Krista's Care

[daftcat75]

One of the local stores has their rabbit and pumpkin pate and rabbit pate back in stock. The only local store I can get the rabbit and pumpkin pate. I was considering ordering some cases of each online, pre-emptively, but now I may just visit them weekly and buy more than I need.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Oh they are cute! But they also look like turds. I was both alarmed and confused that Krista was crouching so near a turd of hers. Especially as I just cleaned up her puddle poop and helicopter barf. I was concerned she had a little more in her.

And for the three days and two nights that we shared that hotel room, I must have stepped on it half a dozen times. Every time, like a Lego! “Krista, pick up your toys!”

We have a large leather mouse (I wouldn't choose it. It was a gift) and we also have some compressed catnip balls that have been broken up. Both of these can resemble O-No-Don't-Step-In-Its.

 

[daftcat75]

“Cats are so stand-offish. Cats won’t give affection like a dog does.”

Someone tell this to Krista so I can sleep through the night. It’s 3am and I’m entertaining her fourth belly ride of the night. I may not be sleeping but at least she’s happy.

 

[daftcat75]

Final score: 7.2 oz for 230 calories, (Though a good amount must have been lost to her two wall .)

And a perfect 4am I slept through without incident. Instead of batteries, it was brown baby carrots. Smooth as pumpkin poops but not as plump.

She was bonkers last night demanding belly rides every hour. I give her an antidepressant (Mirtaz) that sometimes makes her flush with serotonin. I get her into that “who spiked my drink?” mess. It’s my loving duty to help her through those. Though she was much more vocal on oral mirtazapine, she’ll still tell me if I try to ignore her or refuse her. It’s just easier to roll over and give in until she’s had her fill.

 

[daftcat75]

Gah!

Never a dull moment.

I decided to give her a slightly larger raw portion last night and adjusted the canned accordingly. She seemed to handle it just fine. So I thought I’d give her a slightly larger first breakfast raw portion. Well. Sometime after her normal sized second breakfast raw portion and the half ounce of rabbit with pumpkin pate she sucked up right after that, she gave a good chunk of it back. It was long enough that it wasn’t a regurgitation. But it wasn’t connected to her pooping behaviors either. So I’m left wondering if the larger raw portion didn’t sit right this morning. Or if maybe she still has a Mirtaz rush from the larger dose yesterday.

I finally gave her a long overdue B-12 shot. It was so stressful and difficult on the both of us that I am reminded why I don’t do these anymore. But I figure she’s been having enough barf and poop issues that a little B-12 probably won’t hurt and it just might help. As a reward for her putting up with several attempts to flatten and stick her, I gave her most of the raw portion back. Then she proceeded to clear most of the second half of second breakfast that she left behind. I will give her stomach some time to settle and then I may add back half of the half she gave back.

 

[daftcat75]

I’m a little nervous about second dinner here. It wasn’t but 20 minutes ago that she woke from a bed clinging sleep with nauseated lip licking. I could have misinterpreted that. It could have been hunger. About ten minutes after that, she got to her feet and started trilling and brushing her head against my hand. Prelude to her feed me dance.

“I’m trusting you Krista. Please pace yourself.”

(Yeah right!)

She had what looked like smaller, possibly harder poop balls this afternoon rather than her baby carrots from morning. I hope this is just a matter of losing her input in the morning rather than constipation. She’s eating too much pumpkin to be constipated. She gets 50/50 rabbit to rabbit and pumpkin.

And she didn’t pace herself. Her plate is nearly cleared already.

She’s going to pop. I’ll be very impressed and relieved if she doesn’t. But she’s crouching, looking rough, licking her lips. .

Good luck, little one!

 

[daftcat75]

Bookcase struggle time.

 

[daftcat75]

Final score: 6.89 oz for 225 calories

Haven’t had a morning poop yet. Fearing a constipated blowout.

She ate her raw portion easy enough for first breakfast. But she pulled up quickly on the canned portion. I was going to wait on her Mirtaz dose. But since she looked a little nauseated and I read low dose mirtazapine can help with nausea, I decided to put our new dosing system into effect. 19 mm for 0.75 inches. But even with my inked edge measure, my thumb curves and the edge does not. So we’re back to only a guess.

Well, there we go. I don’t know if she just needed a moment between portions or if the Mirtaz started helping so soon (only 20 minutes), but she’s finally working on the canned portion of first breakfast.

that we don’t have any blowouts in either direction.

Correction: she just mowed down that first breakfast plate. Go take some bookcase digestion time, my little fur pig.

 

[daftcat75]

Bookcase Digestion Time
https://thecatsite.com/media/bookcase-digestion-time.423206/

 

[daftcat75]

Like a pair of batteries. No bonus puddles or piles.

 

[daftcat75]

“Where are you and why aren’t you feeding me?
“Oh. You’re peeing. Excuse me.
“On second thought. As long as I’m here...”


