Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: Mark on April 08, 2009, 15:31:11 PM
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She has been a bit under the weather the last couple of days so we decided to see how she goes. This morning she was really lethargic. She went in the garden and peed on "her" rug. Then ate some grass and went in. A while later, Dennis (working at home today) said she had thrown up. I said that she had eaten grass - he said there was blood in it :scared: - I asked where she was and he said she was lying on the window seat in the dining room. I went to see her and her bottom half was twitching like she was trying to go to the toilet even though she was lying down. I saw a white bit on her trousers and thought maybe she had tapeworm. I went to get a tissue and some droncit. When I wiped it, it was mucous. I was in the kitchen wondering whether I could get 1/2 Milbemax down her when OH called me into the dining room. Pee was just dribbling out of her while she was lying down. I rang the vet and they said to bring her straight in. The vet said she is severely dehydrated and in her weakened state, she hasn't got the energy to keep drinking and peeing so basically, her full bladder was just leaking out. They have kept her in overnight for intravenous fluids. I asked how long it would last and he said probably not long but hopefully will perk her up enough to get her back to peeing and drinking for herself. I asked about long term doing subQs myself. He said if she is unpillable, she is certainly not a candidate for home rehydration :( - He said not to get too far ahead of myself and to see how she goes :( = I have to phone back after 11am tomorrow to arrange to collect her pm.
I spoke to him about Clapton and he said it sounds like he is spreading a secondary infection over himself. He agrees that a vet trip will probably make him worse so is willing to come on Tuesday and treat Clapton's skin and attempt to do full bloods at the house. He said it isn't ideal but he will try for Clapton. I told heim that Clapton plays dead so he thinks we should be OK.
I can't even think about Kylie's scabby ear at the moment :( - OH thinks it is dry food so I will keep an eye but getting a bit overwhelmed.
I am up to my neck in revision as well :tired:
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Mark all paws crossed here at the Clan for Willow :hug:
Hope you are coping to and :hug:for you, Dennis and the other members of your fur family
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Awww poor Willow, hope she's much better soon :hug: :hug:
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How awful for you and the cats....must of been an awful shock seeing poor Willow like that! :hug: :hug: :hug:
Glad Clapton will be getting sorted at home and sounds like it can be treated! ;)
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Oh hec! it never rains but...... hope she's ok Mark :hug:, I'm sure the vets right that she will perk up once she's got some fluids in her and it'll bring functions back to normal.
I reckon its for you to decide if she would tolerate home rehydration, just because she can't be pilled doesnt necessarily mean should wouldnt accept any other form of intervention. You could always try, if it doesnt work out then so be it, but always worth a go I would have thought.
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Oh Mark, i am sorry about Willow, i am sure the fluids will help her. Has she been taking her fortekor?
Sending positive vibes for Willow and :hug: for you and your OH.
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awww, poor sweet Willow, I hope that the vets get her sorted do they have any idea why she is like this?
hope she is feeling much better tomorrow :hug:
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hope she is ok, what was stopping her going to the loo Mark?
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Oh Mark :hug:
Sending get well soon vibes to Willow and all your clan x
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I hope Willow improves quickly, Mark. Please send her a fuss. And here's a hug for you; sounds like you could do with one! :care:
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I hope Willow soon gets sorted out and is back home ,sending positve healing vibes for her and :hug: for you all :hug:
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Oh Mark :hug: Really hope the fluids help her :hug:
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Mark, I am so very sorry to hear about poor Willow. I hope the fluids do the trick and she is soon home again and feeling better. :hug:
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I'm so sorry to hear about Willow and hope she'll recover quickly and be home with you again asap. big hug to you too, lots going wrong at once it seems :hug:
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So sorry to hear about Willow. Sending :hug:to you and your fur family.
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Just catching up with threads....
Hope Willow feels better tomorrow after the fluids, poor baby.
Sending you both lots of love :hug:
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:hug: Mark. And even bigger :hug: to Willow.
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Sorry to hear this, Mark. Huge :hug: for you and your OH and a :care: for Willow.
