At the moment Moki is doing quite well. He is actually doing better than I have seen him, in perhaps the past six months...He has a strong appetite, as you can see from the above video (sorry about the angle,) and has been incredibly playful, so playful in fact that he is mimicking Orange Boy's behaviors and actions! Orange Boy, ever since he was a kitten, has always loved to curl up in the secret hidey holes of blankets...Now Orange Boy is sharing his passion with Moki, teaching him all the ropes...and Moki couldn't be more thrilled about his newly learned lessons from Orange Boy.
Now in regards to Ratmammy's questions, since most if not all of the answers to Ratmommy's questions can already be found located through out Moki's blog, I will give only a brief answer to each of the questions, and if you would like more detail please let me know...
What is the reason for Moki's condition (his disability) and was this how he was when you found him? Or did he develop the physical disability?
The answer to your question is a very complex one, hence in order to fully understand one would need to go back and read all of our prior posts. With that said, I will do my best to try and answer the question in a way that might make sense while still keeping things fairly brief...
Moki was born a normal feral kitten. He was trapped by some kind soul and brought into the no-kill shelter where I volunteered 5 days a week. At that time not many of the shelter volunteers liked to socialize the feral kittens, so after a week or two of Moki being in the shelter, I agreed to bring him home for socialization purposes, so that he could eventually be adopted out.
Moki who was about as feral as they come hissed, spit and growled at just about everybody. However after a couple of days of cleaning his cage he began to take to me, and instantly bonded with my boyfriend when I finally brought him home for socialization. He loved being able to run around the house, and early on, could be found jumping off just about anything of height, beds, counters, you name it.
After a brief period of socialization, Moki began to show signs of what appeared to be a URI. Initially we treated it accordingly, but it got progressively worse. He was taken to both my private vet and the shelter's vet. Both agreed that it was nothing more than a URI, and sent us home with more medication. As things continued to decline, he was checked into the shelters vet, for a more detailed examination. Moki continued to get worse under the shelter vet's care, and I eventually had him moved to an emergency hospital who could monitor him 24hrs a day. By the time the move was made, Moki was so bad off, that the ER vet advised me to say my final goodbyes because they did not believe Moki would make it through the night.
The following morning when a new doctor came on shift, she called me because she believed that their had been a mix up in the medical charts. The medical description of Moki up to that point did not match the cat that she was now looking at, and she asked me to please come down to the hospital to confirm that this was the same cat. Moki had made a miracle turn around over night. Unfortunately that turn around was not without side effects.
Moki would survive but the ER doctor told us that Moki would most likely never be able to sit up on his own again, would always have to have a plate of food held up to his face to eat, and would most likely never walk. Personally I felt it was to early to reach such conclusions so I brought him home. At this time the ER doctor made a diagnoses of Cerebellar Hypoplasia, which as I have mentioned in other postings is a painless condition.
To the amazement of the ER doctor, in the days and weeks that followed, Moki started to sit up on his own, eat on his own from a plate on the ground, and walk, taking only a few steps before falling over, but walking none the less. His progress called into question the Cerebellar Hypoplasia diagnoses, so he was taken to the neurology department at UC Davis to see if they could make heads or tails of his case. This is when we did the MRI and many of the other tests, of course in the end however, even UC Davis was baffled.
In examining Moki, the neurologist, amongst other things, completed a number of x-rays over a period of months. The first x-rays looked normal, but the x-ray taken at the time of Moki's MRI revealed a change in Moki's thoracic inlet structure. At this point Moki's case was referred to one of UC Davis's orthopedic surgeons. The orthopedic surgeon had never seen anything quite like Moki's orthopedic problem before, so while researching possible causes, he recommended that we start Moki on a course of physical therapy. The physical therapist, in turn recommended doing hydrotherapy for Moki's condition.
So to shorten up an already long story, no one really knows what Moki is suffering from. They cannot tell us the exact cause of Moki's orthopedic problem only it's effects. What they can tell us is that the neurological problem has contributed to the orthopedic problem and hence Moki's physical disability, but they cannot tell us why or how. The best comparison I can come up with would be to that of a stroke victim, who prior to the stroke functioned normally, however after the stroke, the victim ended up needing cane, wheelchair or some other adaptive device. While we know Moki didn't have a stroke, the outcome is similar to many stroke victims if that makes sense...
