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Pipsqueak needs vibes and so do I........:( - Page 2

post #31 of 315
6/1/11 at 5:19am
Lauren, when I've bought pumpkin for the kids I picked it up in the baby food section. It's hard to find this time of year, tho; have you considered using baby food squash instead?
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post #32 of 315
6/1/11 at 7:51am
Thread Starter 
Carolina - I didn't even think of checking at Walmart. Will go there today. And will definitely change out his dry food with some grain. I never had this problem before (he is five now) last October when I switched him to the dry grain-free Wellness Core...... I might just go all wet food for him anyway.

Robin - thanks, I didn't even think of checking in the vege aisle at Jewel Pumpkin is a vege after all

Libby - Again, , didn't even think of checking the baby food section. Thanks guys, I am determined to get pumpkin today

White Cat - Orbax, will look into this. Can you tell me about Squishy and his urinary issues? Did he ever have any crystals in his urine? What do you feed Squishy? Pipsqueak does not have crystals. Just the blood and slightly inflammed bladder.


p.s. Pipsqueak did have a more normal bowel movement this morning . The metamucil is working but would prefer to get the pumpkin and just keep him on that everyday.

Lauren
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post #33 of 315
6/1/11 at 9:33am
I happened to go to Dominick's in Bartlett today on my lunch hour. I picked up a couple cans of pumpkin. There they had them in the baking aisle with the pumpkin pie filling.

If you haven't found any, you're welcome to them.Send me a PM and we can meet up later. If you don't need them, that's fine. I bake with pumpkin.

How's the little Pipsqueak today?

Robin
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post #34 of 315
6/1/11 at 1:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bastetservant View Post
I happened to go to Dominick's in Bartlett today on my lunch hour. I picked up a couple cans of pumpkin. There they had them in the baking aisle with the pumpkin pie filling.
That's where I always seem to find them now... For some reason people may thing pumpkin is more a pie filling than a vegetable.... go figure
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post #35 of 315
6/1/11 at 4:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feralvr View Post
White Cat - Orbax, will look into this. Can you tell me about Squishy and his urinary issues? Did he ever have any crystals in his urine? What do you feed Squishy? Pipsqueak does not have crystals. Just the blood and slightly inflammed bladder.

Lauren
Squishy's 16 - 18ish....I adopted him the night before he was to be euthanized Jan 1st 2008. He was an old fart then, w/ some health/behavioral issues.....but he was such a doll! He has had chronic blood in his urine - and even sprays (I was unaware of both issues when I adopted him, he never showed either problem @ the shelter). He either lives outdoors or confined to one (large 700+ sq ft) room in the house. (He was mostly outdoors, but was getting into fights & suffered from frequent abscesses.)

He is on C/D dry & all the canned food I can get in him. Every time I take him off C/D he has issues again. He has only once had crystals if I am remembering right, however often there is enough blood in his urine they cannot tell if there are crystals or not (they test in house). I have sent his urine out to be cultured I believe 2 years ago.
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post #36 of 315
6/1/11 at 4:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bastetservant View Post
I happened to go to Dominick's in Bartlett today on my lunch hour. I picked up a couple cans of pumpkin. There they had them in the baking aisle with the pumpkin pie filling.

If you haven't found any, you're welcome to them.Send me a PM and we can meet up later. If you don't need them, that's fine. I bake with pumpkin.

How's the little Pipsqueak today?

Robin
Thanks for the offer, Robin, you are very sweet. I stopped at Walmart, they did not have any in the vege. aisle, baking aisle or the baby section. I was scouring the baby food jars and found Pumpkin and Apple and that was it. So, ironically, I also stopped at the Dominick's on Randall Rd. in Algonquin on my way to the shelter to check for pumpkin. They had it.

PipCheeks ( one of my nicknames) is doing alright. His poop is much better now. I am still very concerned about his cystitis issue and will just be this way until I do the second urinalysis. Of course, I will keep you all updated!!! so very much for the concern.
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post #37 of 315
6/1/11 at 4:51pm
Yup, it was orbax. :nodding: (I knew it wasn't one of the "normal" ones like clavamox or something).

