Worried about Willow

They put her on Clavamox because she was on it for a UTI about a year and a half ago and it responded well and she didn't have any adverse reactions. The vet wants to do another blood test after the infection clears up and she's back to eating normally to check her liver function.

That's what I'm hoping. She is eating more, since I bought some tuna based cat food (Meow Mix wet) to hide the taste of her medication. She doesn't come running to eat like she used to, but if I take the food to her and set it down in front of her she'll eat it as long as the kitten isn't around. I know tuna isn't a good long term food for cats with urinary issues, so I'll switch her to something better once she's more enthusiastic about eating.

I'm thinking I may have to separate her from the kitten though, because he thinks it's all a big game. Besides trying to help himself to her food while she's eating it, he tries to play with her and jump on her while she's sleeping. Before she got sick she'd hiss and swat at him and drive him off, but now I think it's stressing her out

Just another update here... I gave her a piece of dried fish last night, and she had the same reaction, but I think it was her coughing. She kind of made these 'kack kack' sounds and thrust her toungue out of her mouth like she was trying to eject something. The vet throughly inspected her throat and took x-rays and didn't see any signs of inflammation or anything she might have swallowed, so I think the infection might be laryngitis. Her meow sounds kind of scratchy. I've been keeping her on soft foods.

I think she's starting to feel better, though. She slept in my lap last night for the first time since she got sick, and when the kitten tried to jump on her she growled at him. When he did it anyway, she reached over and put him in his place by reaching over and swatting him one.

I would try not to give her fish because it makes bladder problems worse.
I hope she keeps feeling better.

Just mainly trying to get her to eat anything.

It does look like I spoke too soon though, because even though she had been eating well the past few days, today she has refused her food. She acted hungry and I gave her a couple of tablespoons with her medications mixed in like I have been doing, but she only ate a few bites and has not touched anything else since. I left her alone in the bedroom with the door closed to eat so the kitten wouldn't get in and steal her food, so I don't know if she had another coughing fit when trying to eat, but when I opened the door she was hiding behind the toilet again, so I think so. I have offered her several different types of wet food, but she hasn't even tried any of it. I had to give her the medication by syringe for the first time.

Next I'm going to try meat baby food.

Hi there,

Sorry that she isn't eating well today. If you're going to give her meat baby food (just in case you didn't know this), make sure it doesn't contain any onion or garlic powder (be sure to read the ingredients) as they are bad for cats and can cause a type of serious anemia.

Maybe a trip back to the Vet is in order?

I'll keep an eye on the ingredients list. It's very odd, because for the first time in awhile, she acts like she wants to eat, running around and meowing when I open the can, then she takes a taste and eats maybe a mouthful, then meows and runs off and leaves the rest. The vet said they couldn't find anything wrong with her teeth even after extensive probing, though they didn't do any dental x-rays. That and the scratchy meowing why I was thinking maybe a sore throat. Then again, the vet also looked down her throat all the way to the gastric sphincter and didn't see any inflammation. It's very puzzling.

I wonder if some anti-pain medication will help her eat more? Or maybe she's getting an upset stomach from the Clavamox? Last time she had it she was fine, though it was in pill form. We crushed the pill and mixed it in with her food same as this time.

In every other respect she is acting much better. Much more alert and active, showing an interest in toys, standing up to the kitten again, ect. I'll continue trying different foods and talk to the vet again on Monday.

It might be the Clavamox.
The very first time Coco had it she was ok but after that she would get terrible stomach aches and throw up and refused to eat.
Your cat might be getting stomach aches from the clavamox.

I left her shut up in the bedroom with some of her wet food (also access to a litter box and fresh water) and she did actually eat on her own, which is a big relief. I locked her up to make sure it was her eating the food and not the kitten. She ate about 1/3rd of a can of Wellness while I was at the store buying baby food.

While I was there I looked at the pet food asle and found Brandon Farms Naturals for $1 a 6.5 ounce can. The ingredients list seems good and the price is definitely better than what I've been paying for Wellness grain free. Anyone have any experience with this food? I bought the beef, chicken, and turkey.

http://www.brandonfarmspetfoods.com/...s/naturals.php

I wonder, when they did the endoscopy if just the tube going down her throat/esophagus, etc...maybe caused some irritation to throat and that has something to do with it?

