Krista's Care

[Furballsmom]

Your post was a hoot and wonderful to read all in one Go Krista and you!!

 

[daftcat75]

My birthday: a hairball
Father's Day: a hairball
Christmas: a hairball
Valentines Day: you're a day late, but thank you for the hairball

I know you make them yourself. I should be touched. But can't you just give me socks instead?

I'm actually a little concerned. Krista who has never shown much interest in drinking water is starting to drink water aside from the moisture she gets from her food. Her hairball this morning was three very liquid barfs as is if she digested all the food but had been holding on to the liquid. Oh! One other possibility (I just thought of) is that perhaps she's not eating as much as I think she is but only consuming as much of the liquid as she can. Shoot! That sounds like mouth pain. Why can't this cat catch a break?! We already have a vet appointment for tomorrow to recheck the ear and liver so I'll bring this up too.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I don't know with all of her issues how much you do/can do for giving her food for hairball prevention, but if you could that might help. I am not sure if the hairballs cause some stomach upset which could help to generate more digestive juices, hence the appearance of extra liquid? Any time I had a cat that threw up a hairball, there always seemed to be a fair amount of liquid with it.

Also, do you brush her - or, have one of the petting gloves that would allow you to 'kill two birds with one stone' - give her some lovin' and pet the loose hair off her at the same time?

 

[daftcat75]

These were three very wet, very liquid barfs. I'd be very concerned for her if she had this much digestive juice in her stomach. I suppose if the hairball was clogging the drain in her stomach, then, yeah, maybe she could have that much liquid from a meal or two before it. But she did eat some solid food too. Where did that go?

She's never been much for brushing and really doesn't like the zoom groom or the glove. It seemed a belly shave and pumpkin probably did the most good. I've also been lax on the vacuuming because it stresses her out. I should do it anyway. She can go hide in the office. Anyway, six'ish weeks was a pretty good run between hairballs. Maybe it's a good sign--that she's feeling well enough to groom herself up a hairball.

There's not a lot I can (or want to) do today, and she does already have a vet appointment tomorrow. She can take whatever time she needs this morning. She'll let me know when she's hungry again.

 

[daftcat75]

For what it's worth, she came out of hiding under the bookcase to take her place in the tree by my desk. She still looks a little rough.

Take what time you need, girl. Your peak eating shift doesn't start until evening.

 

[daftcat75]

Looking a little rough.

 

[FeralHearts]

Hidden Krista Cam

She spent all day under the bookcase yesterday. Couldn’t see her on either of my cameras. So I got a new camera about the size of a salt shaker for under the bookcase. I have closed up that blind spot in my Krista surveillance network.
View attachment 274252

She is so sweet.

and

"Krista Surveillance Network" Love it!

We're done with the antibiotics! She had her predictably rough night and greeted the morning with a soft but not soupy poop. I was able to squeeze in a mid-afternoon tuna with pumpkin with half a probiotic portion yesterday. We will be doing that again until her poops are once again perfect. In the meantime, I bet I can also get bone broth into that portion. That tuna with pumpkin is powerful stuff. Got her through pancreatitis!

We still had a poopfoot. I thought I'd try the cat-in-the-bag. I thought I had her bagged. I got up to get my phone because, "pics or it didn't happen" and she was already one paw poking out the neck and singing a freedom song. There was no pushing that paw back down. I had to do it. I had no choice. I had to let the cat out of the bag.


I think punk rock Krista's neck is too skinny for the bag.

So after a week of antibiotics,

Challenges:
- Twisted tummy and soupy poops
- Weight loss (about 0.2 lbs)
- Dodgy appetite

Successes:
- Less head shaking and scratching but not eliminated
- She got her voice back. She had a mute meow with a squeak at the end. The squeak was cute. Now she's got her meow back. I wonder if the FortifFlora and Fancy Feast were causing an inflammation reaction that affected her throat.
- She's moving a lot better. She's still occasionally wobbly, sassy walk, or misses a landing but it's better than a week ago. This could just be normal progression that may have happened without the antibiotics.
- She's hiding less. She spends most mornings in the office with me in her new favorite tree. Even if she doesn't fit very well in the top perch. She's not a big cat but that's not a big perch.
- She will take probiotic and probably bone broth with tuna pumpkin portion. So we have a medicine meal now.


