feel better and recover, Ah Miao.
Nicholas began feeding Ah Miao when he was in college in Setapak. When he came home after graduation, he brought Ah Miao with him.