Weird Behavior

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FeebysOwner

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7/25/2019 1:30pm Day 19

Feeby made her own way to the living room area - just in time to get a bite of our dinner (of course!). Then, the usual 'my lap on the recliner and over to the footstool' routine ensued. Before bedtime, she walked from the footstool to the top of the coffee table and laid there?!??

At bed time, I placed her on the footstool and carried her/it to beside my bed. She did decide a little later to get on the bed and she slept there over night.

She was again in the window perch when I got up this morning. Today, it rained again much earlier than usual, but she didn't 'act up' as she did yesterday. Perhaps, it was over-stimulation from the brushing I gave her, so, no brushing today. (Although, my husband brushes her and while she does clean/lick, she hasn't yet shown signs of over-stimulation with him.)

She did leave her window perch for her usual litter box visit, but this time she went to the bedroom where her hiding/sleeping spot is. However, when I went to check on her, she was on the bed in that room - not on the floor. There is no step up to that bed either!!! This is the first time she has been on that bed in at least 2 months!

I placed a step-down beside the bed, just in case she might choose to use it over jumping straight down. Whether or not she did, I don't know because about 1/2 hour later she was back up in her window perch. She used to spend entire afternoons sleeping on that bed!!

I am going to keep 'helping' her to go back to some of her old habits, and we will play it by ear from there, while we wait to go back to see the vet.
 
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FeebysOwner

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7/26/2019 1:30pm Day 20

Right after I finished the update yesterday, Feeby somehow managed to fall off her window perch - 3 feet straight down, in a space about 6" wide. I think she was munching on her dry food and just mis-stepped??? She did act a bit strange (probably a bit startled?) for a few minutes afterward, but it doesn't appear that she hurt herself.

The rest of the day/evening/night was pretty much a repeat of yesterday.

But, after sleeping with me all night, her behavior was pretty much like 'old times'. She got up when my husband did this morning, ate from her food bowl in the kitchen, went out on the patio to drink water and sit for a while, came back to bed and stayed with me until I got up, and then actually spent time with me on the patio. (She has not returned to the room where her hiding/sleeping spot is since yesterday afternoon.)

She also went to the front door and jumped up on the footstool there - this used to be her way of telling me she wants to look out the front screen door. So, I opened the door, and let her look out.

Now, here comes the 'back to acting strange part' again. After being in her window perch for a while, she got down to sit on one of the steps leading to it. She repeatedly squawked while sitting there (she never actually meows). I petted her, she stopped squawking, and did her usual cleaning/licking routine - but only when being touched on the lower half of her body. Once I stopped petting her, she would be quiet for a couple of minutes and then start squawking all over again.

We spent the last hour in this 'squawk, pet, clean/lick, quiet' cycle. I have no idea what it means.

I don't think she is in pain because right before she started this behavior she was happily snacking on her dry food and drinking water. And, now she just stepped back up on her window perch, snacked/drank again, and has laid down to take a nap.

I am so confused...
 

Kflowers

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I wonder if she'd thrown her back out a little back when this first started and the fall snapped it back in place. Before you say couldn't be -short story- my sister was working as kennel help and had thrown her back out. A large chow decided he was leaving and threw her against a wall. After the fear subsided, Sis realized he'd slammed her back back into place. It can happen. It's not the recommended way to fix your back, but it can happen.

Or maybe the fall reminded her of her catitude.
 

Hellenww

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It sounds like she is a little better everyday and that's good to hear. I wonder if todays squaking was for attention. Feeling better so more social or a little emotionally shaken from the fall so wants some extra love.
 
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It sounds like she is a little better everyday and that's good to hear. I wonder if todays squaking was for attention. Feeling better so more social or a little emotionally shaken from the fall so wants some extra love.
She does seem like things are better in general.

But, that squawking is unsettling to me. Not really normal for her by any means. The increase in vocalization/squawking (maybe not as much as today was) has been going on for some time now, along with the incessant cleaning/licking when her back end is touched. So, there has to be something to that aspect. But, not sure it will necessarily ever be figured out.

That is why when all of this started in early July, I was guessing it is age related somehow. And, maybe in addition to an escalation in her arthritis, along with a possible infection, that is where it might end up.

But, as I said, the weight loss is yet another matter that can't just be left unresolved.
 
