missy sudden behavior change: no longer eating breakfast, just hides

[louisstools]

just an update from yesterday. Technically the cat has been eating all day. Practically she has not. she has eaten yes, but she’s eating about a third of the amount that she normally would if that. it’s just after dinner here and she’s almost eaten enough for a low end normal breakfast. She’s actually doing far worse than she was yesterday and her eating and behavior prompted me to take her to the vet .

She has been sleeping all day in her hiding spot and has not come out except for when I went to check on her. She has not gone pee yet which is a bit unusual as we are approaching 12 hours since her last pee and normal is eight. and she has been drinking good amounts of water. she has not pooped, but she was probably really cleaned out after last night.

for breakfast time she was out and hanging out with me and playing and seemed fine. But ever since then just wants to nap in the closet and be left alone.

I’ve given her five of her small doses of appetite, stimulant, and they have done nothing today. something else must be bothering her now or she’s still recovering from yesterday. Hopefully she feels better tomorrow because this level of food intake is not even 100 cal. I think what she’s consumed is about 60 and if she eats like she historically does she might approach 100 cal on the day. A normal day for her is about 240.

 

[FeebysOwner]

None of my cats ever had to have an enema. But, I have heard it isn't terribly uncommon for them to feel a bit under the weather, lethargic and in-appetent. I'd give her the benefit of the doubt today and see if she starts to pick up tomorrow.

 

[louisstools]

None of my cats ever had to have an enema. But, I have heard it isn't terribly uncommon for them to feel a bit under the weather, lethargic and in-appetent. I'd give her the benefit of the doubt today and see if she starts to pick up tomorrow.

that’s the plan. She had an enema back in 2017. But I don’t remember how she reacted. I think she’ll be OK because she’s been so much more affectionate today than she has been. And she’s walking a little bit easier.

 

[silent meowlook]

When you say you have given her 5 doses of appetite stimulant, which one? And what is the space of the between them?

 

[louisstools]

When you say you have given her 5 doses of appetite stimulant, which one? And what is the space of the between them?

Mirataz. but when I say the word dose, I mean the dose that my cat gets. The full mirataz dose that’s on the box is six of what my cat gets.

They’ll get spaced out over several hours

 

[silent meowlook]

Why don’t you give a full dose at once?

 

[louisstools]

Why don’t you give a full dose at once?

She's only supposed to get 1/6 of the full dose. It's just to give her a bit of a boost and encourage her to eat more at each sitting.
Prior to the stimulant, she wasn't quite eating enough but the more important part was she wanted 15 meals a day and would only eat a tiny amount. She won't eat w/o me being there so it was a nuisance for me. The stimulant makes her eat a lot more in the morning so we were able to cut out half the meals and give me a break.

 

[FeebysOwner]

She's only supposed to get 1/6 of the full dose. It's just to give her a bit of a boost and encourage her to eat more at each sitting. Prior to the stimulant, she wasn't quite eating enough but the more important part was she wanted 15 meals a day and would only eat a tiny amount. She won't eat w/o me being there so it was a nuisance for me. The stimulant makes her eat a lot more in the morning so we were able to cut out half the meals and give me a break.

So, when/if you have given her 1/2 dose or even a full dose, she will eat but only right after she gets it, and not later in the day/evening? Normally, the doses should last hours and hours and hours... I used to give Feeby 1/2 dose every other day, and it took that long before she needed another one to boost her eating. It is possible that only 1/6 of a dose might not work for very long, explaining why you might need to give her multiple mini-doses in a single day.

I think that might be what is confusing for most of us to understand why the mini-doses are really efficient.

 

[louisstools]

So, when/if you have given her 1/2 dose or even a full dose, she will eat but only right after she gets it, and not later in the day/evening? Normally, the doses should last hours and hours and hours... I used to give Feeby 1/2 dose every other day, and it took that long before she needed another one to boost her eating. It is possible that only 1/6 of a dose might not work for very long, explaining why you might need to give her multiple mini-doses in a single day.

I think that might be what is confusing for most of us to understand why the mini-doses are really efficient.

The small dose is really just to give her a slight boost to her appetite for a few hours. in those few hours, she’ll just eat slightly more than she normally would which makes the rest of the day easier on the both of us because we’re not doing 20 meals. We’re only doing maybe 10 more.

 

[louisstools]

It’s been a couple days since the enema. She is eating a lot better probably close to normal. She’s gone to poop a couple of times but it’s no different than it was the day of the enema. Maybe she doesn’t have much in there yet I don’t know.

