Persistant problem with ear mites and flu

How's the kitty today? I wonder if he could have some kind of fluid buildup in his lungs causing him to cough, possibly from a virus or something? Did the doc say if his lungs sounded like there could be fluid in them? I'm glad to hear his ears are getting better!

I would talk with the vet again. The kitten may need a stronger antibiotic!!! Sending healthy kitten vibes!!!!

EMB_78, I am sorry if I made it sound like he is a kitten, The vet thinks he is about 3 years old from his teeth. I stopped and talked to the vet today and told her what happened, She said if he has another couching attack she wants to do a chest Xray and maybe some other stuff. I thought he was done sneezing up the yellow junk but I see he is still doing that also. She said something about more antibiotics but I am getting sick of fighting with him twice a day getting meds in him. He has had 2 clavamax and one Panmycin treatments already. I should say that awhile back the vet also gave me some Aminophylline to give him but we can't get them into him, Vet said that we need to get it into him some way. I understand this stuff helps with many breathing problems. The cat won't eat treats to hide the stuff in, I found out he likes tuna so maybe I can grind up the med and mix it with a little tuna. I don't mean to make it sound like the vet don't have all the bases covered. It is real hard because we have no history on the poor cat. She said that alot of things could be the problem, Anything from infection to he has had problems since little to maybe he was even in a house fire and smoke damaged his lungs, a bit "out there" on that one I thought but I got her point. I also have prednisone for him but same deal, we can't get him to swallow pills. The more we try the more he pulls away from us and hides under things so we can't get to him to try and get meds into him. It looks like I am going to keep him so I don't want him to think that every time I pick him up that I am going to do something to him he don't like. I already have one cat here that was supost to be my cat but he won't let me hardly touch him after taking him to the vet a couple times for shots and getting him "fixed". I raised him with a bottle and sat up all night with him when he got real sick when he was small keeping him warm and getting water into him and now he don't like me.

Originally Posted by Tom W

EMB_78, I am sorry if I made it sound like he is a kitten, The vet thinks he is about 3 years old from his teeth. I stopped and talked to the vet today and told her what happened, She said if he has another couching attack she wants to do a chest Xray and maybe some other stuff. I thought he was done sneezing up the yellow junk but I see he is still doing that also. She said something about more antibiotics but I am getting sick of fighting with him twice a day getting meds in him. He has had 2 clavamax and one Panmycin treatments already.

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Tom, I hope he gets better! Sending healthy vibes your way!!

Originally Posted by Tom W

It looks like I am going to keep him so I don't want him to think that every time I pick him up that I am going to do something to him he don't like. I already have one cat here that was supost to be my cat but he won't let me hardly touch him after taking him to the vet a couple times for shots and getting him "fixed". I raised him with a bottle and sat up all night with him when he got real sick when he was small keeping him warm and getting water into him and now he don't like me.

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Tom, I'm so sorry you've had to go through all this with your cats; it must be hard to have put so much love and effort into your sick cats, only to have them "hate" you. Could your wife help with some of those issues so that you don't have to be "the bad guy" every time? Will your cats play with you? You could pull a string across your lap for them to chase, and give them extra yummy treats like tuna or chicken pieces etc., let them see that "other side" of you more often.... Well, I'm sure you've done all these things already, but I really feel for you.

I've been longing for cats for years, and my dh finally OK'd us to get two kittens. He doesn't care much about animals, but both of the kittens want to be with him more than me.... Especially at night while watching TV, which is the time I really am able to sit down and cuddle and enjoy, but then my oldest kitten doesn't want to cuddle, sits down with dh and the younger one wants to be where her buddy kitty is.... So there is my lap, empty and waiting, while my dh has both cats and hardly pays attention! Oh well! I still love them and at least I get to see them....
Anyway Tom, I do welcome you here, and I really hope you'll get your cat all healthy. Even if he never gets all the way better, at least he got rid of the worms and now he doesn't have to suffer to death. He has a much better life now, thank's to you!!!

Hmmm...that is a hard one Tom. Try the tuna, maybe though you'll have to admit him to the vet for a few days, where they can put in an IV and give him the meds that way or something...he definitley needs the meds, but as you said, I'd hate to have him hate you for doing it! Maybe can you also try putting him in a bathroom with a vaporizer with Vicks in it? That may help clear up his coughing. Just be careful he can't lick the Vicks!

