Dori is going to the vet today

I have noticed over the past couple of days Dori has barely touched her food. I have been under a lot of stress lately and thought maybe she was reacting to the way I have been the past week or so. But then yesterday I noticed that when I picked her up she made a small little grunt sound. She did it today as well. Her breathing also sounds funny, like she could be congested. Her energy level seems to be normal, she is running around playing. She is going in this evening at 5:00. I hope everything turns out to be ok.

I hope so too! Let us know how it went! (((DORI IS OK))) vibes being sent your way

You're so observant to notice this, Tanya, and so wise to get her to her Vet so promptly! Please let us know how it goes and how she is feeling. Feel better soon, precious Dori!

Like Steph said, you're such a great mom to pick up on this... I'm glad Dori gets a trip to the vet to make sure she's okay - though I'm sure she'd rather not go.

Good luck and let us know what is said!

Dori doesn't do too bad at the vet. She loves strangers and when she gets there she expects everyone to pick her up and cuddle with her. When the vet is examining her she always wants him to hold her as well. Well, when it'e time for a shot, she only wants Mommy

Aw, what a sweet little girl! That's awesome that she's good with strangers - Baylee sometimes gets a bit nervous me!

Just wanted you to know that you and Dori in my thoughts today. I'm keeping my fingers crosses that everything will be ok

Hey Tania .... Sending good health vibes for Midori and will keep my paws crossed for her also .

Tanya i hope all goes well at the vets, but try not to worry!.

keep us updated

The vet checked her over, he said her breathing doesn't sound that bad. He thinks she is developing asthma. He said they make inhaler type treatments for cats. He said it isn't to that point yet but he did put her on steriod pills called Prednisolone. She gets 1/2 a tablet twice daily for 2 weeks, then 1/2 tablet once daily for 2 weeks, then 1/2 tablet every other day. He said that it is said you shouldn't treat long term with steriods, but he has never had a problem with a kitty being on steroids long term. Has anyone heard anything about that. I really don't like her being on them long term. It's not a money issue, the pills wer every cheap, about $6.50. It's just that he said they aren't recommended for long term use, that worries me a little. This is only her second time at this vet so I guess he hasn't earned my complete trust yet.
Also, she still weighs 10 pounds, the same she weighed at her annual 2 months ago. He said she really needs to lose weight because for her frame she should weigh 8. I switched her to Innova light, I play with her and we have completely cut out her treats, the only thing she gets is a few pieces of the Innova regular to replace the smal handfull of Friskies she used to get. She doesn't even eat the recommended amount of the Innova light on a daily basis. Any ideas on what else I can do????

I'm glad Dori's okay... I've never heard of cats getting asthma... wow! Sorry I can't help regarding that... or anything else. Do you have a cat dancer? Bay loves it and can spend hours chasing it - maybe that could help Dori loose weight?

We have the cat dancer, I have several interactive toys that we play with. She doesn't have that much room to run around (3rd floor apartment) but we manage to play pretty good. I went to Petsmart this evening and got her a few new toys for Christmas, including a remote control mouse that races around the floor. We also have a laser pointer which really gets her running around.

Hi,
I am sorry I missed this earlier today, I see you are already back.

I actually have one Curl with asthma, my beloved Lady Hawke aka Ophelia. She's had several different medication approaches, what is working best for her now is 1/2 tab of prednisolone every other day (and she still has mild episodes with this, on an irregular basis). Her's seems to be affected by the seasons also, certain times of the year she is just fine.
Prednisolone has fewer side effects as compared to Prednisone, and I have Patrick and Joshua on this as well for their various conditions (ibd and/or lymphoma with Patrick). All my cats that have ever had prednisolone on the kind of schedule you described have done well with it.

and I hate to tell you this but you need to be prepared..it's often an appetite stimulant.

