Cat is in the emergency clinic after vomiting 7 times

[cmshap]

Cat care, like any pet care, like child care, inevitably involves making mistakes.

The true test of one's character/parenting quality means learning from those mistakes after they happen.

That's my two cents.

 

[gabicards]

I was having a look at the result of his exams again, and, just as the vet had said, there was only one alteration:

It's the Serum Amyloid A, which she told me was an inflammation marker. She said it was only slightly elevated, not a reason for concern, and that they thought maybe he had a food intolerance... it's really high though, isn't it? I tried looking for reference numbers online and am a little lost.

Not worried now, really, since he's fine and none of the vets were worried either. But, since I paid so much for all of these exams, I might as well learn with as much detail as possible about what they mean...

Btw, I found a nice pet store near my office and will be visiting it tomorrow, as it seems they have an organic single protein wet food made of turkey that I want to see if he'd be interested in. If he accepts to eat a bit of it, I will buy more and try to transition him into that to see how it goes.

I also have fecal transplant pills I've been meaning to give him since November, when I had Animal Biome test his gut and they got back to me with an overview saying his dysbiosis was "moderate". I've read in many places that it is safe, but must admit I'm still a bit scared. It's essentially a probiotic, though, isnt it?

 

[fionasmom]

serum amyloid a range in cats - Google Search

This is an entire page about serum amyloid A in cats; I all of it as I don't know if one is more useful than another....or if any of them are useful at all.

The thing with blood tests is that the range can vary depending on the lab which ran the tests. The severity of a high or low reading is often specific to that test. For a certain test, an increase of a couple of numbers could be serious, but for other tests there is no reason to worry unless the highest normal number triples. You vet can explain that in relation to this test and might be correct in what she is saying about not being concerned for that reason.

Animal Biome / Kitty Biome Experiences?
This thread has some information about FMT. I have not personally used those products and I am not sure that they are only another form of probiotic exactly.

I hope that the pet store works out!

You have really done an excellent job of handling the dog situation and I agree that getting the trainer is best with the money that you have saved. Is this a breed with a high prey drive like a Jack Russell?

 

[gabicards]

serum amyloid a range in cats - Google Search

This is an entire page about serum amyloid A in cats; I all of it as I don't know if one is more useful than another....or if any of them are useful at all.

The thing with blood tests is that the range can vary depending on the lab which ran the tests. The severity of a high or low reading is often specific to that test. For a certain test, an increase of a couple of numbers could be serious, but for other tests there is no reason to worry unless the highest normal number triples. You vet can explain that in relation to this test and might be correct in what she is saying about not being concerned for that reason.

Animal Biome / Kitty Biome Experiences?
This thread has some information about FMT. I have not personally used those products and I am not sure that they are only another form of probiotic exactly.

I hope that the pet store works out!

You have really done an excellent job of handling the dog situation and I agree that getting the trainer is best with the money that you have saved. Is this a breed with a high prey drive like a Jack Russell?

Thanks a lot for the links! I'll have a look at them both now. I actually talked to his vet in Brazil yesterday, to confirm with her the whole thing about the toxin poisoning (she said "what you said makes a lot of sense, and I would agree that the product was the likely cause of the vomiting and the fever"), and mentioned the exam. She said that she doesn't test for Amylase - which I brought up because I tried to compare with his exams from January and realized that it wasn't there - because it goes up for literally anything, so it ends up not being useful to her when it comes to a diagnosis. Much like the vet here in France, she told me not to worry about it.

The dog, Lola, is a medium sized poodle. They refer to the breed in Mexico as a "french poodle" - which, of course, doesn't apply here in France lol. I honestly don't know about the high prey drive, I've read all sorts of things about poodles. Lola is very gentle, though, and it's interesting because she sort of grasped on her own the idea that she isn't supposed to come inside my bedroom (I want to make sure nothing in here has her scent, just Topaz's)... when Topaz was in the clinic and I left my door open, she would get near it very slowly, looking at me, and have a look around - but without ever actually coming in. Sometimes I open and close my door when she's near, and, if Topaz is near it, she just looks at him without moving.

