Megacolon

I was going through pictures of my cats and I came across the picture of Cinnamon, my kitty who passed away 2 years ago. I posted a picture of her before, she was a brown tabby, but because she was in poor health, her colors were not pronounced. We got her when she was still a little kitten and even then we noticed that she was very sickly. She had diarrhea often and when she got well after these bouts, she would stop going to the litter box all together. Her stomach became distended and her fur was all fuzzy and standing. She was diagnosed to have megacolon. According to her vet, this condition is not common in very young cats and this happening is a 1 in a million chance. I got that 1 chance, but I'm not sorry I had her.

Megacolon is like a severe case of constipation. The muscles of the colonic wall do not function properly and the fecal matter cannot pass out. This would result in blood poisoning if not tended properly. She was prescribed laxative for life and her meals would only be soft food with bran mixed in. She also took a medication for hairballs. Tummy massages were a daily must for the stool to pass. When there were days that this would not work, she would have to be taken to the clinic for enemas. In some cats, surgery is an option. But Cinnamon was so small and weak, the doctors decided against it.

We would have weeks when she was okay, then suddenly she would just be lethargic and refuse to eat and at times develop a fever. This was a signal that something was wrong again. She would stay for several days in the clinic. She would be waiting for us inside her cage when we visited her. Cinnamon was a really good patient, maybe she was getting used to staying in the clinic. This went on for several months. But as long as she was fighting to live, we were not giving up on her.

She went to the Rainbow Bridge on June 19, 2003.