Having a Rough Day

Yesterday was not a good day for us. At 500am, Echo attempted to wake me up. I petted her, then rolled over and went back to sleep. One hour later, she did the same thing and again, I petted her and went back to sleep. Thirty minutes later she bugged me again. This time I got up and boy did I have a huge surprise waiting for me. There were barf and barf foam piles all over the house. She had been vomiting all morning long! Now I know why she was bugging me. She felt bad! I called MJ at work and he told me to call the vet as soon as they opened. Well, Echo continued to vomit and she was very agitated. Every time she ate or drank water she vomited. I felt so bad for her. Well, I called the vet and they said they were booked, but that I could drop her off and they would monitor her. Well, that is a problem, because as you know, she has heart problems. I explained this to the receptionist and reminded her that I could not leave Echo there all day because she would freak and her heart would race like crazy. She then told me that she would have the doctor call me back because he was not in. So for two hours I monitored Echo. Around 10am she tried to eat and again she vomited. I called the vet back and again explained my situation. This time I talked to a vet assistant who told me that they would try to see her today, but that I should consider taking her to the animal emergency clinic. Well, they did not open until 4pm, so that would not work. I told her about Echo's heart and she said that I should really drop her off because she could be having heart problems. Well, I just lost it then. I told them no, I will wait for a call and take my chances. The last thing I would want to do is leave Echo at the vet, stressing out causing her to have even more heart problems.

Echo stopped vomiting for a while and again attempted to eat around noon. I kept a close eye on her and she finally settled down and relaxed enough to curl up. She had been in guarded positions all morning. By the time MJ came home, she had not vomited and the vet finally called at 230pm, saying that they could squeeze us in. We rushed Echo into the vet's office. He monitored her heart and then checked for any respiratory distress or fluid in her lungs. He also checked her internal organs (stomach, intestines, etc). He finally came to the conclusion that she must have ingested something that did not sit right in her tummy. Her pulmonary system was doing well. Her heart rate was good (it is always a little more elevated than a normal cat's and higher when we are at the vet) and her pulse was great in her hind legs. And her teeth and eyes looked great. He gave her a shot in the rear. It is something to help soothe her tummy and get her intestines working again.

Apparently when cats vomit for extended periods of time, their intestines clog or don't work as well because they are all "knotted". Echo did not like getting that shot! She was a trooper though. We brought her home and she continued to behave as if she was still uncomfortable or as I call it, she moped. It is now 1230am on Saturday and she has finally settled down for a "cat" nap. It has been a rough day for both she and I. So far, she has eaten, drank water, and has not thrown up since yesterday morning. I am crossing my fingers as I say this.

Why am I so worried about her? Well, from the information I have read about cats with hypercardiomyopia is not good. First of all it is not very common in cats and second once a cat is diagnosed with it, they do not live for very long. Well, we have been lucky with Echo. She was diagnosed over 1 1/2 year ago with the condition. She is a fighter and we are thankful for every day we get to spend with her. She is spoiled, there is no doubt about that. She is our baby! Echo has so much personality and she makes us laugh.So, anytime she does something out of whack, like breathe hard or I feel her heart race, or she vomits like crazy, (like she did today), I get worried. I am not ready to part with her, nor do I think she is ready to leave us. MJ and I really hope she will be around so that Meghan can play with her and Echo can have a friend. We know Echo will love Meghan, as we know, Echo is just a big kid at heart! Please pray for her!