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Oh Mark I have only just seen this and I am so sorry that beautiful Willow is so sick. I do hope that by rehydrating her she improves and both of you are in my thoughts tonight :hug: :hug: :hug:
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So sorry to hear this, big :hug: fo you, OH and Willow xxx
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Thanks everyone. I haven' managed to pill her for quite a few days as some people know, she wouldn't allow me to pill her so I had been grinding them up in Katalax and rubbing on her paw. She got to the point where she wouldn't lick it off and started taking off over the back fence which was worrying. I was hoping the diet would do the trick given that she was apparently early stages. The vet said she had got too weak to keep drinking and peeing. He also said he has just got back from a convention where they suggested that CRF can cause cysitis - hence the drops we had been finding on shoes etc over the last couple of days. She was only tested for it a few weeks ago and was clear though :Crazy: - it doesn't help that she is a 2.5kg runt - The vet said some cats go dowhill really quickly :( - She is a fighter so hopefully she will be OK. I have warned OH that she will probably appear to be recovered tomorrow but not to kid ourselves that she is better. At the end of the day, she has failing kidneys :'(
(http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn224/MarkB_014/005-4.jpg)
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Mark, sending lots of good wishes to you and Willow, X
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Sorry for your troubles, Mark. :'( :hug: :hug:
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I hope Willow is much better tomorrow :hug:
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And another thing I forgot to mention to the vet is that Clapton is exhibiting Pica - He has started licking dirt in the garde, Brickwork in the living room and tonight, licking the black paint inside a fireplace - It's all happening at once :Crazy: - I guess I can mention it on Tuesday but the bloods should show anything up?
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And another thing I forgot to mention to the vet is that Clapton is exhibiting Pica - He has started licking dirt in the garde, Brickwork in the living room and tonight, licking the black paint inside a fireplace - It's all happening at once :Crazy: - I guess I can mention it on Tuesday but the bloods should show anything up?
This is from the felinecrf site
' Eating Litter/Licking Concrete
This is known as pica. Many vets are not aware that this can be a symptom of anaemia, but it is surprisingly common, so if a CRF cat suddenly starts eating litter, PCV or HCT levels (anaemia measurement) should always be tested.
Very occasionally, licking concrete is a sign of a calcium deficiency. /
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Thanks Gillian - he is having full bloods on Tuesday so I will mention it then.
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Mark just wanted you to know I have been thinking of Willow all evening hun :hug:
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Sorry to hear about Willow , Mark. :hug: :hug:
Hope he improves tonight.
Gill -thanks for that information about pica - My Oscar had that looking back and he did die soon after from kidney failure -there was no fortekur then -it was 11 years ago - 14th April 1998.
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Thanks people :)
The mood of the house has changed. I can phone at 11am to arrange to pick her up. I have discussed with OH and going to try the cruel to be kind approach with pilling. She isn't scared and timid like Clapton, more like bolshy so she is more likely to get annoyed than scared - hopefully she will just get used to being scooped up in a towel and pilled. It has been a farce trying to wipe ground up tablet and katalax on her fur every night.
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Fingers crossed she has had a good night and is feeling much better today, and can come home. Good luck with the vet visit next week
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Hope that Willow is much better today Mark :hug:
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hope she is ok, what was stopping her going to the loo Mark?
The vet thinks she had got to the stage where she was too weak to find a tray or get a drink so she was going downhill rapidly.
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Mark hope Willow had a good night at the vet and can come home today to her New strict parents!
The Pilling can be a pain but eventually they do give in or you just get better at it
We can now catch feals a lot faster or they are slowing down.
All paws here for Miss Willow and :hug: to you and Dennis and of course the rest of the kids
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Hope Willow can can home today, and that you can pill her, I know you'll feel horrible doing it to her, but I think you're right that you have to try :hug:
Keep us posted x
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(says she who has just been bitten....) the key to pilling an unwilling cat is speed in giving the pill - and not being put off by momentary annoyance/displeasure/anger and not feeling that you are a torturer or being cruel because you obviously aren't as she needs the meds. My worry would be that if you go into a long wrapping up in towel routine, you may forewarn her! Can you not just hold her quickly and firmly somewhere she feels safe (bed/sleeping place), scruff her and quick quick open her mouth and down it goes? Whole process taking just a second or 2? (Easter weekend so first find an open chemist for your antibiotics! :Crazy:).
Or...scruff her and shoot the pill down with a pill shooter?
Hope it works and she's feeling stronger soon. :hug:
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Hoping Willow is better today :hug:
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I hope that Willow is feeling lots better today xxx
Big :hug: Mark xxx
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And another thing I forgot to mention to the vet is that Clapton is exhibiting Pica -
OMG....Think I have said this before, My Son had Pica when he was little !!!!!
He would eat towels, carpet, plastic, velcro...he was under the hospital for it.
Does Willows medication come in injectable form Mark ?
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How's Willow doing, Mark?
Pica is fairly common in cats I'm led to believe. What does the vet suggest?
