Casper – Ragdoll of the Week

Replace Might 2024

My attractive Casper was featured numerous years in the past as Ragdoll of the Week alongside together with his brother Milo.

Me and my associate have been on a rollercoaster journey with our Ragdolls since October final 12 months which I needed to share with you all.

Casper has simply turned 12 in April and is a loving pleasant Ragdoll lively and intensely pleasant. Sadly, again in late September, he went off his meals, and the vet identified that he had reabsorption of the enamel. I’m not an professional on this, however principally, his enamel have been getting reabsorbed by his jawbone. So, over the course of two separate operations, all of his enamel have been eliminated other than his massive canines and the very small enamel on the very entrance, as they have been all affected by reabsorption.

On the identical time our different Ragdoll Cosmo was identified with inflammatory bowel illness and was placed on steroids. On the time we thought Cosmo was going to die however the steroids labored wonders and he recovered and was operating round like a loopy kitty once more chasing his brothers. 

Going again to Casper although he by no means made a whole restoration from the enamel removing and continued to wrestle with consuming regardless of common visits to the vets to unravel the issue.

Then simply earlier than Christmas final 12 months Casper grew to become poorly once more being sick over a number of days. We took him to the vets once more who checked him over and couldn’t discover something mistaken. He recovered from this however the first week in January he took poorly once more not eager to eat. We took him again once more to the vets and so they did a scan and located stomach fluid so was rushed to a vetinary hospital the place he was identified with pancreatitis. 

He was placed on a 2 week course of antibiotics. At this level I needed to begin hand feeding him as he was refusing to eat.

After many visits backwards and forwards to the vets and scans as Casper was not enhancing they did a PCR take a look at and he was identified with feline infections peritonitis in March. Me and my associate have been heartbroken as till lately this was classed as a deadly illness for cats however we got gentle on the finish of the tunnel after we found there was hope with some new medicine that had been found on account of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Sadly this medicine just isn’t out there in all international locations however it has been authorised the place we reside within the UK however it is extremely costly at over £40 per pill. 

Because the medicine has an over 80% success price we agreed to proceed with this regardless of our pets insurance coverage firm refusing to offer cowl as they linked it to his pancreatitis prognosis which we had already exhausted our cowl for £3000. 

The GS-441524 medicine (doesn’t roll of the tongue) is a 12 week course and on the finish the cat ought to hopefully go in to full remission. 

A couple of days in to the medicine on the prescribed dose and it wasn’t working Casper was growing extra stomach fluid and had a pot bellied look which is frequent for cats with FIP.  One afternoon I seen his respiration had elevated to 49 breaths per minute. I known as the vet instantly and he was rushed in. They found in addition to having fluid in his stomach it had additionally unfold to his chest, so he needed to have an emergency process to take away the fluid from his chest. They like to go away the fluid within the stomach so the physique can reabsorb it itself because it causes an excessive amount of shock for the cat if eliminated abruptly. 

To the vet’s amazement Casper pulled via the process. The vet commented that they’d by no means eliminated a lot fluid from a cats chest earlier than and for the cat to make it. Our FIP warrior Casper was decided not to surrender the battle and neither have been we. 

All through his therapy my vets have been receiving recommendation from the Royal Faculty of Vets within the UK and extra lately Edinburgh College who’re conducting analysis on FIP.

As a part of this analysis they examined the degrees of GS-441524 in Casper blood and sadly we acquired information yesterday that the focus ranges will not be excessive sufficient to make sure Casper goes in to full remission.

Casper has been making wonderful progress and going from a cat again in January that will sit all day in the identical place not transferring or consuming to being 80% again to his regular self now’s unbelievable though I’m nonetheless having to partially assist him with consuming as he misplaced 1 kilogram in weight and remains to be slowly placing this again on. 

He has blood checks each few weeks to test his protein ranges are dropping which is what ought to occur and the excellent news all the things is on the appropriate path.

His medicine was as a consequence of finish the primary week in June however because the meditation focus ranges in his blood aren’t excessive sufficient we’re having to modify from the pill type to the injectable type from subsequent week on the recommendation or Edinburgh College.  I need to admit I’m not wanting ahead to and I’m certain Casper isn’t both. 

We now have spent 1000’s already on his therapy so the information that his therapy is now going to must be prolonged previous the preliminary June finish date has come considerably as a shock. 

