Introducing Betty White

[daftcat75]

We might be in for another dicey morning.

When I woke up and she hadn’t touched breakfast yet, I practically tossed her off the edge of the bed. I plopped her down on the edge where she could see her food. She took the hint and jumped down. But she wasn’t very excited to eat. It seems like she might be having tooth pain again. She would go to pick some food off and wince and shake her head. She skimmed the kibble layer off the top and not much else. At least the kibble layer had the CBD drops. But I’m still concerned. Often when she eats only the kibble, it’s coming back up later. No treats without eats. I didn’t give her her dental treat with my breakfast. Now we wait to see whether her tummy zigs or zags—whether she comes back to breakfast or tosses it instead.

 

[tarasgirl06]

We might be in for another dicey morning.

When I woke up and she hadn’t touched breakfast yet, I practically tossed her off the edge of the bed. I plopped her down on the edge where she could see her food. She took the hint and jumped down. But she wasn’t very excited to eat. It seems like she might be having tooth pain again. She would go to pick some food off and wince and shake her head. She skimmed the kibble layer off the top and not much else. At least the kibble layer had the CBD drops. But I’m still concerned. Often when she eats only the kibble, it’s coming back up later. No treats without eats. I didn’t give her her dental treat with my breakfast. Now we wait to see whether her tummy zigs or zags—whether she comes back to breakfast or tosses it instead.

Have you ever tried mixing wet food with dry and offering that to her? With what results, if so? My roomies always fed their guy this mix and he snorked it like a Dyson.

 

[daftcat75]

Have you ever tried mixing wet food with dry and offering that to her? With what results, if so? My roomies always fed their guy this mix and he snorked it like a Dyson.

I give her a few pieces with each meal mostly to entice her to start as well as a carrier for the CBD drops. She gets five whole pieces (four of them get one drop of CBD oil on them) and two more pieces ground up on top of those. She also gets one hairball Greenie and more piece of kibble as her "taproom treats" as you called them--her post-medicine reward. I don't want to give her much more dry food because she's already eating too many carbs, and when she only eats the dry, she often tosses it back up.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I give her a few pieces with each meal mostly to entice her to start as well as a carrier for the CBD drops. She gets five whole pieces (four of them get one drop of CBD oil on them) and two more pieces ground up on top of those. She also gets one hairball Greenie and more piece of kibble as her "taproom treats" as you called them--her post-medicine reward. I don't want to give her much more dry food because she's already eating too many carbs, and when she only eats the dry, she often tosses it back up.

Understood. But I'm just wondering if that starter, mixed with gushyfudz, would be another and PURRhaps more successful way of getting Betty to continue eating. Just like with us, texture and "mouth feel" may mean the difference between success, and the garbage disposal...

 

[daftcat75]

Understood. But I'm just wondering if that starter, mixed with gushyfudz, would be another and PURRhaps more successful way of getting Betty to continue eating. Just like with us, texture and "mouth feel" may mean the difference between success, and the garbage disposal...

It's topping more than mixed in. I know she enjoys those few kibbles she does get. But it's bad news if she gets too many kibbles and not enough wet food. I suppose I could try to grind it all up and mix it.

Oh there we go! I guess it just took some extra time to get her tummy working this morning.

Yes I spy on her on a camera from one room away. Actually I thought I heard the sound of food smacking and sure enough I did. My ears are finely tuned to that sound (and retching.)

 

[daftcat75]

I think her stomach was already sour and just the kibble didn't help. When she added food on top of that, it seemed to all come back up. Very liquidy. I would expect that if she also loaded up on water. But I didn't see that.

Maybe I can try the kibble mixed in for breakfast so she has to take up wet food to get the dry. She only has these issues in the mornings now. I wish I knew what else I could try here. When she eats her breakfast, we're golden. But when she skips it, nibbles at it, or doesn't get to it until much later, that's when this happens.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I think her stomach was already sour and just the kibble didn't help. When she added food on top of that, it seemed to all come back up. Very liquidy. I would expect that if she also loaded up on water. But I didn't see that.

Maybe I can try the kibble mixed in for breakfast so she has to take up wet food to get the dry. She only has these issues in the mornings now. I wish I knew what else I could try here. When she eats her breakfast, we're golden. But when she skips it, nibbles at it, or doesn't get to it until much later, that's when this happens.

Yeah, it's tough not knowing what the sweet spot might be. And knowing Betty's uncomfy. I thought it was going to be a good day. But it IS the 15th, and a MOANday...