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Just phoned the vet. They said she is much better than she was but they want to keep her on fluids for the rest of the day to see if she will perk up more. They said she has eaten a tiny amount - I said that is pretty normal for her. So I have to phone back around 3.30pm to see how she is.
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:hug: :hug: Waiting is sometimes the hardest part I think.
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Yep :(
Some pics I took last week. She isn't the prettiest cat but we love her :evillaugh: :Luv2:
Also some of Clapton the other day. You wouldn't believe how bad his skin is from the pics as they are mostly on the other side.
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She's just fine, bless her. :hug: Sending you both another hug, and hoping you get more positive news later.
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:hug: glad to hear that Mark, crikey Willow's face does remind of Schui :Luv2:
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All cats are pretty Mark ;D
I hope she will be able to come home today and will recover to her normal self :hug:
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The waiting is the horrible bit Mark, hopefully they'll say she's well enough to come home when you call again this afternoon :hug:
I think she's beautiful :Luv2: and Clapton is as gorgeous as ever too :Luv2:
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they are both utterly lovely, Mark. I hope Willow's home and you can all relax a bit really soon. :hug:
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I must get on with some cleaning as I have been worrying and procrastinating all day :Crazy:
Only 1.5 hours and I can phone again :evillaugh:
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Hope Willow is soon home with you and feeling a lot better,and they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and she is beautiful :Luv: Clapton is very handsome too :Luv2:
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:hug: Mark
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Just phoned the vets. The vet came to the phone himself and I was getting worried but he said she is a lot perkier now and is well hydrated. He also repeated that she hadn't eaten much. I can pick her up in a hour :Luv2: - I hope she isn't manic later and decides to have a long nap.
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So pleased she is coming home :hug: :hug:
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So pleased she is coming home :hug: :hug:
I'll second that :hug: :)
Give her a gentle cuddle from me :Luv2:
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I am glad Willow is coming home and feeling better. :hug:
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Just got her back. She is in the garden now. I'm quite surprised that she is having a really long drink :Crazy:
The vet has given me a 5 day course of Clavaseptin in case it was an infection that started "the episode" - with the tablets, that's another £70 :Crazy:
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;D yay great news :hug:
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I think Willow is beautiful and I'm glad she's home again :hug:
What would you have done with £70 anyway, eh? Spent it on tough meat? ;)
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What would you have done with £70 anyway, eh? Spent it on tough meat? ;)
True :Luv2:
We are back to normal. She just went and had a pee in the fireplace :tired:
She is a bit wobbly - I assume they give them a sedative when they are on a drip?
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Bless her I am pleased to hear she is home and feeling better - hope you can get her to eat something soon :hug:
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Missed this thread before - Im so glad Willow is OK - she is beautiful :Luv2: :hug: :hug: :hug: for you all and lets hope she keeps getting better :)
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She's gorgeous MArk :Luv:
Hope she regains her strength and feels better soon
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What would you have done with £70 anyway, eh? Spent it on tough meat? ;)
True :Luv2:
We are back to normal. She just went and had a pee in the fireplace :tired:
ahh :Luv: home sweet home eh?
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Oh Mark - she likes keeping you on your toes that one! :hug:
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Oh Mark - she likes keeping you on your toes that one! :hug:
More like on his knees! :evillaugh:
So glad Willow is home.... :Luv:
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We are back to normal. She just went and had a pee in the fireplace :tired:
Oh dear, and there will be so much more fluid to be 'peed' out now too :evillaugh:
Glad she's home :hug:
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Oh dear, and there will be so much more fluid to be 'peed' out now too :evillaugh:
Which will pee me off :evillaugh:
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Im glad you have her home again :hug:
They dont need to sedate cats having fluids unless they are very agitated, the way the line is taped in they can move around without anything tugging. If she was that weak then her wobbly legs is probably just her regaining her step again
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Glad she's home :)
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Glad she's back home, give her a gentle :care: from me and the boys
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Im glad you have her home again :hug:
They dont need to sedate cats having fluids unless they are very agitated, the way the line is taped in they can move around without anything tugging. If she was that weak then her wobbly legs is probably just her regaining her step again
It was self-sticking stuff. I tried to take it off her leg in the garden but she complained and struggled out of my arms and landed awkwardly - I had visions of taking her back with a broken leg but she was fine :)
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So glad she is home hunnie x
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Missed this thread yesterday, very pleased she is home and has christened the fireplace!
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I'm glad she's home ;D
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She is a bit wobbly - I assume they give them a sedative when they are on a drip?