For all the inconvenience that having both of them here causes, it's still really sweet to witness these moments of curiosity - it's so pure. I hope at some point she's trained enough that she can be near Topaz without us needing to restrain her, even if they'll never be left alone unsupervised. My flatmate posted on Facebook about this situation of dog x cat when she asked about trainers, and several people messaged her saying we're on the right track with them and that they don't think Lola would be difficult, because she's not aggressive. A few of them recommended a next step in the adaptation, which would be a baby gate, and I think she's ordered it already. The idea is to use the baby gate during the day, when she's working, so that Lola can't reach Topaz, but they could still get very near each other. She's old enough that she can't really jump over it, but I'm not sure about Topaz. I know he isn't the problem in the situation, but it would suck if he decided to go for a sniff inside my friend's bedroom and jumped himself over it. Hell would break loose!

 

[fionasmom]

Lola sounds like a sweet dog and poodles don't have the highest prey drive and are usually quite trainable. A baby gate is a good idea. I have used it with cats who never jumped it and with cats who bolted right over it; one solution to that is to use more than one on top of the other or to get the kind of large piece of lattice that is used for garden trellis type structures. Some use screen doors which they temporarily attach to the doorway.

Veranda 4 ft. x 8 ft. Brownstone Garden Vinyl Lattice 103647 - The Home Depot

 

[gabicards]

Lola sounds like a sweet dog and poodles don't have the highest prey drive and are usually quite trainable. A baby gate is a good idea. I have used it with cats who never jumped it and with cats who bolted right over it; one solution to that is to use more than one on top of the other or to get the kind of large piece of lattice that is used for garden trellis type structures. Some use screen doors which they temporarily attach to the doorway.

Veranda 4 ft. x 8 ft. Brownstone Garden Vinyl Lattice 103647 - The Home Depot

Thanks for the tip! I might buy the 2nd gate for her then

Here are a few videos of Lola and Topaz this morning. My friend was out doing groceries, so I brought Lola out of her room and we were hanging out on the couch together. Topaz was roaming around in his usual way, and jumped on the couch with us a couple of times. He'd go up for a sniff of Lola, then go about his way.

Topaz and Lola

A few things I've noticed:
- Topaz continues to walk around the apartment with his tail high up
- He came up for a sniff of Lola's butt when Lola and I were in the kitchen. I was sitting on the floor and she was standing up near me, but without trying to go after him. After he did that, he left the kitchen, and when he had his back turned to her, his tail was lower - about body height, not necessarily pointing towards the floor
- Lola mostly just stares at Topaz without moving, but what was different this morning is that, if I call her, move, or try to catch her attention, she does stop looking at Topaz to look at me. Up until now, you could do literally anything and she would not break eye contact at any point
- If I hold Lola with a leash, she walks after Topaz. She doesn't get agitated (as in, tries to chase him) unless he moves quickly or uses his scratching post.

As I've mentioned before, I don't spend time with other cats, so I can't say I fully understand their body language, though I think I have a good instinct when it comes to Topaz... still, I understand I'm close to the situation and could rationalize things. It's why I ask: do you observe anything you'd be concerned about in his behavior when near Lola? Because to me he seems completely relaxed..

I'm currently not capable of analysing much, too, because my emotional health is on the ground with all that we've been through lately. This morning he was meowing before he pooped - not unusual, not a meow of pain either - and it put me on a state of complete anxiety. And then when he pooped, a piece of poop was stuck to his butt, so he scooted on the floor to get it out - which I had never seen him do, and I PANICKED. He was freaked out by the poop - it's dry, seemingly healthy, but it got tangled in a part of his fur. I removed it, and a while later he was meowing (my brain: OH MY GOD, what if there's an issue with his anal glands, what if the vets didn't look at it, what if he's in pain because of it!!)... but, like, Topaz is a talkative cat. Any normal behavior sets me off now, it's exhausting. I find that I'm in constant need of reassurance, which is probably why I'm here so often and why I'm always sending videos of him to my family. I hope I eventually get over it because it's obviously not healthy.

 

[silent meowlook]

I still think you need to continue as you are doing with the leash on Lola anytime Topaz is around. I don't like the way Lola is so fixed on him. But it looks like you are doing a good job and being careful.

 

[gabicards]

I still think you need to continue as you are doing with the leash on Lola anytime Topaz is around. I don't like the way Lola is so fixed on him. But it looks like you are doing a good job and being careful.

Ah yes, definitely, Lola is always on a leash. But do you think Topaz seems stressed near her?

