Tag: Cats

Cats, CKD, FIV+, HCM

FIV, CKD, HCM…and Felycin-CA1!

kristynallen

I mentioned earlier this year that Harry persevered through some serious struggles. I’m so happy to say that he cleared his Cryptococcus infection in 5 months, gained half a pound, and his CKD has been relatively stable through it all! I spoke to his cardiologist in May and we decided we would start the compounded version of Sirolimus HPMC capsules available through Wedgewood Pharmacy while waiting for Felycin-CA1 to be released. Felycin was available for purchase beginning in August 2025.


That brings us to now! Felycin-CA1 has entered the chat, y’all!

This week, Harry had an acupuncture appointment, and since we started Felycin 3 weeks prior, I wanted to do a quick blood check just to make sure his glucose and liver values were okay. Felycin is contraindicated for cats with diabetes and it is metabolized through the liver, so it’s important to monitor. Not only were they okay, but his KIDNEY values were outstanding, and I’m still riding that high days later!!! SDMA (symmetric dimethylarginine) is a specific blood marker that can be used to measure kidney function. I personally feel it’s the most sensitive measure, although creatinine, BUN, and phosphorus are important too. A normal SDMA is between 0-14. Harry has not been below 12 since at least 2022 (could be earlier), and he’s been averaging between 12-16 the last few months, but this week…this week IT WAS 8!!! A SINGLE DIGIT! I’m ecstatic about that. I have tried to get it in my mind that the most important diagnostic is the cat physically right in front of me, and that numbers are just additional data, but it’s hard NOT to be thrilled when you see such a drastic improvement when he’s already come so far!!! I’m so happy about it, and really the only significant change is starting Felycin, and he’s only had 3 weekly doses!

Felycin is a specific formulation of Sirolimus (more commonly known as Rapamycin) made for cats for the specific purpose of treating Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). Felycin is also the specific formulation that was used in clinical trials for HCM cats so I’m thrilled to be able to have it in hand. We have a recheck echocardiogram scheduled in December and I’m hopeful that it’s making a positive difference for the mild thickening noted in March for Harry’s left ventricle. He did not have atrial dilation and I’m very grateful for that.

There are three strengths of Felycin available and based on his weight, Harry needs two of them to make his 0.3mg.kg dose. The pills are tiny which is amazing! My image shows the 1.2mg and 0.4mg pills. At once a week, they are a breeze to give Harry.

Having Felycin available for HCM treatment is wonderful all by itself, but there has also been anecdotal evidence of Felycin being beneficial for CKD cats (which is a BIG reason why this is such a huge deal for us this week). There are studies taking place right now to assess if Felycin could also help CKD cats too. I would never want a diagnosis of HCM or CKD for any of my cats or any cats at all, and typically treatment of one exacerbates the other, so if Felycin can make a positive impact on both…that is a monumental advancement in the making. The fact that Harry was diagnosed with mild HCM, but so early that it didn’t warrant starting any typical meds, feels like the universe giving us a break. Living in this timeline where Felycin was on the horizon and there were generics available in the meantime… man, I’m so grateful.

I also have not found a single other FIV+ cat walking a similar journey as us with HCM and CKD while trying Felycin, so I’m posting on all my socials and here to hopefully give the next cat parent someone to find. Rapamycin is technically an immunosuppressant drug (although immunosuppression has not been seen in the low doses Felycin is prescribed at) and the thought of giving an immunosuppressant drug to an FIV cat felt a little scary at first. I’m so proud of my boy and proud of the advancements giving us a path to follow now.

Cats

Birthday Fundraiser for EveryCat Health Foundation: In Memory of Baby Doug

kristynallen

EDIT: We raised over $1800!!! Thank you so very much!

Early in January, I lost my cat, Baby Doug, to lymphoma, and I never saw it coming. He was only 9 and his loss has rocked my world.

There is nothing that I know better than cats. I have always loved them and they are a large part of my why and my life’s purpose. Early in my career, I learned that annual vet care for cats was roughly 30% lower than that of dogs and I was shocked. I decided to do my part to change that by talking about all of our vet visits. Every single one.

Shortly after learning about these stats, I met a little 8-week-old gray cat named Doug. I shared a special moment with him the very first time our eyes locked and that was it. That sealed the deal. That was the beginning of a great adventure. I wasn’t looking for a life-changing little friend, but that’s exactly what I got with him. My best little sidekick and copilot.

