Female Birman 18 yrs old

bsilverfox

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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.
 

FeebysOwner

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Don't have a lot of suggestions for everything - but here are a few anyway.
1.) Water fountain - there are ones that mimic a faucet.
2.) Arthritic supplement to help with her immobility - glucosamine, chondroitin, and/or green lipped mussels.
3.) Metamucil or plain pumpkin for extra fiber to help with loose stools. She may not like the pumpkin, but the Metamucil is flavorless.
4,) Smaller, more frequent meals. Not where you want to go, but older cats tend to be like older people and prefer small meals multiple times a day. Maybe motion activated feeders?

Overall, it sounds like Blue is doing pretty well for her age. The diagnostics/testing that the vet is recommending is likely due to them wanting to check for things like bowel inflammation and maybe even arthritis. There are ways to treat both, and would help your girl feel better overall. No, she is not going to return to her younger days, but the goal is to make her feel better.

I would also consider carrying her down the stairs so she can spend time with you at night while you watch TV. No harm in keeping some food/water/litter box down there for her as well. And, you can always carry her back up the stairs when you leave.
 
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bsilverfox

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Thank you, Feebys Owner, for your response and all the ideas that you offered. I failed to mention that I have tried carrying her downstairs in the evening if she is not napping. Some evenings she stays on my lap for an hour or more but frequently she is ready to leave after about 20 minutes or less. When she leaves early, she always wants to go back upstairs-so I help her. I would like to try an arthritic supplement as you mentioned and will check online at Chewys which is where I get her supplies and will keep the Metamucil in mind if the 30 day supply of Pro Plan's supplement fails to improve that situation. In 2003 when we adopted a Seal Coat and Blue Coat Birman from a Breeder - only a week different in age but from different litters, I tried a fountain and neither of them took to it. I may try another now as both of us are getting tired holding her up to the sink as she requires so frequently. Thank you again very much for your help.
 

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Would she be more willing to stay downstairs if you had food/water/litter box down there for her - or does she have that already?
Here is one example of a faucet type water fountain, just for ideas - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G15EGOE/?tag=thecatsite.

I use Glyco Flex Plus for Feeby (16+ yo). They are big chews, but can be easily cut up and even crushed if need be. Feeby started eating these 2-3 years ago, and it nearly eliminated her limp entirely. If she takes a long nap, she might limp just a bit right when she gets up. I am just throwing that out there as one option for you to look at. Amazon.com : VetriScience Laboratories Glyco Flex Plus Joint Support for Cats, 30 ct : Pet Supplies. They have these at Chewys as well.
 
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bsilverfox

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I have a water fountain (with a cleaning kit) (G) which seems to be the biggest hassle with all the fountains I looked at--along with Glyco Flex Plus arriving Sunday via Amazon. Will advise initial attitude & results in a week or so. I have tried the water & litter box in the club room area but she never used either. Thanks again.
 

FeebysOwner

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I have a water fountain (with a cleaning kit) (G) which seems to be the biggest hassle with all the fountains I looked at--along with Glyco Flex Plus arriving Sunday via Amazon. Will advise initial attitude & results in a week or so. I have tried the water & litter box in the club room area but she never used either. Thanks again.
The Glyco Flex Plus instructions say to start out with 2 chews daily for the first 4-6 weeks, then one chew per 10 pounds of weight thereafter. I never gave Feeby 2 chews - always just one. I had heard that it could cause loose stool at the onset, so no way was I going to do that to Feeby. One chew never impacted her from that standpoint at all.

Hope Blue likes the water fountain! :crossfingers::crossfingers::crossfingers::crossfingers: Don't give up right away if she doesn't automatically start using it. Sometimes a cat just has to get used to something before they will readily use it .
 
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bsilverfox

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Well, it's been almost 3 weeks. It took Blue a full 10 days to start using the fountain---during which every time I got a Thirsty Meow with her standing below one of the 2 sinks which I used to lift her up to, I picked her up and carried her to the new fountain and had a little talk with her. How many times? I lost track around 50. However she began to try it and finally realized-I think-this is the new "water place". The next crisis was about 6 days after I cleaned the fountain for the first time (the day before yesterday) she stopped using the fountain and began meowing at the sink again. So this morning, having a strong feeling the problem was the water getting slimey (sp?) I cleaned the fountain thoroughly, changed the filter, and put it back in place and she started drinking from it before I got it filled far enough that the motor started running water down the funnel --at which time she changed to taking it there. The instructions say to clean the fountain every 1 or 2 weeks--I think it's going to be like every 5 days. I tried the chews, giving her just one at a time but she just spit them out and that was the end of that. I just started on my second box of 30 daily doses of Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Supplements FortiFlora for the diarrhea. So far it really has not helped much. The good news is that with the beginning of success with the fountain, out of the last 8 nights, I have only had to get up in the middle of the night twice. She is still feeble and her hind legs seem to be weak, she sleeps more than she used to but all in all for 18yrs & almost 4 months it seems her quality of life is reasonable. Thanks again for your idea and help with the water fountain.
 

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I am glad she is using the water fountain! Sorry, it is going to require more frequent cleaning than the instructions indicate. If the FortiFlora doesn't seem to make a difference, maybe try Saccharomyces boulardii instead? I have also heard of members using Tomlyn Loose Stool Remedy. As far as the Glyco, try smashing it up and mixing it with a lickable treat or even baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut). If that doesn't work, you probably should consider Cosequin or a similar product that doesn't have green lipped mussels in them. Feeby liked the Glyco and has been eating them for over 2 years, but I think she is getting tired of the smell/flavor of the mussels.

Did the new vet get copies of all of Blu's records from the old vet? If not, I would get them and even keep a copy for yourself. Comparing results from multiple years of blood tests can identify changes that might help to explain what might be behind the feebleness and weak hind legs - even if the elements all appear to be within normal range. For example, Feeby's phosphorus is still within in the normal range, but what no one told me is that for her age it really shouldn't be as high as it is. The normal range in this case applies to kittens, adults, and geriatric cats rather than pinpointing ranges for each age group. It was also obvious in looking at multiple years worth of test results that Feeby's phosphorus has increased recently, despite the fact it still qualifies as normal.
 
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