When Erin isn't happy

[bmccasland]

I think we need a "fURRY BeAST" category, but I digress...

Anyway, when Erin the cat isn't happy, NO ONE is happy. She's sick, again, down to 5.6 pounds. Had her at the vet on monday. So she's home on antibiotics and an antihistimine with a side effect of triggering her appetite. I think it has another side effect - that of making her anxious. For a cat that's usually quiet, she's been wandering around crying for hours. Should I mention that her crying is weak and pathetic, with some nasal congestion thrown in? Won't settle down in my lap (her edits with the cap lock on the first line). At least *I* get a break. Tomorrow I'm off to Lowell, MA for a conference and all the kitties (3) will board at the Vet's. She'll be through with the antihistimine by the time I get back.

I sure wish someone would figure out why she has chronic sinusitis, and fix it once and for all. She's not sick enough to be put to sleep, but she does have me worrying.

[sgtiger]

I'm sorry Erin is not feeling well. Hopefully the antibiotics will help clear out the nasty buggies in her system. It's not easy when our babies are sick, furred or otherwise.
[[[[[[bmccasland+Erin]]]]]]

[salsabike]

She sounds so little--5.6 lbs. isn't much for a cat. But at least she's in a reasonably safe place for the next three days.

When you get back, if you can you might want to look into getting a specialist. E.g., we have an emergency animal hospital here with specialists in internal med, gastro, and cancer. They found a solution to a problem one of our cats had that almost killed her. So just a thought...maybe you can ask your vet if he/she knows some specialists.

[bmccasland]

She sounds so little--5.6 lbs. isn't much for a cat. But at least she's in a reasonably safe place for the next three days.

When you get back, if you can you might want to look into getting a specialist. E.g., we have an emergency animal hospital here with specialists in internal med, gastro, and cancer. They found a solution to a problem one of our cats had that almost killed her. So just a thought...maybe you can ask your vet if he/she knows some specialists.

One of her vets is an internal medicine specialist. So far Dr.M hasn't wanted to send her up to LSU Vet school. Chronic sinusitis is a problem with some kitties, and Erin is one of them.

Thanks for the warm thoughts, Erin likes to be warm.

[salsabike]

Poor little cookie.

Our 17 year old cat (speaking of warm) with kidney disease spends most of her time in her heated round bed. I want one of those.

[Zen]

I know how cranky sinus infections make me, at least I can sleep sitting up. poor thing.

[crazycanuck]

BMC..(((((kitty)))

Poor kitty :)

C

[elk]

what does she eat?

Have you tried changing her food? Sinusitis is inflammation which can be triggered by allergy... GENERALLY, allopathic vets and specialists don't (the pet food companies give lots of money to vet schools...) give enough attention to diet.

If she's eating a cat food with grains/preservatives etc, it can certainly affect her.

There are some excellent new foods on the market you might want to just TRY...They have made huge differences for lots and lots of animals...

If you have a "natural" pet food store near you, pay them a visit. Since the whole wheat gluten tragedy...shops which sell the better foods (NOT Iams and science Diet) have been popping up all over the place...

I used to only make the food my dogs eat...and for the first time in 16 years, I've been adding a kibble to their diet, because it's just so good!!
(It's called Orijen and they make cat food too)
http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/products/cat.aspx

(i have no financial interest in any of this...;-))

poor kitty....hope you all get resolution soon!
elk

[makbike]

First, have they cultured the drainage from her nose? Second, have they drawn blood and tested her thyroid levels? Cats with hyperthyroidism will become very vocal, lose weight, may develop diarrhea and vomiting, are unsettled, etc. Finally, have they taken xrays of her head/face to make sure there are no foreign bodies in her sinus cavities?

Keep us posted and good luck.

[bmccasland]

Elk - I'll see what Whole Foods has, that's about my only option. Will also check the web link. Heck, I'm willing to try just about anything. Better food costs less than vet bills....

Matbike - most recently she did have a blood draw, when she first was sick (both ends) two months ago, and x-rays. Thyroid leves were normal, WBC was high, but on a subsequent blood draw two weeks later it was coming down. Noting on x-ray. She has had a nasal lavage in the past. The best she ever got was after a round of azythromycin (2 x daily, 30 days, fortunately tuna flavored).

I think part of her irritability was hunger. Little piglet snarfed down a large serving of canned (from WF) cat food this morning. For some reason she has trouble eating kibble. Last night I locked her in a spare bedroom with a little box, food (kibble), and water. She ate about 1/2 cup, with a lot spread on the floor.

Well, I need my morning coffee. Then get dressed and off to the Vet.

Y'all have fun, and be safe out there while I'm gone!

[sbctwin]

Hugs to Erin and bmccasland. I hope you have a safe trip.

