A combination of things is what led to Pachino's vet visit on 6/14/2018. He has always been an affectionate cat but for the past 2 months he has been clinging to me, and just not acting like himself. I noticed that his spring shedding had recently become excessive and he had lost that silky sheen to his fur. When I combed him every night, he began to run away when I got to his lower back. He has polyps in his ears which have always bothered him, but now he was shaking his head, which he had never done before. Then I noticed that he was licking his fur excessively. Since he was not himself, whenever he wanted to go outside, I went with him; even though he only goes into my next door neighbor's yard. On 6/3, we were sitting on the porch in the early evening; it wasn't dark. Pachino fell asleep and out of nowhere, a big stray cat came around the corner and attacked Pachino from behind. It all happened so fast. I checked Pachino, and thankfully he didn't have any wounds. One week later, I noticed a bald spot on the back of his lower neck, and his fur was falling out so badly from all over his body that I had to vacuum twice a day. I also noticed that his back end was skinny even thought I knew he hadn't lost any weight. Also, he had no desire to play when I brought out his toys. Time to call the vet and 3 days later, we were there. There weren't any changes to his diet, water intake or bathroom habits.
One day before going to the vet, I heard some disturbing news. My next door neighbor has a huge back yard which she has made into a bird sanctuary. With all of the trees, bushes, plants, etc., it looks like something you would find in the country. To make matters worse, she didn't take care of it this year. In the early spring, I noticed an abundance of weeds that were about one foot high. It didn't take long before they became 7 feet high, and 8 feet deep and loaded with small white flowers. They look similar to Queen Ann's Lace. All of the neighbor's have been having a really bad time with allergies this year and they blamed it on those weeds. One day before Pachino's vet appointment, we found out that those weeds are Hemlock. My internet search revealed that Hemlock is extremely poisonous to animals and humans. You don't even have to ingest it. Touching and breathing it will make you sick, and Pachino has been going into that "forest" every day. Poison control said that you have to ingest it to become ill, but advised not to touch and to stay away from it.
Image Source: 100% own work.
Oh! So sad to hear that my brother, Pachino, is now sick! In the photo, he looks healthy and really cute. (I know, that's two months ago!)
Hope he gets well soon.
p.s. The white flowers of the weeds are beautiful from distance.... It's unbelievable that they are poisonous! Oh! No!
Your brother, Pachino is feeling better but he is still not himself. I think that the poison hemlock and a combination of old age is what it is all about. Pachino thanks you for your well wishes. : )
Those white flowers are pretty and they have all died off now for the summer. I think that may be another reason why your brother feels better.
Oh! I'm very happy to hear that my brother, Pachino, is feeling better now..... ;)
Me too! It had to be the hemlock coupled with old age setting in. Your brother said, "Thank you sis for thinking about me and all of your well wishes! Meow! " : )
You're welcome! Please say "hello" to my brother and give him my BIG smile..... ^________^
Done! He loves your big, wide smile. : )
Thanks! I'm really happy to hear that! ;))))
Oh oh oh! What a difficult situation !! I hope that Pachino will recover
Thanks @tali72. Pachino has all of he same symptoms but not as severe. My neighbor was cutting down the hemlock today, wearing a mask and gloves. It will probably take her all summer but at least she is doing something about it.
you're right! it's good that the neighbor started fighting with that plant. if she did nothing then it would be worse much.
It pains me to hear this my dear friend!!
Those sure are big weeds, wonder if there
is some kind of a detox for cats? I noticed
what looks like a racoon in those weeds, lower
just right of middle, looks like a mask.
I'm sure sorry to hear this @whatisnew! 💕
I'm positive prayers can sure help and will
be sending them!!
A bag of healing Alaskan beach rocks for
Pachino to play with in the house! ❤
I think what you see is a bunny. I have seen some critters come out of there and today I heard that an 8 foot black snake was on her sidewalk. One of the neighbor's got a photo of the snake. Who knows what else is in there. I snuck in her yard to take that photo.
Thanks so much for your concern and your prayers. Hugs! I am a big believer in the power of prayer.
Oh, Pachino would surely love those healing Alaskan beach rocks! : )
Oh dear, oh dear... poison hemlock is awful stuff if you get into it, and touch it; especially if you break anything to where you get a bit of the juices on you! As a cat, walking through that forest... that could be a bad thing; you know, cleaning yourself afterwards, and ingesting it. I sure hope Pachino is OK!
=^..^=
Oh, I didn't even think about the juices. Thanks for pointing that out. And thanks for your concern @curatorcat. I sure do appreciate it! : )
Sending you and Pachino all of the prayers and positive thoughts I can. I know the pain of having a sick kitty.
Thanks so much for your concern and prayers Omra. Hugs! It sure does mean a lot to me. : )
Oh crap! There are many dangers for cats that are let outdoors. Mine are indoor. Even Scary Mary. She goes out only when she starts driving me nuts barking at the door and only under supervision for short spurts. Good luck with Pachino, give him a kiss for me.
I know all about the many dangers but it is impossible for me to keep him inside. I gave Pachino a kiss from you and he said, "Aw...thanks Mike!" Meow. Hugs!
What irresponsibility is this neighbor's; and that "jungle" may contain some other danger ... you must quickly locate that neighbor or call the authorities ...
I'll be attentive of the continuation of this story.
Greetings @whatisnew
I did talk to the neighbor first and that didn't help much. The authorities have been notified and I think they may have contacted her because she was out in her yard today, mowing and trimming bushes. Another neighbor told me that they found an 8 foot black snake on her sidewalk the other day and they got a photo of it. Crazy!
The rest of the story has just been posted.
Sending lots of hugs to you, hun.
I love cats, and I am a cat guardian myself. i don't quite understand what you're going through with the physical symptoms of your beloved kitty, I don't understand how scary it must feel to see him so ill. However, I would be just as worried if something happened like that to my baby. I would be heartbroken.
Just know that people are here, and that you will get through this.
Sending lots of love to you and your kitty!
Thank you so much for your concern, love and hugs @veronagirl! Yes, it is a difficult time. And thank you for stopping by! : )