Weird Behavior

1 bruce 1

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IF she's squawking at random, has a hard time sitting down, and you've noticed some tenderness around her hip area, I'd really bank on the idea that something somewhere is hurting. Have you ever talked with a vet that does chiropractic?
 
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FeebysOwner

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IF she's squawking at random, has a hard time sitting down, and you've noticed some tenderness around her hip area, I'd really bank on the idea that something somewhere is hurting. Have you ever talked with a vet that does chiropractic?
The hard time sitting down has been going on for quite a while. The squawking followed by the tenderness came up in the last week. They are all connected for sure - an advancement of something, likely.

But, how is the recent weight loss fit into the picture?? Unless a crappy coincidence, there has got to be a connection.
 

1 bruce 1

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The hard time sitting down has been going on for quite a while. The squawking followed by the tenderness came up in the last week. They are all connected for sure - an advancement of something, likely.

But, how is the recent weight loss fit into the picture?? Unless a crappy coincidence, there has got to be a connection.
This is a shot in the dark, while blindfolded, possibly tipsy and having being spun around about 6 times like I'm playing pin the tail on the donkey, but if she's been sore, and has been less active, is there a chance the "weight loss" is simple muscle wasting from less activity?
 
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FeebysOwner

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This is a shot in the dark, while blindfolded, possibly tipsy and having being spun around about 6 times like I'm playing pin the tail on the donkey, but if she's been sore, and has been less active, is there a chance the "weight loss" is simple muscle wasting from less activity?
LOL!! But, I get your point. So, how would one know that?? What to look for?
 

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LOL!! But, I get your point. So, how would one know that?? What to look for?
The first spot I usually notice muscle wasting is in the back legs, when she's standing in front of you try to get a glimpse and see if they look thinner than they did. Another area is around the neck, and the spine.
 
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Not her back legs so much. I did think her front legs look 'less meaty' - but that is really from extreme over analyzing on my part. Neck, not so much, that I can tell. Spine is probably a little easier to feel, but not protruding. 'Normal, productive' weight loss would contribute to the latter.

So sad, but I think her face has looked more 'tired' from time to time lately. That is where expressions come into play, maybe? Like as if she is telling me she is tired or not feeling well, or depressed, or I am interpreting that because of my feelings. :(
 

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It's possible you're over analyzing, but you're in good company ;)
If she has something hurting her, if she doesn't feel well, she might not be sleeping as soundly or deeply, and therefore look tired and sadder. That's normal for cats, as well as people.
I had bronchitis a few years ago. Deep sleep was impossible, so all I could do was doze here and there. By the 3rd or 4th day, I looked like a very tired person.
Do you think she would drink something broth-like?
You gotta remember too, these cats are magicians when it comes to knowing our feelings. If you're upset, she might feel that too.
If you do happen to find a vet that knows things about chiropractic, I'd at least talk to them. We've used it for dogs, cats, and horses and are never disappointed.
 
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FeebysOwner

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I am surely stressed, over analyzing, obsessive, and etc. etc. So, yeah, doubt I can hide all that. Just prepared her canned dinner, and she didn't come out to eat it, so guess what? I took it to her. She apparently also knows I am a sucker (yeah, that is old news to her, I know).

You've heard it before, I am at a loss.
 

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:alright:
Did she eat it when you took it to her?

Nothing wrong with being a sucker for these cats. You can trust me, I'm an expert :thumbsup:
 
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:alright:
Did she eat it when you took it to her?

Nothing wrong with being a sucker for these cats. You can trust me, I'm an expert :thumbsup:
Oh, yeah, she ate the 1/3 can without me even having to scoop it up 3 times (like past normal). I put dry food down for her, she sniffed it and turned away. So, I gave her an additional 1/6 of a can and she immediately scarfed that down too. I could give her yet another 1/6 of a can, but my husband thinks that is overkill.
 

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FeebysOwner FeebysOwner , did you read any of the various extensive writings of Dr. Mark E. Peterson? Especially the one(s) about the needs of older cats, RE: their food requirements/ nutrition?

I mention him here June 1, in another thread (I see you saw that post)-
Caring For Minnie

and lisahe lisahe also posted about some links that are good, including the one on older cats in this thread-
Feeding A Senior Kitty


I don't know if things will apply to Feeby's situation, but I would think if she is scarfing a wet food she loves, I'd let her eat as much as she's able without overdoing it and getting sick? Does she vomit if she eats too much wet food (I apologize if I may have missed any points about this in your posts!)
:hugs:
 

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FeebysOwner FeebysOwner , did you read any of the various extensive writings of Dr. Mark E. Peterson? Especially the one(s) about the needs of older cats, RE: their food requirements/ nutrition?

I mention him here June 1, in another thread (I see you saw that post)-
Caring For Minnie

and lisahe lisahe also posted about some links that are good, including the one on older cats in this thread-
Feeding A Senior Kitty


I don't know if things will apply to Feeby's situation, but I would think if she is scarfing a wet food she loves, I'd let her eat as much as she's able without overdoing it and getting sick? Does she vomit if she eats too much wet food (I apologize if I may have missed any points about this in your posts!)
:hugs:
I agree about letting her eat more if she won't scarf and barf! And a resounding yes to the suggestion of reading Dr. Peterson's articles -- I really respect his writings. (I think there might be a link on that thread where I posted before.)

