My vet thinks my cats have MRSA

[klt03301]

This is really too long of a story to go into, but those who know me from here know about my family's history of MRSA. One of my three cats is very ill and has undergone surgery in two different areas within the past week. 2 different antibiotics have not killed whatever the bacteria is. They are very large abcesses; and cellulitis going from knee to flank. My ofther cat had an abnomal abcess over the summer and had to have surgery. They have no contact with any other animals. The one cat who is really sick right now may have to have surgery again on Monday, which they will culture for MRSA.

I'm sorry I haven't been on lately, but this has been keeping me very busy. These cats were born on my back porch 12 years ago and are members of my family. I'm distraught, worried about the cats, worried about my family, worried about MRSA and tired of cleaning, cleaning. The vet bills are getting to be too much for us.

My grandson, who had MRSA, has only been in contact with them twice (last summer...they live with my ex-husband) and didn't have it at the time. He did pet the first one that got sick last summer, but not the others. I really don't believe he could have given them MRSA.

I know they are just "cats" to some people, but not to us. Please keep us in your prayers that it isn't MRSA and we find some resolution soon. All 4 of the vets in the practice say they have never seen these type of abcesses.

Karen

[feelinghopeful]

You'll be in my thoughts. I lost my dog two years ago. He was 17, lived much longer than expected - very large dog. I still miss him and imagine him walking with me all the time, so I know how much a pet can mean. He was, hands down, my best friend.

Here, to cheer you up, it did me when I first saw it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rooyt3pt ... ture=email

[klt03301]

Feelinghopeful, that is just about the most precious video I've ever seen. It made me cry because it was so sweet :-) I've bookmarked it so I can see it whenever I want. Also, that's my favorite song, ever! You are so thoughtful and have helped so many on here. Thank you so much. I wish there were more people like you. You've been an asset to this site!

I'm very sorry you lost your best friend. Large dogs often don't make it to that age. I'm glad you had the time you did with him.

Thank you for understanding and for the beautiful video you directed me to.

God Bless,

Karen

[carrie]

Gosh Karen, sorry to hear that your cats are unwell. It's never unnerving when the vets say they've never seen anything like it. They, vets and docs, really have to keep those kind of thoughts behind closed doors because it just makes us worry that much more. I'm sorry you are having to go through this now and I think many on this site will understand as pet stories come up often. We put our 14 yr old dog down last fall and although I miss her I'm very grateful for the experience of going through her final days with her and being with her as we had her put to sleep. Now we have a lovely Portugese Water Dog puppy(like Obama might get although I doubt he would ever find one in a shelter). I can't imagine having to go through any illness with her so my thoughts are with you. SIlly little lovable creatures they get the best of our emotions.

[feelinghopeful]

Post when you find out what's going on.

Truth be told, I've gotten teary more than a few times watching that video! AND, I've made a substantial dent in the over 2,000,000 views - I'm a sap.

He'd kill me for typing this but my boyfriend had to wipe his face after watching it, too. That was his father's favorite song. He died last year. It's a beautiful, wonderful song about love and hope and all that's good in the world and I wish there were more of it. Thank you so much for your beautiful post, Karen. You made my day. I just hope your cats are okay, though.

[klt03301]

Feelinghopeful and Carrie,

Thank you so much for your support and understanding. Here's where we're at now: he got the stitches out from a very large abcess where a drain was placed from the top of his head, down around his neck. That was Friday. It has burst open again. The cellulitis is still there in his leg. He goes in to stitch the neck wound again in the morning. He has to be off of antibiotics for 4 days before they can culture whatever is on his leg. He's been given anethesia twice in the past 10 days and will have it again tomorrow. Since they can't culture it yet, he'll have more in the next week. He's been through a lot and he's still in pain. The vet says there's no use culturing it now b/c of the ABs he's been on. So, we have to stop those and I just hope things don't escalate once he's off of them.

I'll keep you posted and I'm praying they'll be able to identify which antibiotic the bacteria is resistant to. We are really hoping it's not MRSA.

Thanks again and take care...Karen

[cindym]

KLT- Years ago I had a cat that got a huge abscess and we had to have it drained 3 times before it ever started to heal. Back then I guess they never thought of doing a culture or at least it was never mentioned. They assumed it was from another cats bite that became infected. He was hardly ever allowed outside and to this day I do not feel that was what caused it. It was truly horrible dealing with it AND EXPENSIVE but ole "BO" was worth every cent.

I have two dogs now (large) and the German Shepherd has spine problems which has cost us a fortune and almost her life. She just recently (a few months ago) swallowed a squirrel whole and almost died and this too was very expensive. We rescued her 5 years ago. My other dog Jake, we have had since he was a baby (7 now) and when the time comes he has to be put to sleep (GOD FORBID) I have told the vet to have two needles ready-----one for him and one for me. If not for this guy I would have jumped from a cliff years ago.........he gave me the will to live when I thought I was dying.

I will pray for your cat.........PETS IN SOME CASES ARE CLOSER TO US THAN OUR HUMAN COMPANIONS!!!-----Did I say that?? ha!

[klt03301]

Cindy, I totally agree with this: "PETS IN SOME CASES ARE CLOSER TO US THAN OUR HUMAN COMPANIONS!!!"

All of my cats were strays we adopted; we lost one last year who was 16. He had very bad arthritis in his spine and developed a serious heart murmur. We kept his teeth cleaned (vet always did it), but he got an infection in his mouth that we couldn't clear w/antibiotics. He was so miserable we had to let him go.

I know how you feel about your pets. They are better than humans as comforting companions sometimes. We can learn so much from them, and they can truly be a source of inspiration.