I will never understand why bad things happen to the kindest souls. Baby Doug was dealt so many crazy hands and we tackled each one in his 9.5 years. Terrible stomatitis leading to full mouth extractions before age 4; anal gland ruptures; oral ulcers; and cryptococcosis that took hold while trying to treat chronic neutropenia. We fully worked up that neutropenia too, and MAN, did he defy odds on that through bone marrow, spleen, and lymph node biopsies and a whole slew of tests with internal medicine.

We did it though! My strong little miracle overcame so much and always showed up ready to fight. I fought right alongside him through every single trial. The events of the last month have been very painful to accept. I owed it to him to protect his wellbeing, independence, and dignity, and give him the very best chance at both life, and at peace.

So much of why I advocate for cats has stemmed from wanting to be able to provide for my boy (and his brothers) and be an example for the next cat parent facing similar situations. Through all of our health battles, I have been very fortunate to have excellent veterinary care and advisement and I’m so thankful for my vet teams. But, like many moms, I also research various studies and treatments for ailments. There are many gaps when it comes to cat studies, and I think that is a direct result of the statistics surrounding cats receiving regular veterinary care.

Enter EveryCat Health Foundation. I love this organization because, for over 50 years, they have been dedicated to funding necessary research solely for cats.

For the past 4 years, to celebrate my birthday month (which is also National Cat Health Month), I have been raising money for this amazing organization. To date, we have raised over $2,900 for cats everywhere, and I would love to add at least another thousand to that by March 1st.

This year, I’m doing it in memory of my Baby Doug. I wish he and I had more birthdays to celebrate, but in his honor, lets help cats all around the world have more birthdays. ❤️

Thanks in advance for your support.

DONATE HERE: https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/91xZOPqSiX

Cats, Clean Living

MOXXOR: The BEST Omega-3 Supplement!

kristynallen

Let’s talk inflammation. For his whole little life, my cat, Doug, has struggled with inflammation. When he was very young, he had terrible stomatitis. Steroids helped temporarily, but I didn’t want him to rely on steroid injections so early in his life, so all of his teeth were extracted before age 4 to address his mouth issues. He then developed asthma that would flare with the change of the seasons. I got him a fluticasone inhaler for that so we could deliver steroid treatment directly to his lungs and for the most part, that helped. Then, due to his chronic soft stools, his first anal gland rupture happened. This happened a total of three times, the worst of which left him with three open wounds on his rear end. This was a nightmare and I felt so bad for him, and helpless too, and seemingly the thing that helped him most was his prescription for the feline NSAID, Onsior. Due to risks of kidney damage, that is understandably only authorized for limited use, but it’s what prompted me to try and think outside the box where anti-inflammatories are concerned.

I began researching natural ways to reduce inflammation in cats. That led me to omega-3s and the powerful ways they can impact the body — for both humans and cats! But to find an omega-3 supplement that would work well for Doug without causing adverse effects, primarily diarrhea? That was and always is the challenge.

Henry, Doug, Harry, Hennessy & Albert eating breakfast. These feeding stalls were a game changer for portion control!

Omega-3s are essential fatty acids that our bodies cannot produce on their own, so we, our pets and us, need to either eat foods that contain them, or take a supplement. Omega-3s help all cells in the body perform at their optimal levels and because of that, they can improve health in so many areas, from the immune system, where inflammatory processes begin, to the heart, brain, lungs, kidneys, joints, skin, and coat health…and likely more! There are also different kinds of Omega-3s including EPA and DHA, which come from fish, and ALA, which comes from plants. As I learned about these types, I found myself leaning more towards wanting a supplement with EPA and DHA.

I struggled to find good omega-3 options for cats from sources I trusted. Many were bottles of oil with droppers that you put directly on food, but I felt like I’d have little control over the full dose going that route. There were several treat options available too, or supplements in large capsule form, and in most cases, both were loaded with extra ingredients or filler oils leaving the percentage of beneficial omega-3s very low, and the risk of side effects very high for my sensitive boy. For this reason, I expanded my search to include human-grade options.

At this point, I was so focused on “fish oil” as the source of omega-3s I wanted, that I didn’t even realize that omega-3s could come from another source — the green-lipped mussel from New Zealand. This is where I discovered MOXXOR.

As alluded to above, I’m so picky with what I’m willing to give to Doug because one wrong move could be detrimental to his health and quality of life beyond a day of an upset stomach. MOXXOR is made from the oils of the New Zealand green-lipped mussel, kiwi seed, and sauvignon blanc grape seed, making it a more bioavailable powerhouse of omega-3s, vitamin E, and free-radical antioxidants in one tiny little gel capsule. MOXXOR’s omega-3s include EPA and DHA, which is exactly what I was looking for, but also ETA, which is not found in fish oil and is better at tackling inflammation in the body! YAY!

MOXXOR’s 100% natural ingredients in a bovine gelatin capsule check all the boxes for me from a low-tox perspective in that it is GMO-free, mercury-free, and preservative-free, but also free from shellfish protein, milk, yeast, corn, nuts, wheat, soy, and gluten, making it allergy-friendly. The green-lipped mussels used in their gel caps are also sustainably farmed with minimal impact to the environment.

As if all of that wasn’t enough of a slam dunk for me, the tiny capsule is what really intrigued me. All the powerful supplements in the world will only work if the body will tolerate the dose. I’m so happy to say it has been an absolute dream for Doug in the 2+ weeks he’s been on it. No diarrhea at all, and a noticeable increase in energy and playfulness. I’m hoping it will help his body with inflammation where his asthma is concerned too, but I’ll take the improvements I’ve already observed!

I’m also now giving MOXXOR to all 5 of my cats!

– Doug is getting one capsule every day for inflammation and overall immune support
– Harry is doing well with his FIV, but I’m giving him one capsule every day for overall immune support
– Albert has very small sinus and nasal passages, and we suspect he has feline herpes flareups too. He is getting one capsule every day for inflammation and overall immune support
– Henry is a bobtail/manx, likely born this way, and sometimes struggles with constipation because of it. In addition to high fiber foods, he’s getting one capsule every other day for overall immune support
– Hennessy has very low-grade asthma so he’ll get one capsule every other day for overall immune support

Albert has been taking it a little less than 2 weeks so far, but the initial results have been amazing. A few days after I started giving it to him, he started sneezing out — apologies in advance for the graphic imagery — HUGE CHUNKS of smelly, sinus discharge that I think had been stuck in there for a long time. I can’t say for certain, but I am thinking the anti-inflammatory properties of the super potent omega-3s in MOXXOR helped loosen things up so that he could get them out. Seeing and smelling is believing and I’m so glad he got that gunk out of there so he can breathe more easily!

And, since it’s a human-grade supplement after all, I just started taking MOXXOR myself a few days ago. For myself and my boys, I’d much prefer a natural, high quality supplement over a prescription drug wherever possible, and I’d much rather spend money on something with multiple benefits too. I’m so happy to have found MOXXOR and even more happy to already be witnessing amazing things with my boys. I believe in it so much that I became an affiliate myself to help spread the good word about MOXXOR so it’s not so hard for the next cat parent!

To learn more about MOXXOR and get some for you and/or your cats, visit My Links. The shipping is FAST and at least in the summer, they pack orders with ice packs so the capsules will not melt. I especially love that they have an advisory board with licensed professionals attesting to the benefits of MOXXOR in their everyday practice.

Connect with me using my social links for more of our experiences with MOXXOR and follow our progress as we continue to use it!

Cats

FIP Clinical Trials Beginning

kristynallen

This article practically brings tears to my eyes.

As many know, I am a huge advocate for FIV+ cats, but there’s another virus out there sometimes confused for FIV that causes a disease known as FIP.

FIP stands for Feline Infectious Peritonitis and it is nearly 100% fatal in all cats who develop it. FIP develops when the feline coronavirus mutates. There have been amazing developments in researching treatments for FIP but none are approved for use by veterinarians. YET!

In the early months of Covid, I had hoped that research around a mutating human coronavirus might fast track things for cats with FIP too.

Check out the article below. I am so happy there are trials happening. There needs to be approved treatments for cats who are diagnosed with FIP and this is a GREAT step in the right direction. 😻

https://www.ucdavis.edu/health/news/coronavirus-disease-cats

#catlovers #clinicalresearch #clinicaltrials #FIP #FelineInfectiousPeritonitis