Prayers for Shamus

Many of you know Shamus the Wonder Cat. He travels with us on our T@B camping adventures and has visited most of the Missouri State Parks. He has been to several T@B rallys, and has just concluded a two week trip around Lake Superior into Canada where he has made many new friends. People love to meet and pet the cat who walks on a leash. He is the unofficial mascot for Cedar Hill Lutheran Church and loves to play with the children.

Shamus doing what he does best.

Friday night, Shamus the Wonder cat didn't seem to be doing so wonderful. We found him sleeping next to the litter box (never a cat's first choice for sleeping accommodations), lethargic and wheezing a little when breathing. Not a lot, we weren't even sure at first if he was doing really bad or if we were reading more into than there was. While we were trying to decide if his behavior merited a trip to the after hours, emergency vet, Shamus helped us decide by vomiting blood. After a 24 hour kitty ICU stay, x-rays, blood work and a heartworm test, we learned tonight that Shamus has heartworms.

With IV fluids, antibiotics and medicine to get the fluids off of his lungs, Shamus got to come home Saturday night. When the heartworm test came back Sunday afternoon, we've added Prednisone and heartworm preventative to the tools to combat these nasty little parasites. Unlike dogs, cats cannot survive the treatment that would kill the worms & rid them of the heartworms. The prednisone can help with the inflamation and the heartworm preventative will make sure no new worms infest him, but we have to wait & see if he can fight this off until the heartworms die & get out of his system.

Shamus, and his people, would appreciate your prayers, especially during the next weeks. We would love to continue to share our travels with Sputnik and Shamus the Wonder Cat.

I can't end this post without thanking God for all of the good in the midst of a bad situation - awesome caring staff and vetrinarian, Dr. Swanson, who treated Shamus & us like one of their own, the caring staff at our regular vet's office, my dental credit card which is also accepted at the vet's office, and the fact that female heartworms were present so that the heartworm test could detect them and we could begin treatment.

Shamus sporting a smiley face bandage over his catheter site

There's no place like home

They couldn't get the IV in his right leg so they had to shave his left leg too. I'm not sure Shamus appreciates having a "poodle cut"

Every kitty loves a nice basket :)