Im A Dog Person And I Need Help

[Kyrie2228]

hello. I'm a newbie here. I came here because none of my friends can help me, most of them are dog people. I am so much of a dog person myself.

I took in a cat 4days ago from someone who looks after strays. I never gave it much thought I just took her in.

She is a feisty one, wouldn't come near me on the first two days. she would hiss at us. then after that, she got used to us, she started playing a little bit. On the third day, she started to have watery poop. one time she just let out a worm. took her immediately to the vet for deworming. after that her watery stools continued. I went back to the vet and I was given antibiotic. Its the second day today of her antibiotic regimen. since her deworming, shes not been eating right and she no longer plays..

she does drink water and she likes drinking the one in the bathroom. i found it weird she's not afraid of water, she would get inthe bathroom, wontleave so I just takea bath and she wont even mind. i dont understand that behavior.

I dont even understand why she likes hanging out in the damp rug by the bathroom.

Basically, I dont know whatto look for-- good and bad to know about her health. Ive left messages for my vet/friend but hasnt responded yet.

i Hope someone can help me. thanks

Dogperson

 

[denice]

It could be that the antibiotic didn't agree with her which is why she isn't eating right. The continued watery diarrhea could well still be associated with the worms.

She does need to eat though. The threshold amount is at least 15 calories per pound of ideal weight. Cats can develop a condition called hepatic lipidosis or fatty liver disease if they don't eat enough for a period of time. You aren't into the danger zone for that yet but it is something to keep in mind. A cat's liver is not very efficient at metabolizing fat. If the body breaks down fat too fast the liver can't keep up and they develop fat deposits on the liver.

I would continue to try to get an answer from your vet friend. If she continues not eating well tomorrow then I would make sure you talk to a vet.

 

[Oscar&Copper]

Cats being afraid of water is an old wives tale. I had a cat when I was a child who used to jump in the pool and swim with me. My old girl Kitty always played with her water dish. One of my kittens loves playing in running water. My husband's cat as a child used to sit on his knees while he was in the bathtub. All that to say, what your kitty is doing around water is not unusual behaviour.

What are you feeding kitty? Is it the same food she was eating before you got her?

 

[daisyd]

How long is she on the antibiotics for ? She's probably not feeling herself because of that plus being in new surroundings. I was always a dog person and never really liked cats until I got my kitten . Yes they do take time working out - like wagging a tail is not a sign she is happy for a start ! Some cats do love a bathroom and drinking from a dripping tap ! My one walks around the edge of the bath when I'm in it. She fell in once however she still jumps up on the slippery side and takes her chances . They are quite skiddish and in some ways more scared than dogs are however they take more chances and have the investigate everything! I always thought they were offish and didn't like their owners much ; however ive never had a dog follow me around like a shadow as my kitten does. Hopefully the vet will contact re antibiotics and eating situation then hopefully you can sit back and observe your new cat !

 

[orange&white]

Your vet's office will be open tomorrow, yes? ...and you have a call in to him.

Unless, she has entirely stopped eating/drinking her symptoms are concerning, but not at a point of being an emergency today. Perhaps by tomorrow when you can talk to the vet, her symptoms will have subsided a bit.

Some types of worms require more than one round of wormer, so that's a possibility.

Either the wormer or the antibiotic might be making her feel a little nauseated and not hungry.

As for water, I've had many cats who liked to sit on the edge of the tub while I took a bath, and one who jumped into the tub as soon as I turned off the shower head while the water was still draining. I'm convinced they were all thinking, "What's up with you humans? Too proud to lick yourself clean???"

 

[Kyrie2228]

Thank you all for your responses. This is such a great place. You've eased my troubles. To answer responses above, Bentley, that's her name, would eat at least once a day and very little. She has the same brand of cat food before. When she got here, she was eating right, I would see her touch her food, but after that deworming, not as much. Today, I only saw her touch her food once when I gave sardines, she ate that but only a bit.

She's now on the second day of the antibiotics. She'll be taking it for three to five days. Note that I didn't know then that there would be foaming at the mouth when cats taste bitter. See? that's how clueless I am about cats. I thought she was having seizures when I gave her the antibiotics. Although I'm mainly a dog person, I did have a kitten from 10 years ago, and I never had to deal with this kind of problem. Not that I'm complaining, it's just that I'm worried and I'm not really sure how to react.

By the way, I am scheduled for an appointment with the vet tomorrow, but it's just that I'm anxious to know answers. Haha! I hate seeing her like that, it makes me sad. I just worry that I might not know when to consider her case an emergency. I also worry that she's not eating enough.

She does meow, and she walks to her litterbox from time to time. Walk to the couch and then back to the bathroom and just sleep there. Maybe I just missed that one time we played. It was so sudden -- from feisty kitty to warmed up/playful then to a less active kitten.

But if she still meows from time to time, then I wouldn't need to panic right? I do Google for some answers to find some comfort, that's why I ended up here. It's good to actually hear from people who know a lot about cats, especially for someone like me.

I just can't wait for the appointment so there'll be an assurance from a professional.

 

[denice]

I thought that they probably gave you Metronidazole, brand name Flagyl. That is the go to for gastro stuff because it also has anti-inflammatory properties and it is nasty tasting stuff. You can get empty gelcaps on Amazon and at the Vitamin Shoppe. The lower numbers are smaller caps. You can put the pill, cut up if needed, into a gel cap and give it to her that way. The vet clinic that I go to gives it to me already cut up and in gelcaps.