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Aww i am glad she is home and back to normal.
Mark, you mentioned sedative, i have to take Phoebe to the vets soon because she is badly matted and she goes mad if i try to brush her. She has been with me for almost 2 years and always groomed herself but for some reason she has stopped doing it and now her fur is in a mess but i thought sedating cats with CRF damage their kidneys more?
I have to give her Xanax at home to be able to get her to carrier and there they have to sedate her to shave her, i am really concern about her coat but if sedation makes her kidneys worse then what is the right thing to do?
I am sorry to use Willows tread to post about Phoebe but i thought people are following this and might be able to advice me. Thankx
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Sorry to read Willow was unwell; she reminds me a lot of my beloved Lucia! Glad she's home with you, bet she's happier as well. Hope all goes well.
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Mark, so pleased that Willow is back home and hope she continues to feel better.
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Mark, you mentioned sedative, i have to take Phoebe to the vets soon because she is badly matted and she goes mad if i try to brush her.
I have to give her Xanax at home to be able to get her to carrier and there they have to sedate her to shave her, i am really concern about her coat but if sedation makes her kidneys worse then what is the right thing to do?
I am sorry to use Willows tread to post about Phoebe but i thought people are following this and might be able to advice me. Thankx
Pav, would you be able to use clippers on her or would she be just as bad as when you try to brush her? Just a thought. If the mats arent too big there are pet clippers you can get from PAH etc that you could maybe just do a bit at a time.
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This maybe a totally off the wall and wrong thing to do, and of course with Phoebe maybe also impossible. I dont know the effect on kidneys but bearing in mind Franta only has one, I was given a tube of valium* I think,,,,will chack in a minute to put up his tail end if he had another attack. I was told it was powerful enough to make him relax and be totally out of it so as to allow him to travel 25 mins in the car without having an attack.
Would something like this be possible........I havent had to try it so dont know how easy it is or what the reaction would be.
Just thought maybe a word with your vet to see what they think>
* its a 5mg diazapam rectul tube and that is the generic name for valium
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Sorry I missed this thread, glad to hear Willow is OK and back where she belongs.
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Thanks Gillian, i got clippers on line last year when i read one of your posts, i was going to use it on Mr Tramp the feral . Sadly with Phoebe it wont work. I can brush her from her head to tail but if my hand touch her any where else she lash out, after almost 2 years she now comes and sit on my lap and thats how i realized how bad her coat is :( In last few weeks i thought i try and use the brush and clipper and my hands are shredded now, i dont mind but i dont want to stress her because every time she sees the brush she goes for me and leaves. Its to do with her back ground, she doesnt like to be touched except her head, chin and back.
Thanks Gill but Diazapam is what i gave her twice before just to get her to carrier, but it was too strong and by the time i got her to vets and they gave her more sedation then it took her almost 2 days to get back to normal thats why they prescribed Xanax and thats to relax her enough to be picked up :( This is something that the vet has to deal with and they cant do it with out sedation, i some time wonder what people do to a cat to get her to this stage, she was returened by 2 previous owners describing her as aggressive and impossible to handle >:(
I am sure one day she will feel safe enough to let me brush her but not yet.
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Afraid I dont know Pav but this is just the same as Sasa, well Sasa is worse I suppose cos cant touch her at all :(
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I forgot that the VN said she clipped Willow's claws after she got scratched :evillaugh: - I still had a lot of trouble tonight. I wouldn't have minded so much if she got angry but she was mewling pathetically :( - OH says I will have to get used to doing it (to HIS cat) for her sake. I'm not sure that it is do-able though :( - She was spitting like mad. I managed to get the Clavaseptin and 1/2 the Fortekor down her - somehow the Fortekor broke in 1/2 and she spat 1/2 out)
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I had a thought this morning. The vet asked yesterday if Willow gets Furball paste but didn't elaborate. I occurred to me this morning when she was eating grass in the garden that every time she is sick, she is losing fluids so regular furball paste might stop her needing grass. Willow has always been a sicky cat which doesn't help.
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Glad she is home and still fighting you!!
Pav, the vets can give them fluids to help counteract a sedation, and I think if it is a one off, it would be worthwhile for her, as the mats will be painful. Your vet will be able to give better advice as they know her numbers
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I saw a video on youtube or videojug a while ago where they had what they called a kitty straight jacket but I think sedation would be kinder as a stressed cat not being able to moved would stress it out even more? - I know they have slings for dogs but they wouldn't work for cats as they would fight it.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3261+1992+1925+3159&pcatid=3159
I'm sure this would be really bad for a stressed cat.