[Thorn]

Poor thing...

Just wanted to pop in and second Elk's comments. My girl cat has always been the allergy cat. Her weight dropped down low and I thought she was headed out. The vet tossed up her hands. Figuring that she was old, and probably dying, I switched out her food from the "healthy" stuff to the rich stuff (hey, if it was me, that's what I would want :D ). Surprise of all surprises, she has perked up and is now a healthy, bouncing troublemaking 13 year old cat.

Changing the food is easy...and if they really like the new stuff, you feel a little less awful when they cry.

Good luck with the fur kid.

[LBTC]

{{{{{BMC}}}}} and {{{{{{{Erin}}}}}}

sending healing, happy, calm butterflies to you both. I hope Erin gets to feeling herself way soon!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

We had 3 cats get kidney failure, one after another, on various foods.
Then I switched them all to Paul Newman's Organic dry cat food, and they are thriving. PN's has no wheat, no "meat by-products" (made from diseased or dead animals arriving at the slaughterhouse) and only organic vegetbles- so no pesticides.
Our one cat Lydia that was a large cat but only 6.5 pounds and skeletal an dragging around miserably is now 6 months later sleek and sassy and shiny and happy and bouncy. They love the food, and it smells so good when I open the bag, like fresh roast chicken.

[ibcycling]

Warm thought for your kitty. Hopefully the change in food will help her. Cats are better designed to eat wet food than they are kibble. Their sharp little teeth are made for tearing soft stuff, not crunching hard stuff. They also tend to not eat of they can't smell so a strong smelling can of food may tempt her to eat more than kibble. The health of my old man improved drastically when I switched him to a quality canned food!

I hope she's doing better when you get back.

Lora

[roadie gal]

Warm, purring thoughts to you and the cats. It's so hard when they're sick and can't tell you what they need.

3+ on trying a change of food. It certainly can't hurt and could help a lot.

[elk]

Heck, I'm willing to try just about anything. Better food costs less than vet bills....

A truer word was never said...:D

and don't give up if she doesn't go for something...Lisa got lucky and all her cats like PN food (which is really good food) but sometimes you have to try a few...they'll often give you samples....

A friend of mine whose cats were junk food junkies (think friskies) love he Orijen, and my raw fed dogs instantly gave it a tail up..

It KILLS me that the vets hardly ever even ASK what an animal is eating...and that they push the most unwholesome foods...look at the ingredients on the cans in the waiting room. And then multiply that by 2 meals a day for years and years and years...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

It KILLS me that the vets hardly ever even ASK what an animal is eating...and that they push the most unwholesome foods...look at the ingredients on the cans in the waiting room. And then multiply that by 2 meals a day for years and years and years...

Yes indeed. And one of those cat foods recalled because of deadly gluten from China was one of the "special" really expensive veteranarian cat foods sold for "renal health".....imagine!- paying a fortune for special "kidney health" food you buy from your vet, that actually gives your cat kidney failure! :mad: :mad: :mad:
This China toxin recent pet catastrophe taught us all one thing- that we need to carefully look at what is in pet food we buy, and that toxins can easily be in ANY commercial food- whether bargain or "high end" (Eukanuba was also recalled for example). Read the labels. Avoid all gluten for now (both wheat and rice), and meat "by-products", be wary of wheat, and look for organic ingredients. Ugh. :(

[Eden]

Since the cat food scare I've been feeding my kitties Ziwi Peak - (its from New Zealand). It only has meat and fish in it - no meat byproducts, no grains period.
My cats love it (well they love the Venison and the Venison and Fish flavors, but they aren't fond of the Lamb.......) and they look absolutely fabulous on it. They are nice and fit looking with wonderful shiny fur.

I give them a little Avoderm kibble for a treat every once in a while, but I'm hearing more and more now that they don't need kibble to keep their teeth clean. A long time ago I was told to feed my cat only kibble because he had tartar. Now I hear that an all kibble diet is more harmful to their kidneys (cats don't really like to drink and should get most of their moisture through diet!) and doesn't really keep teeth clean.

I was pretty shocked when all of the stuff about the gluten came out that so many brands of cat food all came out of the same big vat - from cheap store brands to uber expensive boutique brands - they were all the same crap.

[mimitabby]

since the cat food scare my cats are eating 50% whole ground chicken. And guess who's grinding the meat! me! their other 50% is the nutro brand catfood.
I got a catfood recipe from one of the cat ladies in town; their fur has gotten sleeker and my fat cat is no longer fat.