To be honest, neither myself or my flatmate have any intention of ever leaving them alone together. What we're trying to do is just have her be comfortable enough near him that we won't need to constantly be holding her back while she's on her leash, and so that she doesn't randomly scare Topaz. This way, he'd never need to be in a separate space.

Also, holding Lola with a leash isn't any work. What I don't want is accidentally stress him by letting her be out of my flatmate's bedroom, you know?

 

[silent meowlook]

Topaz is doing something I see cats that are somewhat uncomfortable in a situation do. He looks totally relaxed. Laying down. ears up but watch the tail and the tension in the body. The dog is completely focused on the cat. But so are you. Try not to look at the cat when you are holding the dog. just ignore Topaz and things will improve quicker. If you are calling the cat and looking at him then the dog thinks that is the thing to do.

Beautiful cat

 

[gabicards]

Topaz is doing something I see cats that are somewhat uncomfortable in a situation do. He looks totally relaxed. Laying down. ears up but watch the tail and the tension in the body. The dog is completely focused on the cat. But so are you. Try not to look at the cat when you are holding the dog. just ignore Topaz and things will improve quicker. If you are calling the cat and looking at him then the dog thinks that is the thing to do.

Beautiful cat

Thanks so much for the tip! I’ll do that next time they’re around each other

 

[fionasmom]

Topaz is certainly a handsome boy and I love the white tufts on his ears. He looks very healthy for all that has been going on.

I don't see this as a red zone case of potential dog aggression. Lola would be pulling and attempting to get to Topaz and the cat would be nowhere to be found. But I do see the concentration on the part of Lola on Topaz. Even if it only amounted to a quick run through the apartment, it would be stressful for Topaz, so I agree that you are doing a very good job of supervision. It is probably best to keep doing what you have in place with monitoring them as I don't think that Lola is entirely out of the mind set of wanting to investigate the cat. Even if it is play on the part of Lola, it will still stress Topaz.

You have been through enough recently that everything seems to be a red flag and that is probably normal, although upsetting to have to experience. Everything is potential trouble and it might take a while to move away from that mindset. I have done that also with animals who have been sick...vigilant for a long time.

 

[gabicards]

Topaz is certainly a handsome boy and I love the white tufts on his ears. He looks very healthy for all that has been going on.

I don't see this as a red zone case of potential dog aggression. Lola would be pulling and attempting to get to Topaz and the cat would be nowhere to be found. But I do see the concentration on the part of Lola on Topaz. Even if it only amounted to a quick run through the apartment, it would be stressful for Topaz, so I agree that you are doing a very good job of supervision. It is probably best to keep doing what you have in place with monitoring them as I don't think that Lola is entirely out of the mind set of wanting to investigate the cat. Even if it is play on the part of Lola, it will still stress Topaz.

You have been through enough recently that everything seems to be a red flag and that is probably normal, although upsetting to have to experience. Everything is potential trouble and it might take a while to move away from that mindset. I have done that also with animals who have been sick...vigilant for a long time.

He does look well, yes. Only 0,3kg thinner than he was in December 2023, which, all things considered, I'm okay with. It's one of the reasons why I'm starting to accept that he might just eat less from now on. It's been months since he was able to eat 4 sachets of food, like he did pre-surgery, but he isn't losing weight.

And thank you for the reassurance! We don't intend to ever leave them alone, but we're gonna have to make it work for at least the next 4 months. I need my work situation to be more stable before I think about moving - since I started on a new job last week, I have 3 months to go before I'm out of probational period and able to sign a lease. Topaz being seemingly okay with her presence eases my mind, because the last thing I want is for him to be miserable or to avoid hanging out in the usuals spots because she's somewhere near, even if she can't reach him.

This is just after two weeks, too, so hopefully it will keep getting better until both me and him are more comfortable with the situation.

I found single protein food to try and introduce him to in April, following the advice from the vets in Brazil and here in France. It's made of Turkey. The slippery elk balm I ordered a couple of weeks ago has also arrived, but I suppose it might be better to introduce that a few weeks after he's settled into a new diet, so it might take a while. I want to see if perhaps the new food makes him poop everyday again.

 

[fionasmom]

It might be good not to hit him with everything at once.

I agree that both Topaz and Lola are okay in the same room with supervision and that you don't have to try to move out before you feel comfortable in your new job.

