Today, we get to celebrate another anniversary of a momentous occasion. Three years ago, Athena was declared cured of FIP. There isn’t too much to say this year for Athena’s cureaversary. Not much has changed since her last post, which is mostly good.
Health
As always, I’ve also updated her FIP Bloodwork Google Sheets file, which includes all of the blood work values that could be related to FIP and her blood work history dashboard.
She continues to have low neutrophil levels, with minor variations up and down, but averaging around 1.99, about 0.63 below the low normal threshold.
She’s still on twice-daily Optimmune and Optixcare ointments for her eyes. She actually had a normal Schirmer Tear Test in February, but at her standard biannual visit in June, her left eye was down to 7mm, about 4mm below the low normal threshold.
In February, we tried taking her to a veterinary acupuncturist, but we only had one visit before the practice was closed indefinitely due to family issues. We did try all of the suggestions we were given, but none of them seem to have made any difference.
A quick side note: I’ve found the email for a doctor who has participated in several FIP studies. I’m working on the proper wording for an email asking if there is any indication of a correlation between (dry) FIP and eye issues or low neutrophil levels. Wish me luck in getting a response.
Social
Athena currently tolerates Ginny and Floofenstein — most of the time — but still prefers Ritz and Dante stay away from her. Some days she’ll be braver and hold her ground or ignore them; other days she’ll run away if they get too close.
She’s still having issues with over-grooming, mostly along her spine. We can’t figure out if it’s stress, boredom, or a mental health issue. I’m considering trying her on a regimen of low-dose Gabapentin like we give Dante, but we have to figure out the right dosage. I want to help her take the edge off; I don’t want her spaced out.
She’s doing better with potty accidents, choosing to take herself to the litter box rather than pee on her mat. I believe we’ve only had one accident since her last post. Fingers crossed that next time I write about her, we’re at zero.
Humans
While Athena remains Dad’s girl, she has developed an appreciation for cuddling with me, which is really nice. She’s napped on and with me a few times, either curled up on my chest or snuggled into the crook of my arm.
Thanks for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed this update on Athena. If you’d like to keep up with her progress, be sure to subscribe to my blog, check her tag page, or follow the AthenaUpdate hashtag on Instagram.
