And then there were four

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Ruth B
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Re: And then there were four

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I think my problem is my instinct is telling me there is something wrong with her, more so than just old age, and the rational part of my mind is trying very hard to see if I can work out what my instinct is picking up. It probably doesn't help that the blood results were very similar to what my Mum's were about Christmas time.

After seeming low and tired on Tuesday, Stroppy was very much alive yesterday. Plodding around the house, demanding i open the back door for her rather than using the cat flap, and then wolfed her way down a quarter tin of tuna at tea time, we even had to shut the lounge door so she could finish it at her pace and stop Saturn pinching it, he likes tuna too, no surprise. This morning all the Gourmet Gold pate that was put down for supper had gone and she was tucking in well to a bowl of Felix, before settling down to some well earned snoozing on the draft excluder (our draft excluder is made from a piece of old quilting I had that got sewn together and forms a mat about 2 1/2' x 12", perfect size for a cat to lounge on).

Whatever happens tomorrow happens, I agreed to take her back after a month for a follow up and if the steroid does seem to have worked then she can have another and if that is what she needs each month to help her keep going then that is what i'll do. If her weigh has dropped further or the vet finds something conclusive then I will make whatever decision is best for her, I just don't want her to reach a point where she is literally staving to death even though she is eating well if her body can't utilize the food she takes in.
alanc
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Re: And then there were four

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When my old girl Honey started to have problems digesting her food, my vet recommended kitten food. It kept Honey going for several months.
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Kay
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Re: And then there were four

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is it possible she's developed a food intolerance? for the past 4 months everything 16 year old Tiffany ate passed through her, and came out the other end in copious amounts of pale soft poo - and she was losing weight - but in every other respect was a healthy happy cat

blood tests all were in normal range, so I tried restricting her food, and I'm pretty sure now she is intolerant to chicken and lamb - as chicken is in so many cat foods - and probably in the ubiquitous 'meat and meat derivatives', she is living happily now on pure tuna cat food and JWB senior Turkey or Fish cat biscuits, and the difference in her litter leavings is huge

| know regular tuna is not recommended, although that seems to apply more to human tuna than the sort with additives for cats, and I can't find any research which suggests cat formula tuna has caused major problems, so if that is what it takes for her digestion to work properly, so be it

and you did say Stroppy is fond of tuna .................... I buy the big tins of tuna and aloe from Porta21 from Zooplus, by the way
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Re: And then there were four

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Typical that they rally when you start thinking about these decisions! I'm surprised about the monthly steroids though, my vet wouldn't use long acting ones for long term, it was tablets.

Kay - they can develop yellow fat disease by eating too much cat tuna, although as you are also feeding dry, it should be OK, as the minerals lacking by only feeding tuna (i.e. not enough taurine) would be given by the dry instead. Not sure if mercury poisoning will be an issue with cat tuna though.
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Re: And then there were four

Post by alanc »

If it is regular wet cat food tuna (such as Thrive) sold as a complete cat food then the taurine should have been added, anyway.
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Ruth B
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Re: And then there were four

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It could be the vet meant to try the long acting ones a couple of times to see if they worked and if they do to go onto tablets, as long as I can make sure that Stroppy gets them it I would be happy enough with that, although I would have to be careful, I don't want to imagine a Saturn on Steroids, he's big enough as it is.

Stroppy is a fussy eater, but not as bad as I thought she might be, she just used to play my Mum up I think. She definitely prefers the fish to the meat options which is why I decided to try the tuna, i doubt a quarter tin once or twice a week will harm her at this stage in life. I can't give one cat something like that and not the others it doesn't seem fair, hence the tin gets split between them.

I don't think it's a food intolerance, although I won't rule it out, her stools used to be hard nuggets, it's only in the last couple of weeks have they turned softer, but they are nowhere near being diarrhea yet, I guess I noticed them as the vet seemed to say that the looser she was the more chance of there being something major wrong in the digestive tract.

I'm also wondering if i'm proxying other problems on to her. It's been a rough few years, first Dad dying, then being made redundant, then all the fuss with the garden, when that was just being sorted my Mum started to deteriorate and Stroppy sister, Tufty's diabetes went out of control and she had to be put to sleep, then all the problems with Mum in hospital and her having to move to a nursing home, before she finally passed away, so I was back dealing with the solicitor and her will and then trying to sort out the house to sell it, which is where we are at at the moment, a buyer has been found, but we are still waiting for the Grant of Probate to come through and having to get the house emptied ready for the exchange of contracts and completion. It's been none stop for the last two and a half years, and I'm sure Stroppy is picking up on my stress and exhaustion, and maybe she is becoming the focus of it for me, which is why I know i have to listen to the vet tomorrow and not necessarily what I feel.
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Kay
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Re: And then there were four

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alanc wrote:If it is regular wet cat food tuna (such as Thrive) sold as a complete cat food then the taurine should have been added, anyway.
196mg of taurine is added to a 400gms tin, and she eats about 200gms a day, so I don't think lack of taurine is going to be a problem - with just about every other food going straight through her she's more likely to lack minerals that way, I would have thought

mercury poisoning I shall have to cross my fingers about
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Re: And then there were four

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That is a good point Ruth, at least you are aware and taking vet advice.

