Hi,

I truly believe that a PSS cat's life span can be as good as any other
cat provided the details are taken care of. Probably the life-span of
a PSS cat will be shorter than that of a more normal cat with
everything else being equal. But the thing is to equalise the balance
by direct intervention.

By that I mean the ammonia and gut products are kept under control and
you'll know from your own experience and I know from mine that if this
is done well then the frequency of things like seizure reduce. In MAGI
this is 4 to 8 weeks. I checked my diary a moment ago and in high
humid summer the seizures increase but with cooler days they decrease.

We took her on later in her life where she had not been fully looked
after before. ANA was a kitten and you rescued her young when your
intervention could, no did, make a difference to her life and probable
future longevity.

Our MAGI [who is sitting on the shelf above my computer watching me as
I type and saying to send good vibes to ANA for her!!!] has come on
great guns since we got her. She seizures still but the frequency is
much reduced and I think related to the amount of protein and
lactulose we give her.

I decided early on that she should have as normal a cat-life as
possible and probably give her more protein than I should. She has
grown well and while the seizures are an inconvenience they do not
dominate her life. Joy for her is tearing down a lactulose and turkey
slice and you can see it in her face when she bumps her head against
your hand and angles you for another slice more plus a bit of double
cream please. Inside this piece of turkey is her little tab of
phenobarbitone and while she knows this she is happy with our
agreement of meaty-bits-with-medicine.

Reading back there it seems as though I'm being cagey and
non-committal but how long does any living creature have? I don't
there ever is an answer. I'm a member of www.lef.org and apply this to
all my cats. I'm confident MAGI will not have a too-much shortened
life but nature has dealt her a certain set of cards (and now a heart
murmur has appeared) and we work around that.

In her interactions with our other two she feels she is as good as
either of them and won't hesitate to prove it.

ANA is a truly beautiful cat and how anybody can look in her direction
and say no amazes me. I suppose I'd be saying to this person that loss
is inevitable in a creature whose life spans are too-much shorter than
our own. But if she could look into the unique, incredible eyes of a
PSS cat and strike a deal with fate to say that whether she has this
cat for five years or for fifteen she could, with knowledge and
understanding, truly love her as much as any other.

I've put some recent pics of MAGI up for anyone to have a look at her
as she is now. You can see this PSS cat is quite the lady with sexy
eyes!!! Ask your friend where she might get a cat with eyes as lovely
and distinctive as ANA's?

Iain.H

       >o< www.celiahammond.org >o<
       >o<   www.cat77.org.uk   >o<

Kelly,

I took MAGI to the veterinary hospital today for various tests and her
Portal Shunt is going to be operated on on Wednesday morning. The plan
is to ligate it and hopefully restore her to the status of a more
health-normal cat.

I asked the surgeons there what the life span of a PSS cat was and
they answered that it was, on average, from 2 to 5 years. This was the
position even though the cat was being medically controlled by
nutritional intervention and by anti-seizure drugs.

If the treatment is successful then such a cat's life span will be as
normal as any other cat. Admittedly she is getting this op later than
the surgeons would have liked.

It is actually MAGI's 3rd birthday tomorrow and this is our birthday
present to her. Though I don't think she will directly appreciate
it!!! ;-)

Iain Halder.

       >o< www.celiahammond.org >o<
       >o<   www.cat77.org.uk   >o<