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- Mar 25, 2017
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I adopted a kitty in January. She's only two--still a "teenager" and very active and playful. She was eating Friskies at her old home, so I started transitioning her to Nature's Variety Instinct LID dry food--that's the best food that I have access to, that I know of. Initially I planned on feeding her mostly wet food with some dry provided during the day so she'd have something to eat while I'm at work. I didn't transition her to wet immediately because I was leery of making too many changes too quickly... she's part Siamese, has that really petite build, and I know Siamese cats can sometimes be more prone to gastrointestinal problems, so I wanted to be gentle on her tummy.
A couple weeks ago, she started having bloody stools. Turns out she also had bloating, lots of stools and gas. The vet decided to try an antibacterial, plus changing her food to some special wet food (Royal Canin brand). After treating with the medicine, her symptoms went away. Her poop also smelled less than it ever had before... leading me to think that she'd had some kind of bacterial infection since I got her and I didn't realize it because I had no frame of reference. Poor kitty. I don't think the food I was transitioning her to could have been a problem... since she'd had those stinky stools since I brought her home, like two weeks before I started changing her food.
I have since transitioned her from Royal Canin to Nature's Variety Instinct LID wet food. She seems to like Royal Canin better, but the reviews I've seen of it are quite negative. I have food sensitivities myself, so eating healthy is something I think a lot about.
I first noticed her new symptoms two days ago. She flattened out on the floor the way a cat does when they're going to vomit, but was coughing. Not the wheezy noise a cat makes when they're trying to vomit... specifically coughing. She'd cough up a little something, swallow it back down, and after doing this a few times she'd seem okay again. I've been watching her closely though. She's still just as playful as ever, and often shows absolutely no symptoms... which I wouldn't expect if it were a "normal" respiratory infection.
So far, it only seems to happen about 5-10 minutes after she's eaten. Not spontaneously at any other time (that I've seen). If it were asthma or something, I expect it would play up more while she's physically active, like with humans? She plays fetch with her fuzzy mice... I'll throw one and she'll bring it back and we'll do it sometimes 20-30 times in a row. She doesn't show any signs of difficulty breathing then, despite running back and forth at top speed.
Note that this cat guzzles water like a sheep... she goes hours without drinking, and she'll suck a good 1/3 of an inch out of her water bowl in one sitting. She'll kind of hiccup or burp afterwards sometimes, so I know she's drinking too much. Is it possible she's aspirating some of the food?
I also wonder if maybe she's developing some kind of sensitivity to the food, like an allergy almost. This based on the fact that I experience something similar: if I eat (for instance) store-bought bread, or a smoothie, or certain other things, my own body produces mucus in a kind of freakout reaction, and I wind up coughing my head off and sounding really hoarse until my body clears the phlegm out. The symptoms seem the same. I've never heard of a cat having this kind of reaction, but then I've never heard of any other humans having it outside of myself and my mother.
I don't think it's litter related. I'm using SoPhresh, which is a pine-based pellet litter, because I am allergic to artificial fragrances and the dust that comes from regular cat litter.
At my mother's suggestion, I have taken her collar off. (She's indoor-only, so it's arguably not necessary in the first place.) I don't think it could be choking her--it's a breakaway collar, and loose enough that I can fit all my fingers between it and her neck and it still doesn't feel too tight--but it can't hurt.
I've already scheduled a vet appointment for Monday, but I still worry. I want her to live a long and happy life, dangit... and despite my best attempts, I don't feel like we're getting off to the best start.
A couple weeks ago, she started having bloody stools. Turns out she also had bloating, lots of stools and gas. The vet decided to try an antibacterial, plus changing her food to some special wet food (Royal Canin brand). After treating with the medicine, her symptoms went away. Her poop also smelled less than it ever had before... leading me to think that she'd had some kind of bacterial infection since I got her and I didn't realize it because I had no frame of reference. Poor kitty. I don't think the food I was transitioning her to could have been a problem... since she'd had those stinky stools since I brought her home, like two weeks before I started changing her food.
I have since transitioned her from Royal Canin to Nature's Variety Instinct LID wet food. She seems to like Royal Canin better, but the reviews I've seen of it are quite negative. I have food sensitivities myself, so eating healthy is something I think a lot about.
I first noticed her new symptoms two days ago. She flattened out on the floor the way a cat does when they're going to vomit, but was coughing. Not the wheezy noise a cat makes when they're trying to vomit... specifically coughing. She'd cough up a little something, swallow it back down, and after doing this a few times she'd seem okay again. I've been watching her closely though. She's still just as playful as ever, and often shows absolutely no symptoms... which I wouldn't expect if it were a "normal" respiratory infection.
So far, it only seems to happen about 5-10 minutes after she's eaten. Not spontaneously at any other time (that I've seen). If it were asthma or something, I expect it would play up more while she's physically active, like with humans? She plays fetch with her fuzzy mice... I'll throw one and she'll bring it back and we'll do it sometimes 20-30 times in a row. She doesn't show any signs of difficulty breathing then, despite running back and forth at top speed.
Note that this cat guzzles water like a sheep... she goes hours without drinking, and she'll suck a good 1/3 of an inch out of her water bowl in one sitting. She'll kind of hiccup or burp afterwards sometimes, so I know she's drinking too much. Is it possible she's aspirating some of the food?
I also wonder if maybe she's developing some kind of sensitivity to the food, like an allergy almost. This based on the fact that I experience something similar: if I eat (for instance) store-bought bread, or a smoothie, or certain other things, my own body produces mucus in a kind of freakout reaction, and I wind up coughing my head off and sounding really hoarse until my body clears the phlegm out. The symptoms seem the same. I've never heard of a cat having this kind of reaction, but then I've never heard of any other humans having it outside of myself and my mother.
I don't think it's litter related. I'm using SoPhresh, which is a pine-based pellet litter, because I am allergic to artificial fragrances and the dust that comes from regular cat litter.
At my mother's suggestion, I have taken her collar off. (She's indoor-only, so it's arguably not necessary in the first place.) I don't think it could be choking her--it's a breakaway collar, and loose enough that I can fit all my fingers between it and her neck and it still doesn't feel too tight--but it can't hurt.
I've already scheduled a vet appointment for Monday, but I still worry. I want her to live a long and happy life, dangit... and despite my best attempts, I don't feel like we're getting off to the best start.
