Nudedudes Sphynx and Kohana Cats

The amazing adventures of Bean

I am writing this so that other breeders can maybe be helped by the recent experiences of my kitten Butterbean.

Two nights ago, my partner Mick decided to put a base on one of the kittens pens. I had always managed before by putting something absorbent underneath to stop spills etc. to protect the floor, but decided that a permanent base would be much better.

Mick went to the local DIY shop where they decided that a sheet of thick Perspex would be the best option for the job. They sized and cut the Perspex at the suppliers but told Mick to be careful of any rough edges. The Perspex arrived home and Mick sanded down the edges of the Perspex and ripped of the clear film that was protecting it from being damaged. It was duly installed as the new kitten pen floor and I was most impressed with it.

Within five minutes of the perspex being in the kitten room, my 5 week old kitten Bean started displaying bizarre behaviour. Bean was hissing and spitting at everything in sight. He is normally the most sweet, laid back kitten one could ever hope to meet, but here he was with his little paws up in the air like boxing gloves threatening whatever came near him. Neither Mick or I could understand what on earth was wrong with him. After about five minutes of this bizarre behaviour Bean was sick on the floor, and with that he collapsed. Excrement flowed from his rear end he had no control over his bowels. His breathing became very erratic and shallow. I realised there was something very wrong with my little man. I rang Jenny who is my vets partner and we decided I would bring Bean down for Pete to see him.

As we set off I saw the owl who is our watcher take off in flight and follow the car for quite some distance. We have fondly named her essence as she only appeared when essence died and is never very far away. It seems she brings good luck to us and watches over us all the time. We even see her during the day which is most unusual for owls they are normally only out at dusk or in the dark. Well watch over Bean she did and she must have brought the most incredible luck to the little guy as we set off on our journey.

Bean’s condition deteriorated on the journey, all that was evident of breathing was his little ribs lightly fluttering. He had no control over his bowels, periodically would be sick, and no control over his limbs or head, he was cold and clammy and his gums were very pale. When I spoke to him he vaguely recognised it was me and his little feet would make a squeezing motion. I cried buckets as I honestly believed that he would not make the journey let alone live beyond it, I was even thinking about Pete doing his post mortem and what on earth could be the matter with my little chap, just an hour prior to Mick being in the kitten room with them all things had been so normal, why would Bean plummet so downhill so quickly it was all so sudden and so strange. Pete was ready and waiting and began to treat Bean almost immediately although as soon as Bean saw Pete he did seem to improve slightly. We laughed and said Pete was doctor death and all animals do this.

Pete explained Bean’s airways were almost closed, he had been very close to death. The reason anaphylactic shock syndrome, similar to a severe peanut allergy in humans, due to the spores and fumes from the film protecting the Perspex installed on Bean’s new kitten pen floor. The Perspex itself was not a problem, the protective film was, and just the fumes and the fact it was on Mick’s hands had been enough to put my Beanie baby on death’s door.

Every day Bean makes me smile with his outgoing vivacious personality and his love for life. I cannot imagine the heartache if Bean had not made it through something so simple, yet something that we would have never even thought of. I did not even know that cats could suffer anaphylactic shocks and certainly have never witnessed anything like what happened to my Beanie Baby.

After being treated with a small dose of steroids to help his airways reopen, Bean was back to his normal self eating half a can of AD and running and skipping around within 30 minutes. In the last two days it is like the incident never happened. But happen it did, was extremely scary and I hope I never have to witness anything like this again. I will be adding this as a hazard to the hazards section to watch out for and I hope that my clever, smart little witty Bean’s adventures help other breeders recognise the signs of anaphylactic shock and act quickly before it is too late. Bean is such a lucky little boy, all my cats are so fortunate to have the wonderful veterinary surgeon that they have, Pete is a godsend and so good with all my animals. I have known Pete for years as a friend and am now lucky enough to be close enough to have him as my vet, it’s an honour. Both him and Jenny are incredible people and we really are blessed to have their knowledge and expertise on hand.

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