1 bruce 1 1 bruce 1 makes such a good point about looking for muscle wasting. (The description they give is good, too, like having been sick for a few days...) When our previous cat -- who was 16 or 17 -- was in her last year, she clearly had muscle wasting. She looked tired, worn out, and frail. She had just about everything wrong with her: kidneys, thyroid, horrifying arrhythmia (the vets had been telling us for years she might just never wake up one morning), arthritis, and IBD/lymphoma, which is what got her. But that whole combination wore her down, suppressing her appetite horribly and impairing her organs. Her situation was clearly different from Feeby's so I'm just mentioning that because of the muscle wasting conversation. The big thing is that 1 bruce 1 mentioned it so now you can watch for it: we didn't know back then and I wish we had, to see more signs earlier.

Most important: I hope you're able to keep Feeby eating and figure out what's ailing her!
 
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FeebysOwner FeebysOwner , did you read any of the various extensive writings of Dr. Mark E. Peterson? Especially the one(s) about the needs of older cats, RE: their food requirements/ nutrition?

I mention him here June 1, in another thread (I see you saw that post)-
Caring For Minnie

and lisahe lisahe also posted about some links that are good, including the one on older cats in this thread-
Feeding A Senior Kitty
I don't know if things will apply to Feeby's situation, but I would think if she is scarfing a wet food she loves, I'd let her eat as much as she's able without overdoing it and getting sick? Does she vomit if she eats too much wet food (I apologize if I may have missed any points about this in your posts!)
:hugs:
I thought the articles were related to hyperthyroidism, so no I didn't read them. I realize now there is a 90 minute lecture included about wasting away - I will take a look at that later today - couldn't determine if it was also about hyperthyroidism, but I will take a closer look to see.

I think I must have made everyone think that Feeby is vomiting routinely - she is NOT. She threw up once earlier in the day before she went to the vet (Wed). Her eating hasn't really changed drastically. She is not as inclined to eat her dry, but some of that has to do with her limited movement about the house, as she was a grazer who would eat a few bites as she passed by the food bowl.

Because of her mysterious weight loss, I am watching her food like a hawk.
 
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Most important: I hope you're able to keep Feeby eating and figure out what's ailing her!
The day she stops eating is the day I know I've lost her. Through anything that she has been through, which have been fairly isolated events, she has never really ever lost her appetite. As I have said, she might not be eating quite as much as she was, but I don't think she has reduced her own intake enough to explain 1.5 pound loss in 3 months.

Weight loss, possible injury or progression of arthritis/combined with an unwillingness to move a lot, and a possible infection. It bums me out right now the only thing that is really being treated is the infection that we don't even know she has for sure.
 

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If she's food motivated, can you set out plates of food for her around the house? You may have to split up a portion into two plates and slowly (over the course of days) move one of the plates away from the other. But I'm thinking once she gets the idea that there is food in more than one spot, it might encourage the natural hunt drive and give her a little more reason to amble about her territory. Maybe it's time to get her an Assisi Loop. I know we talked about this and you don't think it will help for her bone spurs. But that may not be the only source of inflammation or pain in her body. It gives you an active hand while you and the vets try other diagnoses or treatments.
 
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She has food bowls in two spots as of right now, and water in three places. Food/water in her new hiding/sleeping location, which are the ones she is using almost exclusively. The ones in the kitchen, which is her normal location, may have been used once or twice since Wed. She has pretty much confined herself to two rooms (hiding spot, litterbox) and an occasional brief visit to the patio. Her favorite water dish is out there and she doesn't even drink from it now.

The food bowls have dry in them during the day and overnight, since she is a bit of a grazer, and then I place her wet dinner in front of her where ever she is, as I prefer not to leave the canned sitting out too long.

I have to talk to the vet about the Assisi Loop in order to get the script. I am not sure if Feeby would permit it laying on her lower back/hips since she really doesn't want that area petted or touched right now. I could try it on her upper spine, but I am not sure that area is the current source of pain/aggravation at this point. I think I do need to pursue an x-ray just to see what might be going on with her spine/hips. Hate to take her back to vets before she has a chance to feel a bit better - which may or may not happen.
 
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PushPurrCatPaws PushPurrCatPaws & lisahe lisahe - Went through all of the above noted links, they are all related to hyperthyroidism. I do need to (and will) re-read a couple of them, just for basic knowledge about muscle wasting. But, they all seem to be driven based on hyperthyroidism.

Feeby's last test this past Wednesday indicated a T4 level of 2.9 (range 0.8-4.0). The notes on the test indicate that anything above 2.5 could be analyzed further by a "Free T4 by equilibrium dialysis" - whatever that means (I have to look it up). However, her T4 in April was higher (3.2) - before her sudden weight loss.

The other puzzling thing is the degree of rapid weight loss - unless someone fouled up the weight measurement either in April or last week. She has been hovering around 17.5 - 18.0 for years before these last two vet visits.

Just add another thing to the 'Confused' category.
 
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Feeby still slept in her new hiding spot last night, but during the evening she actually came into the living room area - first time she's been in that part of the house since last Wednesday!! Of course, we were eating dinner (no doubt part of the motivator), so I gave her some human chicken. She stayed for a bit afterward, then left, then returned for another brief stay, and then went back to her hiding spot for the night.

This morning she awoke and rather than eating/drinking from the bowls in her new location, she ventured to the kitchen to eat from her bowl there. I think she would have gone out onto the patio to drink from her favorite water dish, but next door neighbors were having their huge tree trimmed, so way too much noise from the trucks and mulcher equipment to suit her. She went back to kitchen, drank some water, used her litter box and is now back up on her window perch.

Something to be happy about! Hope to see more normalcy in the coming days. So, we're back to the concept of an injury that is healing, or antibiotics starting to kick in, or both, or neither???

Still have to continue to pursue her issues overall, but would like to her to feel better before she is poked and prodded again.
 
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