I'll schedule a vet visit for the weekend to check the ear and recheck the liver chemistry. And also put another charge in her with a B-12. Since they sold me a bottle, as long as I bring my bottle in, they don't charge me for the B-12 shot. So I might as well make them the villain.

This cracked me up - I'm laughing so hard over here.

It's so good she is on the mend!!!

My birthday: a hairball
Father's Day: a hairball
Christmas: a hairball
Valentines Day: you're a day late, but thank you for the hairball

I know you make them yourself. I should be touched. But can't you just give me socks instead?

I was not a hairball - it was a love ball.

I'm actually a little concerned. Krista who has never shown much interest in drinking water is starting to drink water aside from the moisture she gets from her food. Her hairball this morning was three very liquid barfs as is if she digested all the food but had been holding on to the liquid. Oh! One other possibility (I just thought of) is that perhaps she's not eating as much as I think she is but only consuming as much of the liquid as she can. Shoot! That sounds like mouth pain. Why can't this cat catch a break?! We already have a vet appointment for tomorrow to recheck the ear and liver so I'll bring this up too.

No, no, no, no, no. This is not a tooth issue again... it was her attempt to get drunk in celebration!

 

[daftcat75]

I like the optimism. But I don't think we're done with her mouth yet. She used to be an avid licker. Now I get a lick or two and then a wince. I wonder if there are still problems that need to be addressed or if the configuration of her remaining teeth are not proving a smooth glide path for her tongue.

 

[daftcat75]

She just drank a lot of water and then threw up again. Now this had all her breakfast in it. I’m thinking I’ll just pull up the plates and give her tummy rest for the day.

 

[daftcat75]

If there's any bright spot to this, I made bone broth ice cubes and put a couple in her water dish. That hasn't stopped her from drinking more water than I have seen her drink pretty much all last year. She's got two barfed on paws and she's not looking very happy this morning. And she just shook herself off the desk. Terrible morning for her. I have PT today and have already asked it be switched to a massage so I can maybe have one hour today where I'm not worried about her. I'll disappear for the afternoon and let her sleep it off or barf it out. Whatever she needs to do today.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Poor baby. And poor you, but hopefully that massage will do you a world of good.

Odd thing. I'm scheduled for a massage on an hour myself! Can't wait

Do keep up posted on Krista's Vet visit tomorrow. That water drinking has me concerned, but that stems from having had three kidney cats. Any time I see any of mine drinking, I start to worry a bit.

 

[FeralHearts]

XOXOXO

Enjoy the time resting. Krista will understand.

XOXOXOX

 

[daftcat75]

She seemed so good yesterday. She finally started eating well in the evening and through the night. She was active and purring and trilling. Today she's hunched and drinking so much water and in place of her trill is this pathetic gurgle like a wet burp.

Lithothamnium, Sea Calcium Supplement for Cats | Vitality Science

I did give her a pinch of seaweed calcium (Lithothanium from Vitality Science) earlier this morning to dry up her soupy stools. I wonder if that just didn't sit well. I'm really hoping this is just an acute reaciton to something and not the beginning of her next leg down.

I need to get out of here and stop hovering. Let her rest up and see if she's feeling better in the evening.

 

[CHIKITTIES]

She seemed so good yesterday. She finally started eating well in the evening and through the night. She was active and purring and trilling. Today she's hunched and drinking so much water and in place of her trill is this pathetic gurgle like a wet burp.

Lithothamnium, Sea Calcium Supplement for Cats | Vitality Science

I did give her a pinch of seaweed calcium (Lithothanium from Vitality Science) earlier this morning to dry up her soupy stools. I wonder if that just didn't sit well. I'm really hoping this is just an acute reaciton to something and not the beginning of her next leg down.