Pippi is home and has his head/neck wound stitched and stapled. He's using his leg and is eating :-) He's lost a good bit of weight. We're waiting until Tuesday to take him for the culture. The area on his leg has not gone down, but he had no temp today. He's no longer hiding, which is good! The vets said this was not a cat bite. I know it's not a cat bite...they said at first it was a spider bite...hahaha...yeah, right. Well, how did it spread from his head to his leg? They have been very forthright with us in the past few days, though, in admitting that they've never seen this before and don't know what it is. I'd rather have that kind of answer than the wrong answer.

Thank you so much for your prayers. It means a lot to me. I do believe in the power of prayer.

I wish you and your pets the best of health and hope they are with you for many years to come.

Karen

[Bobbie]

Karen,
See FAQ-Animals & C. diff.

You've had enough problems with "super bugs." Hope your cats are OK.

[klt03301]

Thanks Bobbie. I had read that section of FAQ's a while back. I know we can get C-Diff from our pets :-( I have been using gloves for a couple of weeks now when caring for the cats. I know the vets must think I'm a bit looney to be wearing gloves when I take Pippi in. I don't even touch the antibiotics he's been on...my ex-husband gives that to him. I always wash my hands vigorously after petting them, using a paper towel to dry with. I've cleaned the house from top to bottom...doing everything I can think of to keep everyone safe. It's almost an impossibility in today's world. I'll keep you guys posted about what comes back from the culture.

Karen

[feelinghopeful]

I hope it all works out.

I went to a thrift store on Sunday with a friend who is really, scary intelligent. We handled just about everything in that warehouse. Stuff that has seen its share of bacteria but it's a thrift store. You go in knowing that. So this friend, who went through my whole C-Diff ordeal with me, saw me age ten years in one (I'm recovering from that thank goodness) and knows what I spent and how I paid for the disease in more ways than one, when asked if she wanted to use my hand gel (better than nothing when no soap and water is around) after emerging said "no, germs make you stronger".

I fear most attempts at raising awareness fall on deaf ears and blind eyes. Just had to share that. Maybe its us but I don't think so.

Again, still thinking about you, Karen, and wishing you well.

[feelinghopeful]

That's like my dream job. I've been a junk store junky for as long as I can remember. The Salvation Army in the town I moved to when I first moved away from home had 25c day. They gave you a huge garbage bag and let you stuff it with anything and that's what you got for 25c. I could not believe it! I still wear sweaters I got there (and let me tell you, do I ever know how to roll a bulky sweater into a pill). People say, "wow, that is a beautiful sweater" and I tell them exactly where and how I got it. Few things fascinate me more than the effluvia of the lives of strangers. One man's trash is another man's treasure. I would just love to do what you do.

To some extent I totally agree with you and have probably said those exact words at some point to people with delicate, overly protected children. But with the new bacteria out there that don't play nice, I believe the rules have changed somewhat. I really do believe you have to be a bit more vigilant but not hysterical. Hence, I did go to the Thrift store and I did handle everything but I also used hand gel, not body gel, a hand gel before I touched my steering wheel. I also bought an awesome coat for 13$ and some great books. I will have you know I did not dry clean it before wearing, either. It looked pretty new. Looks can be deceptive but I somehow felt safe enough.

[carrie]

Roy I use to feel the same way but not any more! If one little bug can take me down the way c-diff did I have now totally changed my beliefs. I now try to avoid germs as much as possible especially those found in bathrooms. I was an athletic, health food eating mentally healthy person who dug in her gardens without gloves until I took a single round of antibiotics that changed my life. I've decided that there are stronger bugs coming in the future so I better ensure I'm following infection control protocol - WASH THOSE HANDS!

[klt03301]

Roy, I don't think you're nuts and I do understand that we need to be exposed to some bacteria, but...it is a different world than when your kids were growing up...even my own...and these superbugs can kill us. I grew up with 5 siblings and a mom who worked all the time and our house was never clean. We all got sick, as children will, but led healthy lives. We grew up in the country and ran barefoot most of the time, even when walking a mile to school or the store, went swimming in creeks surrounding us. I'd never do that kind of thing now and would certainly not let my grandson do it.

Yes, I've been a clean freak most of my adult life, but I realize I have little control over what I come in contact with. I do wash my hands often and will for the rest of my life. My family has had the 2 big superbugs and we don't want them again, nor do we want anything else :-(

My daughter has 3 pets that live inside long before my grandson was born and he still has allergies/asthma. He wasn't brought up in a squeaky clean environment, but he still got bacterial meningitis at 2 months and was hospitalized 11 days, with 21 more days of IV vanco and some other AB. He's had MRSA 4x. My daughter has let him run around in the yard with no shoes. She takes him to a state park and lets him go fishing there. He gets his hands and feet in the water. He's exposed to lots of other kids. He gets plenty of exposure to germs, but he's still had all these illnesses.

I am adamant about making him wash his hands, but beyond that, it's out of our control. I just ready a study where they found 85% of grocery carts had fecal matter on them. I wash my hands everytime I return home from somehwere; especially the grocery store!

[feelinghopeful]

OMG! I can't believe you closed with that! I went grocery shopping with my boyfriend a few hours ago. I made him wheel the cart around because I'd read that study, too. But then, after I was driving for a bit (took my car), he ran his hand over my ear (I cringed but it's Valentine's Day so I figured I'd shut up and wash my ear later). And THEN he ran his fingers across my bottom LIP saying how beautiful he thought my lips were and I spat!!!! I grabbed the hand gel and slathered it on my lips and ear!!! OMG, what a dreadfully unromantic response but gawd. Poop all over the cart handles? I spat about ten times right onto my pants. He knew immediately why, so didn't get angry and he was actually grateful I didn't clock him. Too funny you bring that up. He wasn't thinking but if you've had C-Diff for 1.5 years you never stop thinking about spores in the environment. GEEEROSS!