I’m also getting concerned about her urine. normal for her is to go pee about every eight hours and now she’s dragging out to 12 to 14 and when she does go, it’s multiple trips before she even attempts to go pee. I think the enema might’ve flared up her arthritis or something and it’s getting into the position that bothers her. Because when she does go pee, she’s basically just sitting down flat on the letter when she does it instead of in her squat position. i’ll just monitor this and see what happens I guess.

 

[FeebysOwner]

The small dose is really just to give her a slight boost to her appetite for a few hours. in those few hours, she’ll just eat slightly more than she normally would which makes the rest of the day easier on the both of us because we’re not doing 20 meals. We’re only doing maybe 10 more.

You do know that I sincerely doubt anyone else has ever taken this approach with Mirataz? By giving her such a small amount, are you trying to manipulate the effects so that you don't have her bothering you other than when you want to feed her? I know you say she doesn't really pursue eating food on her own, but do you suppose she might if the effects of the Mirataz actually lasted longer? Do you leave food out for her between meals?

It’s been a couple days since the enema. She is eating a lot better probably close to normal. She’s gone to poop a couple of times but it’s no different than it was the day of the enema. Maybe she doesn’t have much in there yet I don’t know. I’m also getting concerned about her urine. normal for her is to go pee about every eight hours and now she’s dragging out to 12 to 14 and when she does go, it’s multiple trips before she even attempts to go pee. I think the enema might’ve flared up her arthritis or something and it’s getting into the position that bothers her. Because when she does go pee, she’s basically just sitting down flat on the letter when she does it instead of in her squat position. i’ll just monitor this and see what happens I guess.

Since she is going, then - yes - just monitor her poop to see if it increases to normal amounts for her, since her eating is picking back up. If not, then ask the vet about giving her a 1/4 tsp dose of Miralax just to see if that helps any - especially if you see the stool amount decreasing from where it is now.

I'm not clear about what is happening with her peeing. You say she is dragging it out longer than normal, but you also say she takes multiple trips before she goes? So, does that mean she takes multiple trips within that 12-14 hours that result in finally in her peeing? Any time a cat goes to the litter box repeatedly and does not produce pee, is a possible sign of a UTI.

I am not familiar with an enema causing any issues with peeing, or arthritis, but maybe it can. I believe an enema can cause some discomfort when pooping or a generalized odd feeling 'back there', but that really shouldn't last long.

 

[louisstools]

FeebysOwner Yeah, this approach is a bit unusual but it's what the vet wanted. She does have a super tiny appetite but she needs a little boost otherwise she only eats the literal 3-5 kibble per meal. No, not doing this to manipulate her...I'd LOVE it if she bugged me for meals. That is my dream, the cat showing real hunger like she used to. The larger doses don't really last any longer. They make her a bit more hungry shortly after giving it to her (and she may eat slightly more or do an extra meal) but a few hours later and it's all "normal" again. The smaller doses spread out seem to work a bit better because I only notice the boost within an hour from giving it to her. I do leave food out but she only eats it maybe 4 times a year. She doesn't like food when it has sat out for more than a few minutes. She is very smell sensitive. (I just came home from the barber and they put product in my hair. Cat was visibly hungry but wouldn't eat until I showered and got the smell off)

Yeah - I got a note into the vet for the miralax and how she suggests I give it to her. Maybe babyfood.

Regarding the peeing, it's multiple trips but they're all within a few minutes. She'll go, sit, and then leave. Then go back, sit, leave. But I can tell from how she's entering the box and moving around in it that something is off. She's not moving in the box like normal. She'll eventually sit and pee. Not squat, but sit. But once she "commits" to going pee, she goes. It's not like she's trying and unable to.

Forgot to mention in the last post - her personality is back. It's nice to have her "back"

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am sure the vet has a reason for her approach with the Mirataz - whatever that might be.

Make sure you tell the vet about Missy's unusual peeing behavior now. It is possible, I suppose, that her arthritis is bugging her and so she sits rather than squats/stands, and is just having a hard time mentally dealing with peeing that way, so she hesitates. Might also put her off from going to the litter box as often as normal too. When she does pee is a larger or smaller amount than normal? I would be worrying about her holding it which could lead to other issues if she continues this for very long. Does she hold her normal stance when pooping? This all could be some residual effect from the enema, but I can't imagine it should linger for much longer.

I am glad her eating is better and that her personality is back - both good things!

 

[louisstools]

Update on the potty situation... She just went poop. The first "go" she did it normal and then she left the litter box and went to nap. She came back for "round 2" a minute later right after I cleaned it. This second time was weird. She was sitting and tried to get up into position but she couldn't. I saw her try 3 times but she couldn't lift her butt up. So she pooped basically sitting down and sitting on the stool. No visible straining and she produced a normal sized amount. The only other time I've seen her poop like this was right after the enema when we got home. One thing that is nice was when this happened she was going it in the best possible angle for the litter box cameras.