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7/27/2019 1:30pm - Day 21

Feeby -
  • hasn't spent any time in that hiding/sleeping spot for the second day in a row.
  • has returned to her 'normal' type squawking and is no longer in the 'frenzy' mode like yesterday.
  • is back to consistently eating/drinking from her kitchen bowls.
  • was 'escorted' to bed last night, after spending time with me on the recliner and then on top of the coffee table again.
She moved numerous times to varying places on the bed, and I am not sure she slept much at all. Lots of licking/cleaning every time she moved - without even being touched. It was like she was moving in order to get away from whatever is causing her to lick so much.​
  • spent time on the patio this morning in her 'old' usual fashion, but hasn't been in her window perch at all. Moving from location to location around the house (all not her 'normal' spots).
New revelations/reflecting back -
  • The licking/cleaning has increased in the past couple of weeks, sometimes to where it appears near obsession.
  • The more mobile she becomes, the more she is licking/cleaning.
  • My husband also thinks there is some form of itchiness/annoyance attributing to the licking/cleaning.
  • She has an occasional awkward skip-type gait, maybe one-two steps at a time, involving one or both the back legs. The previous slinking/skulking has disappeared.
  • In addition to falling off of her window perch two days ago, last night during one of her many moves she slipped and nearly fell off the bed, and I now think I have seen a few similar type incidents recently which I previously discounted.
  • My husband wonders if she is having an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. I suggested maybe it was the canned tuna in water that I am using to give her the antibiotics.
Although, neither would explain the excess licking/cleaning while being
petted in the hip/leg area that has been going on for months.

So, then we wondered about the Glyco Flex Plus which she has been
on since last October. Maybe she is allergic to green lipped mussels??
Glucosamine, chondroitin???
I am not going to give her the last dose of antibiotics since the vet was comfortable with 10 days worth, and today would have been her 14th full dose. That will mean the tuna has been discontinued as well. I am on the fence about the Glyco Flex.

I will ask if she can be tested for an allergy to any or all of the above, but, again I think I am just grasping at straws.

Are you all confused by now?? I know I am... Sorry for another long post.
 

Kflowers

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Has tuna ever bothered her before? A different brand maybe?

I'd mention the tripping to the vet.
 
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7/28/2019 2pm Day 22

Even though Feeby was once again on the coffee table last night after leaving my lap on the recliner, later she did come to bed on her own. (I just decided to leave her on the table, as she was actually snoozing). And, it seems as if she slept more soundly.

Today she's been to most of her 'normal' hang out spots, so she is moving around much better and more frequently. She's mostly back to her typical level of vocalization, and even some of the excessive licking/cleaning has subsided a bit.

I haven't noticed any of that skip-type gait or 'missteps' today, but will continue to look for that and monitor how much time she invests in overzealous licking/cleaning - with and without her back end being touched.
 
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7/29/2019 1:30 Day 23

I guess Feeby just got a break yesterday, because she has begun to display a bit more weird behavior since last update.

Last night she again slept on the coffee table, and then she came to bed shortly after I did. She moved around the bed a bit more than the night before, but didn't seem quite as unsettled as two nights ago. Licked/cleaned with each move.

I think she got up to eat/drink when my husband was getting ready for work, but then quickly came back to bed with me. She ultimately moved to rest on the top of a chest we have at the foot of the bed. She never really has spent time there before.

When I got up, she went to eat/drink in the kitchen, used her litterbox, bypassed her beloved patio, and backtracked to the coffee table where she took a nap.

Later she went to munch and drink again, spent a brief minute or two in her window perch, but mostly rested on one of the steps that leads to the window.

She was again more vocal, almost like she was a few days ago.

I brushed her and then used a couple of wipes on her body, just to start her getting used to the idea of me helping her clean herself. She did her excessive licking/cleaning, but seemed OK otherwise.

She has now proceeded back to rest on the floor next to the dining room window draperies. She also did that yesterday afternoon. Another location she has never spent any time at before.

I did notice what looked like a bit of unsteadiness in her walking while she was on one of her window perch steps. That particular step is cushioned. The other times I think I've seen some 'unsureness' in her walking, was on the bed or other soft or cushioned surfaces. (However, the one time that she actually fell was from the hard surfaced window perch.)

She hasn't specifically done that skip-type gait while walking today, but she has a couple of times done that 'slow run' she was doing before - only without the 'slinking' part. She stopped midstream to lick herself and then moved on.
 