[onimity]

I'm with the others, my cat had terrible allergy problems which manifested themselves with digestive nastiness, a poor appetite, weight loss and a general desire to make everyone else miserable as well. I tried everything I could think of, medications, 'prescription' foods, acupuncture... I saw dozens of vets & the thing that finally fixed her problems was high quality wet food and no dry food *whatsoever.* She simply can't tolerate it in spite of the fact that she loves it. (We brought home a sample for my other cat and she got into it... BAD news) My cats eat a combination of Wellness (Old Mother Hubbard) and Merrick foods and we've had no problems since starting them on that routine.

Both are made entirely of human-grade ingredients & if your local store doesn't carry them they should be able to order them.

Her dry treats bothered her too, but a local pet store makes a lot of treats out of pure chicken, she loves those more than any others...

Good luck & I hope that Erin feels better!

Anne

[elk]

since the cat food scare my cats are eating 50% whole ground chicken. And guess who's grinding the meat! me! their other 50% is the nutro brand catfood.
I got a catfood recipe from one of the cat ladies in town; their fur has gotten sleeker and my fat cat is no longer fat.

You and me, Mimi. My 4 dogs get whole ground raw chicken and turkey...which I ground myself (for many years) but now I can buy them in convenient frozen "chubs" -and this Orijen "6 fish" kibble which makes my collie shine and keeps her color really rich. Proteins, vegetables. The only grains they get are in the occasional cookie....

Arguably, grains of any kind are filler, and not only unnecessary--they can in fact be unhealthy, to dogs and especially cats....Cats are more pure in thier carnivorous-ness. :p

Do you give them raw wing tips? Clean their teeth like nothin else...:D

I have been obsessed with dog nutrition for 15 years....it's like my hobby...!!I tend to go on and on...

My motto is get mostly food made as close to you as possible that is as whole as possible and has passed through the least amount of hands...

BTW: Eukanuba is Iams. Like Science Diet, it used to be a decent food...but not anymore.....

[mimitabby]

Elk, no i don't give them wing tips. My cats are eating the meat ground. even if i give them hearts (supposedly the tastiest part) without grinding them; they don't eat it.
So i'm also giving them high quality dry food so that they don't ruin their teeth.
I tried buying commercial ground meat pet food and none of my cats liked it.
They prefer mom's mix (me) which is all chicken, with extra hearts and livers and egg yolks. I tried freezing the whites and well, that's another story.

[elk]

ah...perhaps little mousies then?? with tiny little bones..

cats are so finicky!! no matter...they are getting great food.

although kibble doesn't do much for teeth..it's like using Grape Nuts to brush yr teeth...

[rij73]

Poor little baby... Hope she feels better. I can't agree enough with Elk, though! Try a great food even if you have to mail order it. Commercial foods are full of unnecessary fillers that can wreak havoc on a pet's immune system. You would be surprised at how much a good food can keep your pet out of the doc's office. Good luck!

[smilingcat]

Dear BMC,

Wish your baby a speedy recovery. It is always so hard to leave them behind when they get sick. Will you be able to check in with your vet everyday?

I agree with many of you about the so called premium food. They are not. We feed wellness after I lost my big boy Murph's (my avatar) last Dec. to the tainted food. Since then we've been looking at making our own kitty food. ground whole organic chicken.

Question? I worry about salmonella, so I was thinking of dunking the whole chicken in boiling water for like 2-3minutes to kill off any surface bacteria. Then grind it up bone and all. Freeze in serving size quantity. No liver, no heart, no gizzard is what I read. And do you add anything else to their food?

Smilingcat

[ibcycling]

I so agree with you Elk on the vets and their recommendations. Similar to human doctors they don't get a lot of training on nutrition. It's a small part of their studies and Science Diet puts enough money into vet schools to make sure they're supported as being a great food. Thanks to the recent food scare more people are paying attention to what they feed and doing their own research instead of blindly taking their veterinarian's advice.

I was so thrilled when I started researching vets here after we moved. There is a clinic here that focuses on nutrition and wellness instead of just prescribing drugs. When I took my Dane in for elbow pain we discussed his diet, exercise, supplements, and options and he never mentioned Rimidyl. He's also checking for underlying problems though we're pretty sure it's a genetic thing. I'm very happy to have found them and have more options than the "regular" vet.

Hopefully we'll end up at the same ride and can chat about dogs and nutrition someday Elk. I'd really enjoy that!

Lora

[elk]

Smiling Cat
If you can find a clean source for chicken I wouldn't worry too much about salmonella....When you buy ground meat, you can be getting the parts of 100 different animals, but if you grind your own, you know the source and handle it carefully, you should be fine....and YES, you need to add things. ( my friends and I who feed raw were wondering about the tainted gluten the chickens got fed....)

When a cat kills a bird or a mouse and really eats it, it will eat the whole thing..including the stomache which contains...green matter etc.

