At wit's end

Teenee said:

 
Just a thought...........has anything changed in your home or where your kitties' litter boxes are??  For example new paint, new furnace, new rug, etc.  Seems odd that all of a sudden one doesn't use the box and the other is vomiting.  Could the vomiting be caused by him getting into something toxic?

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No, nothing new.

Vomiting for the other cat is not a present issue; just part of the larger background.  It is IBD/IBS related (or so the vet told us).

MServant said:

 

   I think I'd be at my doctors by now and asking for sedatives to get me through......   is there nothing more the vet can give them both to help with the diarrhoea as that must be distressing for both of them as well as both of you.

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Thinking of stockpiling Irish Whiskey/Scotch/Bourbon and self-medicating as needed. 

Striker is not currently having diarrhea, and my concern about him becoming constipated in the Blue crossover seems to have been "laid to rest" today by the presence of "solid organic material."

It is incredibly frustrating and depressing to see how long this (diarrhea) has gone out without ANY change, despite medications, diet, etc.  I do not recall Sassy (or Striker for the matter) EVER having problems like this.

Billchamp, has your vet suggested  Vetasyl fiber caps?  I use those with dry WD and water for my IBD cat and it has amazingly firmed up his stools.... I may have mentioned this before, but can't recall....It really helped my cat.  And Science Diet WD is 7% fat...which is good....the combo of low fat ( has to be 7% approx, no higher ) and the Vetasyl powder, really helped when nothing else did.  ( there has been so much posted here I hope I am not repeating advice from others, but it worked like a charm for me.)  

By the way, on my pee cat,  ( the OTHER little darling )  I saw on the Feliway website, if you spray the 'Spray Feliway" on the actual rug where they are peeing, it can help ....it says to do it for 30 days....I did it  one night, in addition to the other Feliway plug ins and so far, he HASN'T PEED.....now this is only one night, but I will spray this stuff on his 'pee rug' every night and see if the success continues.  I will update you.

How is it we have pee cats and poop cats?  Usually I refer to my little darlings' pee missing their trays in pensioner years and snowleopard's bladder inflamation.  What I tend to forget about is Pal having had chronic diarrhoea that lasted on and off for about 2 years, with medication not helping much.  It started when she was about 6 I think.  What ever the medication was,  she'd be on it for months then as soon as it phased out everything would start up again and away we'd go, back on the pills.  Eventually someone said wild cats needed a higher ratio of protein and it was probably the food she was getting  (theory was they had Scottish wild cat somewhere in their heritage).  I started adding fish and chicken to her  diet, plus a higher protein cat food and bingo - sorted and never returned (she lived over 14 years after that and no more poop problems of any sort). It is amazing what a food sensitivity can do - I suspect it was the food brand I was using at the time rather than the wild cat theory!  Selective memory - 'it' didn't always make it in to the tray and even when it did it often made it back out on paws.

@billchamb, it doesn't directly impact on the pee puddles but have you looked through any of the nutrution forum threads?  A lot of them go over food sensitivities and allergies, and also use pumkin which I recall someone suggesting earlier in your thread.  It's is extra hard when you have 2 cats that eat together but any way you can have Striker and Sassy eating different stuff so you could try altering Sassy's food a bit without upsetting Striker?  Possibly easier once you move, but at this point that is still a way off and seeing more positive change before then feels necessary for you all.

The whisky/scotch/bourbon stockpile sounds interesting but you might up with similar symptoms to your cats - and unless your 'significant other' joins in with the plan she might not be best pleased.     I have a lovely bottle of Yukon Jack in my cupboard I'll hold on to for you and think of at it when I send good vibes. 

UGH!  I just want to scream!

I thought we had our first "clean" overnight with diarrhea in the open tub and a clump from Striker in the covered box.  Just as I was about to declare victory, I noticed a spot that looked like drying/dried urine.  Sure enough, Sassy had peed on the open floor UP TO THE EDGE OF THE ALUMINUM FOIL..and it flooded UNDER the layer of foil (which it apparently caused it so spread farther and wider.  And, its a LOT.  IF she were dehydrated, I'm guessing she wouldn't be able to continue going so much.

SERIOUSLY?!

Yesterday it was pee in the box, diarrhea on the floor; today its the opposite!

billchamb said:

 
UGH!  I just want to scream!

I thought we had our first "clean" overnight with diarrhea in the open tub and a clump from Striker in the covered box.  Just as I was about to declare victory, I noticed a spot that looked like drying/dried urine.  Sure enough, Sassy had peed on the open floor UP TO THE EDGE OF THE ALUMINUM FOIL..and it flooded UNDER the layer of foil (which it apparently caused it so spread farther and wider.  And, its a LOT.  IF she were dehydrated, I'm guessing she wouldn't be able to continue going so much.

