My Cat Is Acting Funny....help!

[dianajune]

The excessive thirst immediately brings to mind a kidney issue. But you said his urination is normal so that's odd. I would get his kidneys checked regardless and also possibly try an anti anxiety medication. These "episodes" may be panic attacks more than anything. It might calm him enough to not eat the litter.
Also our kitties are our babies and it's super hard to deal with a problem they may have cause they are so fragile and can't communicate verbally what's wrong. Never apologize for being concerned you are just being a good parent!

I have a tendency to think the worst at times like this. I'm glad he's doing better and the blood work he had today was all normal.

I wish he could speak English. I'd love to know what he's thinking.....oftentimes I believe he understands me when I talk to him. After we got home he went to our bedroom and he was sitting on a spot I created for him next to my pillows. I leaned down and made like I wanted him to give me kisses, which he did, eventually. He seems to be doing much better today than last night.

Many thanks to you and everyone else for their kind words! I love my little guy. He keeps me going, which is a good thing.

 

[Saturnine2587]

Oh I see! Duh! Sorry my brain sometimes goes on vacation... several a day in fact

 

[dianajune]

What's a care card? I've never heard of that

I signed up for it before I adopted Pumpkin and used it primarily for dental work. When he came into my life I found out that it can be used for veterinary appointments too, along with prescription food. It came in handy but the interest can be high.

 

[dianajune]

There is NOTHING worse than a sick cat, unless it is a very young, pre-verbal child. Neither can tell you what hurts, and both just break your heart.

I agree. Pumpkin was giving me signals that something wasn't quite right. He was walking close to the floor like he was cowering in fear, with his tail down (never a good sign), was keeping his distance from Mommy, etc. I know he's doing much better already. I went to the store to pick up a few things the vet recommended and after I got back, Pumpkin escaped to the inner hallway and wanted to go in our neighbor's appointment. She's the person who took us to the vet. Joanne loved Pumpkin and he loves her too.

I finally got the bandage off his leg. Pumpkin was very patient with me while I was working on it. I think they overdid it with the tape!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

oftentimes I believe he understands me when I talk to him.

Well over half the people here on TCS are convinced that our cats understand, if not EVERY word, then MOST of what we say.

I finally got the bandage off his leg. Pumpkin was very patient with me while I was working on it. I think they overdid it with the tape!

Yeah, they tend to to that, but...better the PITA of getting that extra tape off when it's no longer needed than having it come off too soon!

 

[rubysmama]

Just came across this thread. Glad you took Pumpkin to the vet, if nothing more than to ease your mind. Hope the new food helps.

 

[LTS3]

Pumpkin had his vet appointment this morning. He's doing much better and he had a total workup......lots of blood tests that all came out normal.

I'm a diabetic, and his blood sugar is much better than mine!

That's good

Just some general info you may or may not need later, if you use insulin for yourself you may be able to use it for a diabetic cat as well. Obviously you need to use a brand new insulin syringe when drawing up a dose whether for yourself or for the cat The Human insulins that can be used for cats are Humulin N, Lantus, and Levemir.

One thing I forgot to pick up was Prevacid AC. She wants him to have 1/4 of a 10mg pill twice a day. I'll get it tomorrow.

Prevacid AC or Pepcid AC? I know Pepcid AC is often recommened by vets to use but I've never heard of Prevacid AC being used for cats. Can you call the vet and double check before you head to the store to buy it? It would be ok to hold off on giving this until you confirm with the vet.

 

[dianajune]

That's good

Just some general info you may or may not need later, if you use insulin for yourself you may be able to use it for a diabetic cat as well. Obviously you need to use a brand new insulin syringe when drawing up a dose whether for yourself or for the cat The Human insulins that can be used for cats are Humulin N, Lantus, and Levemir.




Prevacid AC or Pepcid AC? I know Pepcid AC is often recommened by vets to use but I've never heard of Prevacid AC being used for cats. Can you call the vet and double check before you head to the store to buy it? It would be ok to hold off on giving this until you confirm with the vet.

You were right. It was Pepcid AC. I went to Walmart today and had trouble finding the dose - 10mg. So I spoke with the pharmacist and showed her the vet's order. She pointed out it was Pepcid AC and not the other one.

I could kick myself. What if I had purchased the wrong medicine and gave it to him?

Anyway, the vet said those pills are small, which she is right about. However, they are shaped in such a way they don't work well with pill splitters. The pieces are either too big or too small. So I didn't give him any this evening.

Do you know if there's a way I can do this correctly? I wasted three pills so far....not sure how else to do this as those pills aren't scored.

We have a compounding pharmacy in the area which does Pumpkin's lactulose. I wonder if they can do the Pepcid AC in the correct dose for him?

He's eating, drinking and using his litter box, but for some reason he's still hanging out more by himself than usual. I tried to get him to come to bed with me but Pumpkin is still in his hideout in the livingroom. He seems to be more alert than before he got sick. He still pays close attention to his grooming, which is good.

 

[dianajune]

Just came across this thread. Glad you took Pumpkin to the vet, if nothing more than to ease your mind. Hope the new food helps.

Pumpkin liked the new food at first but now he wants to go back to the Friskies. He has both on the table next to his hideout. The Pure Balance I got the other day is sitting untouched.

Oftentimes Pumpkin will like new stuff at first, then turn his nose up at it. He's not going for the vet's sample of Royal Canin anymore. He won't go near the baby food she suggested. He doesn't like pureed turkey or beef.

Pumpkin is a very fussy eater!