But I know a lot more about feeding dogs. I can get you some links you can trust where you can find the answers.

http://www.blakkatz.com/natural.html

http://www.fatpet.com/elvessa/natural.html ( have had long conversations with this woman...and she's got alot of knowledge and experience.)

The only good thing to come out of that tragedy is that people are re thinking what they are feeding...and the next generations of pets will be healthier.

So sorry about Murphy...:( and :mad:

gotta go walk the beasties....I'll be back..

[elk]

I so agree with you Elk on the vets and their recommendations. Similar to human doctors they don't get a lot of training on nutrition. It's a small part of their studies and Science Diet puts enough money into vet schools to make sure they're supported as being a great food. Thanks to the recent food scare more people are paying attention to what they feed and doing their own research instead of blindly taking their veterinarian's advice.

I was so thrilled when I started researching vets here after we moved. There is a clinic here that focuses on nutrition and wellness instead of just prescribing drugs. When I took my Dane in for elbow pain we discussed his diet, exercise, supplements, and options and he never mentioned Rimidyl. He's also checking for underlying problems though we're pretty sure it's a genetic thing. I'm very happy to have found them and have more options than the "regular" vet.

Hopefully we'll end up at the same ride and can chat about dogs and nutrition someday Elk. I'd really enjoy that!

Lora

NIcely put, IBC! I'm so glad you found a vet who will look at your dog's pain from more than one view point. I hope you will be successful!
Where do you live? Are you here in Oregon?

[elk]

Here is a book that is highly recommended by people I trust. Seems the author has a website too..

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0312358016?tag=elvessastonkin.c&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0312358016&adid=0G84EJX6RWZC19Z194P2&

[Tuckervill]

I sure admire you folks who have the gumption to grind up whole organic chickens for your cats enjoyment!

I have indoor/outdoor cats who see the vet only once a year for their annual stuff. My two sons each have 3 cats a piece, all indoors, all huge and fat and who make regular trips to the vet for various ailments, usually involving regurgitation. I guess it's the occasional squirrel heads my cats score that keep them so healthy? lol. (I don't know why the only eat the heads, but that's all that's ever missing.)

Karen

[ibcycling]

I sure admire you folks who have the gumption to grind up whole organic chickens for your cats enjoyment!

I have indoor/outdoor cats who see the vet only once a year for their annual stuff. My two sons each have 3 cats a piece, all indoors, all huge and fat and who make regular trips to the vet for various ailments, usually involving regurgitation. I guess it's the occasional squirrel heads my cats score that keep them so healthy? lol. (I don't know why the only eat the heads, but that's all that's ever missing.)

Karen

While outdoor kitties face dangers that indoor kitties don't you're probably right on the food/health aspect. I'm sure they chow down on a mouse, bird, squirrel, ?? on occasion and are getting some nutrients that the packaged food is missing. Mine, however, just like to take a trip to the barn and sneak the junky kibble that the 2 barn kitties are fed. :rolleyes: The barn kitties aren't mine but I may start buying them better quality food since I have 2 kitties that sneak down there when they want junk food. LOL!

Elk - I'm in the Tri-Cities area of WA so about 2.5 hours from Portland. Last Sat. I rode a loop from Hat Rock Park (Hermiston) to Pendleton and back. Very pretty ride! If there are any good rides coming up let me know.

Lora

[sundial]

I hope your kitty feels better. It's no fun when the furkids are sick. :(

[elk]

Elk - I'm in the Tri-Cities area of WA so about 2.5 hours from Portland. Last Sat. I rode a loop from Hat Rock Park (Hermiston) to Pendleton and back. Very pretty ride! If there are any good rides coming up let me know.

Lora

I've done dog shows up there...:) I'm still a baby rider....but working away...and there are tons of people from there on TE... someday in the not too distant future I hope!!

[bmccasland]

This thread has been busy while I was gone. Apparently while Erin was a guest, she got 100 cc Ringer's daily, wet food, and the dry kibble I provided. She's still on antibiotics, an antihistimine, and soon will be on L-lysine. The office forgot to give me the antibiotics when I picked up the kitties yesterday, so went by today to get them, and was told I need to continue the IV therapy every other day. Since I live alone, and she's getting more difficult to "stick" I asked to get a lesson (again) - Dr. M said to come in for the meds, and bring Erin. They gave her the IV, her evening dose of antibiotics, and while talking it finally sunk in to Dr. M how long Erin has had the sniffles. So now the theory is that Erin has a Herpes virus, and she'll be started on L-lysine tomorrow (when it comes in). I've researched chronic sinusitis in kitties on the net, so knew about the L-lysine therapy, but when I looked at Whole Foods, they were big pills - big pill, little cat, and I couldn't figure out how to give it to her. Apparently there is a liquid form, so that's what we're wait for. Will give it a try.

Nala the dog is bugging me for a walk....