When she left the box she was limping pretty badly and she has been recently. I brought this up to the vet at our last appointment she she did a pretty good work up of the cat's legs and didn't notice anything was out of the ordinary and the cat never reacted like she was in pain. The vet thinks the cat probably has some arthritis but as I am unable to pill her this is untreated. There was an injection the vet mentioned and we may try that. Until very recently it didn't seem like the arthritis or whatever it is was bothering her very much.

I'll keep monitoring!

answers to your questions FeebysOwner ...
The amount she is peeing seems normal for the duration between the last visit.
She has been doing her normal stance when pooping but not this last time. I would agree, I would think anything related to the enema would resolve itself very soon.

 

[FeebysOwner]

There are two injectable forms for arthritis pain. Adequan which also contains a joint supplement, it is given monthly, but only after there being a few weeks of semi-monthly shots first. Solensia is strictly for arthritic pain and has no joint supplement. It is given monthly. I don't know much about Adequan.

A number of folks have had success with Solensia, but there have been some who have seen side effects, one of the most common it seems is itchiness. Feeby had injections for 6 months; after the third one is when she started itching a lot, but it subsided shortly after the 6th and final shot. We decided to call it quits with that one, but never moved on to Adequan due to her other illnesses getting worse and our focus was on managing them.

I hope it isn't needed, and that the enema after-effects are the issue.

 

[louisstools]

Brief update - the cat was back to hiding and not eating this morning. She did 3 small poops (think dots) over the course of two hours.
Vet recommended 2 small doses of miralax a day. The cat got cleaned out after the enema but she's been producing just dots since. She's still limping pretty bad but it's a tiny bit better.

Ugh. Now I need to figure out how the heck to get that into her. I dare not put anything on her normal kibble. She doesn't do treats. She doesn't do wet food very well. I could try baby food. But how do I get her to eat it? A normal meal is every 2-3 hours and now I need to somehow get 2 treats into a cat that isn't the best when it comes to consistent eating. I don't know of any reliable way to get anything into the cat. I can't pill her. I can't syringe liquids into her very well. I need something just so enticing it makes her eat a tiny amount even when she's not hungry but I don't know what that would be.

 

[FeebysOwner]

All you can do is try and find some wet food/treats that she is willing to eat and mix the Miralax with them. Give the baby food meat a try, and also the numerous tube-like lickable treats that are out there - Churu, Vitakraft, Temptations Puree, Delectable Squeeze Ups, Catit, and Nulo to name the ones I know of off the top of my head.

Since Miralax is a powder/granule, it will have to be mixed with something 'wet'. Worst case scenario, you could mix it with tuna 'juice' from a can of human tuna in water, and if she won't take it without intervention, then that would be a better mix to syringe into her than the Miralax mixed with water alone.

I never advocate forcing a pill on a cat or using a syringe until nothing else proves successful. And, whatever you do, don't make a big deal out of getting her to take the Miralax in any of the above. The less anxiety from you means the less from her. And, Miralax is not expensive, so if you try some things that don't work, toss them and try something else.

This is something I advised you to get on top of ASAP, before it would become an urgent issue. I hope it has not reached that yet, as that will give you some experimentation time before you reach syringe time.

What did the vet say about the limping?

 

[louisstools]

FeebysOwner yeah I’m definitely not gonna force her to eat anything. Maybe we’ll try those tube treats again see if she likes one.

I didn’t technically speak with the Vet. It was a bit of phone tag. But for the injections, we would just have to come in for a visit. The vet did mention she’s had good success with both of them.

 

[FeebysOwner]

But for the injections, we would just have to come in for a visit. The vet did mention she’s had good success with both of them.

So, the vet didn't think the enema has/had anything to do with the limping? Is Missy back to using the litter box 'normally', in terms of position?

After the initial multiple injections with Adequan, both are otherwise monthly. It took about 3 months of the Solensia to see any kind of positive result from them with Feeby, but that was when the itchiness also started. I was actually at the point of convincing my vet to let me give Solensia to Feeby at home, when we stopped due to her itchiness.

 

[louisstools]

No, neither of us thought the enema caused it although it being a bit of a procedure might’ve aggravated her arthritis. It was coincidental that the week before she had her yearly check up and I mentioned she had been limping a bit more.

she does seem to be getting into position a bit better. And walking a little bit better but still limping a bit more than normal.