Possible X-ray because my cat isn't responding to metacam

[Nettybags]

My cat kitty is very wobbly on her back right leg I took her to the vet this morning ..not one I have seen before . He gave her a stronger painkiller and wants her back to be sedated tomorrow for X-ray . Said that she should of responded to metacam she's been on a dose for 3 days . ..
My kitty has arthritis in her legs and is an indoor cat that is only used to me and hubby so as soon as she sees someone new let alone have someone touch her she growls and hissies .. Our normal vet knows how grumpy she is when with strangers .
When we were in the vets he put her on floor she walked from one side of the room to the other ., now at home she walks abit then sits down . I've put everything close by so she doesn't too do too much .
Still eating and drinking .. Just sleeping next to me while I write this .
I'm really worried about her has anyone else had a cat with similar problem ?

[bobbys girl]

My Willow is also a grumpy cat and a terror to take to the vets. She has recently developed arthritis in her left shoulder. The vet listened to the symptoms I described, watched her walk across the floor and wasn't at all fazed when she disappeared behind his computer.

He prescribed metacam drops and told me to either 'phone him or bring her in after a week. He didn't want to leap straight into an X-ray or further tests that would stress-out my 'little princess'. That was over 2 weeks ago. It seems to be helping. It took a few days, but now she just limps when she first gets up (I know how she feels). She does seem better if she has a little walk around and worse if she sits for too long. I don't know what the future holds, but she seems OK at the moment.

I hope you can get your kitty's problem sorted without too much stress for her, poor lass.

[Kay]

when you say she sits after a short walk, does she sit normally, on her haunches, or with her wobbly leg splayed out?

[Nettybags]

When she walks for a bit then sits with legs out a little but normally goes in to a laying position ( which she normally does ) she's a cat that likes to lay down of sit back against cushion like a human . Paws resting on tummy ? Does splay right leg out but also lays on it sometimes . She lets me rub it
Thank you all for your advice and help x

[Kay]

I'd go for the xray - sitting with lower body to the side can be a sign of damage to the achilles tendon, or similar tendon injury

my Trigger is suffering with this at the moment, although sadly in his case the tendon damage has been caused by a mass growing around his tendons, rather than a trauma as such

[MarkB]

We had always assumed Alice had arthritis in her hips/legs. She used to walk like that and sit/lie down for a rest. I changed vets towards the end (she died from something unrelated) my new vet said he had a feeling it was in her spine. We didn't get as far as doing spinal x-rays dealing with her kidney problems. When Alice was lying in her bed, I would start at the top of her spine and work my way down, gently pinching between 4 fingers and the ball of my thumb (if that makes sense) - she would purr and it seemed to help her. I don't know why I started doing it, but I did it all the time for her. Her back was arched downwards when we adopted her. She was already 10/11 then, so 16/17 when we lost her.

[Nettybags]

I'm sorry to hear that .. I hope the can do something to help Trigger ? . Love the name !
I feel sorry for kitty she used to be so quiet and stay under the bed most of the time then in summer months she got really active almost like a real cat even lost abit of weight through being active . Now her back leg hurts she's back to hardly moving .. Except for food .
I've never left her at vets before so struggling with the thought of it .

[Nettybags]

Kitty is a little podgy .. Not so much now .
Our vet diagnosed the arthritis in her back legs but like Alice used to she loves a massage .
I have to keep an eye on her weight as it makes it worse .

I really appreciate all your advice and help ... Love my babies so much ..

[Nettybags]

Some good news , we saw our normal vet she said there was no need to rush X-ray she is confident it's a sprain and with strong medications , rest , ice the sprain should heal .
I'm so happy I didn't have to put her through too much .
Would like to say a massive thank you to you all for your help . Xxx

No the fun bit getting her to take a pill !!!

[sarie]

Depending on how well she's eating and how much she likes her food..

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Really pleased to hear she's avoided x-rays, hopefully she'll be on the mend in no time with a bit of rest and medication

[Nettybags]

Giving kitty her pain relief is proving awful .. Metacam fine added to food . Tramodol a nightmare ! Got a pill shooter it goes down but she froths at mouth really upsetting to see . Is that normal ?
As a pain relief it must be working as she's moving around more practically runs after pill and if looks could kill !!
Called vet she said to try to persist as painkiller is best she can have .

Annette and a very cross kitty !

[MarkB]

I think any bitter pills can make them froth at the mouth. Drontal wormers are famous for it. It really is a case of 'cruel to be kind' - I know some cats are hard to pill. Thankfully Lazarus isn't as I have to give him 4 tablets every day (as well as hormone drops up his nose twice a day)

[sarie]

As Mark says, frothing at the mouth is pretty common when giving cats bitter pills - the Tramodol is clearly a bitter one. I have to give my cat Harvey "Plavix" daily and this is renowned for being bitter and causing foaming at the mouth and he's also ridiculously bad for pilling.