 

[rubysmama]

Pumpkin is a very fussy eater!

Lots of cats are fussy eaters, unfortunately. Is Pumpkin the type who will starve himself, rather than eat something he doesn't like. If not, maybe try just putting one type of food down at a time.

 

[LTS3]

Do you know if there's a way I can do this correctly? I wasted three pills so far....not sure how else to do this as those pills aren't scored.

We have a compounding pharmacy in the area which does Pumpkin's lactulose. I wonder if they can do the Pepcid AC in the correct dose for him?

I think @artiemom has used Pecpcid somewhat recently for her cat She might be able to suggest how to split the pill more evenly. I know there are other TCS members who have used Pepcid AC. Maybe you can start a new thread and ask specifically on how to split a Pepcid pill. More people would see that.

Most medicines can be compounded. Give the pharmacy a call and ask if they can compound the Pepcid for you.

 

[dianajune]

Lots of cats are fussy eaters, unfortunately. Is Pumpkin the type who will starve himself, rather than eat something he doesn't like. If not, maybe try just putting one type of food down at a time.

He won't starve himself, but he sometimes will wait so long that I'll cave in & give him the usual stuff.

Since I wrote that post, Pumpkin finished off the vets food and I'll have to get some more. I should have asked for more than one sample but didn't because he's got a history of being very picky. I don't know when I'll be able to make it to the vets and will either have to get someone to pick it up for me or have her fax a prescription to one of those online pets stores I like to use.

In the meantime I found a good equivalent at Walmart. It's another "Pure Balance" bag but this time it's chicken and brown rice recipe. Many of the ingredients are the same.

Pumpkin's doing better, but for some reason he doesnt' want to walk on the floor. I picked him up from his spot on the table in front of the window and just held him for the sake of it. I tried to get him to walk around on the floor but he refused and instead jumped from my recliner to a chair next to the window and then back up to his spot on the window sill. I wonder why?

I'm trying to get him to do more for himself like the vet said but am wondering if he's got arthritis kicking in. Sometimes he wants me to bring food and water to him instead of the other way around. As far as I know, Pumpkin hasn't used his fountain since before I brought him back from the vets. There's nothing wrong with it. In fact, after we got back I gave it a good scrubbing and it's like new.

I forgot to add that he seems to be using his litterbox less frequently. Pumpkin hasn't pooped in about a day and is peeing once or twice a day. He used to average 2-3 times a day.

 

[dianajune]

I think @artiemom has used Pecpcid somewhat recently for her cat She might be able to suggest how to split the pill more evenly. I know there are other TCS members who have used Pepcid AC. Maybe you can start a new thread and ask specifically on how to split a Pepcid pill. More people would see that.

Most medicines can be compounded. Give the pharmacy a call and ask if they can compound the Pepcid for you.

I'll give the pharmacy a call in the morning. They should be open even though it's a holiday. He'll be needing a refill of his lactulose soon anyway.

 

[dianajune]

Pumpkin's doing better, so I'm not sure if he even needs to take the Pepcid AC. I'll give his vet a call in the morning. She left a message saying the medicine can be compounded in liquid form. She then told me that it wouldn't hurt if I give him the pill even if I can't get it to split evenly.....a little larger would be ok. I would prefer to err on the side of caution and give him one that's a bit smaller.

I never heard of cats taking Pepcid until the other day.

How to give it to him in liquid form, I don't know. I have to put Pumpkin's lactulose on his paw because he won't take it any other way.

I would prefer he eat a bit more and the poop fairy needs to pay him another visit! But overall he's doing a whole lot better, praise God!

 

[LTS3]

You syringe any liquid medicine into a cat. First draw the correct dose up into the oral / feeding syringe that the vet will give you, wipe off the outside of the syringe, and stick the syringe into the side of the cat's mouth and slowly squirt small amounts of the medicine in. There are online vidoes on how to syringe medicine into a cat. You may need a second pair of hands to hold the cat while you syringe. Personally I do it myself either with a cat tucked between my knees or, in the case of my Aby, just hold him on the counter facing away from me and pop the syringe in.

Glad your cat is doing better today

 

[Mamanyt1953]

How to give it to him in liquid form, I don't know.

First, you dissolve it in as small an amount of water as you can get away with to cut down on the dose size (you'll need to do a lot of squishing with a pestle or the back of a spoon), then follow LTS3 's directions!

Personally I do it myself either with a cat tucked between my knees or, in the case of my Aby, just hold him on the counter facing away from me and pop the syringe in.

And I do it in full body armor, with 9-1 already dialed on my phone. But we know how Hekitty is.

 

[LTS3]

First, you dissolve it in as small an amount of water as you can get away with to cut down on the dose size (you'll need to do a lot of squishing with a pestle or the back of a spoon), then follow LTS3 's directions!

I thinkthe OP was asking about Pepcid that's been compounded into liquid form In which case dissolving the liquid Pepcid in water is not needed at all.

For a Pepcid pill that a cat won't take in pieces even with a Pill Pocket or other treat hiding dough, you can try smashing the pill up with a hammer (put the pill inside a plastic baggie and whack away) or mortar and pestle and, scraping the powder into a bowl and add water (or tuna juice) and then suck up the mixture into an oral syringe and give it to the cat.

And I do it in full body armor, with 9-1 already dialed on my phone. But we know how Hekitty is.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I thinkthe OP was asking about Pepcid that's been compounded into liquid form In which case dissolving the liquid Pepcid in water is not needed at all.

I wasn't entirely sure, but thought knowing how to handle it in pill form in the meantime would be a good thing.