Alley`s First Vet Visit

My parents are the coolest! They told me to take Alley in for her medical needs and they would call it an early b-day present for me(August 27th)!

The Vet was pleased with her overall look and demeanor(curious,animated,etc.)and assigned her an age of 12 wks.She got the respiratory virus vaccine and a pill to kill that evil tapeworm.Her ears were very clean.Kitty O` Mine goes back in 3 weeks for another round of vaccines;then again 3 weeks later for her final shots.She`ll be getting spayed on this last vet appoint.

My girl was grouchy and lethargic after her traumatic day.Not herself for 2 whole days.Now I`m scared she is`nt eating enough.Except for the food thing she`s back to normal.No luck w/ trying different foods either.You`d think a bona fide alley cat would NOT be a picky eater,would`nt you? lol 'The Dark One' also got free goodies(guess who is`nt a fan of Hill`s?).She feels better from the flea med.Best online site for quality flea med is...?

I`m very happy that my girl is in good health! Ride in carrier to vet:not fun.Ride in carrier back to house:calm and quiet.

Advice on ueber-finicky eaters and how to handle them? Anyone??

Thanks!

Yes, it is amazing how even feral cats can be picky eaters! Being lethargic and not hungry after the vaccines is pretty normal.

For the picky eater, if you can afford it, try the higher end foods. Evo, Royal Canin... actually, best to search in the nutrition forum! But cat's tummies are very sensitive (usually), so it's actually best to mix her old food with the new one, gradually increasing the amount of new food so that the "full" switch takes about a week or so. If you're concerned in the meantime, you can "boost" her food intake by giving her meant baby food (any kind but ham - cats have trouble digesting that) as a treat. I've never heard of a cat that didn't LOVE gerber's chicken baby food (make sure whatever brand you buy has no additives).

As to the flea meds, the only one to use is Advantage. Just search for the best price you can find for Advantage for cats. (Make sure you don't accidentally get a dog formula). Almost any other flea med has the potential to kill your cat.

When you take her back in three weeks, if they don't test a stool sample, ask them to. Make sure there are still no worms. I don't know about tape worm, but I do know that for other parasites the treatment only kills the adults, and the life cycle is such that they need to be treated again after three weeks. And sometimes it takes a couple of rounds of treatment to get them all. So do be on the safe side and have them do another fecal when she's back.

Glad she's in such good health!

Laurie

Thanks,LDG. Since I forgot to bring the stool sample she very well could have roundworms,right?Or the start of a new life cycle of these nasties. I had some better luck getting her to eat today.Small amounts and a lil mixing and(ta-da) her special dish all washed and clean.I cleaned and swept her dining area and made a big fuss about it being meal time(like with a child) and it seemed to keep her at the trough longer.

I don`t think Alley was feral because she approached me and was hand tame the first time we had contact.Maybe her being in starvation mode trumped the feral behavior? What do you think?

Hey Hosman!
Congrats no your vet trip!!! It sounds like your girl is doing great!!
If she had only tapeworms, she will probably be fine with only one deworm dose, but I would take a stool sample just in case...
About the flea treatment: There are quite a few good options out there; the only thing I advise is to NOT get an OTC one.
Some known good brands are Advantage, Frontline, and my favorite, Revolution. Revolution is great as it also treats ear mites, roundworm, hookworm, and prevents heartworm. Advantage Multi does the same thing... Both revolution and Advantage multi need a prescription... I buy mine online, and pay about $26 for 3 doses of Revolution...
In my house I have a kitty on Advantage (my foster), Lucky is on Revolution (allergic to advantage), and Bugsy is on Advantage Multi (allergic to Revolution).

Thanks,ma`am! How long before a 100% indoor cat on flea meds breaks the flea life cycle? My parents` 2 indoor cats finally became parasite free since they are in a controlled environment.Man,that sounded like I`m a real cheap skate did`nt it? You know what I mean! lol

I`ll be sure to bring Ye Olde Stool Sample come the next vet. trip.

Flea cycles vary so much... In my experience, if the kitty is on a good medicine, it won't take too long - you need to make sure the medicine kills adults, larvae, and prevent eggs from hatching... This way you are breaking/getting rid of the flea cycle and not waiting until you can kill the adults again...
In the first day the adults in the kitty will be dead... I have not have fleas for over a week, but maybe I was lucky
What flea medication did the vet give her?

I got a one month sample of one of the Big Three.Not sure which one. I`m thinking Advantage? I`m going to order more online.

Alley is not a fan of fireworks.She`s in hyper alert mode here but I think we`ll make it til the dawn. How are your "kids" this holiday?

Hey Hosman - I tried to send you a private msg, but it says you chose to not receive PMs? I want to give you the site where I buy Revolution from, so you can save some $$$...

Thanks! I befriended you and made sure my PM`s were enabled.Should go through now.

Originally Posted by HosMan

Kitty O` Mine goes back in 3 weeks for another round of vaccines;then again 3 weeks later for her final shots.She`ll be getting spayed on this last vet appoint.

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I prefer to only give 2 series of kitten shots. When the first shot is given at 10 weeks or older, they only require 2 and not 3 rounds.

Thanks,Missy.I`ll talk to the vet about this during our next appointment.