That brings us to our current state. Nobody has ever figured out exactly what Moki has because nobody has every seen anything quite like it. To make matters worse, there are no known documented cases of anything similar to Moki's case. So that leaves us only with what we do know from what we have seen in Moki and that is whatever it is that made Moki sick originally, lets call it some sort of a virus, appears to still be present in his system. It is not contiguous as is evident by the fact that none of our other cats ever got sick, and neither have any of the cats who where originally housed with Moki at the shelter. The virus doesn't appear to be in an active stage at all times, but instead lies dormant for extended periods of time then suddenly out of the blue resurfaces. Thus far we have learned that we can control the virus with Tamiflu when it does surface, but we do not know exactly why the Tamiflu works, or for how long it will work for that matter. We know that the physical disability is in huge part a result of the virus but again we do not know why. We know that Moki is an amazing fighter, and that every medical test we have ever conducted after his initial illness for the most part has come back normal, making him appear completely healthy despite his obvious condition and most importantly we know that Moki is both happy and in no pain.
I hope that kind of answers your question. If you need further clarification please let me know...
In other news momma bean did finally set aside the time this afternoon to help Moki both select a raffle winner...Moki was having a little difficulty selecting a winner so momma bean had to help out, as is evident in the below video...
After shooting the video several times, finally with momma beans help, Moki was able to select his winner...and the winner is Liz at http://lizzieslogic.blogspot.com/! Congratulations Liz!!! Your package will be mailed out to you next week!
We are still a little shy of the total needed to get Moki his thoracic inlet x-ray, so once momma bean gets through the remaining of her mid-terms this week, she will try to put another raffle together for Moki and any other kitties out there who may be in need.
In the meantime, Moki is doing well. He has lost a little weight recently, but his coughing seems to be under control. He remains happy, and joyful as always...
Thats all for now!
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In responce to Ratmammy and Anonymous:
There are conditions present in animals such as cerebellar hypoplasia, cerebellar abiotrophy, and so forth, which affect an animal’s ability to coordinate their movements. For the most part these types of conditions are the result of the animal’s cerebellum being under developed. These types of conditions can occur either in utero or several months after birth. While these types of conditions do affect an animal’s ability to control their movements, for the most part they are not known to cause any physical pain. An animal may walk funny, or have a harder time getting around, but they are mentally intact. They know what they want to do, they know how to do it, they just need to figure out new and different ways to accommodate their disability.
The point here is that Moki is not in any pain. He is not half dead, and while euthanasia may exist, it should not be used as a means for putting down an animal simply because they are different or need accommodation. Yes, Moki has some sort of a virus which makes him sick from time to time, and yes he sometimes looses weight, or develops symptoms of a URI, but each of those things passes, just like a human cold passes. We can’t control them, but they don’t amount to putting him to sleep either…
On a day to day basis, Moki is a happy cat. He does many of the things regular cats do, including eating on his own, and playing and curling up with his siblings. He purrs, playfully bites, and loves sitting by the window watching the birds, just as all normal indoor cats do. So ya, he may have a little more trouble getting around, but he doesn’t let that stop him...and he doesn’t let his disability interfere with his enjoyment of life!
(Here is a video we shot today of Moki walking. It shows Moki getting up from a laying down position and walking towards a food dish which has been placed at a height which makes it easier for him to eat off of...yes he has a disability and he walks differently than a normal cat, however the fact remains that he does walk on his own, knows what he wants and goes for it, be it food, or simply a cat toy. He often walks across the room, be it to sit by the window and watch the birds, or simply to explore like most curious cats do.)
A disability should never = death or discrimination in either an animal or a person, and I am a firm believer in this. I am sorry if my opinion differs from yours, but the fact of the matter is, I have spent a lot of time researching the issue of disabilities and illness, in both animals and people. I work part time, 10 hours a week, in a moderate to severe, educational psychology department, have two aunts, both of whom I am very close to, which both have multiple master degrees in moderate to severe disabilities, have taken and completed with A’s veterinary assisting classes, and have consulted with multiple doctors and specialists on Moki’s medical case, and none of them feel that Moki’s current state warrants putting him down…neither do I.
