Susan DESPERATELY Seeking Himmy Advice(long)

Hello, All! I've rescued a Himalayan and I need all the advice I can get. My vet told me to get educated on Persians/Himalayans because this cat faces some big challenges, including having an "extreme peke face". Her biggest issue right now is to gain weight ASAP so she can be anesthesized safely & treated for tartar build-up & extreme fur mats. Fortunately, Pat & Alix responded quickly to my PM about feeding tips , and the cat, Sandie, has now ingested almost a full teaspoon of NutriCal , and has perked up considerably ( I used the tip about putting the NutriCal on her upper lip). To move to the next level, though, I need to figure out the easiest way for this cat to eat from a dish, because her lower jaw sticks out further than her nose. Also, since I found the cat on Sunday, I've been rubbing her fur with towels & gently finger-teasing the many mats out of her fur. However, some of the fur mats are against the skin, which is very loose due to emaciation, and the edges of the skin are a dark pink. I considered rubbing some Vit. E or Vaseline on those spots, but worry about making the situation worse ( I'd put a drop of NutriCal on her paw, but it made such a mess for her to try to lick up that I immed. regretted doing it ). Is there a particular skin lotion for cats or home remedy that might help - those mats are literally pulling against the skin, it is so sad for this precious kitty. I imagine that it is like having a super-tight ponytail holder that can't be taken off. Sandie was found in San Diego (I thought she was looking for a place to die, and since it was going to be faster to get her all but stabilizing treatment up here with my own vet, I risked driving her 400+ miles and 5,000 ft. elevation gain, drove all night to get her to my vet first thing in the morning) and she travels very well, is very easy going, loves other cats & people and is VERY RELIEVED to be inside a house again. The vet check revealed poorly functioning kidneys (due to dehydration),a trauma to her lower jaw with a chipped tooth and bad tartar build-up only in that area, and her claws had grown into her paw pads. She refused Pedialite, but is drinking well water (from the same range as the Crystal Geyser Water Company's supply) and using the litter box. If you think there are any other issues that I need to check out, please let me know. My vet saw her in between appts., so we didn't have the luxury of time and I'm afraid I may have forgotten to ask necessary questions. Thanks for reading this epic post! I'm looking forward to hearing from you all soon! Susan

If you can hold her, you can take a small pair of scissors, like embroidery type, or childrens safety scissors and trim at some of those tight matts yourself, just almost at the skin line, taking care not to cut kitty in the process. I'm going to pm mzjazz2u and have her sign in on this thread too, 'cause she's our resident "longhair" specialest.

If you do decide to take scissors to those mats, be warned that it's very easy to accidentally cut the skin when the mats are that tight. What I have done on occasion is to take a fine toothed come and tease it between the mat and the skin for a protective shield. I've never had one I couldn't safely cut out this way, but there's always a first time. It helps to have a patient cat, of course. Also you're only going to want to do a small bit at a time as it will try both of y'all's patience. Good luck!

First of all, thanks for rescuing this kitty. Hang in there with her because once you get all her issues taken care of she'll be the nicest, most loyal cat you've ever had! I'm going to contradict KittenKrazy, who I trust and respect. Please do not try to clip out the mats yourself. Especially with the condition she is in and the fact the mats are so close to the skin. I groom my three persians myself all the time and I've cut one of my cats skin a couple of times trying to clip her myself. She tends to get loose skin and that emaciated look at times because she has a kidney disease.

As far as lotion or salve for the cats skin goes; please be very careful what you put on her and check with your vet first. So many things that are perfectly safe for humans will be deadly for cats. Part of the reason is the licking factor. Some things may be ok topically but as soon as the cat licks that area, they may get very ill. One thing to avoid is anything with tea tree oil in it. I'm sorry but I don't really have any suggestions of what to put on those irritated areas. I wouldn't want to make a wrong suggestion. One thing you can do that may help and I'm sure it won't hurt is spray conditioner on the skin. Go to the pet store and by a conditioner meant for cats though. I put it in a spray bottle and dilute it with water probably about 1 part conditioner to 4 parts water. That may help the skin where it's being pulled.

A couple other suggestion I can add about getting her to eat better. One little trick is to feed her small amounts at a time every hour or so. Or as often as you can. I took the nutrical and mixed some in a tablespoon of wet cat food. Then I'd put the cat on a bed with the food bowl up there also and I'd lay by her and encourage her to eat by putting a little on my finger and putting it to her lips. That's what I did with Hallie. If she isn't drinking enough water you can squeeze some tuna juice in the water. Not much. Just enough to give it a slight scent! Another thing to consider is asking the vet if he'll set you up with some SubQ fluids for the cat. My experience has been that when I give SubQ fluids to a sick cat or cat that has feeding problems, it perks up their appetite greatly. Even if you only give it once or twice. They are easy to administer and many of us use this therapy! The vet can easily teach you how to do it.

