Artie and his Issues

[dustydiamond1]

I know that's all true, I just felt guilty that I was starving my 2 boys lol. It's good that Artie seems to like the new food.
One of mine looks like a Maine coon and is a tall lanky cat, and they're both thin. The other just got diagnosed with allergies to everything, food, environmental, and the only dry food I can find so far is an indoor weight control, which neither if them like or need. Vet wants him on prescription food but he's so picky. My dog with ibd is skinny and won't eat any of the prescription foods so I have to feed him regular food and give him medications but he gets diarrhea and not usually constipation. But he has days where he won't eat much at all. So I can empathize although Artie is farther along and older and has been through much more.

 

[dustydiamond1]

Hello, Artie's Army!

Artie did end up pooping, later last night. A total of 12 inches between the 2 episodes.

I let him free feed yesterday. He ate 1 1/3, 6 oz cans of food and 1/4 cup of the dry.
He seems to prefer the wet over the dry.. but I am continuing to leave out the dry for nighttime. This way, I feel he gets a variety.

This morning, upon awakening, I was sitting in the bathroom. Artie, silently came over and sat in front of me. I had my eyes closed. When I opened them, he was in front of me, looking at me. I said Good Morning! He gave me a 'Meow"...

He followed me in all upon awakening procedures: shutting off the night lights, scooping his box, into the kitchen to pick up his food dish. He was watching me get his morning meds ready, as soon as he realized what I was doing, he walked away!! I saw him sitting outside his bathroom door. I asked if he wanted to 'dig'.. he looked at me, walked into the bathroom, looked at his box, walked it. I asked if he was 'playing or if he wanted to dig, dig?"... I stood in the doorway, and watched. Sometimes Artie will go into his box, trying to escape the medications. I just stood there. He, very slowly, started digging... I waited..
Finally, when I saw he was serious, I encouraged him on, with "Dig, Dig, dig"...

Artie proceeded to eliminate 7 x 1 inches of poop!! On Demand!!! Of course, he had to back talk me when I was encouraging him... a "hrump"--- a if to say, 'What do you think I am doing"... He is such a character...and our bond is really strong.

He ate 1/4 can of food for breakfast. I got up late, so it is going to be a very lazy day for me, as usual... Perhaps I will see if I can sit outside for a bit.. and read. That is, if it is not too humid or raining. It rained a bit early morning, and is scheduled to rain tonight; so we will see.. I seem to be sitting on my butt a lot lately.. I really do not feel like cleaning..
I may try to put on a pair of sneakers, for an hour or so.. to see how the toe feels.

 

[dustydiamond1]

Artie update:

Artie ate 1 can plus 1/3 cup of food yesterday. He is maintaining that. I think he wants the wet food out constantly; to give him a sense of security. He just goes over to it periodically, licking a bit of the juice/water, and walks away.

I am feeding him every 3 hours or so, depending on his appetite.

I give him the dry food during the night. I feel it is a bit of a variety for him. Same food, but in a dry form.

I have woken up to an empty bowl, every morning; wishing this continues.

Artie was a bear yesterday with the Lactulose. Again, he aspirated a bit of it...
I need to get about 4 cc into him daily. He fights so much. I take a towel, put it under his neck, like a bib. I put him in the back corner of my recliner. He is surrounded by either chair or my body. I put my left hand over his head, he opens his mouth when he feels the tip of the syringe (good boy), but he fights the liquid with his tongue, and his head bobs all around. I am physically restraining him with my body and the chair, the towel is for any drips. I have the palm of my left hand over his eyes, which are open and flailing!!

He is a worm.. and his tongue is pushing out the lactulose as I inject it in his mouth. He is spitting it out

I also have a syringe of plain water, for a chaser, a couple of wet paper towels to pick up the sticky drips, a dry paper towel as a placemat, a small cup with extra lactulose, just in case... It is a production to get it into him.

After I get the dose in, I have to close his mouth, he is dripping it out between his teeth, and wipe up the drips (saliva) with the wet paper towels.. also any drips which are on him.

I have to even use the dry paper towel to wipe his mouth.. keeping it clamped shut. I also wipe the outside of his teeth, because he is ready to spit it out...

And then, I let him jump down.

He will go away from me to pout... but.... if you look at him, you will see spittle drool dripping from the sides of his mouth, onto the floor. I then have to go after him, with a paper towel and wipe him again...

My floors have a constant sticky spots on it, from him. I can wash it and as soon as I dose him, the floors get messy. I cannot do it in the bathroom. I try to get him when it is a bit unexpected.....

I use a 3 cc syringe. He seems to need 3-4 cc per day. Twice a day is murder on both of us... but he seems to aspirate anything more than 2.5 cc.....that is his cut off..

And I do not wear good clothes when I give him his dose(s).

Yesterday he had 2 episodes of poop. One was 3 inches the other thinner and 4 inches.
They are a bit hard. So he needs the lactulose.

He is not eating as much today.. so he is getting stopped up a bit...

 

[Margret]

{To @inkysmom}

So glad to hear that Artie is eating and pooping (and talking back -- always a good sign in cats). How did the experiment with the sneakers go?

Margret

 

[dustydiamond1]

I was relying on my e-mails for updates but for some odd reason wasn't receiving them. I should have known better and checked this thread sooner. It sounds like Artie is a good combat artist and has the strength to resist his meds. Hope you enjoyed your plans/outing yesterday and it was for something enjoyable. I promise to check in more regularly for updates and always to lend my support. Fingers crossed you got a good night's sleep and woke up without any fur in your face or on your pillow.

I'm not getting all my e-mail alerts either and sometimes my on-site watched threads alerts aren't showing up .

 

[artiemom]

It is very early in the morning...about 6:15 am... just a quick update for Artie's Army!!

Artie had 3 episodes of poop yesterday for a total of 13 inches!! Yikes..

I managed to get 4 cc of lactulose in him, without a ton of fighting. He still fought, but was too sleepy to really react; plus I used a larger towel as a big.

Artie seems to be slowly rejecting his dry food. He is only eating 1/4 a cup at night. I leave out 1/3, but he only eats part of it. He has been eating 1 1/4 or 1 1/3, 6oz cans of wet food...

Artie does seem to have the 'burps'....weird.. He was sitting on my lap last night, burping.. He just ate some food, and he is burping.. sigh...Have to ask NVet about that.

His stools stink so bad! Seriously!!! I think it is from the food. I wonder if a probiotic would help. He used to take Provable, mixed in with his food. Have to ask NVet about that.

My alarm went off early, but I was just lazing in bed. Artie came over to wake me up with a 'Meow" in my ear! I got up, he followed all around, but took me into his bathroom. He went right into his litter box and proceeded to poop 6 inches of soft stool. Cleaned it up, gave him his first meds, waited a bit, then gave him 1/4 can of food. He licked it up. I will give him more food when I return from Church.

Did not do anything yesterday; well except for doing a good once over dusting, purging, and organizing my CD's, DVD's, and trashing some VHS tapes...

Last night I watched and throughly enjoyed "The Quiet Man" on Turner Classics.. Artie was on my lap. He jumped down several times to nibble, but it was a nice, mellow night.
Every time I watch that movie, I find more things to enjoy about it...

Never did try the sneakers. I may put on my sneaker clogs for church this morning..

 

[neely]

Artie had 3 episodes of poop yesterday for a total of 13 inches!!

Last night I watched and throughly enjoyed "The Quiet Man" on Turner Classics.. Artie was on my lap. He jumped down several times to nibble, but it was a nice, mellow night.
Every time I watch that movie, I find more things to enjoy about it...

Glad to hear the good "poop" news. It's always refreshing to wake up and read about poop, lol. But in Artie's case I make an exception.

DH watched The Quiet Man last night too, he's a big John Wayne fan. I've seen it before but watch mostly because I really like Maureen O'Hara.

Hope the food is gone from Artie's bowl when you return home from church - Happy Sunday!

 

[artiemom]

Artie is playing the 'food game'... He visits me, underfoot, in the kitchen, each time I go in there. He is waiting for more food. Thought that was a good thing, but it has been 3 times this morning, and he only nibbled...

I am not going to play that game.. Food is back in the refrigerator. He will wait until later this afternoon to get any more of it. He needs to be good and hungry, otherwise, it is a game to him.

He is trying to get me to keep the food down constantly..

It is time for his nap, anyway. He is in his tent. I have the sub-q fluids warming. I will give it to him in a few minutes. I want him to be relaxed and sleepy when I do it; I get the best results...

fingers crossed he is not getting tired of this food...

 

[tarasgirl06]

Artie is playing the 'food game'... He visits me, underfoot, in the kitchen, each time I go in there. He is waiting for more food. Thought that was a good thing, but it has been 3 times this morning, and he only nibbled...

I am not going to play that game.. Food is back in the refrigerator. He will wait until later this afternoon to get any more of it. He needs to be good and hungry, otherwise, it is a game to him.

He is trying to get me to keep the food down constantly..

It is time for his nap, anyway. He is in his tent. I have the sub-q fluids warming. I will give it to him in a few minutes. I want him to be relaxed and sleepy when I do it; I get the best results...

fingers crossed he is not getting tired of this food...

Sounds like he's been doing an excellent job! And a stubborn cat is an excellent cat, IMHO You have far more fortitude than I do regarding denial of feline wishes. I'm a pushover and I cannot lie.

 

[Margret]

Eating and pooping, yes! That's what we need to hear about from Artie, and it sounds like he had a championship level poop.

Cindy, until you have the chance to talk to the N Vet about probiotics for Artie, you may want to add some baking soda to his litter to absorb some of that odor. No need to go to the expensive Arm & Hammer cat litter (which also adds fragrance), just add some of the cheapest store brand baking soda you can find.

I hope the toe is feeling better, and I'm glad to hear that catching Artie when he's sleepy makes it easier to get the lactulose into him.

I don't believe I've ever seen "The Quiet Man." I'll have to start watching for it. Thanks for the recommendation.

Margret

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Ah...baking soda. Not only will it help with the odor, but a spoonful in a glass of water will help with the heartburn from dealing with Our Boy. He's a handful, isn't he, bless his precious heart and soul and body and bones (old Southern saying)!

 

[artiemom]

Artie seems to be tiring of the dry food. sigh.. He is only eating 1/4 cup at night, if that. I leave out 1/3 cup..end up either covering it and saving it for the next night, or dumping it out after 2 days...sigh...

He is trying to train me to go back to free feeding!!!! I did it once on Friday...now he wants it.. on demand!! He only takes a lick or two and then walks away...

He weight seems to be consistent at 10.2 lbs... however, if he keeps up with this lick or two, and the food down to 1/4 at night...then he will lose weight...

He did poop another 8 inches this morning.

Artie was demanding me to get up at 5AM!!! He kept meowing, tapping me, walking over me, continually, until I finally got up at 7 AM.....
He wanted new food!!! He had a ton of dry food left, but no, that was not good enough for him. I took out the leftover can from yesterday, to warm up, while I was medicating him.

Artie, can tell time!!! He knows exactly when 20 minutes has elapsed from his dose of cisapride, no matter what time of the day it is!!

After 20 minutes, he is right outside the kitchen, waiting for breakfast!!

Today, he is a brat!! He only licked up less than 1/4 of a 6 oz can...
He waited 2.5 hours, and then asked for more food. I gave him a tiny bit more, NO!! he refused it!!!! He wants a fresh can!! This is prescription food, I am not giving in....

I am late with his sub-q's, again.... hopefully, it will go better than yesterday.
I really messed up... stuck him 3 times, and wasted a ton of fluid on the coach and on him. I poked right through the skin ... He never even flinched.. and stayed in the same position...

Artie was curled up on my lap all night while I was watching TV. I kind of did a marathon on Turner Classics. In the month of August they pick one star and have a marathon of their movies for the day. Yesterday it was Barbara Stanwyck. Saturday, it was John Wayne... good movies...

I was up late. I told Artie to let me sleep; instead, he woke me up at 5 AM!!

 

[tarasgirl06]

Artie seems to be tiring of the dry food. sigh.. He is only eating 1/4 cup at night, if that. I leave out 1/3 cup..end up either covering it and saving it for the next night, or dumping it out after 2 days...sigh...

He is trying to train me to go back to free feeding!!!! I did it once on Friday...now he wants it.. on demand!! He only takes a lick or two and then walks away...

He weight seems to be consistent at 10.2 lbs... however, if he keeps up with this lick or two, and the food down to 1/4 at night...then he will lose weight...

He did poop another 8 inches this morning.

Artie was demanding me to get up at 5AM!!! He kept meowing, tapping me, walking over me, continually, until I finally got up at 7 AM.....
He wanted new food!!! He had a ton of dry food left, but no, that was not good enough for him. I took out the leftover can from yesterday, to warm up, while I was medicating him.

Artie, can tell time!!! He knows exactly when 20 minutes has elapsed from his dose of cisapride, no matter what time of the day it is!!

After 20 minutes, he is right outside the kitchen, waiting for breakfast!!

Today, he is a brat!! He only licked up less than 1/4 of a 6 oz can...
He waited 2.5 hours, and then asked for more food. I gave him a tiny bit more, NO!! he refused it!!!! He wants a fresh can!! This is prescription food, I am not giving in....

I am late with his sub-q's, again.... hopefully, it will go better than yesterday.
I really messed up... stuck him 3 times, and wasted a ton of fluid on the coach and on him. I poked right through the skin ... He never even flinched.. and stayed in the same position...

Artie was curled up on my lap all night while I was watching TV. I kind of did a marathon on Turner Classics. In the month of August they pick one star and have a marathon of their movies for the day. Yesterday it was Barbara Stanwyck. Saturday, it was John Wayne... good movies...

I was up late. I told Artie to let me sleep; instead, he woke me up at 5 AM!!

Never underestimate the intelligence of a FELINE. They are the smartest beings. *A manager in one apt. where I lived once said that to me. I kind of chuckled and he looked outraged and said, "I'm serious!" I agree with him, but sometimes I laugh even when I agree with someone on something.

On the Sub-Q, I had that happen a few times with my Moti angel. She was stoic about it, too. They seem to be very aware of the fact that we are trying to help, not hurt.

I have dry out free-choice. Sometimes I wonder about this, but if I was to take it up, I know there would be massive protests.

 

[arouetta]

Concerning the smell, it might be unavoidable because of the food. The more protein the food has, the smellier the other end.

 

[Margret]

Cat skin seems to be less sensitive than human skin; I think it goes along with the fact that it's attached so loosely.

Margret

 

[tarasgirl06]

Cat skin seems to be less sensitive than human skin; I think it goes along with the fact that it's attached so loosely.

Margret

I sure hope it is less sensitive. I know cats seem to be very sensitive to touch, though, so I'm not sure.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Concerning the smell, it might be unavoidable because of the food. The more protein the food has, the smellier the other end.

Yup! This is true of anyone who eats meat and animal products.

 

[Margret]

tarasgirl06 , I'm not sure, but I think that's either tickling touch, which has to do with fur, or stroking/scratching, both of which could be the flesh underneath the skin.

I know that Jasmine seems to think that "love bites" don't hurt me, no matter how often I tell her otherwise. If directed toward a cat these bites would both be cushioned by fur and break only skin, not the underlying flesh.

The worst experience I ever had with a needle was when I was seriously dehydrated when I entered the hospital and an inexperienced nurse tried to put an IV in the crook of my elbow (where my veins are less than obvious even when I'm not dehydrated), and the problem wasn't that she kept sticking me, it was that once she stuck the needle in she proceeded to move it around right and left, searching for the vein. That has to do with flesh, not skin. (And some people think there's something wrong with me because for some reason I have a serious needle phobia.)

The problem is, humans don't really have any body parts where the skin is like feline skin, so it's hard to extrapolate. But I've noticed that people on this site seem to regularly report how good their kitties are about subcutaneous injections, and I have trouble believing that there would be so many messages saying the same thing if the cats felt seriously injured by sub-qs.

Margret

 

[tarasgirl06]

tarasgirl06 , I'm not sure, but I think that's either tickling touch, which has to do with fur, or stroking/scratching, both of which could be the flesh underneath the skin.

I know that Jasmine seems to think that "love bites" don't hurt me, no matter how often I tell her otherwise. If directed toward a cat these bites would both be cushioned by fur and break only skin, not the underlying flesh.

The worst experience I ever had with a needle was when I was seriously dehydrated when I entered the hospital and an inexperienced nurse tried to put an IV in the crook of my elbow (where my veins are less than obvious even when I'm not dehydrated), and the problem wasn't that she kept sticking me, it was that once she stuck the needle in she proceeded to move it around right and left, searching for the vein. That has to do with flesh, not skin. (And some people think there's something wrong with me because for some reason I have a serious needle phobia.)

The problem is, humans don't really have any body parts where the skin is like feline skin, so it's hard to extrapolate. But I've noticed that people on this site seem to regularly report how good their kitties are about subcutaneous injections, and I have trouble believing that there would be so many messages saying the same thing if the cats felt seriously injured by sub-qs.

Margret

Hard to say. Tough call. As for the human side of things, I'm very thin, but I'm also what's known as a "roller" because my veins roll out of the needle's path. I avoid western medical practitioners like the plague I believe them to be, but in the rare instances when I can't avoid them, I always tell anyone sticking me that I'm a roller so they know beforehand.

 

[Margret]

Hard to say. Tough call. As for the human side of things, I'm very thin, but I'm also what's known as a "roller" because my veins roll out of the needle's path. I avoid western medical practitioners like the plague I believe them to be, but in the rare instances when I can't avoid them, I always tell anyone sticking me that I'm a roller so they know beforehand.

I kept saying, in the politest tone of voice I could manage, "You know, I have good veins in my wrists," which I do, even dehydrated, and she kept ignoring me while I bit my tongue and didn't scream. Finally she looked up, saw my face, went white as a sheet, and said, "I'm going to go get an expert to do this." Sure enough, the charge nurse came in, took one look at my arms, and put the IV in my wrist. It was a great relief, both because it meant I could get hydrated again and because it meant they could put some Demerol in the IV (I was in the middle of an acute gall bladder attack at the time). And the invisibility of the veins in my elbows doesn't change with my weight; at this time I was 5'4" tall and weighed about 100 pounds soaking wet. I've never been able to understand why people prefer to take the pulse at the elbow; it's extremely difficult to find in my elbow, but actually visible in my wrist.

Margret