That's good Kay, I thought porta was a complimentary food
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Kay
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Re: And then there were four

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booktigger wrote:That is a good point Ruth, at least you are aware and taking vet advice.

That's good Kay, I thought porta was a complimentary food
it is but most of the better quality complimentary foods have necessary addtivies, which is why a distinction is drawn between tuna for cats, and tuna for humans - thank god for Zooplus where this sort of info can be found so easily

I do think with elderly cats who are fading away they are more likely than younger ones to show when they've had enough - but like people their wants are very few and their level of what constitutes a quality life is reduced, so each has to be judged individually
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Re: And then there were four

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I have come to the conclusion that they are in a conspiracy to play on my nerves at the moment.

Tiggy seems to have caught a cold, she has been a bit snotty the last couple of days and I noticed her breathing sounded rough at times this morning. She wasn't bothered about breakfast and is just wanting to sleep on the bed. I want to give her a couple of days to see if it clears up on its own after all if it is just a cold antibiotics won't help, but if Freyja gives me the slip this afternoon Tiggy might just find herself in the other carrier instead.
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Re: And then there were four

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The conspiracy mounts.

Tiggy has spent all day on the bed not bothering with food, but coming over to sit on my knee whenever I sat on the bed. She's snuffly, spluttery, shaking her head at times and her purr sounds a bit gurgley to me. So I ring the vets and change the appointment to Tiggy plus which ever of the others I get, Freyja if possible, if not Stroppy, and once I know whether Tiggy will need a follow up next week I'll book for her plus which ever doesn't go tonight.

I then go into the bedroom to check on Tiggy, Freyja is curled up on the bed in the perfect spot for me to have a chance at picking her up, Tiggy has vanished. A quick check around the rest of the house and garden and no sign of her. She is probably under the bed or in the wardrobe, but if I try and look it will panic Freyja and I'll lose any chance I have of getting her.

So now I have to wait until I can try to get Freyja boxed, then try and hunt down Tiggy. I've still got to get the second box out of the cupboard, but when I thought I was taking Stroppy and possibly Freyja it wasn't worth getting out until last minute if I needed it, now I'll have to leave it until i have or don't have Freyja, then hope Tiggy doesn't suddenly improve to do a runner when I start getting it out.

Cats, who'd have them.
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Ruth B
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Re: And then there were four

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Success, Freyja has had her boosters, and Stroppy has had a reprieve until Tuesday, although the way she has been the last few days you wouldn't think there was anything wrong with her.

I managed to get Freyja in the carrier about 4.30, my OH was expected back at about 4.50 and the appointment was for 5.30 so a bit earlier than I would have liked but she was relaxed on the bed and in the perfect place to get hold of her.

Once she was in the box Tiggy came out from under the bed so I ignored her for a bit while I got the other carrier out and took it downstairs. About quarter to five, I picked up Tiggy and took her downstairs and put her in her carrier, she was rather put out about it and made a fairly instant recovery, as expected.

The vet was excellent giving Freyja her examination in the carrier and the booster shots, she was weighed while in the carrier and then we managed a switch while my OH held Tiggy and I quickly transferred Freyja to the now empty carrier so her carrier could be weighed to work out her weight. Freyja spent most of the visit in that hunkered down, wide eyed mode they develop when scared.

Tiggy showed none of the symptoms I had seen earlier but there did seem to be a bit of a discharge from her nose so she has had an antibiotic injection and is booked for a follow up on Tuesday. She never seemed too bad but being the Friday before a bank holiday I decide it was worth getting her checked out rather than ending up at the emergency vets later on.

We get home and let them out in the lounge, Stroppy comes over to see what is going on and gets a mouthful from Tiggy, Freyja makes a bolt for the door and the catflap and gets a mouthful from both Tiggy and Stroppy, Saturn mean while is tucking into Stroppy's bowl of crunchies oblivious to it all. Fortunately everything had settled down by the time we had the carriers put away and got tea ready, even Freyja was back in waiting for her tea, not spending the night in the rain at the bottom of the garden.

Tiggy and Stroppy are now both booked in for Tuesday night for follow ups.

As always I promise myself that I will work with Freyja and try and make it less stressful next year, one year I might even do it.
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Re: And then there were four

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Glad you got Freyja there!
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Re: And then there were four

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Great to hear about your success. Getting two cats into carriers for vet visits is one of the few things I do not miss since Badgers passing!
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Ruth B
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Re: And then there were four

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Most are easy to get into the carriers, I use the top loading cage style of carrier which is so much easier than the plastic front loaders I had at one point. Also if it's a routine appointment I get them out about 3 days before the appointment so the moment of panic can pass.

