Ellen, Sweety, first of all I would like to to say how dreadfully sorry I am to hear of your frustrating, and yet sad, situation wilth Coco. My thought and prayers, for a healthy recovery, are with you.
Unfortuately, I do not have any personal experience to share with you on this particular topic, for none of my cats have ever had this problem. However, I am willing to share some advice that I do know a little about. Forgive me if you have already been told this. There is a sad and horrible epidemic in the feline world with paralysis; a lot in which very few cat guardians and other individuals are aware of. There are two major types of feline paralysis. The first type is Feline Paraplegia and simply means that the cat is paralyzed of two (2) legs. The other (as you may have guessed) is Feline Quadriplegia and this is where the cat is paralyzed of all four (4) legs. Now, what does this have to do with you, Coco, and the situation at hand? Simple. The problems/concerns that you speak of with Coco are extremely simliar to those of cat paralysis. Paralyzed felines also have complications with their hindquarters, controling of the bladder and bowel movements. As tragic as the currcumstances may seem, it is not a lost cause. There are several options that you have to keep Coco healthy and comfortable for years to come. You meantioned the first option in your orginal post to the VET MED list, emptying her badder manually. This technique can be taught by a veterinarian or other cat guardians who own paralyzed cats. However, approach badder emptying with EXTREME causion, for the process (if done incorrectly) can be lethal. Please seek out a well trainned professional for hand-on illistration. The second option that you have is feline diapers. This material is actually manufacture specifically for feline paralysis. The diapers themselves are a custom fit and even have a hole designed into them for the tail to go through. This prevents the cat from messing on him/her self. The last option is a feline wheelchair or cart. There are literally experts that fabricate these wonderful little gadgets. Now, depending on what type of feline paralysis you have determines if your cat is a candidate for these wheelchairs and here is why. The wheelchair itself is designed for the cat to pull his/her back legs. Which means that he/she needs to have some mobility of the front two, thus explaining why only feline paraplegics can only operate these wheelchairs. However, this information do not pertain to you since Coco CAN use her front two legs, making her a prime candidate! Here is a link to give you a better understanding and a visual of what I am talking about. http://www.k9carts.com In conclusion, no one said that any of this would come cheap. The price is the ONLY down fall to coco's current situation. There is help and support out there for handicap and disabled cats, it is just a matter of how much to want it. Obviously, euthanasia would be considerably cheaper, but it that necessary, now that we have all these other options at hand? If you have any other qustions or comments please feel free to contact me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] I will be glad to help in any way that I can. Best of luck to you and Coco. Lora __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Send Flowers for Valentine's Day http://shopping.yahoo.com
