Ali-Cat's Story - March - 2011

We first saw little Ali-Cat in September 2010. He was shuffling around underneath a rubbish bin outside a supermarket in town.
It was obvious that something was wrong with his back legs, he was 'walking' on his 'heels' with his lower leg bones flat against the ground. (see first photo - Ali - 5-6 months old)
We called a friend who lives in town, and asked him if he could meet us with a cat carrier, in the hope that we could try and catch this poor little kitten and get him to the vets.
It didn't take too long to catch him - poor lad was frightened but wasn't able to move very fast.

X-rays showed that he had suffered severe trauma to his lower legs and spine, most likely from either being struck from above, or crushed...
These injuries were not recent, it's difficult to say exactly when he was injured, but the x-rays showed that it happened some weeks prior to being found.

Luckily for Ali-Cat, Professor Montavon, who specialises in small animal orthopedic surgery, just happened to be visiting our local vet here in Greece, he was able to examine Ali-Cat and advise on his injuries and treatment, and follow his progress.

X-rays also showed that Ali-Cat had a severe internal infection, under his lower spine, three vertebrae had been pushed out of alignment.
The first thing we needed to do was to try to get the infection under control, so a long course (45 days) of antibiotics was needed.

Due to spinal cord compression affecting some of the nerves, Ali-Cat is doubly incontinent and wears nappies. 
With time there was a chance that we may have seen some improvement with his bowel/bladder control.
Unfortunately, many months on, this has not been the case...
Sadly, Ali-Cat has also been having problems with a blocked bowel/colon and has needed frequent vet visits for enemas and/or manual evacuation.
Due to nerve damage affecting his bowel/colon, his condition is now likely to be long-term and may well deteriorate over time.

Surgery is needed to relieve pressure on the spinal cord.
The operation will involve removing tiny pieces of fused bone that has grown around the vertebrae/spinal cord. 

If all goes well and the operation is a success, there is a good chance that Ali-Cat could regain part/full control of his bowels/bladder as well as giving him a better quality of life with improved mobility without the risk of paralysis.
This type of operation has a high success rate, of course there are risks, as there is with any spinal surgery.

Ali-Cat is amazing! - He's been through so much in his short life, but is such a happy sociable sweet natured boy. We're hoping and praying that this operation will give him the chance to enjoy the best quality of life possible, he so deserves it...

We originally started an appeal in March 2011 to help raise funds to go towards the cost of sending Ali-Cat to Switzerland for spinal surgery.
Dr Professor P. Montavon of the Vetsuisse Faculty, Switzerland kindly offered to perform this specialised operation, and keep the costs to a minimum.

We would like to thank each and every one of you who supported our appeal and gave so generously. We appreciate your help and kindness. xx

                          THANK YOU!  

Update: May - 2011
 
Due to unexpected changes and concerns about Ali-Cat's general health, it has been decided that his spinal surgery will take place here in Greece.
Poor Ali-Cat has been through so much over the last few months, with frequent vet visits, treatment and medication. We are all concerned about the possible affects of further stress brought on by a long journey to Switzerland, as well as a much longer period away from home.
Dr Montavon has very kindly offered to give his time to perform the operation on his next visit to Greece with our local vet at her surgery.
We would like to thank them both for their continued help, advice and support.

               
29.07.11 ~ Ali-Cat had his operation on 28.07.11


Pre-operative tests showed that the spinal cord compression was more severe than first thought.
Thankfully the operation went well, and Ali is recovering at the vets, hopefully he will be able to come home soon.

 01.08.11 ~ Ali-Cat is home!  

I will update on his progress over the next few weeks/months. 
It may take up to 6 months for Ali to fully recover from the surgery. Only time will tell how much his condition will  improve.               

26.08.11 ~ Wonderful news!!!   


Over the last couple of weeks we have seen an improvement with Ali's bowel/bladder control. He has started to use his litter tray for the first time in 11+ months!
Ali-Cat has had to wear nappies since he was rescued (September 2010) he was doubly incontinent and had no bowel/bladder control whatsoever.
It's still early days and he doesn't have full control yet, but we are hopeful that we will see further improvement over the next few weeks...

We are so pleased with Ali's progress! - He's been on cage rest since his operation and has to have daily physiotherapy, he's such a brave boy and is coping exceptionally well.





















19.12.11
 

Ali-Cat had been doing so well, but sadly he's had quite a few problems over the last few weeks. he's had frequent colon blockages and has been backwards and forwards to the vets.
He may need further surgery to shorten his colon in the near future if things don't improve.
Despite everything though, Ali is his usual happy, cheeky self, causing havoc with the rest of the gang.


 05.01.12


Ali-Cat has been doing much better since my last update, hopefully he'll continue to do well...

New Year Photo... :-)

I've been avoiding updating ... over the last few weeks Ali-Cat has gradually started to lose bowel/bladder control... dogron.net
The colon blockages have become more frequent, despite medication, therapy and diet changes etc ... we've tried just about everything that is available to us...

The bone material that was removed during surgery has started to regrow, causing further spinal cord compression, nerve damage (some loss of feeling) - further spinal surgery is not an option...

The possibility of colon surgery (subtotal colectomy) had been mentioned previously by the vet, but we've since learned that this type of surgery is not an option either, due to Ali-Cat's neurological problems.

So, sadly, we are fast running out of options ... Ali-Cats 'condition' will, no doubt deteriorate over time...
All we can do now is try to manage his condition with medication etc - and hope, and pray...

Of course, dear Ali-Cat is oblivious to all the upset and worry - he loves life and takes everything in his stride (well, his waddle) bless him...


New year update - January 2013

It's been a while since my last update - no news has been good news. Ali-Cat is still enjoying life to the full despite his health problems. It's amazing how he just bounces back after being unwell, he really is making the most of every day. The good days far outweigh the bad and his medication keeps him comfortable.
He loves playing out in the garden with his furry friends. We do have to keep an eye on him though. Our garden is safe but he does sometimes try to do things that he just can't; as far as he's concerned he can do whatever he wants!

Update 25.01.13 - Very sad day...

Our dear boy was taken from us today ... full update to follow when I'm able to see through my tears...

Update 30.01.13

More photos...

 Ali-Cat with his dear friend, Hope

Play time

Cheeky boy!


Bedtime


2012