Cat health question
I've posted before about my cats (I may be a little over reactive because they are basically my children) but I figured I'd reach out again. The past couple of days my cats have been having liquid stool and each have thrown up once. They are indoor, get fed the same food, get exercised, etc. My issue is, they get a mix of dry and wet so if it is the food that is the culprit, I have to decide between three sources. I mix Purina Complete and Purina One Indoor together as well as serve them wet Fancy Feast. I know a lot of people may say this is not quality food (and I agree, but as I have stated in other posts--I am fresh out of college and don't necessarily have the best funds), but I would be open to any suggestions as to what may be the issue, or whether I should ditch the food for better brands--even if it means stretching my dollar a little more (my cats are worth it). Thanks!
PS. They are going to the vet at noon, just so nobody thinks I am not taking them to the vet.
helpthekitty the vet will have better answers than I have - only question - have you changed anything recently?
5catmom It could be so many things. The food, parasites, a virus or one of 10 other things. The last time one of my cats had this issue, it turned out to be a parasite called giardia. Of course all three cats and the dog had to be treated with anti-biotics. It cleared up quickly though. Let us know what the vet says.
Calico696 If there is blood in the stool, could be coccidia . See what the results of the kitty's samples are and go from there.
sallysimpson Thanks for the answers. It happened suddenly without any change in diet or anything so that's why it caught me off-guard. Plus, they are playing and acting normal, just the throwing up and liquid stool so that's why this is so odd.
may be a long shot, but maybe the ate an insect/bug of some sort? very odd if they are acting normally, but having diarrhea and vomitting...... keep us posted!
azgirl69 Do you notice any plants with leaves missing or nibbles taken out, or did they possibley sneak outside and eat grass that had chemicals on it?
Spring Fever Just got back, John C It was actually $213 dollars for both cats and they are 2 years old so I doubt it's the big casino anyways, but stranger things have happened so your statements are not without merit.
Basically, the vet gave me pills to give them (I told the vet my cats don't pill well at all, but oh well) so this should be fun. I got the usual "give them bland food, give them meds and we'll call you tomorrow with the stool sample results." So we'll see where happens from here. Thanks for the concern guys.
Antimony3 The usual Metronidazole and aminopentamide to help stablize their disgestive track
try Greenies Pill Pockets - little niblets that you smoosh around the pill - not expensive and available at pet stores. Worked well for most of my cats, nothing worked for one cat!!
pmnsk Unfortunately, my cats are super smart and eat around the pill! -- It is literally an art form as to how they somehow eat around even the smallest pill. I may have to crush them and sprinkle them on food.
helpthekitty, When I was having trouble getting my cats to take pills I noticed that the vet used a tool (don't know the proper name) but the pill goes in and you just have to get it as close to the back of the throat as you can and push to dispense pill. They normally won't have much choice but to swallow.I purchased one from the vets office to use at home and it made things so much easier.
JRT I always used the coffee grinder when I had to give "Cagey" pills. I also added 2 or 3 five mgs of prednisone. Every day I gave her the tip of a spoonful mixed with Fancy Feast. (she usually only ate dry food, so the Fancy Feast was a real treat.) The prednisone kept her hungry, and she drank more. Always worked with her. (The ultra fussy kitty) She would not eat the pill pockets. What a waste of money they were.
Ms. Fishy helpthekitty...the only problem was one of my cats knew as soon as she saw it what was about to happen and she would actually clench her teeth together lol That made things a little tricky!
3wbdwnj I tried crushing the pill and mixing it into their food along with some chicken stock (ok'ed by the vet). Still knew something was off and didn't eat it although it was so blended. So, I may have to speak to the doctor about alternative ways to administer this.
rub a little oil or butter on the pill and it will go down more easily........I've had to pill one cat 2x a day - and he decided he no longer liked pill pockets - hand pilled him for quite a while but he started running from me --- I finally got transdermal thyroid meds for him -
I know - that doesn't help you .........but it sure has helped me.........so a little oil or butter -
and determination
You went to the vet already and that's great. Next time, if you're kitty just has diarrhea and no other health problems, you can run a stool sample down to the vet without having to pay for an office visit. As long as they know you're pets are patients, they should do this. If they demand paid visit every time you want a stool sample, find another vet.
5cat - that's what I wound up doing with the one cat that would NOT take the pills in any form - twice a day wrestle - slippery pill, determined kitty, but after a few days, he seemed to adjust to it a little and became more cooperative, and/or I got better at getting the pill to the back of his mouth quickly lol
Sallysimpson-I agree. They have been our vet through 4 cats, but I am moving in August so I will be getting a new vet anyways, so if this was the last time then I'll deal and move from there. Thanks though.
one of my cats requires ongoing meds and doesn't like pill pockets either. I crush the pill and mix with baby food (meat and broth only). maybe that will work for you too. Good Luck!
Neezy cats are people too if you ask me, sure hope your little kitties are ok, and i know we have posted this before, but this conversation made me think of this, so here it is again:
how to give a cat a pill in 20 easy steps:
1) Pick up cat and cradle it in the crock of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of the cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.
2) Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.
3) Retrieve cat from bedroom and throw soggy pill away.
4) Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm while holding rear paws tightly with left hand Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.
5) Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Retrieve spouse from outside.
6) Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees. Hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold hear firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.
7) Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.
8) Wrap cat i large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible form below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.
9) Check label to make sure pill is not harmful to humans. Drink one beer to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.
10) Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard and close door on neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.
11) Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot of scotch and drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check record for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw shirt away and fetch new on from bedroom.
12) Call fire department to retrieve cat from across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.
13) Tie the little &#^@'s front legs to rear legs with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table. Find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of steak. Be rough about it. Hold cat's head vertically and pour two pints of water down throat to wash pill down.
14) consume remainder of scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the ER. Sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.
15) Arrange for SPCA to collect mutant cat from hell and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.
How To Give Your Dog A Pill
1) Wrap pill in bacon.
2) Toss it in the air.
BrotherDog Hi guys, sorry for the delay. Fecal-negative and basically they are okay health wise. The pills did not work out at all, so they just gave me FortaFlora which was what I wanted in the first place and thus far the cats have done well and the loose stool has cleared up and they haven't thrown up. Unfortunately, I had to drop $50 on pills they will never take and then another $37 for what I originally stated had worked in the past, but my cats are the main priority so I am happy things look to be clearing up. Thanks for the concern guys and also thanks for all suggestions--although my cats are impossible to pill, I will hold onto all suggestions for any situations in the future when they may be a little more calm (they are still young and feisty).
Thanks for the update. Glad they are getting better. Will your vet take the remaining pills back and give you a refund? Mine does if it's within a few days.
Does the cat have kidney disease? My cat had that when she had kidney problemsand she needed to get Sub-Q fluids due to the dehydration of diareah and throwing up. Did you get blood work?
I believe Sucrulfate is for coating the cat's stomach, so it doesn't turn ulcerous or worse.
Pet Lover i iused to crush the sucrulfate and put in a little bit of water and syringe it into the side of the cat's mouth, and also the Metronitrozole can be in liquid form, too.
PetLover-No my cats don't have kidney disease, but thank you for the information.
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