This is Relic.

Relic is sad.

Relic has had a rough week. He got two needles. Had goo stuck on the back of his neck. Got a pill shoved down his throat. And had his ears assaulted with liquids and probing. (And he doesn’t know we have to repeat all but the needles in a couple weeks)

It actually started last Friday. I’ve been having trouble keeping his ears clean. We’ve had a couple bouts of ear mite issues in this house over the years, so I was already thinking about booking him a vet appointment.

And then I noticed what looked like a bunch of dried blood beside his right nostril. It’s not unusual for the boys to tussle and get a little too rough, so I cleaned it up and went about my business. Then Saturday, I noticed the same thing… but it was wetter. That’s when I realized his nose was running (like a cold) but with a little blood mixed in. I kept and eye on him all weekend, but other than occasionally having to clean up a little blood and mucus from his face – he was his usually happy fat cat self. I called the vet first thing Monday morning and the got him in late in the afternoon.

The ears were easy – if apparently unusual. It was a mix of dirt, a little yeast, and a Demodex mite infestation. Demodex mites are apparently naturally found on cats, but not in any amounts that cause issues. But… they can in immune compromised cats.. like cats with FIV (which Relic has). The vet and vet tech however, had never seen an infestation inside a cat’s ears like that. So Relic is just special, but we already knew that. (And thankfully, unlike regular ear mites, they aren’t an issue for the other cats)

The remedy is fairly straight forward…. treatment with Revolution, Ivermectin, and regular ear cleanings administered by me (I’d already been doing this with Relic, so that’s no worry)

The nasal issue is trickier…. and the vet is concerned. If it was both nostrils, he’d be less concerned because then it would likely be a respiratory issue and treatable with antibiotics. That it’s one nostril, and contains blood… well the big C came up. But because his ears are so bad – it is possible it’s related to that. So we decided to treat the ears and see if the nose clears up on its own. If not… we’ll explore other options.

And if he wasn’t poked and prodded at the vet’s office enough… they also gave him his regular vaccinations (which were overdue because they’d been closed for renos)

So friends…. we’re asking for your good thoughts and purrs.

Because healing is always better with friends!