Krista's Care

[WinniesMomma]

So glad to hear this!

 

[daftcat75]

"Good morning, Krista!"

"How do you expect me to feed you when you're sitting on my chest?"

"Did you even check the food plate?"

"Yeah, I didn't think so. Oh look. You found the food you left from the last time you woke me two hours ago."

"Bonkers, kitty! Enjoy!"


...

Leaving a plate of food out for her doesn't get me out of the morning "feed me" song and dance.

 

[WinniesMomma]

glad she is eating well!

 

[daftcat75]

She eats about an ounce per plate. Sometimes it takes her three hours to eat that ounce. Then there's the portion of that ounce that the carpet ate because she's goofy toothed these days. She's eating something close to six or seven ounces per day. I'd like her to eat seven but I'm not going to strictly enforce that just yet. I think it will take her another week or three to regain health lost to a week of antibiotics and a week of narcotics with the disordered pooping and eating that came with them. I do like Bonkers Krista in the morning over Eeyore Krista in previous weeks ("why bother? it's just going to hurt. life is pain.")

 

[WinniesMomma]

Yes, Bonkers over Eeyore is definitely good!

 

[daftcat75]

If I can fit in that space, I’d probably nap there too. I have had Krista and the heater for almost as many years. They are longtime cuddle buddies. Neither have caught fire yet despite her sleeping literally against it.

 

[FeebysOwner]

What - no recent update?? I hope that means good things!!

 

[daftcat75]

Cat blocked! This keeps happening. I didn’t notice the behaviors that dropped off while she wasn’t feeling well until she started to resume them.

 

[daftcat75]

I'm basically exhausted all the time. I feed her an ounce every few hours. I only get a few hours of sleep at a time. Sometimes it's her waking me and sometimes I'm just waking on my own because my bed needs replacing. And Krista spent my new bed money several times over. I'm hoping that as she gets her weight and strength back, so too she'll get a healthier appetite. Or maybe this is as good as it gets with this mouth configuration. In any case, we did our first home weigh-in in a very long time. 7.7 lbs. She was 7.7 lbs (at the vet's office) on the Sunday before her dental. That means she must have dropped even more weight before she finally get her eating teeth working again last week. I'm hoping she'll be at 7.9 by next Monday's weigh-in. I know it won't be a linear progression but I'm really hoping to have her back to 8.5 in the next month or three. I don't know how much longer I can do round the clock feedings. Probably at least as long as I have this crappy bed. I need to get a bed so comfortable that even Krista wants to sleep in.

 

[daftcat75]

She has a tree. Right next to my desk and the window. She enjoys this tree. It’s her new favorite now.

But she also enjoys laying on the desk itself.

My furry editor...

And break enforcer.

 

[sidneykitty]

Wow I can tell from the photos Krista is feeling better! She looks so good. Much better/perkier than she looked in earlier photos. Good to hear she's doing well. Hopefully she'll get to eating more in a sitting so you can get more sleep soon! She's a very lucky cat to have you taking care of her.

 

[daftcat75]

Mussel powder appears to be a no-go with her. I want to get her some arthritis relief. I gave her half a GlycoFlex Plus just now and that's all she'll get today. We'll work up to that loading dose (2 per day) more slowly this time if we can possibly avoid the poop soup.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

For your bed: My husband and I needed a new bed but didn't want to spend $1000+. We got a bed in a box from Amazon (I think $250 for a queen?) and it has been the best. We like memory foam so we got a 3 inch topper for around $100. So $350 for a brand new bed...not too shabby!

I feel those financial struggles so just wanted to put what we did out there.

 

[WinniesMomma]

She's so pretty! Could you try an automatic feeder to help with the overnight feedings?

 

[daftcat75]

Krista won't go for any feeder she has to stick her head or face into.

She's also not an automatic eater. There's kind of a ritual to getting her to finish.

 

[WinniesMomma]

Oh I gotcha. Well I am sure she appreciates your love and dedication to getting up and feeding her!

 

[daftcat75]

Cat blocked again! I have work to do, Miss Krista.

 

[daftcat75]

Saturday (give her a butt rest day tomorrow): 1/4 of a GlycoFlex.

It wasn't extra soupy but it was just extra. It's like the MSM in it causes her to release a double.

 

[daftcat75]

On the one paw, she won't finish the food I put out for her. On the other, she did eat almost an ounce of Rad Cat I still had from the last portioned tub in my freezer. There's only a few ounces left of that. And only one more unportioned tub left after the last portioned tub is gone. I'm not sure what I'm saving that last tub for. A more eager Rad Cat to be sure. If she gets her taste back for raw, I'll bust that last tub and feed an ounce treat meal every couple of days or so in her birthday month of April. Until then, there's the last few portioned ounces and several pounds of boneless turkey and rabbit awaiting future episodes of Krista Test Kitchen.

I think there's still more work to be done in her mouth. She used to be an avid licker: a groomer of people, blankets, carpet, and upholstery. But she doesn't lick much anymore. When she does, she winces afterwards. I mentioned this before her dental. The vet says she got everything that looked like it needed to go. So I wonder if her remaining canine (or other teeth) are creating a painful glide path for her tongue. I noticed that she seems to be happier about chewing up her pate rather than having it in a lickable consistency or texture. At the end of the day, I believe she's still putting away 6-7 or more oz of food. I want to her to have a vet-free month. We can see if her mouth gets better or worse and recheck her weight, body condition, and bloodwork before we talk about yet another dental.

 

[daftcat75]

I’m not imagining it. Every time she has a raw portion, her coat feels amazing. It can’t be from nutrition. Not that quickly. It must be something about the food itself that she spreads across her coat when grooming.

I’ve deciced that every time she shows up in her old feed me spot, I’m going to thaw and serve a raw portion for her. In this way, I hope she learns to ask for raw meals rather than trying to rush her back into it. This buys us time to run Krista Test Kitchens and find a recipe or mix she approves without setting off her entire diet in the process. Having her back on Rawz is a blessing in that respect. And it’s higher in calories to boot.