Chronic Diarrhea in a Cat: A Journey with Lilly

As a lifelong cat lover and someone who grew up surrounded by Turkish Vans bred by my mother, I thought I had seen it all when it came to feline care. Cats are famously clean animals, often using their litter boxes diligently and maintaining a pleasant natural scent—even in old age. However, my experience with Lilly, a remarkable yet troubled feline companion, taught me how challenging and complex cat health issues can be, particularly when it comes to chronic diarrhea.

This condition, while relatively uncommon, is deeply challenging not only for the cat but also for the caregiver. Unfortunately, it became clear to me that even experienced veterinarians often lack the specialized knowledge required to manage such cases effectively. If you are facing a similar challenge, be prepared to take the lead in your pet's care—it is a difficult road, but not without hope.

Lilly’s Story
Since my mom had been a breeder, we felt lucky that a breeding cat was now up for adoption after her cat sadly passed away. The new breeder sold her to us to be a therapy cat for my ailing mother. Lilly into our lives in September 2017, only to discover that she was already 9.5 years old. Lilly was no ordinary cat—she was a quadruple European champion and the recipient of four "Cat of the Show" awards from various countries. She had even appeared on the television show Absolutely Fabulous with Joanna Lumley, though we’ve yet to track down the episode!

However, when Lilly arrived, she was far from glamorous. She was smelly, distressed, and suffering from a severe bout of diarrhea. Her condition worsened as we learned she also had feline herpesvirus (FHV). While we eventually received this diagnosis from the third veterinarian we consulted, it took seven long years before we were told she also had inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

At first, we attributed her diarrhea to the stress of traveling—she had been flown in a large box from Johannesburg. Yet as time passed, it became clear this was a chronic issue. Despite countless consultations and treatments, including expensive diets, deworming protocols, and various medications, nothing worked. The first six veterinarians we consulted provided inconsistent, misleading, or outright incorrect advice, leaving us disheartened and frustrated. They charged full fees despite their lack of solutions, which added insult to injury.

The Turning Point
Finally, we met a locum veterinarian who was knowledgeable and open-minded. She suggested Lilly might have IBD, a complex condition involving chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, and referred us to Dr. Adi, a compassionate and skilled vet who had previously saved a cat abandoned because of this very disease. Dr. Adi’s expertise marked a turning point in Lilly’s treatment and our journey.

Treating IBD
Managing IBD in cats is no small feat. Most veterinarians begin with the basics: dietary adjustments and deworming. If these fail, the next step often involves comprehensive blood tests and a costly intestinal biopsy, which can confirm the diagnosis. However, these procedures can be financially and emotionally taxing for pet owners, especially when the cat’s quality of life is already compromised.

In our case, after weighing the costs and Lilly’s deteriorating condition, we opted to bypass the biopsy and proceed directly with treatment. This approach was controversial, as most veterinarians advocate for a definitive diagnosis before starting aggressive treatments. However, Dr. Adi agreed to try strong medications to save Lilly’s life.

Lilly’s treatment regimen included Vitamin B injections, high-dose corticosteroids, and chemotherapy using chlorambucil (Leukeran). To our relief, after three months—shorter than the anticipated five to six months—we began to see significant improvements. Lilly’s stools became firmer, her absorption improved, and she began to thrive.

Today, Lilly is a healthy, happy cat who requires lifelong cortisone therapy. While managing IBD is an ongoing commitment, the transformation in her quality of life has been nothing short of miraculous.

Reflections
Lilly’s journey has been a lesson in perseverance, advocacy, and the importance of finding the right veterinary support. Chronic diarrhea and IBD in cats are challenging conditions that require patience, determination, and sometimes unconventional solutions. My advice to others facing similar struggles is to trust your instincts, seek out knowledgeable professionals, and never hesitate to ask questions or explore alternative options.

If you are dealing with a cat suffering from chronic diarrhea, know that there is hope. With the right care and treatment, even the most severe cases can improve dramatically.

For those interested in learning more about IBD in cats, I recommend reading this comprehensive academic resource: https://www.vin.com/doc/?id=3846200.

5 Life Lessons my son learned from playing World of Warcraft

This second in my series "Are computer games bad for your kids" was inspired by Esther Schindler who wrote about 10 Business Lessons I Learned from Playing Dungeons & Dragons.

Over the past six years my son has been playing World of Warcraft (wow) on and off TG. He's been through a few phases where he'll play only a few hours in a few months. Since we had to end the subs it's been a while since he's been able to play (more than eight months), I wrote most of this some time ago and it's time to share it.

I know that many parents are concerned about the addictive qualities of computer games, I think addiction can be a problem with anything. The better it feels the greater the addiction, that doesn't mean to say the rule is to stay away from the good things in life. So I'm considering; how good - or bad - is wow.

