QI health

Had all the kitties to the vet.

Thorncat flunked her tests. She has a "largish mass in the vaginal area". Her kidney function was poor, and after a couple of weeks of a new diet, an antibiotic, and a couple hundred ml of subQ fluids it was actually worse.

We are continuing the diet, she has had more fluids, If she is not better day after tomorrow, we will have to have her in for fluids once or twice a week for a while to try and get some improvement (free since we already bought the 1000ml bag). Also if there is no improvement this time, they are going to biopsy the mass to see what it is. A cancer could be responsible for the kidney problems, or they could have come about just because she is a 10 year old cat who has eaten major company commercial cat food her whole life. If her kidney function has improved enough, they will operate to take the mass out. If it hasn't improved they dare not operate for fear that she will be unable to metabolize the anesthetic.

OK, her new prescription diet is Science Diet KD. She eats the kibble just fine, but neither she nor any other cat in the house recognized the canned food as food. _None_ of the 4 would touch it. We were supposed to be giving her the antibiotic in the canned food, but even without the medicine she would have nothing to do with that particular food! We had to hit the net and research cat food to find one that was close to the same analysis and give her the pills in that. Pilling Thorncat? Ha! Do not laugh make me! I value my limbs thank you very much.

Curiously the people at the vet's office just love Thorncat. They say she is a real sweetie, biddable, good tempered, tolerant of strange people and animals. ?!!? This is the same cat who nearly gave a guy an anklectomy because he stepped too close when walking past her? The same cat that nearly flayed my arms off when I had to whisk her away because she thought my parents yappy Italian greyhound looked like a tasty treat? The same cat that Jiji got into a fight with because she thought noisy babies should be shredded and Jiji is an ardent "Save the Kittens! No matter what species" kind of tomcat? Is there some alien frequency generator that turns her into a Stepford cat when she is at the vet's office?

NightMist

Reply to
NightMist
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Nightmist, I'm sorry to hear about your kitty. We had one on the subQ fluids for about

6 months for kidney failure. It's like kitty dialysis, I think. Unfortunately we lost him anyway but we were able to prolong his life for that long and he never suffered. We now have another kitty who is 18.5 years old and just found she has squamish cell cancer to go with her diabetes. She underwent surgery for the cancer but they weren't able to get it all so we're in watch and see mode for now. 18+ years is a long life for a kitty and we'll miss her but she's a fighter and who knows for how long we'll have her. Critters have a definite way of getting into your heart and it's soooo hard to know when to let go. Hugs to you and your critters. Donna in Bellevue
Reply to
ddean

Sure hope you find the can food that you can hide her pill in. It's hard when you dear pet is sick! Barbara in wet, hot SC

Reply to
Bobbie Sews More

Hugs to the poorly kitty.

I'm not sure the cat food will have had anything to do with her health... Our two are 14 and have had nothing but commercial stuff and Aldi's cheap as chips stuff that they much prefer, and they still bounce round like the Energizer Bunny for half the day.

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

Neither of mine will touch tinned catfood - both have 'biscuits' but both will sell their souls for Tuna meant for humans! I always keep a tin of 'Tuna in spring water' (so I don't have to rinse off the oil or salted water) in their food cupboard so I am prepared if they have to have medicine/pills. They gobble it up beautifully! (Even the vet couldn't make Mia swallow a pill!)

Hope all goes well for Thorncat.

Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk

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Reply to
Sally Swindells

Hi Nightmist, My Peanut is 14 and has chronic kidney disease (CKD). The vet found it about

6 months ago after a blood test prior to dental work that required anesthesia. We went through the same thing with the special kidney diet canned food. She wouldn't touch it. We tried everything... mixing it with salmon oil, tuna fish water, sprinkling it with parmesan cheese, etc. It got to the point where I seriously thought she was going to die from starvation rather than kidney failure.

I did a bunch of research online and found out that cats are obligate carnivores getting the nutrients and calories they need from eating meat. The kidney prescription diets, while low in phosphorus, aren't really good for them because they're full of grains which cats can't use and low on the meat they require. My husband and I decided we'd rather have her enjoy what life she had left rather than spend it crying for food and sleeping to get away from the hunger pains. So we switched her to Wellness brand Turkey Recipe. It's a grain free, high quality protein canned cat food that had one of the lowest phosphorus level of all the regular foods I looked at. The vet gave us a prescription for aluminum hydroxide powder that binds phosphorus. It gets mixed into her food twice a day and she doesn't mind it at all. She's finally gaining weight back and her blood work is looking much better with some of the values actually within normal ranges. She'll always have CKD and at some point the binder won't help anymore but for now she's her old self again!

Here are the sites I found very helpful...