 

[Kyrie2228]

I thought that they probably gave you Metronidazole, brand name Flagyl. That is the go to for gastro stuff because it also has anti-inflammatory properties and it is nasty tasting stuff. You can get empty gelcaps on Amazon and at the Vitamin Shoppe. The lower numbers are smaller caps. You can put the pill, cut up if needed, into a gel cap and give it to her that way. The vet clinic that I go to gives it to me already cut up and in gelcaps.

It's a product called LC-Scour, it has kaolin and pectin and several anti-infectives. I'm not sure if it's sold overseas. The vet gave it. She warned though that it's bitter-tasting. I just didn't expect there would be foaming, so there lesson learned for me.

 

[foxxycat]

one thing to try=feed a small meal before giving the meds. Some of them give an upset tummy on an empty stomach.

you can try a can of dark tuna-or rather lite tuna-it's stinkier than the white tuna. my girls like the chicken of the sea brand. you can put 1/3 of can in a dish and mash it with a fork then add a bit of hot water to make it like a pudding-the hot water will make it stink more=some cats need to smell their food in order to eat.

Also make sure the food you have is stored in airtight containers=in the summer it doesn't take long for a half open bag of food to go stale if it's kibble. I keep mine in ziplock bags inside a snap lid cat litter container from pet co.

You can also try baby food meat-no onion/garlic. Those usually perk up kitties who have trouble eating.

Hoping you get some answers at the vet!

 

[Kyrie2228]

one thing to try=feed a small meal before giving the meds. Some of them give an upset tummy on an empty stomach.

you can try a can of dark tuna-or rather lite tuna-it's stinkier than the white tuna. my girls like the chicken of the sea brand. you can put 1/3 of can in a dish and mash it with a fork then add a bit of hot water to make it like a pudding-the hot water will make it stink more=some cats need to smell their food in order to eat.

Also make sure the food you have is stored in airtight containers=in the summer it doesn't take long for a half open bag of food to go stale if it's kibble. I keep mine in ziplock bags inside a snap lid cat litter container from pet co.

You can also try baby food meat-no onion/garlic. Those usually perk up kitties who have trouble eating.

Hoping you get some answers at the vet!

Ok! Thank you so much for these tips! I hope Bentley eats better by tomorrow. I did observe that there's not much watery stool in her litterbox compared to the first couple of days. EAch time I go out of the room to check on the litterbox, there'd be watery/mucousy poop. I would know because she won't cover it completely. I hope it's the start of an improvement.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

OK...you have already gotten the information that I would have given you. You are in good hands. I will add, that if her appetite doesn't pick up, we can assist you in syringe feeding her. I doubt it will be necessary as you are seeing the vet tomorrow, but the back-up is there.

Welcome to The Cat Site, by the way, to both you AND Bentley! I'm so glad you found us. Thank you for taking this cat in and giving her a caring home. We'll have you a dog AND cat person in no time flat!

 

[KatKnapper]

I had a doc visit a few weeks ago for a stray cat bite. On the meds info sheet for the oral antibiotic, it listed the primary side effect as diarrhea. On my follow-up visit, I mention it, and he tells me to eat plenty of yogurt. I'm wondering like "uhh how is that suppose to help me out here?" Days later, I get a pre-visit with my gastro doc for a colonoscopy and mentioned the side effect, and he too tells me "eat plenty of yogurt." Then it dawned on me that the antibiotics might be killing the "helpful bacteria" in my gut, contributing to my issue, which my doc later confirmed as the reason why he recommended it.

Perhaps your kitty is experiencing the same? For me, this also lowered my appetite.

 

[Kyrie2228]

Hello wonderful people! Thank you for all the replies. I bring great news. Bentley is now eating. Lapping up whats in her bowl. I soaked the pellets in warm water before I gave it to her. She's definitely much better now. I'm so glad!

Btw, I also happened to give her probiotics with a go signal from my vet. She also said to just observe Bentley before she gives another approach. Turns out Bentley's now better. I'm so happy to see her eat. I also saw her grooming herself.

And she's now friends with my son's puppy, Astrie. Here they are! Bentley is all wet with his saliva. They instantly became friends!

Again thank you all for your support!

 

[foxxycat]

your kitten looks happy-the tail on a cat tells a lot.

If the tail is straight up-it means he's happy.
If the tail is down between his legs-means he's scared.
If it is straight up and puffy-means he's angry/scared.
If the tail is tapping-it means he's ticked off-watch out!
If the tail is making a question mark-means happy and wants to feel secure.
Some cats wag their tail like a dog-my Honeybee (avatar) will swish her tail back and forth and purr.

Also watch the ears..when they stand up-happy=if flat-angry! Cats and dogs both have better hearing than we do=so they will hear someone prowling around outside at night-and if you see them sleeping then sit up looking around-that's your alarm.

I am so glad your dog gets along with the cat!

 

[daisyd]

Oh I love pics of dogs and cats together ! So glad all is well now

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Well, that worked out nicely! Astrie and Bentley will now team up and run rampant over everyone in the house. Which is, of course, just as it should be!