 

[daftcat75]

I realized that if I want to be able to search my thread for her history, I'm going to have to spell it out. Emojis are not searchable. Yet.

Yes, it was most definitely a Moanday. Betty had a four spit regurgitation. She was sitting next to her water fountain when she started moaning. Then she walked out to the front room and put the first pile in front of her carrier. It just started spilling out of her with barely a retch. It stopped for about a second or two before another pile came out of her just a few inches away. I guess this could be considered one spit with a break to catch a breath. The next spit was much smaller and right in front of her plate. The final spit was a tiny number on the yoga mat pad by the door that's covering the frayed carpet spot that used to be her unsanctioned cat grass stand in. She slept it off while I cleaned it up (thank you, Bissell!), and proceeded with my morning conference call. Sometime after the conference call and about 30 minutes after I normally would have plated lunch, I plated a 2/3 portion. She seemed really interested in this and watched me fix it. When I had it prepared, I walked it over to her spot. She followed and immediately started in. I guess whatever bothered her in the morning has passed. She did load up once more on water. But so far, three hours later, she seems to be holding it in. Of course, she's also been fast asleep. Praying it still stays down when she wakes up. I think it will. She's not having the all day spits like she used to.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I realized that if I want to be able to search my thread for her history, I'm going to have to spell it out. Emojis are not searchable. Yet.

Yes, it was most definitely a Moanday. Betty had a four spit regurgitation. She was sitting next to her water fountain when she started moaning. Then she walked out to the front room and put the first pile in front of her carrier. It just started spilling out of her with barely a retch. It stopped for about a second or two before another pile came out of her just a few inches away. I guess this could be considered one spit with a break to catch a breath. The next spit was much smaller and right in front of her plate. The final spit was a tiny number on the yoga mat pad by the door that's covering the frayed carpet spot that used to be her unsanctioned cat grass stand in. She slept it off while I cleaned it up (thank you, Bissell!), and proceeded with my morning conference call. Sometime after the conference call and about 30 minutes after I normally would have plated lunch, I plated a 2/3 portion. She seemed really interested in this and watched me fix it. When I had it prepared, I walked it over to her spot. She followed and immediately started in. I guess whatever bothered her in the morning has passed. She did load up once more on water. But so far, three hours later, she seems to be holding it in. Of course, she's also been fast asleep. Praying it still stays down when she wakes up. I think it will. She's not having the all day spits like she used to.

Awwww, yeah. That kind of thing has happened before with Elvis, too. A multi-part puke. Usually it's more of a regurge after he's snorked something too fast. A nice big messy, slimy pile followed a bit later by a smaller, less messy, less slimy pile.
Sleep is good, Betty. Let it digest. Let the food stay IN the cat.
Emojis are indeed not searchable. But TCS has the best variety and number IMHO!

 

[Margot Lane]

I was just looking at thecatdoctorforatlanta.com which has a very in depth look at kitty puke, including flow charts. It not only lists all the reasons why a cat upchucks but also does so by color. I mean, I’m sure you’ve exhausted all options, but it seemed like a helpful website.

 

[DeesCats]

Margot Lane , your link didn't work for me. Did you mean the cat doctor atlanta ?

 

[daftcat75]

I was just looking at thecatdoctorforatlanta.com which has a very in depth look at kitty puke, including flow charts. It not only lists all the reasons why a cat upchucks but also does so by color. I mean, I’m sure you’ve exhausted all options, but it seemed like a helpful website.

Corrected link:
Cat Vomit: Two cat vets answer all of your questions. — The Cat Doctor Atlanta

Hadn’t seen this one before. But it also didn’t teach me anything I hadn’t already figured out with Krista. Still. This will go in the bookmarks and the reply toolbox.

One of the reasons why I spelled it out is so that the next time it happens, I can search my own thread to see when it last happened.

I have been monitoring her to see if and when she should go back to the vet or the IM. Betty’s own docs have been saying once a month is forgivable. So these docs are twice as generous as the model I’m already operating on. Sadly. This does make twice this month already.

But Betty also has other things going on. I am wondering if her teeth aren’t bothering her again already. I have seen her wince before. At this point though, I don’t want to spend $2000 to have the doc put her through all the sedation just to come back and say, “she needs a dentist. Her mouth is beyond us now” like what happened with Krista. As soon as I finish paying taxes (next pay or two), I will book her for a dentist appointment. In the meantime, she still gets gabapentin twice a day, CBD with every meal, and a homeopathic is coming any day now.