I've picked out some of the lessons he learns in the game. wow is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (mmorpg) provided on a monthly subscription by Blizzard Entertainment. The game was released on November 23, 2004, on the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise. With more than 10.2m (May 2012 and 11.5 million in May 2011) monthly subscribers, World of Warcraft is the world's most-subscribed mmorpg, it's been in the Guinness Book of Records for many years.

Playing this game has more than taught my son the rules of combat or proper behavior 'in a dungeon'. He's gained several skills that I expect will help him in his adult life.

In WOW or wow, you can find out how someone solves problems and copes with stress, as well as various other activities that map to real life.

1. Reading and writing: In Grade 2 the - special needs teacher approached me to ask what am I doing with my son? I was taken aback and responded by asking her why she is asking me this. She said that in her independent testing his reading skill was at least at grade 6 level and a lower grade 7. I know that he would say that I read with him (actually I used to read to him in bed at night) so that's how I thought best to respond. I mean the truth - which is that he learned it from wow where the chat windows in too small to follow all the messages if you can't read fluently - I don't think would have gone down too well. Anyhow, I have logged his messages and they're at a pretty good level, although it's all very specific, brief and to the point. He's learned to use digestible bytes of information, probably with a bunch of 14-17 year old Danes, Swedes and Englishmen. I'm not too worried as they have strict rules and you're not allowed to mention age or geography (there is a 12 year old age restriction though and he was only around 8-9). He doesn't embellish so his writing hasn't been well accepted at school. He manages to type a lot, so I'd say that he's fluent with keyboard even if he doesn't touch type yet. On the whole I'd say that his reading, writing and typing skills are strongly enhanced from wow.
   
   
2. Team work and social skills: wow enables players to learn behavior that allow people to achieve social reinforcement and to avoid social punishment. Operant conditioning procedures evolve as part of the wow game, which inevitably develops social skills, as well as modeling, coaching, and social cognitive techniques all operate within the wow virtual reality. In grade 4 he was pretty upset with his mom one day, as he had told her in the morning that he had 'arrangements' with his buddies. She was a little perplexed until it became apparent that it was a wow buddies that he had arrangement with. When he reached level 80 at age 10, I really saw his leadership skills working - I think it's harder for him in the real world but in wow - he manages to pull together a team of more than 15 people to enter a battle ground and lead them all through the battle, it's really most impressive.
   Parenting.org mention the following skills, all of which personally seen my son perform in WOW: following instructions, accepting criticism, accepting “No” for an answer, staying calm, disagreeing with others, asking for help, asking permission, getting along with others, apologizing, having a conversation, giving compliments, accepting compliments, listening to others, being honest, showing sensitivity to others, introducing yourself as well as some not mentioned, like persuading others, leading a group through a complex attack strategy and managing real world time constraints.
   
   
3. Analytical and strategic thinking: The best quests require a mixture of skills in the party. one has to always find new markets and cultivate ancillary skills. He experimented with various skills but took a liking to fishing. After fishing many lakes and playing the auction houses he found a buyer for a fairly rare type of fish. She guaranteed a buy (for a while) at a certain (inflated) rate in gold. So he fished for her and she bought, for a while. I suspect that the markets are fairly efficient in wow so she probably visited the auction houses too and found a more eager seller. And as he leveled, he found it easier to earn gold so the economics changed.
   More recently he has some older real world friends that he's helped reach higher levels. I've seen him train them on the mix of skills needed for various categories of battle. When selecting a weapon or tool, bigger is not always better, unique weapons tend to identify the heroes in the room, something he spends hours on. One action, used well, can be more powerful than plethora of actions. I've re-learned how to think out the box from his understanding os the most simple principle, "What are the tools at my disposal, and what can I do with them?" No matter how much he has experience in a specific weapon or specialty, he tried new ones and analyses the strengths and weaknesses of each element of the make up of each character. Once I find something that works I have tended to overuse it (just because it works) rather than focus on relearning new skills and techniques. It's better to out-smart an opponent than to fight one. In the early levels of wow, players can get into what feels like an endless repetition of "Find a monster. Kill it. Get its treasure." But your character (and career) can get hurt that way. Whether it's selecting appropriate quests, or setting up team efforts, winning special awards, learning special skills, playing the auction rooms or reaping the holiday spoils, the wow economy and world goes well beyond repetition. Picking up the spoils (and the experience points) can assist players develop real world physical and virtual values. It's not always appropriate but in a room of competition, an aptitude to get them to fight, can be an effective life strategy.
   