Also - when our boys had bladder/urinary tract issues, we switched to c/d dry (they were free feeding dry then with one wet meal a day) and that did the trick.

If you feed them individual portions of dry, you may want to switch Pipsqueek to c/d. I know it's not the best - but it works.
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post #38 of 315
6/1/11 at 4:52pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carolina View Post
That's where I always seem to find them now... For some reason people may thing pumpkin is more a pie filling than a vegetable.... go figure
Yeah, there was a guy stocking the shelves with canned veges at Walmart when I was looking. So I asked him where the plain canned pumpkin was, figured he would be the one to know. He said, "Oh, that is in aisle #7". So I walk down to aisle #7, the baking aisle. NOPE, only two cans of pie pumpkin filling left on the bottom shelf and no plain pumpkin. is a rare find
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post #39 of 315
6/1/11 at 4:55pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by white cat lover View Post
Squishy's 16 - 18ish....I adopted him the night before he was to be euthanized Jan 1st 2008. He was an old fart then, w/ some health/behavioral issues.....but he was such a doll! He has had chronic blood in his urine - and even sprays (I was unaware of both issues when I adopted him, he never showed either problem @ the shelter). He either lives outdoors or confined to one (large 700+ sq ft) room in the house. (He was mostly outdoors, but was getting into fights & suffered from frequent abscesses.)

He is on C/D dry & all the canned food I can get in him. Every time I take him off C/D he has issues again. He has only once had crystals if I am remembering right, however often there is enough blood in his urine they cannot tell if there are crystals or not (they test in house). I have sent his urine out to be cultured I believe 2 years ago.
It is Orbax, Laurie, just confimed it. Don't they have a canned C/D? Or is it just dry? Did you feed any brand of canned food along with it? I appreciate the suggestions.
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post #40 of 315
6/1/11 at 4:58pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by LDG View Post
Yup, it was orbax. :nodding: (I knew it wasn't one of the "normal" ones like clavamox or something).

Also - when our boys had bladder/urinary tract issues, we switched to c/d dry (they were free feeding dry then with one wet meal a day) and that did the trick.

If you feed them individual portions of dry, you may want to switch Pipsqueek to c/d. I know it's not the best - but it works.
Ok, thanks a bunch!! I will ask you the same thing I asked White Cat. Do you still feed C/D, dry or wet? and do you feed any brand canned with that? I wonder why my vet didn't recommend this diet change ..... I told him what I was feeding and he said, "Oh, that is good" when I said grain-free wet food.
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post #41 of 315
6/1/11 at 5:44pm
Glad you found some pumpkin. I'll keep it stocked in my pantry. So, if you need it, let me know.

The reason it is in the pie filling aisle is that you can make very good pumpkin pie with the recipe that is on the Libby plain pumpkin can. I think it is one of the best recipes for it.
But there is so much more that can be done with plain pumpkin, too. It's wonderful stuff.

Robin
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post #42 of 315
6/1/11 at 7:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bastetservant View Post
Glad you found some pumpkin. I'll keep it stocked in my pantry. So, if you need it, let me know.

The reason it is in the pie filling aisle is that you can make very good pumpkin pie with the recipe that is on the Libby plain pumpkin can. I think it is one of the best recipes for it.
But there is so much more that can be done with plain pumpkin, too. It's wonderful stuff.

Robin
If you make that pie (pumpkin pie with whip cream is my favorite), Pip and I will have to come over for a bite
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post #43 of 315
6/1/11 at 7:57pm
Pumpkin pie in June?!? Oh, why not. I'd like you to come over and meet my cats. Except they all hide for visiters. It's ridiculous.

For Pipsqueak I'll have to make the pumpkin pie a cousin accidentally made for a beloved (and now long departed) great uncle of ours. He ate a piece, thanked her warmly, and never let on what she discovered later when she tried some. She forgot the sugar!