I don’t think she needs to go back to the vet or the IM just yet. But I am keeping a close eye on it to not let it become more frequent than forgivable.

Tomorrow I’m going to try grinding more of her allotted kibble pieces and mixing in better instead of giving her the pick the dry and leave the wet option. That option doesn’t seem to agree with her. And I can basically set my watch to her regurging/sour stomach vomit when she does that. It’s only the mornings though. It seems like if she will eat her breakfast before I wake for mine (hers is served at five and if she eats by 8), then we’re good for the rest of the day.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Corrected link:
Cat Vomit: Two cat vets answer all of your questions. — The Cat Doctor Atlanta

Hadn’t seen this one before. But it also didn’t teach me anything I hadn’t already figured out with Krista. Still. This will go in the bookmarks and the reply toolbox.

One of the reasons why I spelled it out is so that the next time it happens, I can search my own thread to see when it last happened.

I have been monitoring her to see if and when she should go back to the vet or the IM. Betty’s own docs have been saying once a month is forgivable. So these docs are twice as generous as the model I’m already operating on. Sadly. This does make twice this month already.

But Betty also has other things going on. I am wondering if her teeth aren’t bothering her again already. I have seen her wince before. At this point though, I don’t want to spend $2000 to have the doc put her through all the sedation just to come back and say, “she needs a dentist. Her mouth is beyond us now” like what happened with Krista. As soon as I finish paying taxes (next pay or two), I will book her for a dentist appointment. In the meantime, she still gets gabapentin twice a day, CBD with every meal, and a homeopathic is coming any day now.

I don’t think she needs to go back to the vet or the IM just yet. But I am keeping a close eye on it to not let it become more frequent than forgivable.

Tomorrow I’m going to try grinding more of her allotted kibble pieces and mixing in better instead of giving her the pick the dry and leave the wet option. That option doesn’t seem to agree with her. And I can basically set my watch to her regurging/sour stomach vomit when she does that. It’s only the mornings though. It seems like if she will eat her breakfast before I wake for mine (hers is served at five and if she eats by 8), then we’re good for the rest of the day.

Sounds good all the way around. A dental sounds great. And grinding a dry topping layer and/or mixing dry ground with wet (kind of like adding spices to a stew? ) is worth a try. Elvis eats his wet pretty well most days and stops by his snackbar for a few kronschiez and maybe a water chaser at different times. He never goes overboard on the dry, which I like. He used to eat Blue Buffalo adult chicken formula with his dad (his dad didn't eat it, but when he lived with his dad, Elvis ate this exclusively, I guess). So I serve it exclusively as a dry choice. He likes it. And it seems to like him pretty well.
I really wouldn't worry about the pukies unless they're very frequent. Cats do this. I've never found it to be a cause for concern. Most people I know say their cats puke, and that it's normal for their cats, and their cats are healthy. Because cats wash a lot, they do ingest a lot of fur, whether they're brushed or not. And if they eat fast, it's not abnormal for them to regurgitate. Betty looks wonderful, her fur is lustrous, her weight is good, and she looks to be thriving. Vets, doctors and other "experts" may have lots of paper and cred, but they're still human, after all, and they have opinions which may or may not be accurate, may or may not be one-size-fits-all, and are, bottom line, opinions. They may differ. *Steps down from soapbox*
But yeah, a dental sounds good.

 

[daftcat75]

Sounds good all the way around. A dental sounds great. And grinding a dry topping layer and/or mixing dry ground with wet (kind of like adding spices to a stew? ) is worth a try. Elvis eats his wet pretty well most days and stops by his snackbar for a few kronschiez and maybe a water chaser at different times. He never goes overboard on the dry, which I like. He used to eat Blue Buffalo adult chicken formula with his dad (his dad didn't eat it, but when he lived with his dad, Elvis ate this exclusively, I guess). So I serve it exclusively as a dry choice. He likes it. And it seems to like him pretty well.
I really wouldn't worry about the pukies unless they're very frequent. Cats do this. I've never found it to be a cause for concern. Most people I know say their cats puke, and that it's normal for their cats, and their cats are healthy. Because cats wash a lot, they do ingest a lot of fur, whether they're brushed or not. And if they eat fast, it's not abnormal for them to regurgitate. Betty looks wonderful, her fur is lustrous, her weight is good, and she looks to be thriving. Vets, doctors and other "experts" may have lots of paper and cred, but they're still human, after all, and they have opinions which may or may not be accurate, may or may not be one-size-fits-all, and are, bottom line, opinions. They may differ. *Steps down from soapbox*
But yeah, a dental sounds good.