SERIOUSLY?!

Yesterday it was pee in the box, diarrhea on the floor; today its the opposite!

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Darn! Sorry to hear about this latest setback. Keep in mind that with the new food, you reported that both cats were drinking more. Drinking more = More urine. More urine means the bladder is getting a good flushing out. If there is frequent urination, like more than 3 times a day, this would be something to watch for.

You can check for dehydration by gently pulling up the scruff of the neck to watch how readily it falls back. If it is slow to fall back, she could be experiencing some dehydration, but from the sounds of things, she is not.

To put things into some perspective here as I can sense that you are getting really frustrated, your cats have gone some time without any issues, and for whatever reason, this is happening now, and not a great time for it to be happening as you are moving soon. As much as we want and expect our cats to always and forever be healthy and problem-free, the reality is that they will at some point, experience health problems, just like we do. Again, just so unfortunate for this to be happening now, but no time is really a good time.

I think the Vetasyl caps that Therese mentioned, might be worth a try. This is a form of psyllium (think metamucil), and may help to firm things up in terms of the diarrhea. You just have to be careful in not tipping the balance the other way in giving too much which can cause constipation.

I wish there was more that we can do for you. Positive vibes and prayers are about the only thing left.

Eugh, I know that under surface spread all too well from what it was like when it got under the box....  takes so much more cleaning up.  Safe hugs. This is a blip, the general trend is still better than it was I think, and if her diarrhoea improved I am hopeful her overall toileting could improve with it.

Heading to vet #3 today with results from vet #1.  Nothing against vet #2, but believing vet #3 may have more extensive background.

I dislike having to start again, but my confidence level is the local vets (#1 & #2) is really beginning to lack.

You may want to have the tests redone in case there was a,problem in the way the samples were collected etc. Reach Han lab processed blood tests slightly different from each other so i would shine it's the same for vets

Billchamp.....I just wanted to update you.....re: MY pee cat.....for the second night in a row, after I  sprayed the Feliway spray on every inch of  the 'pee carpet,'  he did NOT pee!  

I know your troubles continue with all this and anytime I have a little victory, I want to share it with you in hope that something I am doing might help you or be useful in your 'pee and poop arsenal."     

I have used the Feliway plug ins for a while, although when I stopped a month ago, they started fighting again, which I think started the peeing in our case  ( health probs were ruled out except that the one ca had bad anal glands and had to be drained at that point )    Needless to say, I started BACK with the Feliway plug ins in the same places in the house plus one in the pee area.  I will NEVER let them run out again, with these two cats of mine!  

This time, because of what I saw on a Feliway website, I tried to spray the entire pee site itself in addition to plugging in a plug-in of Feliway close by.    They say we have to do it for 30 days, sometimes it doesn't work right away, but we are into day # 3....no pee there for two nights running !  We are holding our breath.  

My boy, during the problem time,  only peed in this certain area at NIGHT between 9-11:30 p.m......so his is more of a marking behavior, possibly in response to the neighborhood cats mating ( my vet tech says its 'queening season' so they are around, even if WE don't hear or smell them).    Anyway, looking forward to hearing how you do with the new vet.

God bless you for all you are doing for these cats...you are truly a kind, patient person who really cares about them.  

RE: MALE CATS SPRAYING AROUND THE HOUSE:

After much hair tearing and cleaning I seem to have figured out the major cause of my two male cats spraying around the house, both are neutered and were checked for urinary tract issues, the vets office never mentioned this cause but I came to the conclusion that the MAJOR reason for this behavior was all the cats that come in our yard.  My cats spent much of the evening on a bench I'd placed under the front window so they could look out, turns out that this perch was a constant or near constant parade of neighborhood cats coming up to check out my cats, when I covered the windows and moved the seating it looks like the problem has abated.  SUCH A SIMPLE THING, you do have to make the widows well covered and remove access to them, GOOD LUCK, WORKED FOR ME!

New/Advanced round of blood work including thyroid test - awaiting results

Urinalysis with Culture & Sensitivity - awaiting results

Giardia test - Negative

Recheck anal glands - clear

Until results are returned, Vet #3 recommends finishing out Prednisone, continuing with Probiotic, continuing with Amititriptylin, adding Over-the-counter Fiber supplements sprinkled over food to try and bulk up the diarrhea.

No explicit causes identified for diarrhea.

Vet #3 NOT a fan for Blue food, but also confessed no real experience with it.

$274 and (1) miserable cat later = still no clue.