If she's just taking the pills for a short period of time then it may not be worth the hassle to come up with a proper solution - I've had to solve the problem as Harvey has to have his tablets daily.
However, for future reference here are a few options:

1. Pill Pockets - you can get these on Amazon and they're a treat with a hole in the middle. You tuck the tablet inside and pinch the pocket closed. Try to keep the pocket as small as possible to prevent the cat from chewing on it and discovering the pill. Lots of people swear by these but my cat Harvey had no interest in the pill pockets, even without a tablet in them. My other cat loves them, shame he's not the one who takes daily tablets lol.
2. Gel Caps - you can order gel caps online. They come in various sizes with #1 being the smallest. #1 through to #4 are the most commonly used for cats depending on the size of the tablet being given. These are great for hiding the taste of tablets, especially bitter ones. You can either get a gel cap of the correct size and put the whole tablet inside it or if the tablet isn't a time released one you can break it up into small pieces or grind it up to fit it into the gel cap. You can then give it to your cat hidden in a treat or using a pill popper but this will prevent foaming and as the cat can't taste it then they're less likely to resist.
3. Crush medication - You can only do this if the tablet isn't a time released one, check with your vet if you're unsure. If it's OK to crush then crush the medication to a powder. You can then attempt mixing it with a strong tasting food but often cats will taste the powder in the food and turn their nose up. If your cat does this then you can try 4.
4. Crush medication and create a liquid - You'll also need a disposable 5ml syringe (without needle). As above, only do this if the tablet isn't a time released one. Crush the medication into a powder and mix it with a little water to dissolve it. If the tablet is a bitter kind then mix in a little honey. Cats can't taste sweet but it neutralises the bitter taste. Mix this in with a strong tasting liquid - for example tuna water (must not be from brine!) or you can try chicken flavoured baby food - the liquid kind for very young babies. Make sure the consistency is liquid enough to work in a syringe - if it's not then add a little more water until it is. Put it all in a syringe and feed it directly into your cats mouth. Hopefully it'll be tasty enough that they won't resist but if they do then just gently hold them and push the syringe into their mouth. They'll instinctively start to chew on the end of the syringe - as they do this gently push the plunger so they start to take in the liquid until it's all gone. Be careful not to go too fast as they can only swallow so quickly - if you make them gag they'll just spit it everywhere and you'll lose half the medication, plus it's not very nice for them!
5. Hide tablets in other foods/treats - As with the pill pockets, if your cat has a particular kind of treat or food they really like you may be able to hide the pill in a small piece of this. Lots of cats will just eat around the pill and spit it back out - the key is to make sure the piece of food/treat you give them is small enough that they don't have to chew much as they're much less likely to discover the pill this way. Try to choose foods with a firmer consistency that will stick to the pill - a pill will be far more obvious when wrapped in something soft like a piece of sliced ham than when wedged into a harder piece of something like cheddar cheese. Anything your cat really loves is worth a try though. I had a lot of success hiding pills in small pieces of raw chicken as it's quite dense and my cats go nuts for it. Unfortunately it wasn't economical as a long term solution for daily medication!
6. Pill popper - if all else fails, try a pill popper. Combined with gel caps this can be fairly quick and painless if done properly. My cat won't tolerate a pill popper unfortunately though but some will take it better than others! If pills often get lodged in your cat's throat and they struggle to swallow you can try coating the pill with a tiny bit of butter before you administer it as this helps it to go down more easily.

I've had no luck at all forcing my cat to take pills, he's just a total nightmare. Pill poppers and forcing techniques are complete no-gos with him. I break his pills up into small pieces and melt Goodgirl Catnip drops into a paste then create "tablet-treats" by coating his pills in the catnip paste and leaving it to harden. This works well for him as he's always been obsessed with the Goodgirl Catnip drops. I never thought I'd see the day I tricked him into taking a pill but persistence paid off! There's a different solution for every kitty so all of the above are worth a try, depending on what your cat is like
Even if your cat only has to take pills occasionally for illness or injury (or worming) it's still worth finding a good long term solution to pilling for each individual cat as that way it remains a stress free experience whenever the need arises. I wish I'd tried this stuff years ago as I've had so many fights with mine for worming and antibiotics over the years!

Good luck with Kitty

[Nettybags]

It's 4am and I left kitty with vet an hour ago .. Her sprained leg was on the mend but giving her tramodol was a problem but did it . I gave her tramodol at 8 pm she ran to bed as normal but then when she got up I noticed her breathing was laboured .
I called vet put kitty on phone ( yes I'm mad ) and I took her straight in . Vet xrayed her while I waited has some inflammation on lung , they kept her gave her steroids and put her in oxygen tent ..
Didn't get any answers , could be irratiation from pills being forced down , could be reaction from drugs ...could be underlying problem ?? She has had full bloods in July and two check ups both listening to chest in the past week ...
Sorry for long post but don't want anything to happen to her she's only 10.5 and never been ill was in great health until sprained ankle ...other then a bit of arthritis ..
Only 3.5 hours till I talk vet ...just want my baby home ..

