Thanks, dear. I appreciate it.
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My cat is sick
- Thread starter MoodyBlues
- Start date
Ok.. toes too.Toes, too?We need all the help we can get.
Thanks, olbriar.
No problem.
More prayers...
Read all the above post.
Toes, too?
.
Thoughts and prayers are with both of you. Keep us posted.
Yesterday's visit with the vet resulted in some changes in our treatment regimen.
We're temporarily suspending the fluid infusions (Joy Noelle to Doc: "Yay! You finally said something I like!") and the Calcitriol. We've added mirtazapine--which, ironically, I also take--but just four doses, one every three days. (In cats, mirtazapine was found to act as an appetite stimulant.) Finally, we're adding CliniCare RF, a liquid food for cats in renal failure. I hoped she'd lap it up...but, no, so I'm force-feeding her.
She's perked up a lot and today isn't seeking warm places. The fluids were likely making her feel cold--that plus not eating enough.
She's on to the fake Temptations thing (prescription k/d dry food in a Temptations bag), and won't eat them any more. But when she pesters me, I'm letting her have a few real Temptations. My helper told me that Joy ate a little regular [canned] food last night when she fed the other cats. We had decided that if she WANTS to eat, we should let her, even though it's not k/d. That just seems better than letting her starve.
Her weight had dropped back to 6.0 pounds, from 6.4 last week, but that's better than I was expecting.
Right now, I'm happy with how she's doing.
We're temporarily suspending the fluid infusions (Joy Noelle to Doc: "Yay! You finally said something I like!") and the Calcitriol. We've added mirtazapine--which, ironically, I also take--but just four doses, one every three days. (In cats, mirtazapine was found to act as an appetite stimulant.) Finally, we're adding CliniCare RF, a liquid food for cats in renal failure. I hoped she'd lap it up...but, no, so I'm force-feeding her.
She's perked up a lot and today isn't seeking warm places. The fluids were likely making her feel cold--that plus not eating enough.
She's on to the fake Temptations thing (prescription k/d dry food in a Temptations bag), and won't eat them any more. But when she pesters me, I'm letting her have a few real Temptations. My helper told me that Joy ate a little regular [canned] food last night when she fed the other cats. We had decided that if she WANTS to eat, we should let her, even though it's not k/d. That just seems better than letting her starve.
Her weight had dropped back to 6.0 pounds, from 6.4 last week, but that's better than I was expecting.
Right now, I'm happy with how she's doing.
I'm sorry for sounding foolish but I somehow managed to miss THE FIRST THREE PAGES. Now it makes a lot more sense. I hope your precious little girl continues to improve. About the pills: you may already know that there's a device for that. I'm not sure what it's called, a long almost syringe that can put a pill way in the back where it ''s almost impossible not to swallow it. That would probably help in case it tastes bad, too. Have you heard of Pretty Litter? It changes color according to the cat's health. Apparently yellow is normal, blue and green indicate pH changes, and orange or red means get to the vet now. I bet it's expensive but I think it has saved some cats' lives. Btw, I assume k/d means kidney diet.
Oh, no worries, @Rgarner! Considering how I've droned on and on, you probably wish you hadn't read it all now!
About the pill thing: I have some; they're called 'pill poppers' or 'pillers' or various other names with 'pill' in them. And they're exactly as you described. Mine can be used with or without liquid--you can pull up some water or formula, stick the pill in the end, then shoot it all into their mouth. The liquid encourages them to swallow.
I'm not familiar with Pretty Litter, but I'm afraid it wouldn't help here as we have three other cats. There's no way to know whose pee changed its color!
Yes, k/d is prescription food for kidney disease. Unfortunately, Joy Noelle is totally over it! She wants none of it, dry or canned. So I'm force-feeding her CliniCare RF with this cool, curved syringe. (She doesn't like that either. *shrug*)
Thanks for your sweet post.
About the pill thing: I have some; they're called 'pill poppers' or 'pillers' or various other names with 'pill' in them. And they're exactly as you described. Mine can be used with or without liquid--you can pull up some water or formula, stick the pill in the end, then shoot it all into their mouth. The liquid encourages them to swallow.
I'm not familiar with Pretty Litter, but I'm afraid it wouldn't help here as we have three other cats. There's no way to know whose pee changed its color!
