Impossible Cat

[susieqz]

i looked under her tail. no testes there.
no, she never did anything like that.
we are together 5-6 hours/day, so i would have noticed.
her back teeth looked worn flat, but i'll have to look again.
i found some pics that show healthy teeth so now i can compare.
on the plus side, i got her prettier.
she decided that she now loves the brush n purrs away while i clean off some of the dirt.
just because cats lick themselves doesn't make them cleaner than dogs.
they are not.
i see what looks like dandruff so i bet she itches.

 

[maggiedemi]

When Maggie had tapeworm it looked like dandruff. She got it all over the house before I realized what it was.

 

[susieqz]

YOW! WORMS IN MY HOUSE?
worms look like dandruff?
can i even touch her?
no, wait.
tapeworm is what i did treat for.
if she has them, bayer sucks.
cats don't get dandruff?

 

[maggiedemi]

Well don't freak out yet, maybe it's just dandruff if you already treated her. Google tapeworm on cats photo. They look like little sesame seeds. I think they were dead though, they never moved, Maggie would drop them when she laid down on a blanket or towel. If they aren't dropping all over when she lays down, then it's probably just dandruff.

 

[susieqz]

are you sure about sesame seeds?
these little flakes didn't look at all like sesame seeds.

 

[maggiedemi]

Yes, tapeworms look kinda like little sesame seeds or grains of rice, they have a definite shape to them, not really flakey. I just thought they were dandruff because I had no idea that my cat had worms.

 

[susieqz]

great.
these are for sure flakes.
her fur was so dirty, i paid lots of attention.
she had half the garden in her coat.
this was a great time for her to develop a love for brushing.
i never could understand why anyone didn't love brushing.
i like getting brushed myself.

 

[orange&white]

Tapeworms do look like sesame seeds, but they come out of the cat's back end. They don't shed off the fur. Sounds like Drifter has dandruff. My senior got an oily patch with dandruff down his spine when he was fairly young. I took him off dry food and it went away.

Drifter might do well with an Omega-3 oil supplement a couple times a week.

 

[susieqz]

if drifter's teeth are as bad as i think, she'll be going on canned food as soon as i see she's not enjoying the crunch of friskies.
when the worm stuff gets here, she'll be getting lots of tuuna.
that has omega 3s, right?
not sure why i worry about a hot cat tho.
i haven't even filed off her serial numbers yet.

 

[orange&white]

i haven't even filed off her serial numbers yet.

Yes, tuna has Omega-3's, but it also has lots of heavy metals. Better to get her some sardines in water if you give her a lot of tinned fish. Even still, fish should only be a small treat to supplement food that's nutritionally balanced for a cat.

 

[susieqz]

there is a cat sleeping on my legs as i lie here typing.
i asked her to go outside n patrol the garden n she looked at me like i was crazy.
she knows what ''go outside'' means.
i know what that ''don't bother me'' look means,
so we are even.
oh, the tuna is just to mix wormer stuff in.
she prefers friskies.

 

[maggiedemi]

Drifter is such a good girl to take her pills in her tuna. I have to use the pill gun on my cats. I'm giving them their Drontal the first week of November. Wish me luck. I get so nervous, thinking the tablet might go down the wrong way. But one girl on here said that only liquid goes down the wrong way, not tablets. Is that true? If it's true, that will make me feel a lot less worried. Orange or Foxxycat, have you ever pilled a cat with a pill gun? Got any good tips?

 

[ashade1]

I wouldn't worry to much about switching her to canned food because of her teeth! I have seen cats with only a couple of teeth left in their mouth eat dry food! Maybe find a kibble with smaller pieces would be helpful! Cats are very good about living without things like teeth or if they have to have a leg amputated without changing their lifestyle too much!

 

[orange&white]

Orange or Foxxycat, have you ever pilled a cat with a pill gun? Got any good tips?

I have, but it's been a long time. I did have to syringe-feed my senior cat's brother every few hours for several weeks when he went into HL. That was no fun.

All I remember about the pill popper was needing to get the pill to the back of the cat's tongue, and hold their mouth closed until you feel them swallow. Seems like I had a cat who mastered the art of "fake swallow" then would spit the pill out. If Drontal doesn't taste good, put it inside an empty gel capsule. Those don't have any flavor.

It is forced liquids that can cause aspiration. If liquid goes down the wrong tube it gets in their lungs and can cause pneumonia.

 

[maggiedemi]

Okay thanks, that makes me feel better. What if the tablet goes past the tongue when I shoot it in and flies down the throat, is that okay? I think I need to watch some more YouTube videos to get this exactly right.

 

[orange&white]

I guess that would be ideal for it to go straight down, but I just had an image of it going down the wrong tube and blocking the airway. (Not to alarm you. )

When you get the pills, practice shooting them onto the counter or into a box where you won't lose the pill, and see how far and fast the pill popper shoots. Get comfortable with it outside the cat before trying to pill the cat.

 

[susieqz]

is there a problem with dontral?
does it taste exceptionally bad?
so far drifter has been fine with both fishmox n tapeworm stuff
in tuna.
if drifter won't take it in tuna, she probably won't get it at all.

 

[orange&white]

I've never used Drontal. The fenbendazole is a powder that you mix with food for 3 days in a row. I've never had a cat refuse it just on their regular food. They must put something in it that tastes all right.

 

[susieqz]

if drifter won't eat the dontral mixed with tuna, i'll feel pretty stupid.

looks like i'm not feeding drifter enow to stay alive.
she always leaves some of the cup i feed every day.
today i measured what was left from yesterday.
almost a full half cup !
she must be one heck of a hunter.
she still comes to meals with great eagerness.
i guess she thinks friskies are a treat.

you know, i'm wondering about the wisdom of letting drifter
out all night.
i do prefer her out while i sleep but i wonder if she just sleeps out there.
she never sleeps early in the day.
she naps mostly in the evenings.
is it true that cats sleep 12-16 hours/day?
if that's true, she has to sleep most of the night.
i do know she hunts most of the daylight hours, when not with me.
since coyotes are nocturnal here, perhaps this is an adaptation that kept drifter alive.
perhaps she hides in a den all night.
if that's true, i should let her sleep inside, but i don't know if i'm right.

 

[orange&white]

She's probably catching some prey. But I looked up a couple Friskies brands and if I recall correctly, they are between 350-400 kcals/cup. That's a lot of calories. My 9 pound indoor cat eats 180 kcals/day and Misfit eats 200 kcals (plus whatever insects/lizards she catches). My senior cat can't eat more than 140 kcals, or he blows up like Garfield.

Cats do spend 14-16 hours sleeping. Their metabolism is designed for them to have very short bursts of energy, chasing prey, like a 100-yard dash, then eat, groom, sleep until some other prey animal passes by (or dinner is served by a human ).

Misfit is usually asleep in my folding chair, or in a little box with fleece, when I check the patio late at night. She's also still there first thing in the morning. Both my indoor cats sleep all night, though Farrell has lately made up a new game of "lick my human's face at 3am". Today she waited until a more reasonable 5:45am.