Gisela's journey part 2

6/29/11
Gisela still has chronically gooey eyes [some days she gets a lot of mucus under her eyelids] so has gone thru a few bottles of rx eye drops. Dr. M went with a much bigger bottle of rx eyedrops b/c her eye condition is likely permanent b/c it's not an infection that can be cured as such, but a function of her malformed head/eye structure such that she doesn't drain properly.
I asked his opinion about her risk/benefit of being spayed and he said he would consult with a neurosurgeon-specialist vet to inquire from a DR who has actually operated on a hydrocephalus cat before.
Other than her chronically goopy eyes, she'd doing remarkably well, short term. Long-term, who knows. Dr M thinks as she reaches full physical size [skull, brain, fluid] that her function may deteriorate, but there's nothing to test for now that would be any better predictor than just wait-and-see.

As long as she does not revert in her function that she's achieved thus far, I'd say she'd live the same quality life of a 100% indoor kitty as any other.

7/16/11
Little Miracle Kitten is doing unbelievably well! She loves everybody, humans and felines alike [even the grown ones that are just annoyed by high energy level kittens]!

7/24/11 3am.

Gisela was crawling on top of the cat condo and got her foot stuck in one of the slots. She injured her toe, but no breaks (after 3 hours waiting at the emergency vet)

7/26/11

Gisela hated being sequestered in the lg carrier so after about 36 hrs I let her out and she seemed to ambulate well so until she got so rowdy late last night I put her back in for a couple of hours to calm down, then she's been out & about the house as usual.

She does have the 3rd toe on back left foot that is still puffy [looks like she's wearing a clown shoe]. But she's back to being extremely active and a hearty appetite for both food and affection/play so I think she's on the mend miraculously. But then Miracle has always been her middle name!

8/3/11

Poor Sigrid tries to groom and love on her daughter, but Gisela just turns everything into a biting, chewing, kicking "play-fight".

Gisela wants attention nonstop, 24/7 from anyone and everyone -- all humans and cats alike, she doesn't care, and is still afraid of NOTHING.

9/18/11

This bobble-headed little girl is still a miracle to me that she's still alive, let alone so "normal" every day even though she doesn't look normal in her facial/head features. Functionally she is smarter and faster than any cat twice her chronological age, and she is fearless!

Wed, Sep 21, 2011 4:17 pm

Gisela had her spay surgery this morning

Sep 27, 2011 10:30 pm

Gisela has done unbelievably well, 1-week post-op!

The vet staff that cared for her last week stated how incredibly sweet she was, and loved being loved on. They didn't know just how "normal" she really is, although her face and skull do not look so.

9/30/11

She was scheduled today to have her post-op spay surgery sutures removed but between the time on Wed I called for the appt and later that same evening, I noticed she had a golf-ball sized lump under her belly skin where she had been shaved for surgery.

Sure looked like a hernia to me.

She was examined and treated today to rule out hernia. Thank goodness it was not, but a huge ball of fluid that w as drained; apparently an internal stitch had been popped, one that was holding her internal layers together.

10/13/11

Gisela had eyelid surgery last week to open the lids more so she could see better now and give her 'growing room' for the future since she's not anywhere near fully grown; still tiny compared to most kittens her age.
the lids had been so stretched and pulled so tightly that she was barely able to open the lids to half-open, and they were pressing the eyeballs way back into the sockets.

This will definitely be an improvement.

Another new wrinkle of late: with Gisela being away at the vet's for so many days for two surgeries and recup-care, Sigrid has had to turn to the adult kitties in the house to get her "mothering" fix.