Particularly when me and my associate will not be excessive earners. However we haven’t given up but and neither has Casper he’s a fighter bless him and we’re decided to beat this horrendous illness collectively.

On a really unhappy notice we misplaced Cosmo my different ragdoll who had IBD on nineteenth April he developed septic peritonitis and the vet suggested there was nothing they may do. He was so weak bless him and so they suggested as a consequence of his current IBD his possibilities have been extraordinarily slim so with a heavy coronary heart we had him put to sleep and he’s now at relaxation in our backyard the place he cherished to be.

I needed everybody to bear in mind that there’s hope in case your cat will get FIP. Sadly, it’s not an easy path to restoration. The 12-week course of medicine could should be prolonged, and the extent of medicine could should be elevated, which all has value implications. It additionally impacted Caspers’s kidneys, so he’s additionally on medicine for that, however fortunately, the urea ranges in his blood have returned to regular now.

We’re all preserving our fingers crossed for Casper, and I hope he can be in your prayers for a full restoration.

Thanks for listening to his story.

If you need to assist Casper’s therapy, I lately arrange a GoFundMe web page after we came upon his therapy wanted to be prolonged. If you happen to can assist it, thanks a lot. If not, no drawback in any respect. 

I simply hope our story exhibits there’s now hope for cats with FIP. Our FIP warrior Casper says thanks, too, for studying his story, which, let’s hope, has a profitable consequence. I’ll hold you all up to date.

Authentic story submission:

My title is Casper; I’m a 4-year-old Ragdoll and reside in Durham Metropolis in the UK. I reside with my house owners and my two brothers Cosmo and Milo who’re additionally Ragdolls. Milo was Ragdoll of the week a number of weeks in the past. I’m a seal bi color tabby. My favourite pastime is consuming! I’d eat all day if I may. I’ve even been to the vets to have this checked out however they are saying I’ve simply bought an enormous urge for food. I’ll eat nearly something, so my house owners have to verify they don’t depart something out within the kitchen or I’ll eat it. I even attempt to steal Cosmo’s meals if I get the chance, however I’d by no means attempt to steal Milo’s as he’s nearly as unhealthy as me.  My house owners bought me as a bit of kitten once I was 12 weeks outdated from a Ragdoll breeder within the North East of England. I’m extraordinarily pleasant and have a really loud purr. I’m additionally continuously on the go a lot to everybody’s annoying typically, which is why I feel Cosmo didn’t like me once I first moved in. I feel he was use to having the home to himself and didn’t need me continuously in his face eager to play. We at the moment are good buddies although. All 3 of us get pleasure from taking part in chasing one another round the home and backyard which suggests John is continually have to choose up our fur, which he moans about typically. I additionally like to play fetch chasing and returning balls of paper. I particularly find it irresistible after they throw the ball of paper up the steps for me to chase, though I do assume they do that to tire me out typically so I fall asleep. Cosmo and Milo at all times have a look at me like I’m loopy once I’m taking part in fetch.

I additionally like to stalk the birds and frogs in our backyard. I used to be actually happy with myself lately once I managed to seize a pigeon, plucking it out of the air because it was taking off. Sadly John was watching from the kitchen window and rushed out in to the backyard to rescue it from my paws. I wasn’t very blissful because it flew off safely.

I’ve an exquisite thick coat within the winter months, the one drawback is within the Spring/Summer season once I undergo from excessive shedding. Regardless that my house owners comb frequently throughout this era my fur does grow to be matted in locations so the matts must be minimize out.

Sadly this does imply I do look a little bit of a large number till my fur regrows. My brothers don’t undergo so badly with this however the vet says it’s nothing to fret about. Me and Milo like to groom one another however Cosmo prefers to take care of himself!|

If you need to maintain updated with our exploits we’ve got a Fb web page which we frequently replace. Our Fb web page is devoted to our cousin Harry who very lately handed away underneath very unhappy circumstances.

Do you may have a Ragdoll Kitten or Cat?  Contemplate submitting your kitty!  Ragdoll of the Week submission tips

Learn extra Ragdoll of the Week submissions.

Hello, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt bought the primary Ragdoll cat in our household, I’ve cherished the breed. Impressed by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to attach, share and encourage different Ragdoll cat lovers world wide,