I'm sure Pipsqueak likes his that way. But with whipped cream, for sure.

Tell you what, as soon as he's well enough, I'll make a pie, just for him.

Robin
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post #44 of 315
6/1/11 at 8:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feralvr View Post
It is Orbax, Laurie, just confimed it. Don't they have a canned C/D? Or is it just dry? Did you feed any brand of canned food along with it? I appreciate the suggestions.
they make both canned & dry C/D, but Squishy gets C/D dry only. He wasn't that excited with the C/D canned.... I use whatever canned my kitties get (sometimes the Friskies urinary health cans). I just try to give him as little fish as possible.
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post #45 of 315
6/2/11 at 7:34am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bastetservant View Post
Pumpkin pie in June?!? Oh, why not. I'd like you to come over and meet my cats. Except they all hide for visiters. It's ridiculous.

For Pipsqueak I'll have to make the pumpkin pie a cousin accidentally made for a beloved (and now long departed) great uncle of ours. He ate a piece, thanked her warmly, and never let on what she discovered later when she tried some. She forgot the sugar!

I'm sure Pipsqueak likes his that way. But with whipped cream, for sure.

Tell you what, as soon as he's well enough, I'll make a pie, just for him.

Robin
OH I need the sugar added for sure. How funny and polite of your great uncle... PipCheeks loves his pumpkin
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post #46 of 315
6/2/11 at 7:39am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by white cat lover View Post
they make both canned & dry C/D, but Squishy gets C/D dry only. He wasn't that excited with the C/D canned.... I use whatever canned my kitties get (sometimes the Friskies urinary health cans). I just try to give him as little fish as possible.

OH dear, glad you mentioned fish. I have been also giving Pipsqueak and my other cats Fancy Feast Fish & Shrimp on some days. Will stop that immediately. Didn't know Friskies made "uriniary" wet food, will look for that at Petsmart. Thanks
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post #47 of 315
6/2/11 at 6:26pm
My two eat CD - it comes in both wet (both chicken and fish) and dry. My boy, who had crystals, doesn't care for wet very much no matter how I try. Mine get a measured amount of dry kibble every day, and some wet morning and evening. I think they just changed the dry kibble a bit re shape and flavor - it's been a big hit in my house.
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post #48 of 315
6/3/11 at 6:32pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by darlili View Post
My two eat CD - it comes in both wet (both chicken and fish) and dry. My boy, who had crystals, doesn't care for wet very much no matter how I try. Mine get a measured amount of dry kibble every day, and some wet morning and evening. I think they just changed the dry kibble a bit re shape and flavor - it's been a big hit in my house.
Thanks and I am glad to hear that most kitties seem to like the dry anyway. At this point, I am trying to push fluids, i.e., watering down his wet food and feeding all wet food now. I just slowly took away the dry over this last week to add more canned. I found a wet canned food he goes crazy for (he can be a picky wet eater too) it is called Fussy Cat and it is the Urinary diet. Today he had two fairly large pee clumps. And his poop, (he is getting pumpkin and a natural fiber/hairball combo remedy) is more normal too. So far since being on the Baytril and the other changes I have made to his diet, etc. he is doing much better. I won't rest easy until the next urinalysis though.
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post #49 of 315
6/4/11 at 6:04am
My girl loves the wet, but Dante just doesn't like wet food much (I adopted them as adults - I suspect Dante didn't get wet food as a young cat and doesn't think it's proper food).

I'm glad Pipsqueak is doing better, and I'm with you on the pee and poo patrol. Dante's urine sample last week had no crystals, but some microscopic blood. Two vets said, based on his blood work, which was good, and that he's had no symptoms at home re litter box avoidance or changing patterns, to 'wait and see' and have another sample done at the end of June. Apparently it could be an infection, or could be just from the needle draw itself, but they didn't want to put him on antibiotics right away absent any other problems. Of course, they both stressed that if I saw any changes whatsoever, to call and I'd get in immediately. It's stressful for all of us - I really feel for you.