You might want to try some canned food that contains gravy......even those little Whiskas pouches......she may just like licking the gravy, which is better than nothing. Most cats go nuts for the gravy (though a lot of cats aren't crazy about the 'chunks' of meat (mystery meat LOL) within the gravy. When I've had ill cats in the past, I'll squeeze on the gravy from these pouches and put it on top of their regular canned food....and it helps to encourage them eating.

Also, canned food (even when it's fresh out of the can) is always more smelly when it's been warmed just a touch.....so you may want to nuke it for 15 seconds or whatever; just test it with your finger to ensure it's not hot though!

Depending on how aggressive they were at cleaning beneath her gums, it is possible that her gums are a little inflamed and that's part of the problem?

Did they offer to do dental xrays when she was there? Lots of times a resorptive lesion is beneath the gumline and only detected by xray.

I can't remember; did the vet give you an appetite stimulant? (Mirtrazapine or Cyproheptadine)

It's great that she did eat some Wellness while you were at the store, that's super!

I've been adding extra water to her food to make it so she doesn't get dehydrated and can just lap it up if she wants. The Meow Mix is basically chunks of tuna in gravy, but she didn't seem to have a problem with eating it before today.

The vet gave me some Cyproheptadine to give her. 1/4th a tablet twice a day. I have been crushing it in her food, but this afternoon I had to pill her since she wasn't eating. Even with a pill gun it's no easy task, since it's so small.

They did do x-rays on her looking for a foreign body, but not specific dental x-rays since they couldn't find anything obvious by probing and the only thing they could find was a touch of gingivitis on one tooth. The vet said she had very nice teeth aside from the tartar. I kind of wish they had done them in case there was a cavity or something under the gumline, but I'm pretty sure it has to be done under general anesthetic, and by the time I thought about it the proceedure was over.

Her teeth are whiter and her breath definitely smells better, though.

Update: I mixed some water in with about half a can of the Brandon Farms Naturals turkey and turkey liver I bought at Freddy's to make a paste about the consistency of applesauce, and she inhaled it like she was starving. So we're back to normal eating I think. Whew.

Also, thank you for all the vibes and input, everyone. It's really helped me through this a lot.

WOOHOO!!!! Awesome that she loves her new food, that's fantastic, that must be such a relief :-)

In the future, though I hope her appetite continues, when using the Cypro to stimulate appetite, you need to give it to kitty and then wait about 30 minutes for it to have been absorbed by the tummy in order for it to have the appetite-stimulant effect; if you give it with food it won't do too much. Strangely, back when Taco was first diagnosed as Diabetic, it was a real struggle to get him to eat meals at set times (he'd been used to free feeding on dry for years).....and i had to ensure he ate all of his canned food prior to giving his insulin. I used Cypro but for him, I found that it took 2 hours for it to take effect....then he was really hungry.

Sometimes when giving such a tiny portion of a pill, it's easier if you put the pill portion in an empty gelatin capsule. you can get these online and at health food stores. I always order mine from www.iherb.com. Do a search there, "gelatin capsules." the size #3 would be a good size for giving such a small pill portion.......small enough but not so small that you can't grasp it easy with fingers while trying to pill. I just put a little olive oil on the end that's going into the mouth to sorta 'lube it up'.......then follow with 3 ccs of water by syringe (inserted slowly). I use gelcaps for almost every med I give to my cats; it's great especially for bitter tasting pills, they just don't taste it......and it's only gelatin, so it dissolves in their tummy very easily.

I decided to stop with the Cypro, since she hated having the pill shoved down her throat and is eating OK now without it. I did figure out that the Clavamox in her food was making her sick to her stomach, so I settled on a system of feeding the cats when I get up, then giving her the medication when I get home for lunch so there's some time for her stomach to empty out. Then I feed them once I get home and giving her the second dose before I go to bed.

So far it's been working well. She is back to her old habits of sleeping on the back of the couch and greeting me at the door instead of hiding under the shelves or bed. She is still reluctant to eat crunchy food items, though. Once I finish the antibiotics I'll take her back in so they can get another blood and urine sample to see about her liver and kidneys.