just talked with the vet about formerly fat cat's labs - updated

[fizzgig]

Last edited Fri Jan 16, 2015, 12:28 PM - Edit history (1)

she came back anemic and her red blood cell count is off, so they're going to run a test for mycoplasma. the vet said that can be treated with antibiotics, but not all cats take to the treatment. if this is the case, i'm also concerned she might have transmitted it to the dim one.

as far as everything else goes, the numbers looked fine and he thinks that the weight loss may well just be age-related as she is 14, nearly 15 years old.

the one problem we're going to run into here is that if the test comes back positive, the antibiotics are in pill form and that means someone is going to have to pill her while we're gone. we've never had to pill either cat, so i have no idea how they'll deal with it.

i talked with them about supplementing her food with baby food and they said that's worth a shot to see if we can't get more meat on her bones. i also have some royal canin kidney food coming and i hope she takes to it.

so, more waiting now. i'll update when we get the test results back.

update:

the second round of tests came back negative and the vet is a bit stumped. i did verify that her kidney values were good and the count that had previously lead him to kidney issues seems to have resolved itself. we did get the royal canin and she likes it so far, so we're going to stick with that and the canned food for now.

that awful "c" word came up again, but the vet is going to keep at it. they want to do a chest/abdominal x-ray because her heart beat is so prominent, so we'll do that when we get back into town and maybe that will shed some light on the issue.

but she seems in good spirits, she has a pretty good appetite and she doesn't seem to be in any distress, so we'll just keep on keeping on.

and, as a bonus, here's her getting photo bombed by the dim one

[CountAllVotes]

1. Wow, sorry to read about this

I hope you get some good news on the test results!

My late cat Flame had kidney disease and he would not eat the Science Diet dry food. I tried a few other foods as well and my older cat (Old Kitty) would eat it but he would not.

Towards the end of his life you knew he was really sick as he had lost a lot of weight. He began to moan and cry non-stop. At that point his time was up as I took him to the vet and he was close to death!

I really hope they can help fat cat!

[fizzgig]

4. i'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can get her fixed up

and if it comes down to it that all we can do is keep her comfortable, then we'll deal with that. as i've said before, this is my first experience with an elderly kitty and it's a whole new world for me.

[shenmue]

2. Hugs

[fizzgig]

5. purr purr purr

[Mbrow]

3. I've luck with getting

the pharmacist compounding the antibiotics to liquid form, makes it much easier to administer to little brats. I'm glad the kidney and blood sugar are good, my 15 Y.O. cat is doing well on the insulin and has regain his weight back. He was chasing the A.C. kitty around the halls last night. Good Luck!

[fizzgig]

6. glad your guy is doing well

it's hard to watch them get old.

[Curmudgeoness]

7. Good news/bad news.

Does this mean that there is not a kidney problem? That would be great. The weight loss is still a concern though, because I have had cats get really old on me, and they didn't lose weight until there was a problem. I just hope that all is well and you find a food that tempts her.

As to the pilling, if it has to be in pill form (and even if it doesn't), I would wait until you get back and not require someone else to medicate your cat. It is hard enough for you to do it, and it is difficult to find someone to pet sit, this might be too much to ask.

[fizzgig]

13. i need to double confirm on the kidneys

as far as the meds go, i will see if there's a risk in waiting. i really don't want to ask someone else to do it.

[TygrBright]

8. You can try "pill pocket" treats.

Start by giving them as just treats, without the pill in.

Do one with a pill in, then do them without the pill in again.

Our kitteh scarfs them down with or without, but some kittehs do learn to eat the pocket and still spit out the pill, so watch to make sure it goes well.

Worth a try...

helpfully,
Bright

[Curmudgeoness]

15. I agree that this might work.

I have had cats who always scarfed them down with the pill, and I have had cats who learned almost immediately that there was something in it. But it is always worth a try.

[iscooterliberally]

9. A couple of 'ifs' that might help.

If your cat likes the baby food and if you can crush the pills you get and mix it in the food you both might be much better off. This is how I medicate my 19 year old when she needs it. It will probably be a huge help for whoever has to take over for you while you're gone. I hope that all goes well for you, and your kitties!

[fizzgig]

10. well duh, fizzgig

didn't even occur to me to crush it in some food.

[iscooterliberally]

11. oh..I didn't mean to come across as a smart ass.

I just meant if you can crush the pills, because some pills should not be crushed. I asked my vet first before I did the crush thing. As a former full time musician I have been around some really weird drug situations. Reverse psychology works well with me. Just tell me I'm not allowed to do something and see what happens.

[fizzgig]

12. oh no, you didn't sound like a smart ass at all

i just can't believe i didn't think of that.

[iscooterliberally]

14. We'll I'm sure you would have thought of it after trying to give a cat a pill.

I tried cheese spread once. The cat spit the pill out then licked all the cheese spread off of it. I had a dog that got wise to wrapping the pill in ham or bacon. He would suck the ham or bacon off the pill and then spit the pill across the room right in front of me. Take that dad!

[TygrBright]

16. Also, just for fun, some "official" instructions...

...on How to Pill a Cat


1. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on each side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat gently in left arm and repeat process.

3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, pick up and throw soggy pill away.

4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for count of ten....

...and so on.

amusedly,
Bright

[fizzgig]

17. kicking for the update

[CountAllVotes]

18. Thanks for the update

I have zero advise on how to pill a cat. I had luck with those pill pockets ONE time and I doubt it would ever work again.

I've had to take kitty Jules to the vet to have Comfortis given to her (what a HUGE pill for a cat!) and of course that charge to administer the pill and the pill itself = $25.00 a month at least.

Best of luck with this and I hope it works out for fat cat and you and the entire household as matters like this do affect everyone!

Thanks again for the update!