I think everything you've been doing with Dori is spot on, perhaps you have to cut out any treats of regular Innova (give her a piece of her Innova Lite when you want to treat her))...is she still getting occasional treats of Merricks or other wet food? Wondering if she's getting in more calories than you realize?

Sorry, I feel a bit stumped here too! I think if I were you I'd write down everything (and the amt.) I give her for a couple of days in case it's more than you realize.

Thanks so much Pat. You are always so very helpful. I feel much better about giving Dori the pills now. I need to do some research on how I am going to get her to take them now

As far as her food, this is what she gets every day:
6am- She gets 1.5 oz of Merrick wet food
After she gets the wet food I put about 3/4 cup of Innova light in her dry food bowl. But at the end of the night there is still about half that in her bowl. She never finishes it.
When I am walking out the door to leave for work she gets 5 or 6 pieces of the regular Innova as a trea. I switched to this since I still had some regular formula left and it was a way of still giving her something but breaking her from the Friskies. Do you think the Innova light would be as effective, would she still feel it's a "treat"?
That is all she gets. I just can't figure it out. WIth the steroid being an appetite stimulant, how in the world am I going to get her to lose weight? He put special instructions on the sheet they gave me when I left saying that it is important I get her weight under control, and I am really trying

Edited to add: Keeping a journal of what she eats is a good idea, I am going to try that and maybe I will come up with something.

You said the vet thought Dori was developing asthma, I was just wondering if any lung X-rays were taken that would confirm this. The reason I'm asking is that my RB cat, Midnight developed mild asthma when she was eleven years old and her symptoms seem to be different than Dori's. Instead of having a normal level of activity like Dori, Midnight was lethargic, coughed occassionally like she was trying to get rid of a hair ball, and seemed short of breath if she exerted herself. It's been five years since Midnight was diagnosed, but I seem to remember the vet telling me that lung x-rays were a necessary part of diagnosing asthma. So if this wasn't done, maybe it's something you could ask about?

I hope Dori is feeling better soon!

I was wondering about that! I asked him about x-rays we talked about those at the same time we discussed the inhaler type treatment, he didn't think it was necessary at this point because he didn't think she was that bad. We also discussed the fact that my bf smokes in one room in the apartment, he is going to start smoking outside after I discussed her vet visit with him. He thought that was a contributing factor to the asthma as well. He gave me a list of things that can be allergies to cats including dust in litter boxes. I am a little confused though, do allergies cause asthma? I thought asthma was basically a breathing disorder that you had whether there were allergens around or not. Do you think before I continue with the steroids for a long period of time I should have an x-ray done? If so I will check into that right away, I just thought since the vet said he didn't think it was necessary right now we could see how she did.

Also this past spring Dori had bad time with allergies. She was wheezing badly and panting. I brought her to the vet (her old vet now) and they gave her an antihistamine shot and said they thought it was allergies to the pollen. I didn't notice any of those symptoms again until the past few days. I tried to have those records sent to the new vet so they could see what happened, but the old vet didn't have record of it (one reason I am glad I left there, they didn't note anything in her file)

I'm sorry this is going to be quick and short, very behind!

This is the site I've used for information on feline asthmawonderful site on feline asthma

Check it out and see if it helps answer some of your questions.

Hi, Tanya, I'm so sorry you and Dori are suddenly faced with this diagnosis. Another site you may find helpful in addition to Pat's great site is here.It is full of info and also lists a variety of common asthma triggers. This is the Feline Asthma support group similar to the crf support group of which I am a member. You will find helpful advice from members, can ask questions of people in the same situation as you, and best of all, it helps you to feel that you are not alone in this situation. You already know I love Dori so much, and just where to find me.

Tanya I just caught up on this tread and it seems like you are getting some great advise and such great links to research.

Sending all my very best love over to you & Dori and I hope she is feeling better real soon

Tanya like Danielle has said you've been given brilliant advice

Maybe this could be your golden moment of approaching the boyfriend again with regards to getting another kitty so Dori can get some exercise to help get the weight off?!