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7/30/2019 3:30pm Day 24

No real change since yesterday - certainly not for the better anyway.
  • Still not going out on her beloved patio, unless carried out there by my husband.
  • Slept on the coffee table again, but didn't even come to bed until early am hours.
  • Not using her window perch, other than to sit on one of the steps for a few minutes. But, did manage to jump up on the back of the living room couch and look out front window before retreating again to her coffee table for a mid-morning nap. I am still not sure how she made her way to the top of the couch?? She also did this yesterday afternoon.
  • Eating/drinking fairly normal, but has a reduced interest in her dry food, and therefore eating less right now.
  • Still more than normal vocalization - either to acknowledge me or just randomly squawk (at nothing?).
  • Gait is still pretty much the 'slow run' with the occasional skip-type step, and frequently stops to lick/clean before proceeding.
  • Wandering areas of house, seemingly with no purpose? Last seen laying by the dining room window draperies (like the last couple of days).
  • Thankfully, using her litterbox regularly (please don't let that change).
Emailed a summary of this past month to her vet to give him something to work with in terms of developing a plan for our next steps (you'll be happy to know that I managed to spare the vet by making it much briefer than what I post here anyway!).
 
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7/31/2019 6:45pm Day 25

Not much new to report - pretty much the same as the last couple of days. Mostly spends time on coffee table, brief stay in bed in early am, no time on patio, and has now stopped bothering to go into window perch, just goes to the first step leading to it.

More squawking though today, and if I pet her that seems to settle her for a few minutes. I brushed her too, and not a bad response, but of course incessant licking on back end area. That also settles her down a bit.

She is eating OK but less, and drinking pretty well. But, I don't know...

Vet was off today, so no word about the email I sent.
 
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8/1/2019 6:55pm Day 26

Feeby spent most of last evening on the coffee table (no recliner time) but did come to bed last night shortly after I did. Before that, she had a bite of our dinner - and her own canned dinner, of course.

She is not a cuddler, but last night in bed she either had a paw on my arm, or rested her head against me. She actually let me put my arm around her at one point - so, I am guessing she was in need of solace??

Today, she munched occasionally on her dry food, drank water from her inside dish, but went out on the patio by herself twice - once to drink some more water from her favorite bowl. She stayed less than a minute each time.

She also only spent time on the first step of her 4 steps to the window perch. While there, she did her repeated squawking thing again - and I would pet her each time to get her to stop. Finally, after several squawking sessions, I brushed her and that seemed to help quite a bit. Of course, she was licking/cleaning her chest and front paws the whole time.

After hiding when we had a bit of rain a while ago (no thunder) she came out for her canned dinner, but is still working on that. The 'still working on it', is not that out of the norm - she takes forever to eat just 1/3 of a can. She is after all a grazer...

But, I just gave her another 1/6 of a can, totaling 1/2 can - her dry food eating was down again today.
 
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8/3/2019 1pm Day 28

A couple of new revelations -

1.) Whatever infection/illness Feeby has/had - took enough of a toll on her that it would appear the heat/sun is part of the reason she is avoiding her beloved patio. Today is overcast and therefore a bit less warm, and she has been out on the patio sitting on one of her perches for nearly two hours so far. I hope over time, she will be able to spend more and more time out there like she used to.

2.) I am a bit embarrassed to say that I think Feeby is dirty! Could this be at least part of her cleaning/licking issues? I am not altogether positive because she incessantly cleans the front paws/chest area, and I think the dirt is mainly on her backend. But, it could be that she just over cleans where it is easiest to access, as compensation?

Now that she seems to be feeling a bit better, I am trying to get back into a routine of daily brushings - and, plan to start her 'booty duty' again as well. I brushed her yesterday on a surface that allowed me to see little dark specks lying all around her as I brushed!! While using wipes for her booty duty, I also used a few on her back half, and then re-brushed her.

I had seen a few specks in her hair from the brush a while back, but it didn't seem to be enough to be concerned about - and I knew it wasn't flea dirt. The junior vet also saw them in early July and thought it was flea dirt until she looked at them closer.

So, if using the wipes - or chamomile tea-soaked towelettes - aren't effective enough, it will be bath time.

Last night, she pulled a new stunt on me - she got on to my lap while I was on the recliner but didn't want to leave to nap on the coffee table. So, the two of us slept together there all night long!!! Then later in the morning, she was back on the coffee table before she eventually headed out to the patio.

Still squawking a lot, but perhaps a bit less. If I pet her or brush her she quiets down.

She is no longer spending any time in her window perch. I sure wish she would go back to that and get off the coffee table!! Hoping it is just another phase, as my husband has suggested.
 

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I brushed her yesterday on a surface that allowed me to see little dark specks lying all around her as I brushed!!
When we had fleas I'd often find "flea dirt" but rarely the actual fleas when combing. Have you checked her gum color for anemia and doing the neck pinch regularly to make sure she's not dehydrated?
 
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