Prayer Request

Since the beginning of summer, our four cats and our home have been infested with fleas. Apparently there were flea eggs in the furniture and other hiding places that hatched as soon as the weather got warmer. We sprayed flea killer all over the rugs, upholstered furniture, bedding, and even the hardwood floors, then deep cleaned and vacuumed, and threw away the vacuum cleaner bag (which I had put moth balls in to kill the fleas in it). We’ve also used foggers. Since we still had fleas after fogging, we sprayed the flea killer all over the house and vacuumed again. I’ve bathed all four cats with flea shampoo once a week for three weeks, then put Frontline and even flea collars on them. They still have fleas. Then at least two of the cats showed signs of tapeworms resulting from ingesting infected fleas (the tell-tale worm segments around their hind parts), so we treated all four.

My daughter goes around the house carrying a small cup of water with dish detergent in it and wearing white socks because it’s easier to see the fleas on them. Whenever she spies fleas on her socks or anywhere else on her body, she pulls the little critters off and drops them into the soapy water to drown them. She can kill twenty or more fleas in as many minutes this way. She is beginning to notice fewer fleas jumping on her now, which is encouraging because it means we’re gradually winning the war against the fleas.

Now we’ve discovered that one of the cats is vomiting blood, which is very alarming because it could mean either an ulcer or cancer. We’ve seen the blood on the floor, but we have yet to actually see which cat vomited. We took Pookie, our 10-year-old gray tabby cat, to the veterinarian today because he has a skin condition which the veterinarian called miliary dermatitis. He’s had it for years. But now he seems to have developed an allergy to flea bites as well, which leads to excessive and compulsive grooming and chewing until he has bald, bloody patches of skin. The veterinarian was afraid to prescribe medicine for Pookie’s skin because we couldn’t be sure it wasn’t him vomiting blood and if it is him the medicine for the skin problem might make the other problem worse. So she described how to use the process of elimination to discover which cat was vomiting. We have to separate the four cats for a day or two, making sure each of them has his own food and litter box. This way we’ll know who’s vomiting blood. Since I’m on a fixed income and can’t afford high veterinarian bills, the vet referred me to the Richmond SPCA’s Clinic for Compassionate Care where they will do the necessary examinations and tests to see whether the cat has an ulcer or cancer. I’m not sure what the treatment is for a cat with an ulcer or how expensive it would be. I’ve done plenty of research on the treatment of feline cancer, however, and the cost is astronomical! There’s no way I can afford that. (I can barely afford to buy cat food and cat litter every couple of weeks.)Besides, radiation and chemotherapy would make the cat feel sicker for a while and only give him maybe a few more weeks to live.  I don’t want to put my cat through that. If faced with a diagnosis of feline cancer (and maybe even an ulcer), I think it would be more humane and compassionate to have the cat euthanized.

So here’s my prayer request:

1. Please pray that we discover which cat is vomiting blood, and find out what’s making him so sick.
2. Please pray that if it turns out to be my daughter’s favorite cat, 13-year-old Joel, whom she’s had since he was only six months old, she will be able to let him be euthanized rather than make him suffer any longer. Please pray the same for her just in case it’s her other favorite, 2-year-old Link.
3. Please pray the same for me just in case it turns out to be one of my two favorites, Pookie (age 10) or Bear (age 2).
4. Please pray that God will supply the money needed to visit the veterinarian and get the tests done.
5. Please pray that this experience will not make us sink into depression, but instead will make us stronger.
6. Please pray for healing for all four cats, especially whichever one is so sick.

Thank you for reading this and for your prayers and support. May God bless you.