I need to get out of here and stop hovering. Let her rest up and see if she's feeling better in the evening.

Poor little girl But I am glad she already has Vet appointment tomorrow.

Wonder what is that sudden drinking means ... we'll you two relax, take good rest, and hope Vet may gives some additional insight tomorrow. Keep us posted

 

[daftcat75]

She has some kind of mouth pain. She wants to eat. And she kind of does eat if I spread it really thin on the plate and make it soupy with tuna water. Then she'll eat some until she hits whatever spot it is in her mouth that causes her to wince and fling the food.

But that still doesn't explain the thirst.

And I don't understand her. If she'll eat it soupy, why won't she eat it blended?

 

[daftcat75]

I gave her a transdermal dose of bupe in her ear and we tried the food again later. I guess the bupe is working because we were able to finish the plate. But not without quite a bit of tuna water. I hope she keeps it down. Later tonight we can try again with a smaller meal. It's like we're back to pancreatitis-mode again. Sitting on the floor with her spooning tuna water over thinly-spread food to get her to take "a few more bites? can you finish this little pile? good girl! how about another?"

I definitely believe she's got more work that needs to be done in her mouth.

But the thirst is so concerning...

 

[daftcat75]

This meal is going worse. She's hungry but her mouth is hurting. I re-dosed her bupe and that sort of helped but I think we tried to eat again too soon. So I sat in the office with her with the cat rock softly playing while I read about CKD cats. And some time later she got up to look at me and say, I think I'm ready to try again. So I pulled out the plate of thinly spread turkey gruel with water and tuna water and started mixing in powdered fish flakes and fish oil from capsules until she worked up the courage to try again. We got further and it was looking promising. But then she got something caught in her mouth and it took her a good five minutes of tongue on teeth and grooming to get whatever that was out. So now I'm here typing this up and waiting for her to decide whether she's got another go in her or we go back to bed and try again in a few more hours. I don't care what her liver numbers say anymore. We need to do another dental. I don't want to do another feeding tube. She wants to eat. We just need to fix her mouth so that she can eat without pain.

 

[CHIKITTIES]

This meal is going worse. She's hungry but her mouth is hurting. I re-dosed her bupe and that sort of helped but I think we tried to eat again too soon. So I sat in the office with her with the cat rock softly playing while I read about CKD cats. And some time later she got up to look at me and say, I think I'm ready to try again. So I pulled out the plate of thinly spread turkey gruel with water and tuna water and started mixing in powdered fish flakes and fish oil from capsules until she worked up the courage to try again. We got further and it was looking promising. But then she got something caught in her mouth and it took her a good five minutes of tongue on teeth and grooming to get whatever that was out. So now I'm here typing this up and waiting for her to decide whether she's got another go in her or we go back to bed and try again in a few more hours. I don't care what her liver numbers say anymore. We need to do another dental. I don't want to do another feeding tube. She wants to eat. We just need to fix her mouth so that she can eat without pain.

you are such a patient and caring Daddy!

Let us know what is going on in her mouth. Poor girl, she is hungry ...

 

[daftcat75]

Small victory. Well, HUGE victory in a small serving size.

I got her to eat approximately 3/4 of an oz (21 g) of homemade duck batch I had in the freezer from before her Christmas troubles started. For reference, I was feeding her 8 oz a day to put weight back on her and reverse skinny old cat syndrome. So you see, we still have a long ways to go. But at least I have something I can feed her.

For now.

Unfortunately, the little bit I have left in my freezer might not last the weekend and the raw feeders coop does not have these boneless duck patties right now. I will have to try my hand at a nano-batch (a meal or two) of rabbit or turkey. I need to spend some time this morning scaling the recipes down and figure out freeze-dried turkey liver amount because I don't have fresh or frozen turkey liver. And while I didn't write amounts, fortunately, I did write down the ingredients I included in this batch. That's a timesaver because she has rejected many recipes so it's good to know where we left off in building *her* recipe.

 

[CHIKITTIES]

good job, team Krista I