Yes, k/d is prescription food for kidney disease. Unfortunately, Joy Noelle is totally over it! She wants none of it, dry or canned. So I'm force-feeding her CliniCare RF with this cool, curved syringe. (She doesn't like that either. *shrug*)
Thanks for your sweet post.
That's so thoughtful, DB, thank you.
I actually had refrained from updating because I thought I was being annoying! I know no one's forced to read a thread they're not interested in, but still.
Anyway, Joy Noelle is doing GREAT!!
I pulled her off most of her treatments, because they were no longer necessary [at this time]. I hated doing her fluids...she'd cry and moan from the second I plunged the needle in until we were done, ≈10 minutes.
She's not dehydrated now, so I yanked the fluids!
She turned 15 on October 17 [made up birthday], and we had our 15th anniversary on November 22. Screw the k/d [prescription food], she got her favorite Fancy Feasts on both days! Eaten from her pink 'Princess' bowl.
A couple of recent pics:
My helper had been baking matcha brownies, and carelessly left stuff on Joy's sun-bathing microwave. That didn't prevent a sunbath.
Another shot on her microwave, taken today, while not cooperating; I got a lot of shots of her tail, her side, her FACE up close...:
Thanks again, DB. I'm so happy to be able to say she's doing fine.
I actually had refrained from updating because I thought I was being annoying! I know no one's forced to read a thread they're not interested in, but still.
Anyway, Joy Noelle is doing GREAT!!
I pulled her off most of her treatments, because they were no longer necessary [at this time]. I hated doing her fluids...she'd cry and moan from the second I plunged the needle in until we were done, ≈10 minutes.
She's not dehydrated now, so I yanked the fluids!She turned 15 on October 17 [made up birthday], and we had our 15th anniversary on November 22. Screw the k/d [prescription food], she got her favorite Fancy Feasts on both days! Eaten from her pink 'Princess' bowl.
A couple of recent pics:
My helper had been baking matcha brownies, and carelessly left stuff on Joy's sun-bathing microwave.
That didn't prevent a sunbath.Another shot on her microwave, taken today, while not cooperating; I got a lot of shots of her tail, her side, her FACE up close...:
Thanks again, DB. I'm so happy to be able to say she's doing fine.
Milo Willamson
Android Expert
AwwwThat's so thoughtful, DB, thank you.
I actually had refrained from updating because I thought I was being annoying! I know no one's forced to read a thread they're not interested in, but still.
Anyway, Joy Noelle is doing GREAT!!
I pulled her off most of her treatments, because they were no longer necessary [at this time]. I hated doing her fluids...she'd cry and moan from the second I plunged the needle in until we were done, ≈10 minutes.
She turned 15 on October 17 [made up birthday], and we had our 15th anniversary on November 22. Screw the k/d [prescription food], she got her favorite Fancy Feasts on both days! Eaten from her pink 'Princess' bowl.
A couple of recent pics:
View attachment 146229
My helper had been baking matcha brownies, and carelessly left stuff on Joy's sun-bathing microwave.
Another shot on her microwave, taken today, while not cooperating; I got a lot of shots of her tail, her side, her FACE up close...:
View attachment 146230
Thanks again, DB. I'm so happy to be able to say she's doing fine.
I am in the same boat as DB, I would hate to bluntly say it too
Thanks, sweetie, I appreciate that. But I'm good.Awww
That's the news we were looking for, great to hear.
We've all been afraid to ask, but are certainly glad she's doing well now
That's the news we were looking for, great to hear.
I appreciate that, guys. I know where we're headed, and when that time comes it'll be hard, but I'll post.
But now's definitely NOT the time! Four months ago, with her dramatic weight loss and needing emergency fluids, I couldn't have imagined she'd be doing so well now. One of her lifelong favorite things is her "morning exercise"--that's where she RACES through the house, sliding on slick floors and turning to run the other way. She had stopped. Completely. Now she's doing it again! Running around the house like a kitten. A -healthy- kitten.
A fact any pet owner (well dogs and cats, parrots can live for 70+ years
) has to accept is that their loyal companions life will be much shorter than our own.
I know. And it sucks!A fact any pet owner (well dogs and cats, parrots can live for 70+ years
My favorite dogs, Great Danes, being giants, have the shortest lifespan of all dogs. Lifespan in dogs is inversely proportional to their size....which is just so unfair.
My last Dane, my baby, was like a person, a child, with me 24/7, taking up so much space. The void I felt when he died was both emotional and physical...