It is easy for someone to look at an animal like Moki and say oh you should put the poor cat down, but it is much harder, and takes a much stronger person to see a animal like Moki, and to fight for them. Is keeping Moki alive selfish? No, because Moki is not in any pain. It is refusing to discriminate against him simply because he is different. It both amazes and frightens me how quickly people can jump to the conclusion that Moki should be put down, while knowing and understanding so little about his condition or his current state…
Please in the future take the time to educate yourself before making, or recommending such life and death decisions… you are after all talking about taking a life while knowing so little. Life is a precious gift, and it is beyond upsetting to see that there are people out there that would so quickly take it away, without bothering to do the research, or giving it so much as a second thought…! Compassion is not ending a life simply because you feel sorry for an animal and dont want to look at it or deal with it. Compassion is being sympathetic to an animal's condition, and helping them to find the ways and means to accommodate and fight it...
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Anonymous,
First off let me start by saying, no one other than Moki himself can know exactly how Moki feels. What we can know, and what we do know, is how Moki acted and responded to things prior to getting sick and being left in his current state, how he acts and responds to things now, and what his medical record shows. When we combine all three of the above, we can come to a pretty reasonable conclusion about how Moki feels. A mother cannot know exactly how her infant feels, prior to them being able to talk and express their feelings for themselves, however that doesn’t mean that a mother cannot reasonably judge and come to a conclusion about how the infant may feel. Using this logic it is not unreasonable to assume that we can determine and or interpret how Moki feels…
Now as for Jodi, please re-read what I was saying and this time read it carefully. I did not make any judgment calls about Jodi. For starters this is not about Jodi. I did not know Jodi, nor do I know all of the details surrounding Jodi’s case. Please do not twist what I was saying. I did not “reckon [it] was wrong having [Jodi] put down,” nor did I make any statement to that affect. I did not judge you one way or the other, because Jodi was not my cat. I only pointed out how quick you where to judge me, and to reach the conclusion that MOKI should be put down, without knowing, or understanding all the details of MOKI’S case…
If the videos of Moki are upsetting to people, then they should ask questions about Moki and his condition, not just assume or recommend that he be put to sleep. Unfortunately animals with conditions even less severe than Moki’s are put to sleep everyday because people don’t bother to take the time to ask questions or education themselves about the kinds of conditions plaguing these animals. As you may imagine, the consequences of these actions are devastating not only to the animals whose lives are being taken, but also to the human population in general. So little is currently known about neurological conditions and their effects on both the animal and human population. If no one ever fought to keep animals like Moki alive, then medical science would have even less to go on, when trying to battle these types of conditions. It is therefore important on a number of levels to help keep animals like Moki alive who display such symptoms, but appear to be in no pain, so that we can learn from them, and help others in the future, which is exactly why we work with UC Davis, The Shriner’s Children’s Hospital, and many others. Of course all of this has already been recorded on our blog in prior posts…
I am sure Jodi was a wonderful cat, that you loved him very much, and that you did what you believed was best for him. I am also very sorry to hear of your loss. In closing, after reading this, I hope in the future, when you see some thing that upsets you, that you will take the time to ask questions, and understand what you are seeing, before leaving comments and recommending that an animal be put to sleep. To that effect, I welcome any questions you may have about Moki’s condition.
Ratmammy,
Where should I even begin…I suppose the best place to start is in acknowledging your pain, as it is evident, that your comment was written from the perspective of someone who is both suffering and angry…FUS, FEV, FLEV, AIDS, cancer, arthritis, thyroid issues, diabetes, brain tumors, and dementia are all very nasty things to have to deal with. Nobody should ever have to go through them and I am very sorry to hear that you have had to deal with them. Unfortunately, your comparison of Moki to your cats is illogical, and I can only conclude, that such a comparison steams from the pain of your loss…
For starters, as I am sure you are well aware, and as your vet(s) most likely advised you, many of the conditions you mention are fatal. There are no known cures, and only supportive care can be offered to animals inflicted with such conditions, until such a point, that supportive care is no longer a viable option. Animals inflicted with many (although by no means all) of the conditions you mentioned will inevitably deteriorate, with no hope of recovery, until such a time that a cure is found to treat these fatal conditions. The key here is that until such a time that a cure is found, these animals will certainly die from their diseases, it may take a week, a month, or it may be years before they will die, but in the end, the disease without a treatment leading to a cure, will eventually kill them, it’s just a matter of time.