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I had a thought this morning. The vet asked yesterday if Willow gets Furball paste but didn't elaborate. I occurred to me this morning when she was eating grass in the garden that every time she is sick, she is losing fluids so regular furball paste might stop her needing grass. Willow has always been a sicky cat which doesn't help.
Might be worth trying her on the De-furrum paste I use for Forest - he loves the taste of it and it is always the first thing he eats. He has it daily for his narrow pelvis and having to keep him "going". I get it from Petmeds.co.uk - have tried him with alot of the different hairball stuff but this is by the far his favourite. (Typical when it is the hardest one to get!!). If she really takes a liking to it like Forest you may even be able to hide tablets in it.
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Thanks Lesley, you saved me a job. I always used to buy them De-furrum but PAH stopped stocking it. The vet charges £12+ for a 20g tube of Katalax which is the nearest thing. Even online it is £7 ish - I have tried Sherley's etc but they don't like it. I was going to start searching for de-furrum :)
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If you go on to Sarah's (Madkittyrescue) website, Sunny Harbour, I know she has a link to Petmeds and I think she gets commission on it. :Luv2:
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Thanks Lesley :hug:
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I couldn't find the Petmeds link on Sarah's site but I found out that VatUK sell it so went through our branch link. I also ordered some Rubenal renal supplement to try on Willow & Clapton. I also ordered 40 syringes (5p each :) ) - I am going to try to syringe the Fortekor down her.
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She isn't doing too well and is really dopey again. OH asked me if she is dying (there have been a lot of recriminations re Kylie upsetting her and saying it is since we moved here which is all my fault apparently :tired: ) I explained about increased creatine with Fortekor and also it could be the ABs - I am taking her to bed with me and will see how she is in the morning. She has barely eaten since I got back yesterday.
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Oh dear Mark, I am sorry that she is not eating and hope that she will eat a bit tomorrow :hug: :hug:
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Sending lots of positive vibes to Willow~~~~hope she picks up soon! :Luv: :hug: :hug:
:hug: to Dennis and yourself! :hug:
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I haven't seen her eat yet but she was lake a spring lamb when she woke me up around 5am :tired: - still I can't complain :Luv2:
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Hope she starts to eat but am glad to hear she is bouncy :hug:
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Fingers crossed she eats today - at least vets will be open today.
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Her whole demeanour is different. She is back to her wanting in or out every 2 minutes and back to trotting, tail up :Luv2: - I am assuming she at something in the night. She isn't like most cats that want their breakfast. She just grazes 24/7 so hopefully I will see her eat. I want to go out today but OH thinks we should keep an eye on her. Maybe we will just stay in town so will only be out a couple of hours or so and go out tomorrow if she is OK today. I am really looking forward to giving her an AB in a minute :scared:
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That's good news, Mark. Today's not much of a day for an excursion anyway - the weather might be better tomorrow.
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Sorry I missed all this - I hope she continues to pick up. :hug:
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sounds good Mark. Hope your fingers survived giving the abs!
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I erred on the cautious side and ground it in a bit of furball paste :evillaugh: - they don't grind very well but she licked it straight off her paw no problem. I checked online that Clavaseptin was palatable first. I would hate to make her lick off something vile.
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Glad to hear your fingers survived the ABs. I used to dread giving Henry his meds as it was always a fight til I started hiding it in cheese spread (for a while I hid it in prawns but that got expensive really fast). He wouldn't lick any paste off his paw either, I caught him wiping it on the ocuch to get it off!
Hope she continues to pick up.
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She has picked up quite a bit this afternoon and evening. Partly due to eating a fair bit I think -
unfortunately regular Whiskas chicken in gravy out of a tin - what can you do? :Crazy: - not ideal food but better she eats that than doesn't eat low phos food? - SHe is eating more as I type :Luv2:
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:hug: :hug: :hug:
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Pleased she is eating and when Kocka was very ill she loved the gravy off whiskers pouches :hug: :hug:
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Pleased Willow is feeling a bit better today, Mark
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I have been very naughty today - although she is meant to be on low phosphorus food, we got a 6 tin pack of whiskas in gravy and a 24 pack of Whiskas pouches in gravy as it is so good to see her eat. She really gave us a scare. It's hard to discuss with OH as when I mention any facts about CRF, he won't listen and says I am a bearer of bad news :tired:
I was trying to keep calm when she was lying there have contractions dribbling wee.
I thought we might be losing her while trying to keep calm and convince OH she was fine :Crazy: