Artie and his Issues

[Mamanyt1953]

Artie, my Darlin Boy, we've had this conversation before. Eating is not optional, my wee furry little fiend.

 

[artiemom]

Artie vomited twice today.. both times after giving him cisapride. He is has been refusing his food also. I thought that perhaps he had a stomach ache, so I gave him a dose of Cerenia--- he vomited that up with the cisapride... sigh..

I am concerned....

Never mind, he just ate 1/4 can of food.. But no stool meds today, so far.. sigh..
One more try at it tonight, along with another dose of lactulose. I only gave him 2 cc this morning. He needs a total of 4 cc....

 

[Margret]

Margret

 

[neely]

Artie vomited twice today.. both times after giving him cisapride. He is has been refusing his food also. I thought that perhaps he had a stomach ache, so I gave him a dose of Cerenia--- he vomited that up with the cisapride... sigh..
I am concerned....
Never mind, he just ate 1/4 can of food.. But no stool meds today, so far.. sigh..
One more try at it tonight, along with another dose of lactulose. I only gave him 2 cc this morning. He needs a total of 4 cc....

Phew, you really had me worried with your opening sentence but when I read Artie ate 1/4 can of food I felt a little better.
Artie sure knows how to keep you on your toes, doesn't he?

 

[Margret]

Artie sure knows how to keep you on your toes, doesn't he?

I have a deep conviction that there are better ways to go about that task...

Margret

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Dere Artie, Is Hekitty here. If you want the two-foot on toes, stop vommicking and stick a claw in her fanny. Works real good. Ask my two-foot.

Love

Hekitty

 

[artiemom]

Well, it is after 6pm, Artie has not eaten all day.. I just gave him a Cerenia (nausea pill). He usually eats by now.. sigh.. He ate 3/4 can and 1/4 cup, the past 24 hours.. it will be less today..

The NVet said to wait 12 hours before medicating.. well, I have waited. I would have done this sooner, but I am going by his judgement...sigh.. Honestly, I would have given it a few hours ago...sigh

Artie has not vomited today.. thank goodness. He vomited twice yesterday.. one with the morning cisapride; the other after I gave him a Cerenia.. and it was cisapride which came up...

I do not know what is going on with him.. I mean it.. I still have the 'thread" on my mind. It has been a few days, since I saw it in his poops, so, I am not certain that is an issue.

He did poop twice today.. once, this morning; 4 1/2 x 1 inch and another 5 x 1.5 inches which was like Jello.. it looked like a cigar...

"""""""Dere Artie, Is Hekitty here. If you want the two-foot on toes, stop vommicking and stick a claw in her fanny. Works real good. Ask my two-foot.



Love

Hekitty""""""""

Thanks Mamanyt1953 , oops, I mean Hekitty...

One thing I know, I am never, ever going to say that Artie is stable or doing well... It is a definite JINX!!...

I plan to be home most of the day tomorrow, if not all day, cleaning, so I will be checking on Artie, very closely...and perhaps bugging NVet and Secretary about him...sigh...

 

[tarasgirl06]

Dere Artie, Is Hekitty here. If you want the two-foot on toes, stop vommicking and stick a claw in her fanny. Works real good. Ask my two-foot.

Love

Hekitty

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Any luck with eating today?

 

[artiemom]

Artie ate his wet food during the night.. refusing dry food. I covered the dish up with plastic. He will get it again tonight.

As it has been his habit of eating very late in the day ~~~ starving all day long; I just gave him a tiny bit for breakfast... To my surprise, after his refusing it, he ate!!
And he went over later for some more food.... surprise...

I am thinking that when he is not pooping as much, then he delays his eating. Since he has Megacolon, he needs to poop a large amount of stool, daily. It makes him feel better. He had only been producing 4-5 inches for a few days. Yesterday, he got cleaned out with 11 inches.. that is more his style..so perhaps that is the reason for the change in his appetite??? who knows with this cat??

I had discussed his new situation with the NVet's sec. We both agree, she has a good handle on Artie also, about asking NVet about giving him some Cerenia later in the day (stomach) and a Cyproheptadine, early (appetite). He agreed, but Artie did not need it today..

Shush--- I was going to do it anyway.. regardless of what the NVet said...NVet really trusts my judgement with Artie and his meds. I take that as a compliment, coming from him.

NVet's remark was: "Wow, He is really giving her a run for her money!"... yes, he is!!

Artie had a tough day. I was deep cleaning his bathroom, and his quilt. He was beside himself. Honestly, he did not know what to make of things. I spread out an old sheet in the great room, placing his litter stuff in there. Artie was also checking out my cleaning abilities.

He did get into a bit of mischief. I caught him a couple of times, going after some silk flowers, in a vase, on a shelf of my very large book case. The shelf is about 3 feet above the floor. I saw him at it, said: "What are you doing?".. He knew he was doing wrong. Artie turned, looked at me and got down. But it happened again. All I had to do was quietly say:
"Hey".. and he was down. I had to rearrange things, putting the flowers on a higher shelf.

NVet thinks it is time that he probably checks Artie out again. But he is not pusing it. It can be next month (October) or a bit later. If I wait, it will be getting close to the Holiday Season, and I do not want to do that. I agreed. Artie has a tentative appointment on
October 10 with the NVet..

I also wanted to make the appointment now, because, while brushing my teeth this morning, a bridge broke.. not what I need.. cannot afford to fix this.. sigh... but I have to find the money somewhere. I will go down and see if the dentist can help, or if I need to find a specialist, an oral surgeon to pull the tooth.. Had tons of dental issues over my lifetime.. Thirty years ago, I actually gave up buying a house, (downpayment), deciding to reconstruct my teeth. I cannot go through all that again: periodontal, endodontic, and prosthedontic stuff. No more bridges, root canals, gum surgery for me. I spent thousands on my teeth. I do not have the money or the inclination to deal with the pain all over again. I would just rather have them pull the teeth.. at my age of 63 years old, who am I kidding.. I am the victim of very bad dentistry... and are terrified of dentists. Actually shake when I get there. I had several specialists tell me that I was a victim of bad dentists...

That is why I do not have savings and a house or condo.. I spent the money on my teeth, when I was in my 30's....

Anyway, Artie is sleeping in his nice, clean quilt tent.. yes, I washed it today. He was lost without it..

He has been strange about getting brushed.. He usually loves it. All I have to say is: "Artie want to get brushed? Artie, brushy!". He goes running over to his smaller cat tree where I can easily stand while brushing him, and he can look out the window.

The past few days, he has wanted to get brushed, but only lasted a few brush strokes. strange..

 

[tarasgirl06]

Artie ate his wet food during the night.. refusing dry food. I covered the dish up with plastic. He will get it again tonight.

As it has been his habit of eating very late in the day ~~~ starving all day long; I just gave him a tiny bit for breakfast... To my surprise, after his refusing it, he ate!!
And he went over later for some more food.... surprise...

I am thinking that when he is not pooping as much, then he delays his eating. Since he has Megacolon, he needs to poop a large amount of stool, daily. It makes him feel better. He had only been producing 4-5 inches for a few days. Yesterday, he got cleaned out with 11 inches.. that is more his style..so perhaps that is the reason for the change in his appetite??? who knows with this cat??

I had discussed his new situation with the NVet's sec. We both agree, she has a good handle on Artie also, about asking NVet about giving him some Cerenia later in the day (stomach) and a Cyproheptadine, early (appetite). He agreed, but Artie did not need it today..

Shush--- I was going to do it anyway.. regardless of what the NVet said...NVet really trusts my judgement with Artie and his meds. I take that as a compliment, coming from him.

NVet's remark was: "Wow, He is really giving her a run for her money!"... yes, he is!!

Artie had a tough day. I was deep cleaning his bathroom, and his quilt. He was beside himself. Honestly, he did not know what to make of things. I spread out an old sheet in the great room, placing his litter stuff in there. Artie was also checking out my cleaning abilities.

He did get into a bit of mischief. I caught him a couple of times, going after some silk flowers, in a vase, on a shelf of my very large book case. The shelf is about 3 feet above the floor. I saw him at it, said: "What are you doing?".. He knew he was doing wrong. Artie turned, looked at me and got down. But it happened again. All I had to do was quietly say:
"Hey".. and he was down. I had to rearrange things, putting the flowers on a higher shelf.

NVet thinks it is time that he probably checks Artie out again. But he is not pusing it. It can be next month (October) or a bit later. If I wait, it will be getting close to the Holiday Season, and I do not want to do that. I agreed. Artie has a tentative appointment on
October 10 with the NVet..

I also wanted to make the appointment now, because, while brushing my teeth this morning, a bridge broke.. not what I need.. cannot afford to fix this.. sigh... but I have to find the money somewhere. I will go down and see if the dentist can help, or if I need to find a specialist, an oral surgeon to pull the tooth.. Had tons of dental issues over my lifetime.. Thirty years ago, I actually gave up buying a house, (downpayment), deciding to reconstruct my teeth. I cannot go through all that again: periodontal, endodontic, and prosthedontic stuff. No more bridges, root canals, gum surgery for me. I spent thousands on my teeth. I do not have the money or the inclination to deal with the pain all over again. I would just rather have them pull the teeth.. at my age of 63 years old, who am I kidding.. I am the victim of very bad dentistry... and are terrified of dentists. Actually shake when I get there. I had several specialists tell me that I was a victim of bad dentists...

That is why I do not have savings and a house or condo.. I spent the money on my teeth, when I was in my 30's....

Anyway, Artie is sleeping in his nice, clean quilt tent.. yes, I washed it today. He was lost without it..

He has been strange about getting brushed.. He usually loves it. All I have to say is: "Artie want to get brushed? Artie, brushy!". He goes running over to his smaller cat tree where I can easily stand while brushing him, and he can look out the window.

The past few days, he has wanted to get brushed, but only lasted a few brush strokes. strange..

So he's jumping again without problems? Great! And your idea of stimulating his appetite early in the day sounds perfect! As for brushing, I guess "we all have our days" might apply...?
Well, of course each person needs to do what (s)he thinks best, but my mom, who had to get full dentures in her 50's, always said, 'Do whatever you have to do to keep your teeth' and I'm trusting her on that. I had some gum surgery and I've got quite a few fillings and a couple of crowns, but apart from that nothing. I go twice yearly for cleaning. One of my exes had a terrible history with dentists, too, and his mouth is a major disaster. My dad kept all his own teeth and I want to be like him. Does gorilla glue repair bridges? and can you get dental insurance? I hope you don't have to have any teeth pulled.
Very happy for Artie enjoying his clean quilt/tent! A man does need his mancave, after all

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Well, of course each person needs to do what (s)he thinks best, but my mom, who had to get full dentures in her 50's, always said, 'Do whatever you have to do to keep your teeth' and I'm trusting her on that.

IF you have healthy, nice teeth to begin with, that is the best advice in the world. If, on the other hand, your teeth were so far below optimal to begin with as to be absurd, not so much. Best day of my life was the day they fit me for dentures and I chewed properly for the first time in 50 years. Just depends on your starting point

SO good to hear that Artie is eating. And the WET! Day by day with Our Boy, isn't it? Also wonderful to hear that he is feeling up to doing some jumping again. The brushing is a bit odd, but perhaps no more odd than any of his other "whims." I'm sure it all makes perfect sense to him!

 

[tarasgirl06]

IF you have healthy, nice teeth to begin with, that is the best advice in the world. If, on the other hand, your teeth were so far below optimal to begin with as to be absurd, not so much. Best day of my life was the day they fit me for dentures and I chewed properly for the first time in 50 years. Just depends on your starting point

SO good to hear that Artie is eating. And the WET! Day by day with Our Boy, isn't it? Also wonderful to hear that he is feeling up to doing some jumping again. The brushing is a bit odd, but perhaps no more odd than any of his other "whims." I'm sure it all makes perfect sense to him!

She didn't, which is why it really drove the point home to me that no matter what, do whatever you have to do to keep them! Glad your situation is improved, though. You're right -- each person is different.

 

[Margret]

Does gorilla glue repair bridges?

I have a broken ceramic bowl that I've been wanting to fix, so I've been looking for food safe adhesives for it. Gorilla Glue was one of the first that I checked out, and it specifically states that it's not food safe. Trust me, if it's not safe for a bowl it's not safe for your mouth.

Worse, because of the nature of bridges (which attach directly to teeth) anything you would use as adhesive for a home repair has to be safe, in your mouth, while it's drying/curing. I think I saw some kind of temporary dental adhesive at Walgreens many, many years ago, but I don't remember the name and it isn't there now.

Margret

 

[artiemom]

You can buy dental cement from Amazon. I have a pack of it...
Made an initial appointment for Wednesday morning-- early
I am using a woman from Church for a reference to her dentist. She is very vocal, and does not take any flack from anyone; yet she loves this dentist. She wants me to call her and tell her about my experience. They all know her in that office. Everyone knows, LOLA!!!

Artie had a very bad day, yesterday. He only pooped a tiny bit, and was refusing his food. I threw away 1/2 can of food. He was only eating a tiny bit of dry food. That is the opposite for him. I did give him both the appetite med and the nausea med; neither seemed to improve his appetite. He was hiding in his tent, all day. Even jumped off my lap while I was watching TV....sigh...

It was a very foggy day yesterday, damp, humid....Today the fog is bad also, cool and damp.. I wonder if he is feeling pain from his arthritis?
He acting good yesterday morning, but who knows?

Artie came over to me when I woke up, but still not food this wrong. He did eat 1/2 can of food last night, and a bit of dry---that is good.