With that said, I am sure you are very familiar with what it is like to lose an animal to a known fatal disease and I never made any claims to the contrary. However, the comparison of Moki’s illness to a fatal disease is not a logical one. Moki has never been diagnosed with a fatal condition. After recovering from his initial illness, the doctors have never made any claims that Moki’s illness will certainly result in his death. They cannot make a claim one way or the other, because they simply do not know what they are dealing with. Further every diagnostic test ran on Moki, after his initial illness has come back normal, making him appear in spite of his obvious illness a perfectly healthy cat, which is exactly why the doctors are baffled.
Now in regards to incontinence, if you had taken my advice and educated yourself about Moki and his condition, by reviewing his blog and reading the many postings on it, you would be well aware of the fact that Moki is perfectly capable of going to the bathroom on his own. Yes he needs assistance to be held up in the litter box, but no, he does not use the house as his litter box, as your cat obvious did. Moki knows exactly where the litter box is, and when helped into it, will go to the bathroom without fail. If no one is around to assist him however, which is extremely rare, he will not just got to the bathroom anywhere, but will instead walk over to his litter box, and go to the bathroom right next to his litter box. This is not the behavior of a cat suffering from incontinence it is the behavior of a cat living with a physical disability. (With that said, I should note, that these kinds of accidents, if you can call them that, are far and few between, with maybe a total of three happening in the last year.) So again to compare Moki to a cat living with and suffering from arthritis, thyroid issues, diabetes, dementia and brain tumors, as was your second cat, is neither a fair nor logical comparison. On the one hand you have a cat who knows what they are suppose to do, makes an attempt to do it, but needs assistance because of a physical disability, on the other, you have cat with a series of medical issues, getting from the sounds of it, increasingly worse, who is no longer even attempting to use a litter box because they are suffering so much. We are talking about apples and oranges here…
I know you have been through a lot, but please do not project onto Moki, or myself for that matter, the issues of you or your cats. Please take a step back from the situation and work out your feelings about your animals. From your own comments, you obviously prolonged a cat’s life who you knew was going to die, and then prolonged Alice’s life (another cat) when you knew that she was suffering…Moki is neither suffering, nor has he been diagnosed with a fatal condition.
If you where familiar with Moki, his condition and his circumstances you would have already know everything I have pointed out so far, in addition, you would have been well aware of the fact that Moki does indeed eat on his own. You would also have known not to bother pointing out or suggesting an animal wheelchair or cart, since I am obviously well aware of them (see the postings about Bella and her wheelchair,) and you would have already have known that both Moki’s physical therapist and orthopedic surgeon did not and still do not feel that Moki would benefit from a wheelchair/cart at this time. As for Moki’s back legs, he can most certainly move them, which is exactly why neither the physical therapist nor orthopedic surgeon want Moki in a cart and have instead recommended that Moki does hydrotherapy, when he feels up to it, as older blog postings show…
In the future, please take the time to get ALL OF THE FACTS and to get them straight before you go around making accusations. It is obvious you still feel a great deal of pain over losing your cats. It is also obvious that you know absolutely nothing about Moki or his condition. I am sorry to be so abrupt, but this is not the first time you have left such comments on Moki’s blog. I overlooked it the first time way back when, but you obviously have learned nothing about Moki since then…
If you are not here to educate yourself, and you do not support what I am trying to do, then the only reason left for you to be here is to instigate...I really hope that that is not your intent, so I am extending you the opportunity to learn about Moki and to EDUCATE yourself about his condition by asking questions and familiarizing yourself with all that we have done and all that Moki has been through…