So far he's acting fine, good poos and pees, and, in fact, is chowing down on the dry CD. If I could get them on more wet food, I would, but I'm not going to stress him out insisting -he's a very stubborn baby sometimes! I do have a fountain, and leave glasses of water out, since both of them seem to enjoy the occasional drink from human glasses.
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post #50 of 315
6/4/11 at 5:26pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks Darlili. I will be thinking of Dante too. It is no "walk in the park" having a kitty with FIC. It is always on my mind . I went out and bought more of that Fussy Cat Urinary canned food at my natural pet food store today. Pip just loves the stuff and devours it. I add a little water to it also. He eats much slower than the other three and I feed him on a separate counter because the three little piggies eat so fast and then try to jump on Pip's counter to eat his food. They all want to try the Fussy Cat too, so I add a little to their wet food. I still have to do some research on Fussy Cat but I do trust the lady (and friend now) who runs the natural pet food store. Pipsqueak has now decided he HATES pumpkin, the little stinker. So today I had to just put it in his mouth and he HISSED, but did eat it. I guess I will have to go back to the metamucil because I don't want to have to shove the pumpkin in his mouth each day. I might just try to do it every other day.
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post #51 of 315
6/5/11 at 3:18am
Feralvr,
I have nothing to add but I'm following along to see how your guy is progressing. I hope everything gets better fast.

Too bad he gave up on the pumpkin. Cat's are so funny. One day they love something and the next, not so much.

Good luck to you!
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post #52 of 315
6/5/11 at 3:51pm
At one point I was trying to give Dante pumpkin to firm up his stool, but he hated it -simply hated it. FWIW, the new CD dry formulation seems to be doing good things for his poo.

I have to admit I'm really looking forward to the end of June...so far, he seems to be peeing and acting fine, but I keep worrying I'm missing something. But I can see why the vet didn't want to just give him antibiotics if there were no other symptoms....if there were just some lovely Star Trek scanner device that would definitively say what the deal was, wouldn't it be great.

Hope Pip is doing well - and, yeah, sometimes trying to make sure one cat can eat in peace is no walk in the park either.
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post #53 of 315
6/5/11 at 4:25pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by darlili View Post
At one point I was trying to give Dante pumpkin to firm up his stool, but he hated it -simply hated it. FWIW, the new CD dry formulation seems to be doing good things for his poo.

I have to admit I'm really looking forward to the end of June...so far, he seems to be peeing and acting fine, but I keep worrying I'm missing something. But I can see why the vet didn't want to just give him antibiotics if there were no other symptoms....if there were just some lovely Star Trek scanner device that would definitively say what the deal was, wouldn't it be great.

Hope Pip is doing well - and, yeah, sometimes trying to make sure one cat can eat in peace is no walk in the park either.
Star Trek Urinalysis Scanner. Would be just fantastic. I do have some dip sticks from my vet so I can check his stream. I haven't checked it in the last week. Waiting for the antibiotics to be done. I agree with you that you don't want to put Dante on the Antibiotic unnecessarily because they can just become resistant over time. Actually, my vet told me that usually those do not help especially with the "idiopathic cystitis". Well, so far it is idiopathic, but further testing might be in order if still blood in a week or so. Yeah, it was wierd about the pumpkin. So I am just giving it every other day from my finger, I just open his mouth and put some in. He was much better about it today. Doesn't like it, but more agreeable about taking it.
Lauren
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post #54 of 315
6/5/11 at 4:27pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ligwa View Post
Feralvr,
I have nothing to add but I'm following along to see how your guy is progressing. I hope everything gets better fast.

Too bad he gave up on the pumpkin. Cat's are so funny. One day they love something and the next, not so much.