No shame!

But at least that’s out of the way for now.

I think the reduction in dose is helping against her blowouts. Though the night is still young. But it may be slowing down her eating. Though the night is still young.

I watched her on the cameras this afternoon. In a one hour span, she jumped onto the stove counter three times. She’s 15. If she hasn’t learned by now. I’m considering putting a feeder up there. If she’s going to jump up there anyway, maybe we can both get something we want out of it.

 

[daftcat75]

In the coming year, she’ll see a specialist. I don’t like watching her like this after eating.

But at least her stomach settled enough for her to settle too.

 

[daftcat75]

Pudding poop in the box and a little spit up on the carpet. Could have been worse. Still. I’d like to be done with these. I wonder if even the raw turkey is bothering her now. I’ve been growing first dinner raw portion slightly (14 g vs 10 g) since she doesn’t get a raw portion at second dinner. I guess I’ll stop that for now.

 

[daftcat75]

Hi!
I'm sorry for this question but I'm pretty new here.
Do you know what causes this problem for your cat?
I have a kitten and there was a time when she was acting like this.
Thanks,

Krista has had multiple ultrasounds that show inflammation consistent with IBD or lymphoma. The only way to know which is a biopsy either through endoscopy or surgery. However the rule of thumb I have gone by is that if she can maintain or gain weight, it is probably not cancer.

Pancreatitis can also cause that face. She’s had a couple bouts with pancreatitis. But when she’s had that, she also vomits more (unrelated to her poop blowouts like recently), she’s lethargic, and she doesn’t feel much like eating at all. So this is probably not pancreatitis. But only a vet visit could rule that out.

I’m told that cats with kidney disease can also have that face. But Krista’s kidneys still test great (when she’s not dehydrated) and she can still concentrate urine just fine as near as I can tell cleaning her litterbox for the last thirteen years.

My point is that there can be a number of issues that cause internal discomfort as portrayed by that face. Your kitty will likely need an ultrasound at a minimum to determine the source of her internal pain.

 

[daftcat75]

Final score: 7.07 oz for 230 calories

And a 3:30 am pudding and a Bot spot of . Not nearly as bad as her usual Mondays. But the day is still quite young.

The scale is punking us again. It says she’s 7 lbs. I know that’s not right. I can feel it in the belly rides and her body condition. I can see it in her figure. She’s still skinny, no doubt. But she is filling out again. We will weigh again next week.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Apart from and hopefully unrelated to what you've listed as health conditions, there are the just plain garden-variety "age-related" changes that anyone may go through if they are fortunate enough to live long enough. Krista is doing very well, all things considered. You're doing very right by her. Though she may be in a low period right at the moment, she has bounced back before and I hope, pray and predict she will again with your excellent care.

 

[daftcat75]

That’s bonkers. She spit up some of first breakfast. I guess she was making room. Because she’s finished second breakfast already.

I should probably get out of the front room so she can get her sleep on. Otherwise it’s going to be a long four hours until her first feeder opens.

 

[daftcat75]

She briefly went under the bookcase for a nap. But came back out not much longer than that while I was cleaning. She sat staring at her empty plate and then the feeders. It was sad. I gave in. I gave her an extra 1/2 oz to hold her until the feeders start to open. I put a third feeder on the stove counter (not the stove itself but counter to the side of the stove.). I still don’t like her up there and I will continue to clean the stove top about as fast as I dirty it. But since making that countertop uninteresting to her hasn’t stopped her from going there. I may as well use her scavenging ways to both of our advantage. This has actually been a goal of mine since I got the second pair over the summer. I wanted to find additional places to hide food so she could hunt throughout the day.

 

[tarasgirl06]

She briefly went under the bookcase for a nap. But came back out not much longer than that while I was cleaning. She sat staring at her empty plate and then the feeders. It was sad. I gave in. I gave her an extra 1/2 oz to hold her until the feeders start to open. I put a third feeder on the stove counter (not the stove itself but counter to the side of the stove.). I still don’t like her up there and I will continue to clean the stove top about as fast as I dirty it. But since making that countertop uninteresting to her hasn’t stopped her from going there. I may as well use her scavenging ways to both of our advantage. This has actually been a goal of mine since I got the second pair over the summer. I wanted to find additional places to hide food so she could hunt throughout the day.

That's one of a cat's main purposes *or should I say PURRposes?* and delights!

 

[daftcat75]

That's one of a cat's main purposes *or should I say PURRposes?* and delights!

Right now her plate and feeders are all set up next to each other like a buffet line. I’m concerned that if she doesn’t see the food, she may not go looking for it. But if she’s already going up to the stove looking for food, then why not put one up there? I know. It’s rewarding a behavior I don’t want to reward. But she’s not going to unlearn it now. I take away the harm already by keeping it clean up there. And her life gets enriched with hunting. Then maybe I’ll move that 3rd feeder around the apartment so it’s not always the same.