We skipped the complete GI panel for now ($175) and some additional tests that even the vet said were very low priority.  If we had gone "all in," would have cost over $765.

Have you tried fortiflora for the diarrhea?  My cats had awful diarrhea after having medication and it popped them back, fed them a lot of it and in a week, normal stools.

Billchamb,

I hear you and sympathize on the whopping vet bill. Been there, done that way too many times. But the full blood workup plus urinalysis will at the very least rule some obvious things out and may (fingers crossed) point toward a cause.

The diarrhea's been continuing for so long that I'm skeptical that a probiotic or fiber will help, but they can't hurt. If the cats eat canned food, try mixing in a spoonful of canned pumpkin (the kind you'd use for pumpkin pie). Most cats don't mind the taste, and pumpkin is great for both constipation and soft stool. 

If the urinalysis is clean and the amitriptyline doesn't improve things, I'd suggest asking the vet about prozac/fluoxetine. According to one paper, "one study found that 100% of cats treated with 1 mg/kg of oral fluoxetine once daily had a 90% or greater reduction in marking behaviors." Link to paper: http://vet.osu.edu/assets/pdf/hospital/behavior/felineInappropriateElimination.pdf

I'll be curious to see if the white count is elevated in Sassy's bloodwork, which would indicate an infection of some kind.

FYI: Giardia is almost impossible to detect in a fecal exam unless it's at very high levels, but the panacur you gave her should have treated it if she had it.

Bill...RE:   .the over the counter fiber supplement ( mine is Vetasyl  I get it from the pet meds type of websites )......I had very good luck with that, mixed with a little water, then mixed with the low fat WD dry.....keep us posted.  

You may be surprised on that fiber stuff....it worked miracles for my one cat, who had constant diarrhea....it had to be inconjunction with the low fat ( 7%) WD though and no canned food at all.  And when on that fiber, they have to drink plenty of water....I have a drinkwell fountain, he likes that a lot. 

Ouch to the vet bill, but hope something turns up in the results.  It is such a shame these trips are so distressing for cats and fingers crossed she recovers from the journey and the vet experiences quickly.  Fingers crossed for the results.

billchamb said:

 
New/Advanced round of blood work including thyroid test - awaiting results

Urinalysis with Culture & Sensitivity - awaiting results

Giardia test - Negative

Recheck anal glands - clear

Until results are returned, Vet #3 recommends finishing out Prednisone, continuing with Probiotic, continuing with Amititriptylin, adding Over-the-counter Fiber supplements sprinkled over food to try and bulk up the diarrhea.

No explicit causes identified for diarrhea.

Vet #3 NOT a fan for Blue food, but also confessed no real experience with it.

$274 and (1) miserable cat later = still no clue.

We skipped the complete GI panel for now ($175) and some additional tests that even the vet said were very low priority.  If we had gone "all in," would have cost over $765.

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You did well with the bill compared to what we pay for the same services here in Canada. A blood draw with lab fee and exam alone costs me about $250.00 and this is at a rural clinic. 

Hopefully the results are going to give you some clear indicators of what this isn't and more to go on in terms of what needs to happen next.

Re. Blue Buffalo, there have been mixed experiences with this food, good and not so good from what I have read which is par for the course with most pet foods on the market.

If you decide to try some pumpkin, just make sure its the pure pumpkin with nothing added. Most pumpkin pie filling has sugar and spices.

Forgot to mention, vet #3 suggested adding Metamucil Fiber Laxative powder to Sassy's food intake.  Despite being a laxative, vet #3 thinks the fiber might help "bulk up" her system/stool and actually help minimize the diarrhea.

AND it took (3) different vet techs to draw her blood.  We could hear her yowling, screaming and crying from the exam room.

Aww, poor kitty. I don't know of any cat who enjoys blood work, but some tolerate it better than others. The vet techs usually need to put Max is a body pouch when blood is drawn as he tends to growl and struggle as soon as things get started. This item can help to calm cats down but also keep them safe.

oneandahalfcats said:

Aww, poor kitty. I don't know of any cat who enjoys blood work, but some tolerate it better than others. The vet techs usually need to put Max is a body pouch when blood is drawn as he tends to growl and struggle as soon as things get started. This item can help to calm cats down but also keep them safe.

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It was truly awful.

They had taken her out, swaddled in a towel.  When they brought her back, she was still swaddled in a towel, but the vet tech was now wearing thick, heavy gloves as if she were handling a falcon/hawk/bird of prey.  Seemed a little overdone for a 6-pound cat that was frightened out of her mind.

The vet tech was my least favorite person of the visit, for a number of reasons.