   
4. Imagination and creative thinking: My son took on a keen ability to role play in real life. He can speak in dozens of accents with various cultural enhancements and more recently he learned how to impersonate dozens of people. He can do it on the fly.   Roleplaying (RP), or Role Playing, in World of Warcraft means taking on the role of a character and acting it out in-game through emotes, /say, /yell, and sometimes other channels. Players may also participate in roleplay outside the game by posting on blogs, wikis, or forums (official or otherwise). Roleplaying has similarities to improvisational theater, with the participants acting out characters in unscripted situations. The character's personality, goals, morals, and quirks may resemble that of the player or be completely different. Regardless, roleplayers recognize a boundary between what is in character and what is out of character.  For the advanced reader: RP also refers to RP Realms. RP servers are functionally the same as PvE Servers, with added social rules and stricter naming enforcement. The same is true for RP-PvP Servers and PvP Servers. Both sets of rules apply. RP-PvP is commonly misunderstood to mean that the roleplaying part is optional. In fact, these servers were started in response to petitioning from roleplayers, who felt that the ability to engage in PvP added realism.
   Bottom line: wow teaches role playing 
   
   
5. Ability to disseminate information, hone ones strengths and strengthen ones weaknesses: My son lives the information and digital age, it's normal for him. Fortunately he's also learned the importance of social interaction at school. The rest is just encouragement I think. On WOW there are so many geographies, skills and talents, areas of development and options for play that every player has to learn haw to discern information (i.e. develop keen insight and good judgment). In order to identify each individuals strengths and weaknesses one has to try each and all of the potential combinations (an impossible task). As one discovers areas of interest, talent and developed skill, one has to research and explore in order to extend ones characters to deeper levels. 
   
   
6. You don't have to read all the books: My son has read all the books, World of Warcraft is immersive no doubt about that. But they move on to other immersive worlds that all include different life lessons, and a modest description of the beast you are about to face is better than facing a daemon and trying six dozen spells before finding the right one. (If you live that long.) Do not eschew documentation. Learn from others' mistakes — or from your own. Draw a map as you go. It is easier to avoid the pitfalls and to find that hidden room the next time through.

There are many more so what did I miss? Add your own wow or other MMORG life lessons in the comments. Also see Social Impact Games

Eczema in the ear - especially sufferers of plugged ears

I'm writing this to share my new experiences with what was diagnosed in February as eczema in the ear. Although my mother tells me that I had infant eczema I don't recall experiencing it or any other eczema and getting it in the ear at my age is not something that I had ever heard of before. There are so many resources on the Internet but none seem to stress what I think is the important and simple mechanism to control it.

Symptoms
I've been suffering with a symptomatic plugged ear since last May (2008 - just over a year now). My ear gets plugged because the wax doesn't find a natural way to drain from the ear. Most sufferers complain of the dry skin only or severe itchiness and sore canals. I have these symptoms too and they are uncomfortable but I don't find anything as debilitating as the plugged ear.


Initial diagnosis and initial treatment
My family doctor told me it looked like dermatitis and syringed the ear (using cool water), sent me home with drops and told me to come back in a couple weeks. He looked then and said it was much better. Three months later the same again. Less than six months later it was plugged again and I decided to visit the ENT (specialist). The ENT said that as we get older (I'm 40 now) so our ears can become less efficient at processing wax so basically I will need to come have my ears cleaned our (with their special suction instrument) and what I was experiencing was effectively a natural build up of wax.

Four months later I started smelling a rat. Literally... it started on occasion but then for about three hours a day in random situations, I would start smelling a dead rat. After searching the areas I started asking others and soon realised it was only me smelling the rat. It was an infection in the tube that links the ear to the nose. I went back to the ENT and spoke to the head of the practice who finally diagnosed the problem as eczema in the ear. It finally all made sense because the 'crispy' stuff I thought was wax, was really just skin and this mixed with the wax was caused the plugged ears.

He cleaned the ears out again and it is so relieving. You go in feeling miserable and come out like a new person but when one adds up the bills it's hard to digest a 3-6 monthly visit to a specialist physician. He gave me drops and suggested that eczema in the ears is related to dandruff, and I should wash my hair and ears with a strong anti-dandruff shampoo.

Four months later I was plugged again. The ENT was busy so I tried a new one (the third ENT so far). She was great, cleaned out the ears and confirmed the diagnosis. Confirmed it was common. And... advised that I should make sure the ear stays dry. So much so that for the first ten days I must not even wash my hair. She also gave me some new ointment and yet another type of drops but they were definitely secondary to the main change that the ear must be dry.

I've now met a couple of other people who have the condition although both have had it since birth. I'm still puzzled how it only started onset at the age of 40. I am more convinced now that by keeping the ear dry one can manage the problem better.

I hope that others that experience any similar symptoms or diagnosis will share their comments at the end, so please feel free to contribute to this and maybe we can even establish or join a more specialised community.

Baby sleeping with eyes open

During the last week Ethan's had his first real sickness (at 7 months). We're not exactly sure what it is but we've learned something we hadn't yet experienced. It was quite scary when he first fell asleep with his eyes wide open so we quickly googled it. Turns out that it's completely normal for an infant to do this. Our concerns were put to rest :)