Backround: Housecat---has diarrhea occasional very soft small stools, frequent liquid only movements. Period. Thankfully she is still using her litter boxes. Her vet recently sold his practice to a corporation.
New vet we saw---little help. Did bloodwork and advised the only thing she could tell us was she does not have diabetes. Obsessed with doing diagnostics suggested scanning--couldn't promise clear cut results but "there are a lot of other diagnostics we can do". I advised her again the cat is 18 and I want to make her as comfortable as possible but not spend a fortune as 18 yr old cats are unlikely to return to what they were a number of years ago.
She has changed her daily routine dramatically. She will not take water except via a faucet and she is no longer able to reach a faucet even should we be willing to let the water run. She takes 4-5 hour naps and I am up at least once sometimes twice a night to water and feed her and keep her 2 cat boxes clean. The Dr gave medicine for diarrhea but she can detect it and will not eat when it is present. She eats Purina Pro Plan Chunky Chicken Entree and recently I have tried Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Supplement FortFlora. Comes in boxes of 30 packets, 1 packet a day and have used now about half or a little more. Very little change or improvement in the diarrhea. She doesn't seem to mind the supplement sprinkled and mixed with her food. She has dry Pro Plan food to graze on 24/7. Her hind legs have gotten weaker and she no longer visits us in the evening when we go downstairs to our clubroom to watch TV. She used to join us and sit on my lap for long periods. Now she sits on one of the top steps and meows when she wants a drink or more food. She used to feed mornings and Dinner time. Now it is Mornings & Bed Time. (8:30-10:30PM) I am usually up between 1:30 & 3:30 AM mostly for water and occasionally for more food and cat box cleaning. I tried some bland cat food from the vet and she wouldn't touch it. We have had a cat sitter who comes in twice a day when we go away but that won't even begin to work with her new routine. She needs to have someone here 24 hrs. We would like to get away but that's not a happening thing as I would never put her through a "hospital stay" or whatever they are called at a vet hospital. It is my cat. That's what my wife advised when she OK'd my request to get 2 Birmans 18 yrs ago. We had a Blue Coat and Seal Coat. Seal was a joy--she passed 2 years ago. Beautiful cats. We are not youngsters anymore and don't know how much longer we will be able to travel. And now this unexpected situation. I'm not sure there are any answers to our situation except to care for our "Blue" (her name) for the time she has left. Any ideas for getting her back to a normal breakfast/dinner schedule would be welcome. I have tried everything under the sun (I think) to get her to take her water from a bowl like she used to-to no avail. Comments and ideas very welcome.
New vet we saw---little help. Did bloodwork and advised the only thing she could tell us was she does not have diabetes. Obsessed with doing diagnostics suggested scanning--couldn't promise clear cut results but "there are a lot of other diagnostics we can do". I advised her again the cat is 18 and I want to make her as comfortable as possible but not spend a fortune as 18 yr old cats are unlikely to return to what they were a number of years ago.
She has changed her daily routine dramatically. She will not take water except via a faucet and she is no longer able to reach a faucet even should we be willing to let the water run. She takes 4-5 hour naps and I am up at least once sometimes twice a night to water and feed her and keep her 2 cat boxes clean. The Dr gave medicine for diarrhea but she can detect it and will not eat when it is present. She eats Purina Pro Plan Chunky Chicken Entree and recently I have tried Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Supplement FortFlora. Comes in boxes of 30 packets, 1 packet a day and have used now about half or a little more. Very little change or improvement in the diarrhea. She doesn't seem to mind the supplement sprinkled and mixed with her food. She has dry Pro Plan food to graze on 24/7. Her hind legs have gotten weaker and she no longer visits us in the evening when we go downstairs to our clubroom to watch TV. She used to join us and sit on my lap for long periods. Now she sits on one of the top steps and meows when she wants a drink or more food. She used to feed mornings and Dinner time. Now it is Mornings & Bed Time. (8:30-10:30PM) I am usually up between 1:30 & 3:30 AM mostly for water and occasionally for more food and cat box cleaning. I tried some bland cat food from the vet and she wouldn't touch it. We have had a cat sitter who comes in twice a day when we go away but that won't even begin to work with her new routine. She needs to have someone here 24 hrs. We would like to get away but that's not a happening thing as I would never put her through a "hospital stay" or whatever they are called at a vet hospital. It is my cat. That's what my wife advised when she OK'd my request to get 2 Birmans 18 yrs ago. We had a Blue Coat and Seal Coat. Seal was a joy--she passed 2 years ago. Beautiful cats. We are not youngsters anymore and don't know how much longer we will be able to travel. And now this unexpected situation. I'm not sure there are any answers to our situation except to care for our "Blue" (her name) for the time she has left. Any ideas for getting her back to a normal breakfast/dinner schedule would be welcome. I have tried everything under the sun (I think) to get her to take her water from a bowl like she used to-to no avail. Comments and ideas very welcome.