I want to get her another dental. But I want to do it with a dentist. Because dentals are too expensive now to spend on no-ops. At least if it's a no-op (we put her under and either didn't find anything or couldn't do anything yet) with the dentist, the dentist will now have had experience with Betty and I can hopefully see him or her more quickly the next time it seems like Betty is struggling with oral pain. And maybe the dentist will also be looking at Betty's mouth with more expertise and more angles than a general vet might approach it. So yeah, if I am going to throw big money, I want it to be at the right people for her case.

I don't want to waste money on fishing trips with unqualified guides. That's pretty much the modus operandi right now. Like a cat, I'm watching a lot more than I'm pouncing right now.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I want to get her another dental. But I want to do it with a dentist. Because dentals are too expensive now to spend on no-ops. At least if it's a no-op (we put her under and either didn't find anything or couldn't do anything yet) with the dentist, the dentist will now have had experience with Betty and I can hopefully see him or her more quickly the next time it seems like Betty is struggling with oral pain. And maybe the dentist will also be looking at Betty's mouth with more expertise and more angles than a general vet might approach it. So yeah, if I am going to throw big money, I want it to be at the right people for her case.

I don't want to waste money on fishing trips with unqualified guides. That's pretty much the modus operandi right now. Like a cat, I'm watching a lot more than I'm pouncing right now.

Aren't we all! We want the best for our loved ones. They deserve it.

 

[daftcat75]

I still had to practically toss her off the bed this morning (picked her up and set her down on the edge where she could see her breakfast.). But once again she took the hint and this time she ate her breakfast dry and wet and didn’t have any tummy troubles. There was still a wince when she started. But she basically cleared the plate.

The last two mornings have been cooler than the previous week. I think she was just hurkle durkling—spending more time in the warm bed even though her tummy said get up.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I still had to practically toss her off the bed this morning (picked her up and set her down on the edge where she could see her breakfast.). But once again she took the hint and this time she ate her breakfast dry and wet and didn’t have any tummy troubles. There was still a wince when she started. But she basically cleared the plate.

The last two mornings have been cooler than the previous week. I think she was just hurkle durkling—spending more time in the warm bed even though her tummy said get up.

Well, I ask you. WOULDN'T YOU??? I know I would.
Good work, Betty. Keep the food IN THE CAT.

 

[daftcat75]

Well, I ask you. WOULDN'T YOU??? I know I would.
Good work, Betty. Keep the food IN THE CAT.

Oh I absolutely would sleep in, if I could. That was kind of our trouble on Saturday. I don't have my lights come up on a schedule on the weekend so that I can sleep in. Usually I can't because Betty likes to wake up, eat breakfast, and leave a stinker in the box. Between smelling her fresh baked goods and having to pee, I'm usually limited in how late I actually sleep. Saturday we both slept in and it didn't end well for her. Besides wanting to avoid that, I have been relocating her to the edge of the bed because I usually have to pee but want to make certain Betty eats before I can potentially distract her. But we go lights out by 10 pm here. It gives us lots of opportunities to wake separately or together throughout the night. So by the time 7:30/8am rolls around, we both should have had plenty of sleep even if it wasn't uninterrupted. I don't get those who can corpse out for eight or ten hours at a time.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Oh I absolutely would sleep in, if I could. That was kind of our trouble on Saturday. I don't have my lights come up on a schedule on the weekend so that I can sleep in. Usually I can't because Betty likes to wake up, eat breakfast, and leave a stinker in the box. Between smelling her fresh baked goods and having to pee, I'm usually limited in how late I actually sleep. Saturday we both slept in and it didn't end well for her. Besides wanting to avoid that, I have been relocating her to the edge of the bed because I usually have to pee but want to make certain Betty eats before I can potentially distract her. But we go lights out by 10 pm here. It gives us lots of opportunities to wake separately or together throughout the night. So by the time 7:30/8am rolls around, we both should have had plenty of sleep even if it wasn't uninterrupted. I don't get those who can corpse out for eight or ten hours at a time.

I know, I know! On a good night, for me, it's one time to get up. It can get as bad as 4 times if I'm really stressed. I fall asleep in front of the TV, so I do get some sleep. And yeah, I try not to disturb the guy if I'm lucky enough to have him beside me. *Ten hours?!! Who does that?!!*

 

[daftcat75]

Didn’t even get a license plate. What’s with drivers these days?!