Giardia and pillow-foot questions

[smg680]

I said in a previous post that it was my family's adopted cat Little Mama who was having issues with pooping and peeing outside the litterbox. However, a short time ago, I learned that it was our little one-year-old kitten Sassy who was really doing that! And I caught her with a big poop in one of the bedroom closets, which I quickly cleaned up! I put her in the basement where we have more litterboxes (and to put her in timeout), and I'm going to let the vet know about this on Monday. She has a few health issues that we've been helping her with since we adopted her, since she goes to Ambre's old vet. She takes a special medicine that I put on her paw so she can lick it off rather than have us try to force it in her mouth, but I want to know why she's doing this.

The vet tested Sassy for FIV and feline leukemia when we first took her in, and the tests came back negative. The vet also said she has 'giardia' and 'pillow feet', but I don't know how to tell if those have cleared up or if that will get better.

My questions to these conditions are, what is giardia, how long does it last, and what is 'pillow feet' and can that get better? I bought some salve online to see if that would work, but I never got around to using it on Sassy.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I would have thought your vet would have explained both conditions to you, as well as how to treat them. The vet should have also told you what this medication is that you are letting her lick off of her paw and what it is specifically for.

Maybe read up on both, which could help to better prepare you to have a conversation with your vet. It doesn't appear that these conditions will necessarily clear up on their own without help, and giardia can be contagious, meaning your other cats are being exposed to it.
Giardiasis In Cats: Causes, Symptoms, & Treatment - Cats.com
Pillow Foot in Cats: Our Vet Shares What to Do - Cat-World

 

[FeralHearts]

Having had one cat with Giardia and another with Pillow foot hopefully I can help.

Giardia is a parasite and does require treatment. Once treatment is completed kitties really should be retested to ensure it's gone. Be sure to clean out the litter boxes often as it can be contagious .... and as an extra precaution, you should also wear a mask when cleaning it. Although it doesn't happen often, it can transfer to people. The good news is that it's an easy, easy, fix normally.

As for pillow foot, Doxycycline was used and is considered the go-to method of treatment. It was what another one of my darlings was on for quite a long time for her pillow foot, much longer than would be normal. That being said, it did clear up and *knock on wood* it has not returned. Pillow foot is an auto immune related issue and even once cleared up, it can come back. So do keep that in mind.

Pillow foot you show be able to see the difference on the paw. For awhile myself I wasn't sure so I started to take picture weekly and compared them.

Did they do a biopsy on the paw to confirm the pillow foot?

It's a process and it can take time.

 

[Kris107]

I had two cats with pillow foot. One had it in a more minor way (only some minor swelling of pads, no complications, went away after time) but the other had it worse. At one point, one of his paw pads "exploded". There was tissue that was coming out of his pad. We took him to a dermatologist who removed the tissue, sewed it up, and it never came back. But best to address with vet's recommendations and try to get rid of it! Medication is cheaper than surgery. It was a SAGA the way I did it.

 

[smg680]

Update:

My dad and I took Sassy to the vet, and I'm still waiting on the results of the poop sample we sent in. However, the vet told us something interesting about why Sassy may be doing what she is. According to what my dad told the vet, Sassy used to be a bit of a bully toward Shadow and Pretty Kitty, chasing them and growling. Now, it seems like the tables have turned. Shadow and Pretty are standing up for themselves, and Sassy won't go near the potties in the basement that they're in. There are other potties down there, and in the breezeway, but she won't go near the potties her sisters go to. The vet also thinks it could be psychological. Any thoughts on this?

 

[IndyJones]

By potty do you mean they are toilet trained or just litterbox?

If you mean litterbox then I would put one upstairs or in an area she can't be bothered by the others.

 

[smg680]

It would be so great if they were actually using the toilet! Pretty Kitty even sits on it when the lid's down! But no, they use the litterboxes in the basement. There are two down there, and Sassy has the choice of either one, but she avoids them when she sees her sisters. The vet even suggested putting a litterbox in a private room so Sassy can use it in peace.

 

[IndyJones]

Theis behaviour is called resource guarding.

How to Stop Litter Box Ambushing - Modern Cat

if you have covered boxes it would be a good idea to take the lids off. Also spread them out throughout the house and have a couple on each floor/story of the house. She feels nervous because the other cats are guarding the ones in the basement so spreading them out will help her feel there is another place to go if the other cats are guarding the basement.