I thought I should let you all know that Maggie is hanging in there. Physically, her URI is gone in terms of her breathing but it left behind a very nasty eye infection (conjunctivitis) which went from nothing to major issue in 2 days. The eye drops are helping a lot, but she may still have some permanent vision problems. She's still not eating on her own , but she has some beautiful poops. Between the URI, the eye infection, and the loss of Maya, she gained only an eighth of a pound.

Mentally, she is much better. I broke down and called a vet that uses Bach flower essences regularly and he gave me a "Maggie *". Also, she sleeps with me at night. And she and Isabel are getting along okay -- not best friends yet, but not enemies either. Between those things and the drops helping her eyes, she's perky today. (Giving eye drops to a perky cat is oh so fun! ) I'm not sure she's over Maya's death, but she's better.

We hope that she has finally turned the corner and is going to have no more major problems. (Fingers and toes crossed!) As you can guess, I'm more than relieved, although I'm also a bit nervous to get too excited in case something else bad jumps up (like the eye stuff this week).

Linda it sounds like what you are describing is Feline Occular Herpes. What eye drops are you using and has she been to a regular vet or an eye specialist? This is what happened to Sparky and my regular Vet actually made it worse, not because she is a bad Vet it is just most vets handle eye issues differently than an eye vet. My Vet didn't even realize she has Herpes in her eye, she also has a sequestrum that went unnoticed. Be sure to keep a close eye on it, it can get bad in a hurry. If you can have her checked by an eye specialist it would be a good idea. The equpipment they have is much different. Even last week when I got ear cleaner in Sparkys bad eye I had my vet check it and the next day went to her specialist. The specialist again saw things not apparent to my Vet.

Oh, Linda, you are an angel. Thank you for taking care of Maggie so well. I would definitely have her eye checked out by a vet. She should be fine with lots of love and care. It will take a little time, but you sound like you are the person for her. She's been through so much; thank you for taking care of her and Maya.

Dianne -- I'm very worried about it being herpes, but at this point, keeping her alive is the main goal. (I know that sounds harsh and I don't mean it to, but she's not out of the woods yet.) I talked to my vet about herpes, she called another vet, and we decided on the drops which are mainly antibiotic with a tiny bit of steroid. It's a risk, I know, but she desperately needs to have her eye and sinus infections cleared up. I will, however, call an eye vet on Monday.

Maggie is one very lucky girl to have found you and I know how much work and effort it takes. You have real love for her and it shows. I am glad to see Maggie and Isabel are being at least cordial, soon they will be friends. I hope her eye clears up soon. Prayers and good energy

Linda,
have you tried feeding her Science Diet A/D? You can get it at the vet and it isn't cheap, but I have never had a cat turn it down. I would treat the eye but worry more about the day to day eating, drinking, etc. and get her to a point where she is really solid healthwise. Even if it is herpes, it often goes away when the cat is healthy and will flare up when the cat is stressed or sick.

Hmm, I'll have to introduce you to Maggie. I do admit she will sniff it and occassionally eat some off the end of the syringe, but she will not eat it on her own. And I'm too scared to let her miss a meal or two, at least until she gets a bit more weight.

As for the herpes, in the long run, I'm not worried about it because, like you said, a healthy cat without too much stress usually doesn't have major problems from herpes. The problem I'm worried about is if she has herpes, then these eye drops could cause corneal ulcers, which may lead to another set of problems.

I have no advice but I'll be thinking about her. Poor kitty!

Poor wee Maggie, let's hope she can build an appetite
and perhaps her health issues will diminish. She's
lucky she found you.

Mary

I just got back from the vet and the pharmacy. So there's good news and bad news.

Good news: Maggie gained 2 ounces over the weekend!

Bad news: Maggie has a tiny corneal ulcer in one eye , so we got new steroid free antibiotics. And then we got the antiviral eye drops. Dianne, you never told me how expensive those drops are! I was in momentary sticker shock, until the little idiot girl behind the counter asked, "Are you sure you want to spend that much money on a cat?" If looks could kill, I'd be posting this from prison. I replied, "This cat has more love in its tiny heart than most people I know. So, yes, I will gladly spend the money on her." I wanted to add something about her being the type of person who would throw poor Maggie away, but I figured I'd just be wasting my breath.

Good news, part 2: Maggie ate 1.5 syringes on her own, after I squirted them out on my finger. Then she got bored, left me with the food on my finger, and wandered off. Maggie's feeling better!