When I phoned today the vet could have fitted all three in but I've only two carriers I decided one cat could wait, I gave my Mum's away, and there is no way I would try and fit two cats in one carrier even though one carrier is on the large size, it's great for big cats like Blue and Saturn, but even Tiggy looks lost in it, the smaller carrier will actually fit inside it for storage (I said we gave my Mum's two carriers away, not quite true, one of hers and one of mine went as one of hers fitted inside my big one).
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Re: And then there were four

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I also have one of the top loading variety, but it can still be tricky with Maine Coon size cats. Several times I have not got the lid on quick enough! I did have some of those plastic affairs but have got rid of them after one broke and I very nearly lost Tilly. My back up carrier is a venerable wicker basket with steel front grill - now nearly 38 years old but far sturdier than the plastic things and having a large front opening quite easy to get a cat into (not so easy to get them out off at the other end, however).
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Re: And then there were four

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OMG It's sod's law, isn't it, as if you weren't in overload already?

Reminds me of my very favourite Dorothy Parker quote - 'what fresh hell is this?'

At least Freyja's sorted! Congrats!

DP also said - 'candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker' ... hope you're relaxing with a bevvy or two now.

With very best wishes for Stroppy and Tiggy on Tuesday x
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Re: And then there were four

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Think you have mixed the poets up there, Lilith - Candy is dandy was by Ogden Nash (it was the title of a collection of his poems that i have).
Anyway, here's hoping that the kitties resolve to lower Ruth's stress levels in future.
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Re: And then there were four

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AAAAHHHH! Sorry Ogden!

Ohhh dear ... Mind you DP COULD have said it - seems like she was fond of a bevvy herself - aren't we all? :lol:

Ogden Nash is brilliant too :D
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Ruth B
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Re: And then there were four

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I have fairly rarefied tastes when it comes to alcohol, mead. or a good farmhouse cider, the type that tastes more like apple juice, is totally flat and cloudy and after less then half a pint sends you reeling. I do occasionally fall back on a bad habit I picked in my younger days while on skiing holidays, hot chocolate with a splash of brandy in it, perfect for those cold frosty or snowy evenings. I did pick up a small bottle of Herefordshire Cider Brandy from the Bulmers shop a few years ago and that is still half full. I probably drink less in a year than the weekly recommended maximum.

I found out just how wound up I had got over Freyja when during the night I had two asthma attacks, it really isn't funny waking up gasping for air. I've noticed I tend to have them most when when the stress is gone, it's like my body relaxes too much which closes the throat up I have to convince it that breathing really isn't an optional extra.

Tiggy seems much better this morning, she was down for breakfast and is now curled up on the bed, yesterday she didn't curl up but had a really odd, elongated loaf position with her head held slightly high. I'm not sure what they put in that injection, but i'm sure it is more than just antibiotics, and next time i have a cold could they give me one as well.

Freyja isn't too bad this morning, she is around but staying out of arm's reach, which is to be expected. She was about demanding fuss last night, but then would stay just at finger tip range. She will come around soon enough I'm sure.
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Re: And then there were four

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Sorry you had two asthma attacks, hope you can take it easy this weekend.
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Re: And then there were four

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I had an easy day yesterday, and an easy day today, I even slept in till about half past nine, which is unheard of for me, I'm normally wide away at seven o'clock. Tomorrow however is booked for more house clearing. An early start and a day spent going through more stuff. Most stuff is now hidden away in draws and cupboards as the agents photographer is due on Tuesday (my sister is staying down an extra day) just in case the sale falls through. A buyer has been found, offers made and accepted and their surveyor has had a quick look round and deemed it all ok, they are a cash buyer so the surveyor was just to make sure there were no glaring problems so less of a problem than it might have been. It is all down to waiting for the solicitors to sort it out, and for the actual Grant of Probate to come through. While it will be a wrench when it is all over, i will be glad now when it is.

Asthma attacks are something I'm used to and 90% of the time mine happen at night, normally after a particularly stressful day. i make sure i have an inhaler by the bed and a spare on the shelf in the bathroom (one also lives in my coat pocket or bag pocket, but doesn't get used anywhere near as much). One of the hardest things is not panicking when they happen, once I've used the inhaler it normally clears very quickly. Even my doctor agrees that it doesn't matte if I have three or four on the go at once as long as I always have one to hand when i need it.
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Re: And then there were four

Post by Ruth B »

So once more I am back down to three cats.

Good night little Stroppy hopefully you will settle better where you are now than you did with me, like Mum in the nursing home you never quite managed to fit in.
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