 

[Margret]

It could well be pain, both from the arthritis and from the build up of poop. Besides stomach bugs, there are two things that reliably make me nauseated: pain, and hypoglycemia. I suspect that pain works the same for animals, too. It's the body's way of prioritizing. Pain is supposed to make us take notice, look for the cause of the pain and make it stop!!! and that takes precedence over mere eating -- you can do that any time. The problem is, these "gut level" responses are a good deal less useful for a person whose primary issue is digestion problems.

Margret

 

[tarasgirl06]

You can buy dental cement from Amazon. I have a pack of it...
Made an initial appointment for Wednesday morning-- early
I am using a woman from Church for a reference to her dentist. She is very vocal, and does not take any flack from anyone; yet she loves this dentist. She wants me to call her and tell her about my experience. They all know her in that office. Everyone knows, LOLA!!!

Artie had a very bad day, yesterday. He only pooped a tiny bit, and was refusing his food. I threw away 1/2 can of food. He was only eating a tiny bit of dry food. That is the opposite for him. I did give him both the appetite med and the nausea med; neither seemed to improve his appetite. He was hiding in his tent, all day. Even jumped off my lap while I was watching TV....sigh...

It was a very foggy day yesterday, damp, humid....Today the fog is bad also, cool and damp.. I wonder if he is feeling pain from his arthritis?
He acting good yesterday morning, but who knows?

Artie came over to me when I woke up, but still not food this wrong. He did eat 1/2 can of food last night, and a bit of dry---that is good.

Good luck with dentist! A good dentist is such a blessing. I called 1.800.DENTIST when I moved down here and the referral they gave me is the best dentist I have ever had (and I've had some good ones!). He and his team are gentle, thorough, do great work, are reasonable, take most insurances, and have a beautiful newly-remodeled office that is a pleasure to visit for my bi-annual cleanings. I don't know what I'd do without them! and they're not really close, but I can grab an Uber there and back for not much at all.
Hoping Artie man feels better and more like eating his excellent food very soon. It's such a disappointment when our cats aren't feeling 100%, isn't it? Would he consent to being burrito'd in a fleece wrap to warm him up?
*Your device is quite a crack-up! "...Artie came over to me when I woke up, but still not food this wrong." Gotta love our devices. They obviously have minds of their own and their own senses of humor.*

 

[dustydiamond1]

You can buy dental cement from Amazon. I have a pack of it...
Made an initial appointment for Wednesday morning-- early
I am using a woman from Church for a reference to her dentist. She is very vocal, and does not take any flack from anyone; yet she loves this dentist. She wants me to call her and tell her about my experience. They all know her in that office. Everyone knows, LOLA!!!

Artie had a very bad day, yesterday. He only pooped a tiny bit, and was refusing his food. I threw away 1/2 can of food. He was only eating a tiny bit of dry food. That is the opposite for him. I did give him both the appetite med and the nausea med; neither seemed to improve his appetite. He was hiding in his tent, all day. Even jumped off my lap while I was watching TV....sigh...

It was a very foggy day yesterday, damp, humid....Today the fog is bad also, cool and damp.. I wonder if he is feeling pain from his arthritis?
He acting good yesterday morning, but who knows?

Artie came over to me when I woke up, but still not food this wrong. He did eat 1/2 can of food last night, and a bit of dry---that is good.

I hope today is a better day. Would the warmer rocks they have for snake & Lizard habitats be of any help? He could lay next to or on it.

 

[LTS3]

A heated pet bed might help keep Artie's joints comfortable. Or a Snuggle Safe pad.

 

[artiemom]

Artie was a lot better with his food today. Last night he ate 1/2 can plus 1/4 cup of dry.
Today, it has been 1/2 can and 1/4 cup dry.

He has not pooped. Artie is still in his tent.

The weather has been horrible. Foggy, damp, cool,--yuck. I can understand why he would be in achey pain.

He wanted to be brushed yesterday and today. Today, it finally dawned on me, he has arthritis in his lower spine, along his tail also.

I tried to gently brush his lower back, along the pelvic bones, and down to his tail. He did not like that.. did not growl, just walked away. But he came back for more brushing. Each time I touched that area, he walked away... so it is arthritis.. poor baby... wish I could give him a quick fix for that...

He is limping a tad bit more today, also..

His quilt is very warm. I have it folded up, he crawls in-between the folds..and it is warm in there.

He really needs to poop. I am not going to worry.

I also found a couple more boxes... actually cases of food.. I put them in a couple more areas for his accessibility.. Artie is using them to go up, but sometimes he just jumps down...I cringe when I see that... but, he knows his body...

tarasgirl06 It is not quite so much my device, as it is my poor typing skills along with my not proofreading what I type.. It is just fresh off my mind.. that is why I ramble so much. oops, almost left in 14 cup dry!!!