Has anyone else had a problem so quick ?

[Crewella]

No experience, I'm afraid, but I hope she's OK. All paws here crossed for her. (((hugs)))

[Nettybags]

Spoke to normal vet today . Kitty's not inside oxygen tent and her breathing has improved a tiny bit .
She has an infection in her lungs they have started her on steroids , dirutic , anti inflammatory and a course of antibiotics ...
They offered to send her for camera down the throat but it's so far away and I don't want to stress her out too much ?? We agreed to do that if she got worse

Please someone tell me they've had experience with lung infections ??

[MarkB]

I hope Kitty continues to improve. Sorry I don't have any experience with lung infections.

[Nettybags]

Been for another visit and she's improving slowly . I took her the blanket from home and she got straight on it .. Her meow is still a little weak but vet said if she stays the same tonight I can bring her home tomorrow . So they must be happy with her .
She is giving the vet and nurses looks that basically mean get lost just not so polite ..
I'm hoping once she is home and in her own environment she will improve more .
Kitty only mixes with me and hubby ,when guests visits she goes under the bed .
Kitty loves her family and that's enough for her .


Can't thank you enough for just being here to chat too . X

[bobbys girl]

Hope she continues to improve and is able to come home tomorrow.

[Crewella]

I don't have experience of lung infections, but Daz did have bronchitis a couple of years back - at least you can give them antibiotics and that should do the trick. It certainly worked with Daz.

Glad to hear she's doing better, and hope she can come home soon. xx

[Nettybags]

My baby is home !!!
She came home at 10 am been asleep on duvet on living room covered with blanket . Just looking up every now and then to see if we are here . I have put litter tray and food in living room so she doesn't have to move round too much . She still has the sprain in her leg and breathing a little heavy .
She has drank loads of water and had a tiny bit of chicken .. Nurse at vet said she has not had any food or water since I took her in at 2 am Friday morning . Wondering if she even slept ?
Kitty has never been away from home in all her life and only really likes me and hubby . She will tolerate a few family members but to be honest normally hides when people visit .
How long did Daz take to recover from bronchitis ?
Looks like I'm going to be sleeping on sofa so I can keep an eye on her ..
Check up on Monday
Must learn how to put up photos !!

Thank you all again

[MarkB]

That's great news

She really needs to get some decent food in her now. No doubt you will be tempting her with her favourites

[Nettybags]

Like a cat resturant lol .. Tuna , roast chicken her wet food .... She's nibbled at a tiny bit of chicken ..
Do you think it's possible she has a sore throat ?

[Crewella]

I guess it's possible she has a sore throat, but it could just be that she feels rotten because of the infection. When I try to tempt mine to eat, hand feeding warmed chicken is the thing that usually does the trick for me, or tuna. Warming it does seem to help.

Daz took about a week to get through the worst of his bronchitis.

I hope you do manage to tempt her. xx

[MarkB]

I think it is more likely that it will take a while for her appetite to build up. I don't know if it is a myth about stomachs shrinking when we don't eat, but I had to fast for 30 hours On Weds/Thurs this week for a medical procedure. I was starving when I came round and thought I could eat a huge meal - but struggled to eat 1/2 a sandwich (not like me! ) - so I guess it is the same for cats.

[bobbys girl]

Pleased to hear that Kitty is home. Perhaps now she is warm and settled back with her family she will get her appetite back. Fusses to her.

I hope everything is OK with you too Mark!

[MarkB]

Hoping that Kitty is on the mend now and eating more

(PS - I'm fine - it is my yearly preventative - zapping anything precancerous )

[Nettybags]

Good that your okay Mark and thank you all for taking time to help us .
Kitty ended up back at vets today she had abit of a coughing / sort of trying to throw up something ?? She was ok after so vet said bring her along and gave her something to help airways and another injection of antibiotic .. He then said the injectable antibiotics aren't as tablet form ? And heart was a little muffled ?
She's breathing like a 30 a day smoker but has eaten a bit of chicken drinking lots and licking all the juice off wet food . Since we have been home she's had another cough thing but settled easier .
She's now fast asleep with her head on pillow

Thank you again and best of luck to you Mark xx

[Crewella]

Poor Kitty, she's really going through it, isn't she. The antibiotics should start to kick in in a couple of days and at least she's drinking enough and has had a good sleep. You just need to keep trying to tempt her to eat to get her through this until she feels a bit better. Give her a gentle fuss from me. xx

**Glad you're OK too, Mark. xx

[Nettybags]

We took kitty back to vet yesterday she said kitty is improving slowly . She was given an antibiotic injection and I have to take her back next week for chest xray . Her chest was not as crackly as before . So that must mean that the antibiotics are working ?

Please keeps paws and fingers crossed !

Thank you all for your support and advice it really has helped !!

Netty & Kitty x