Keeping a watch

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Thanks all for the ideas.

I have had Franta on my lap a lot over last couple of days and I think my imagination has got over active!!

However I will be keeping a very close eye on him and if I think there is any kind of a problem, he will be going out in the red currant 

[Rosella moggy]

Hi Gill

Sorry to hear Franta is causing you worry.  I can't really add anyhting helpful except as a longer term thing, I would go and buy some scales.  I bought some scales last Summer when I started to worry about Thomas losing weight and following a vet visit, including a geriatric profile, Thomas passed everything with flying colours. I really could have sworn he was losing weight but I think perhaps I was comparing him with Gandolf who had passed away a few months earlier and was the more cuddly and certainly heavier of the 2.  As Tom is no longer a youngster, I find it really puts my mind at rest to weigh him every couple of weeks and note the calendar of his weight. Hope Franta is OK

[Desley (booktigger)]

Katalax does seem to have different ingredietns - it is a different consistency and colour for a start, but can't be bothered to walk downstairs for it!!
Gill - I wouldn't worry about them not liking food with Lactulose, Molly is such a fussy cat, and she is fine, she doesn't seem to notice - but she has it for constipation, not furballs, I dont know how well it would do for furballs.
I personally would only watch him for a few more days before going to the vet, just in case it is something more than moulting, and somethign that can be dealt with if it is picked up on sooner rather than later.

[Ela]

Katalax, I believe, is just lactulose

 

I read that Katalax is a  palatable form of liquid paraffin, then again just because I read it , it is not necessarily correct.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Maybe I will try that Becca but trouble is they are all suspicious of anything new. Mind you the oter day a half finished tin od salmin fell out of the fridge into the cat eating area, so I put into a dish and Misa was first there then Sasa and then Ducha, not such that Franta got any cos I think he was still asleep!

I cant weigh anybody cos I have no scales 

[Beccles]

Katalax, I believe, is just lactulose which is available over the counter in chemists as a very (very very!) sweet, thick syrup. My cats are really fond of it and have to be forcibly prevented from nicking the medicine cup once it's been used and giving it a good lick...  needless to say the one time I did need to give Ollie some I just put a couple of drops on his food and he didn't so much as sniff it twice before scoffing the lot.

Gill - weigh everyone (or at least everyone that'll let you!) and write it down... do it again in a week and see how you go.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Thanks all , I am keeping an eye on him.

When I researched birmans it seems that on the whole most dont live to a very old age, only an occaisional one.

My two will be 14 in Aug and hope they both have many more years to come.

Lexy, Franta says thanks for the love and he feels fine and cant understand what his slave is making such a fuss over . He says he still loves you to pieces 

[CurlyCatz]

just realised i think it may have been one of susannes that was sick the other night. apoligies if i mixed up there.

Pet cal are actually calcium (well they used to be) and shouldnt be confused with pet tabs !! altho i think it was the same makers. but obviously calcium tabs shouldnt be over suplemented.

mmmmm just checked and i cant find the feline pet tabs anywhere...very strange but the canine pet tabs and the pet cal tabs are the same...i cannot understand why the feline ones dont seem to exist anymore..obviously they werent profitable to the company but they were good and highly palatable.

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

Franta? Lexy is devestated that her boy may not be 100%. She's sending furry headbutts his way (so sicknening this kitty love no?)

Gill, just had a look on vetsuk and they have under supplements Pfizer Pet Cal Tablets for cats and dogs. I don't see any serums though that may combat the pill giving issue. They also sell Tablet pockets which help you give tabs to cats that won't take em.

[CurlyCatz]

i dont know gill but there must be something..

I'll tell you what are good...feline tabs..the dog ones are called "pet tabs" so not sure if the cat ones are classed as feline or just pet tabs for cats..i only seen vets sell them i think but they are a general multi vit really and very good plus highly palatable..we used to have open tubs in the consult rooms and the vet would give to most so they thought the vet was a nice place to get treats iykwim

was it franta who was abit sick the other night ?? cant remember but if it was then maybe thats linked ie could be something underlying and esp could be built up of hair ??

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Yes have tried both katalax and defurem but cant get either into him.....what sorta cat tonic are you thinking of Lynn?

Yes Christine it may be that and just my imagination going crazy, I do hope so.

He has been here just over a year now and when he arrived I thought he was a bit thin and he had some shaved patches of fur. They have taken all year to grow but are still quite short but despite my grooming, he doest seem to bother with these places .......sigh.................. and they are tangly again and I am have cutting sessions with him LOL. He does not approve at all.

[Christine (Blip)]

I hope you're imagining it 

We did have an exchange about moulting and agreed that our respective cats were all moulting a lot at the moment - could it possibly be that that's causing Franta to look different?

[CurlyCatz]

if he's a heavy moulter gill then sometimes they can become out of condition during that time, perhaps some sort of "cat tonic" might be useful...also does he suffer from ingesting a lot of hair..maybe you should try some of that defurrum stuff unless you do already.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I am currently keeping a watch on Franta cos I am worried that he may have suddenly lost weight. Why is it the memory vanishes at times like these and worry takes over possible with imagination going paranoid.

He has been moulting his bib, well tugging it out so his bib is much smaller than it was but I keep thinking he looks much more like Ducha who has always been the lightweight of the two and Franta just doesnt feel or look as chunky aas he did, maybe!

I am sure that I was thinking he seems to be putting on a lot of weight but dont feel like that now. Will watch and feel him for rest of week and if I still think he may be losing it looks like a long noisy car journey to the Gower grrrrrrrrrrrrr.