 

[gabicards]

I always leave Topaz's carrier in the living room, open, and my flatmate is there now watching TV with Lola. Topaz recently left my bedroom and is currently taking a nap inside his carrier, which is next to the couch where they're staying at.

Lola continues to just stare at him, but he seems to have gotten comfy and, while I observed for a bit, he didn't look at her at all.

Fingers crossed for some peace!

 

[gabicards]

Topaz has been pooping every day for the past 4 days, which is a miracle.

But, because there absolutely cannot be peace in this household, I arrived home from work to find his nose bright red. Obviously, I panicked, but held off on taking him to the emergency again and messaged his vet in Brazil with pictures. She has two theories 1) allergies (some sort of rhinitis flare up) 2) because I told her he's been sneezing for the past couple of days, he might have rubbed at it because of that and hurt it. She asked me to put a cream I brought from Brazil (that she knows) and observe, but she doesn't think he needs to see a vet for it - at least not now.

His behavior is normal, though he did sleep a lot yesterday. I even messaged a friend and asked her if her cats sleep more when it's cold, since I've never gone through a full winter with a cat. He ate normally today, too. I had a look here at the forums and saw a thread of people that saw this on their cats too, some vets never figured out what it was, so who even knows. I just really, really hope it gets well on its own, I don't want to take him to a vet again. He just had a million blood tests done!!

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, you guys, can't we just... exist for a bit?

 

[silent meowlook]

Sometimes you just have to look up to the sky and say “is there anything else?” But really, whatever this is, it is. I would keep him away from the Sun including windows. Most people wouldn’t have noticed. So it’s good you are observant. You are doing an excellent job as a cat parent! I know Topaz appreciates it and he looks comfortable!

 

[fionasmom]

I agree that it is not an emergency. Except for the little red nose, he looks great...eyes not runny, no mucus.

Is the cream working yet or is it too soon? My cats, even in LA where it is not that cold, curl up and sleep more in the winter. I even have a couple of little lightweights who want their heating pad turned on and will sit under heating vents.

Watching his exposure to the sun is a good idea in general.

 

[gabicards]

Thanks both!

I’ve been conflicted on whether that’s internal or external, but all my friends who’ve seen the pic with the flash, as well as his vet, think it’s external (there’s an almost exact triangle shape to it, the red part looks more wet than the rest of it, the texture seems different as there are no bumps in the red part). So he either touched something with his nose that he shouldn’t have, or scratched it somehow. I don’t know how a scratch would have given him a triangle shaped injury… but, at the same time, nothing in here has ever caused a cut to his skin.

The interesting thing is that both the vet and a friend of mine that is well versed in cats immediately asked me if I knew whether he’s had allergies problems in the past. He does scratch at his ears and neck often, but never hurt himself - since he’s suspected to have food allergies, this same vet has told me in the past that it could be why.

I suppose it’s less bad if it’s external, but he licks his nose every once in a while, which isn’t ideal.

The cream isn’t working yet, but it’s a good one, for humans. Very common in Brazil, too, called Nebacetin - it’s supposed to help with infections and promote healing. My friend says when her cat had a similar injury on her paw, it took about a week to heal I will just have to monitor it. My poor mental health…

Honestly though, he’s asleep now, but his behavior was perfectly normal. He ate 3,5 sachets of food today, which is the highest quantity for him. Meowed normally, jumped around, tried to hang out with Lola…

 

[fionasmom]

I noticed the perfect little triangle shape as well. Is there anything that he could have touched...but I am sure you don't have a lot of random hot appliances running all over the apartment or anything like that. It appears to be entirely external given his normal behavior and appetite, which is all for the best. Nebacetin appears to be like a popular antibiotic cream that we have in the states.

 

[gabicards]

So, I'm applying the cream, he's still behaving normally and eating well, but it looks like to me that the skin of his nose is actually peeling off. My first thought this morning is that it looks like burned skin - it's not bleeding, but it's clearer now that it's indeed external because the texture of the skin (and moisture) looks different in these new pics (taken a few minutes ago) on the bits that are redder.

What's weird is that he's a fully indoor cat. Can you really get sunburnt through a window? We just spent a few months in Brazil during summer and it never happened.

Honestly though, I've recked my brain and can't find any other source of heat in this apartment. We have radiators, and they've been on, but it's not even hot to the touch. I've questioned my flatmate whether the building has turned it on at all, because I'm constantly cold.

I just hope it doesn't keep getting worse my poor baby...