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?t=45017&highlight=low+phosphorus+cat+food
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As for the alien frequency generator, I bet your vet uses Feliway. lol
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My vet just started using it to make kitties feel more secure and safer when they visit. I hope this helps and your Thorncat is feeling better soon! `` Jeri

Reply to
Jeri

Reply to
Roberta

On Tue, 3 Jul 2012 16:45:07 -0500, NightMist wrote (in article ):

Thorncat's temperament sounds a lot like Katie Mae. People who don't know her love her. We think she's very irascible.

Two of the three cat's here will eat canned food though. They think it's the best treat ever.

Maureen

Reply to
Maureen Wozniak

Well Thorncat's BUN levels came back much improved. She goes to the vet Monday morning for surgery. On the one hand the majority of masses found in cats are cancerous, on the other hand this a really weird place for a spayed cat to have such a mass. Fingers crossed that it is something simple and stupid.

NightMist

Reply to
NightMist

I am hoping for the best for your kitties NM. They sure can be a worry sometimes. One of the pups here has lumps popping up all over her. The first original one was tested and found to be a cyst. She needs to go back in but I am kind of scared to take her. I'll be hoping we all get to hear a positive update! Hugs. Taria

Well Thorncat's BUN levels came back much improved. She goes to the vet Monday morning for surgery. On the one hand the majority of masses found in cats are cancerous, on the other hand this a really weird place for a spayed cat to have such a mass. Fingers crossed that it is something simple and stupid.

NightMist

Reply to
Taria

You're probably going to be in the 'giving a pill' business, Taria. We can help. You just have no idea how sneaky and devious quilters can be at administering medication for beloved QIs. Polly

Reply to
Polly Esther

Our Vet told us some dogs are prone to cysts (Schnelties are one) and majority are just cysts. We had a choice of watching it and letting it be or having the dog go under repeated surgeries as it would grow back in the same area. He said if it caused a problem for the dog, then he would be happy to remove it. It never got that big.

Good luck whatever you do. Butterfly

Reply to
Butterfly-Wings

Thorncat is home and seems quite recovered from her ordeal. She does not have to wear the "lampshade of shame" because sadly she is too fat to reach that part of herself to meddle with her stitches. We have some spray anesthetic for her bottom, and because she is a pain to pill the doctor gave her a long acting antibiotic shot before we left.

The doctor will have to wait for the labs to be certain, but thinks the mass was a cancer, though not one that readily spreads beyond itself. She is confident that she got all of it. The mass was wrapped right around Thorncat's urethra, so hopefully now that it is gone she will have an easier time doing her business and her kidney troubles will pass.

While Miss Thorncat was unconscious they did her teeth. Her upper front fangs were so loose that they completely rotated around in the sockets. They came out easily with just a little tug.

She is a lot more active and alert than she was after her spay. At the office she was constantly moving around in her carrier to keep an eye on everyone. Once we got home she had to run and check everything, and then she made a beeline for the food and water dish. I haven't seen her moving around this much since she was a kitten. Except of course when we are trying to catch her to put her in the cat carrier. That generally puts quite a spring in her step.

NightMist

Reply to
NightMist

NM, I am happy the surgery went well and you kitty is doing this well! Barbara in HOT SC

Reply to
Bobbie Sews More

Welcome home Thorncat. Sounds like she did very well with her adversity. She's one tough kitty cat, fur shur. Donna in Bellevue

Reply to
ddean

Hopefully YOU are recovered from her ordeal too! Sending well wishes to Thorncat. Hugs, Tarua

Thorncat is home and seems quite recovered from her ordeal. She does not have to wear the "lampshade of shame" because sadly she is too fat to reach that part of herself to meddle with her stitches. We have some spray anesthetic for her bottom, and because she is a pain to pill the doctor gave her a long acting antibiotic shot before we left.

The doctor will have to wait for the labs to be certain, but thinks the mass was a cancer, though not one that readily spreads beyond itself. She is confident that she got all of it. The mass was wrapped right around Thorncat's urethra, so hopefully now that it is gone she will have an easier time doing her business and her kidney troubles will pass.

While Miss Thorncat was unconscious they did her teeth. Her upper front fangs were so loose that they completely rotated around in the sockets. They came out easily with just a little tug.

She is a lot more active and alert than she was after her spay. At the office she was constantly moving around in her carrier to keep an eye on everyone. Once we got home she had to run and check everything, and then she made a beeline for the food and water dish. I haven't seen her moving around this much since she was a kitten. Except of course when we are trying to catch her to put her in the cat carrier. That generally puts quite a spring in her step.

NightMist

Reply to
Taria

So glad she recovered from the op. so well. Hope she keeps rushing for food for a long time to come. . In message , NightMist writes

Reply to
Pat S

On Mon, 9 Jul 2012 17:10:39 -0500, NightMist wrote (in article ):

Glad to hear she has spring back in her step. Sounds like she came through great.

Maureen

Reply to
Maureen Wozniak

Reply to
Roberta

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