Bionic Jezebel: One week

Bionic Jezebel

On June 1, 2004, Jezebel the cat was admitted to the hospital for Hepatic Lipidosis. Jezebel's life was saved by emergency bionic surgery. Outfitted with a percutaneous gastronomy tube and stylish muscle-shirt, Jezebel now leads a double life: housecat and undercover operative. "We can rebuild her. We have the technology. We have the capability to make the world's first Bionic cat. Jezebel will be that cat. Better than she was before. Better... stronger... faster."

Monday, June 21, 2004

One week

Jezebel has been back home for one week today. She's looking really good. She is eating more enthusiastically, though we wouldn't call it a "good" appetite. Spoke with the specialist today, who said he wanted to see her demonstrate a consistently good appetite for seven days before he'd take out the tube. We're getting there, slowly.

Here are a few pictures I took this afternoon just before Michael got home:

When Jezebel heard the sound of the front door opening this afternoon, she jumped up and raced to the hallway to meet Michael. So cute!

Tomorrow afternoon we've got a follow-up appointment with the specialist. I'm not looking forward to bringing her back to the hospital--I'm afraid she has some bad memories of that place. Hopefully, though, she'll get a new tube top and we'll get some fresh syringes.

From www.healthypet.com: "Feline hepatic lipidosis (FHL), also known as "feline fatty liver syndrome," is the most common form of liver disease in cats in North America. The disease is unique to cats; it is not found in other companion animals.

The condition is triggered when a cat stops eating due to stress, another disease or for any other reason. After a few days without food, the cat's body will begin to use fat for energy. Cats do not metabolize fat well; therefore the fat cells build up in the liver and eventually prevent it from functioning normally. FHL is very dangerous for cats and can be life threatening if left untreated.

Cats with advanced symptoms such as jaundice or seizures require hospitalization. They need intravenous fluids to reverse dehydration and liver failure.

While cats of all breeds and any age are at risk, middle-aged, obese cats are most susceptible to the disease. The most common form of the disease is idiopathic (of unknown origin), however the disease can also occur in conjunction with other diseases of the liver.

Hepatic lipidosis is treatable, especially if caught in the early stages of the disease. If aggressively treated, 70 to 80 percent of cats will recover from the disease. When left untreated, FHL advances rapidly and is always fatal. Successful treatment requires intensive nutritional support until the cat's appetite returns. An ideal diet for a cat with FHL fulfills her basic nutrition requirements, promotes liver regeneration, and facilitates recovery from metabolic imbalances associated with the syndrome.

In almost all cases, a feeding tube needs to be placed into the cat's stomach, either directly through the side of his body or through his nose or esophagus down into the stomach. A veterinarian will prescribe a special food mixture to be syringed through the feeding tube several times per day. The average time from diagnosis to recovery with intense treatment is four to six weeks, and some cases may require up to 18 weeks of nutritional support."

Bionic Jezebel

Monday, June 21, 2004

One week

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