Good luck to you!
AW, , I appreciate you post, Ligwa.
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post #55 of 315
6/5/11 at 4:34pm
Thanks for the update, Lauren. Hope Mr. Pipsqueak is feeling like his old self soon. Gentle head skritches to the little man.
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post #56 of 315
6/5/11 at 7:44pm
I just wanted to chime in again to say our kitties LOVE the c/d canned! It has a high fat content, so IF your cats like wet food, they do tend to like the c/d - just feed less of it or you'll notice him getting heavier. I usually feed only the chicken, but when Carolina had some extra seafood, I took her up on the offer, and they loved it too.

Now that they're on the all wet diet, I do feed them all the other wet foods I've incorported (Instinct, Evo, Wellness Chicken, Holistic, Before Grain) - but I still give them one wet meal of c/d day.

Also, for Tuxie, who wouldn't switch to all wet, I give him a mix of dry food that is about 70% c/d dry, with Instinct (chicken) dry, Before Grain (chicken) dry, and Origen (10% each) mixed in.

My understanding is that if I switch him to an all grain free dry we may have problems with his bladder/crystals again - but I wanted it higher quality than just the c/d dry. We've been doing this since November, and all seems well so far (and Lazlo, Tuxedo, and Shelly ALL had problems with crystals), and Spooky has idiopathic cystitis, although no flare-ups for.... two years now.

I think this was already said... but just avoid the fish. I think a little c/d seafood won't hurt - but I don't know if it's worth the risk. It is OK from time-to-time for my gang - but I know Momofmany and Carolina have kitties that can't manage even just a little bit of it.
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post #57 of 315
6/5/11 at 8:06pm
Thread Starter 
Laurie, , do you feed all of your cats one wet c/d meal a day? Is it ok if my other cats eat some c/d too? I have an upcoming four day trip end of July to Door County, a family reunion and I am concerned that Pip won't get enough food if I don't allow some dry food to be left out by the petsitter. That is why I was asking if the other cats can eat the dry c/d for those days I am gone. I can't leave the EVO grain free dry out, Pip will eat that all day long and that can't happen anymore with his FIC issue. I could even try the mixture of dry you prepare for Tuxie. Might work for Pip too. But can the other furbabies eat it too

Pipsqueak has been more picky this last week, because I think he misses his dry food. . There has been a few feedings I put the food down and he takes a few bites and looks at me and meows as to say, where are my crunches???? I found a brand called Fussy Cat Urinary canned diet, and he has been liking that so far. I am thinking he might like a bit of the c/d dry since he likes to crunch. I will talk to my vet about this diet next week when I bring in his urine sample. Thanks
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post #58 of 315
6/6/11 at 7:54am
FWIW, three separate vets (plus one poster here whom I respect very much regarding food issues) have told me it's fine to feed my other cat CD wet and dry. Dharma's doing beautifully on CD -nice fur, high energy.

As I've mentioned, my boy simply does not care for wet food - so I'm grateful daily that there is a dry CD formula. But, I agree - when it comes to prescription type food, it's always good to discuss the situation with your own vet and make sure everyone is aware of what's going on.
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post #59 of 315
6/6/11 at 8:55am
You know, Lauren, in a pinch (when I can't find plain old pumpkin or pumpkin baby food) I've used squash baby food. Don't know if it works as good as pumpkin, but sometimes you just have to use what you can find.
Hope Mr. Pip continues to improve!
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post #60 of 315
6/6/11 at 7:59pm
Thread Starter 
Darlili, thanks that is good to know. I imagine it would be good for the other cats to promote healthy bladder function as well. I did look into the nutrition facts in the Friskies canned urinary diet and compared it to six other canned diets I have used. The ash and magnesium is higher or equal to some of the other wet foods I was feeding so I am not going to switch him to Friskies, plus the fiber is quite low in the Friskies. C/d and w/d are both low in ash and magnesium but w/d is a bit higher in fiber. So I want to talk with my vet about my options, and thankfully there are options

Libby, I saw the baby food squash too. He might like that better. He hates the pumpkin. I even tried to hide it in his wet food. Oh no he said. He has been so finicky like never before and I wonder if the antibiotic is causing a decreased appetite. The ferals are happy though, they are getting Pips leftovers
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