Does she also have runny or goopy eyes? If so, get some plain old saline eye drops at the store and put a couple drops in them. If they are bad (thick and goopy brown or black stuff) then you can do it 1-2 times a day. If they are just moderately runny and discolored then just do it 1-2 times weekly. Just make sure the drops are only saline.

Were they able to clip her claws while you were there? I was just mentioning in another thread how cats really need their claws trimmed so they don't grow down under their pads. My friend at work said her husband wouldn't let her trim their persian's claws because he said it was unnatural and mean. He changed his mind when I explained what could happen! She came to work the next Monday and told me she told her hubby what I said and he ran to the store right away to get some claw clippers and clipped them himself!

I hope some of this helps. Please keep us posted on your kitty's progress.

Tammie

Oh I was so focused on your cats immediate problems I forgot to tell you about extreme peke faces. I have an extreme peke face persian also. My persian, Jake, is a red tabby (himmys are also a color variety of persian). Anyway, those little peke faces can be a lot of work. They tend to have chronic sinus problems and trouble breathing. They are always as risk when going under anesthesia because of their peke faces and breathing problems, or tendency to have them. So I totally understand why your vet wants her to gain and get healthier before putting her under! I'm very impressed with what you've said of the vet so far! I used to always be giving Jake anitibiotics for his sinus problems but he never seemed to improve so I just quit giving them. Poor guy was always blowing snot and boogers all over the wall by his food dish and anywhere else he hung out. He was recently so ill he almost died and after traditional meds failed him, I put him on this all natural stuff called transfer factor that balances the immune system. Well, low and behold, Jake not only lived and healed but he has not had sinus problems since then! Come to think of it, that stuff will perk their appetite too. You may want to consider it. It's made by a company called 4Life Research and you can order by phone or web, directly from them. It's a little pricey but lasts a long time.

Thank you all for the advice. My vet warned me to not try cutting the mats because of the risk of cutting her, even tho Sandie loves grooming (I'm still using my hands and a baby brush) and is obviously used to it. Her eyes are very clean, but she does make lots of nasal sounds; I feared respiratory infection and took my other cats to my mom till after the vet check - turns out the sounds are because of her Peke face. I will ask about the SubQ even though she's drinking water. She doesn't eat off the paper plate. I have some Fancy Feast catfood that I will mix with the NutriCal because altho Sandie licks it off her upper lip, she seems to really dislike it. Her claws were clipped at great pain to her - 2 nails were deeply inbedded into the paw pads & had to be removed with tweezers, and really bled which reminded the vet to warn me to not attempt to cut the mats myself (when I first saw her, she walked on only 3 legs). All the signs point to an inside cat who got outside somehow. I will try to find her owners, but she's probably been gone so long that they've given up hope. Anyway, she has my family now & I like to think that she likes it here with us. Thank you so much for the advice! I was feeling so overwhelmed- I even asked the vet if Sandie should be boarded there, but the vet said, no, she's better off with me, but to be sure & learn as much as I could about Persians/Himmies. I'll keep you posted. Take Care, Susan

Originally Posted by mzjazz2u

Oh I was so focused on your cats immediate problems I forgot to tell you about extreme peke faces. I have an extreme peke face persian also. My persian, Jake, is a red tabby (himmys are also a color variety of persian). Anyway, those little peke faces can be a lot of work. They tend to have chronic sinus problems and trouble breathing. They are always as risk when going under anesthesia because of their peke faces and breathing problems, or tendency to have them. So I totally understand why your vet wants her to gain and get healthier before putting her under! I'm very impressed with what you've said of the vet so far! I used to always be giving Jake anitibiotics for his sinus problems but he never seemed to improve so I just quit giving them. Poor guy was always blowing snot and boogers all over the wall by his food dish and anywhere else he hung out. He was recently so ill he almost died and after traditional meds failed him, I put him on this all natural stuff called transfer factor that balances the immune system. Well, low and behold, Jake not only lived and healed but he has not had sinus problems since then! Come to think of it, that stuff will perk their appetite too. You may want to consider it. It's made by a company called 4Life Research and you can order by phone or web, directly from them. It's a little pricey but lasts a long time.

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All the signs point to an inside cat who got outside somehow.

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You know Tribble (RB, the Himy in my sig) was the only cat I've ever had that was just so fascinated with the outside. It was just about impossible to keep her in as she was constantly slipping out the door. The other cats could take it or leave it, but she, who had never even been allowed out, was determined that she was going to get out! I finally gave up (this was close to 20 years ago) and let her have her way, at least to the point of trying to let her out only when I was outside also. Fortunately at the time I lived in the country with my parents and the dangers were minimized somewhat as I drew the line at letting her out overnight.

Bless you for helping this sweet and unfortunate cat. I am sure she will replay your loving care with loving of her own for years to come. Best wishes and please keep us advised. :-)

Susan,

Can you post an update? I hope to hear good news