I crushed up a dose of the med and mixed it in a little tuna but as soon as he tasted the med he stopped eating it so that didn't work. Before I also tried crushing the med up and put it in a dropper with a little water but because it was so runny when I sqiurted it into his mouth some of it ran into his lungs so he was coughing and gaging so I didn't try that again. After this last round of clavamox his breathing most of the time is real good, he just gets these spells once in a while where he must get alot of flem that comes up and he coughs and gags real bad. He still has sneezing attacks yet to but not near as often as before. He used to get tired so fast before also but this morning I was playing with most of the cats and he ran around a long time and didn't have a coughing attack so I was happy to see that. They youngest cat that is mine but don't really like me {rusty} who thinks he is the boss got wrestling around with the stray and the stray put him in his place today Rusty probably out weighs him by 3 pounds got his butt kicked, He didn't like that at all, all the other cats back down when Rusty gets to rough but not the stray, Rusty had enough and he was the one to walk away. It wasn't a real fight between them but just rough play, they all do it, but it was funny to watch mr macho rusty get his butt kicked I am on perminent disability for a number of things so I am home all day most days so the cats are my entertainment on the days I am hurting to bad to do anything outside.

There is ONE good thing with the sickness - if he mades it.

Grown feral cats may be difficult to get domesticised and be pets. It IS possible - but usually difficult and usually takes long time.

The exception is if they are sick and you are helping them. They know well you are trying to help even if it hurts!
The socializing"window" as cats have as kittens opens up again...

Good luck, best wishes and all the positive vibs I and my cats can send!

Hi Tom,
I'm sorry you are going through so much with your new stray, but I do thank you for taking him in and giving him a loving home.

Hopefully I can give you some tips on what helped when I had to pill my 15-lb cat who wanted absolutely nothing to do with it! Even at the vets, it took 3 of them to do it.

What we finally found that worked (prednisolone (sp?) and vitamin B12 was what we were giving him). First off, don't "crush" the pills. Some of them are very sour and the more finely ground they are, the faster they dissolve in foods etc. Rather, just cut the pills in smaller pieces and embed in cheese. What we did was to take a knife and dice each pill, then tear off a small corner of processed cheese, then with a finger tip smoosh the cheese into the diced pieces. Then introduce the cheese piece (pill side down) to your cat so he can smell the cheese only.

This worked like a charm for us and he got a treat at the same time. It would take about 4 small cheese pieces to get all of it in him. We asked the vet and he said it was fine, as the point was to just get it in him, how we did it didn't matter.

For really strong smelling/tasting pills, you can also cut off a small piece of "old" aged cheddar and embed a piece of the pill into the cheddar using a steak-knife tip. The older the cheese, the stinkier it is, which will mask the smell of the pill and help so the cat doesn't taste it.

Hope this helps you, and I will keep you and kitty in my prayers. Bless you for your work with him.

Lora

Hi everyone, well for the third time now the stray, Tuffy is his name now, gets real good right at the end of his antibiotics for a few days then stars to go down the tubes again. He finished his last round of clavamox last friday and yesterday he started to cough alot and sneeze alot of yellow junk out again and he lays around like he doesn't feel good. Also his right eye never really stopped running and he sneezes the junk out of the right side of his nose. So I guess I go whine to the vet some more Should I ask the vet to do some Xrays on his chest and or sinus? I don't mind trying to help the poor kitty but this is getting old fast not to mention expensive. The money isn't the real issue I guess, if they can get him well its worth it. It can't be real good for him to pump so many antibiotics into him all the time is it? I guess I am just venting and in a bad mood because my back is really killing me the last few days, I have to take muscle relaxers and lay with cold packs on my lower back to stand it.

Poor Tom... hope your kitty gets better soon. I know it's tiring having to take care of sick kittens, especially one as sick as yours. You're constantly trying to trick them into eating meds, making sure they're drinking and eating right, making sure the room isn't too hot or too cold and all sorts of other things. It's really sweet of you to take care of this poor kitty though, hopefully he'll recover soon!

I was thinking last night about just leaving tuffy alone with this stuff awhile as long as he is eating and drinking good to see if his system will get rid of that last bit of the flu he had so bad, so long as he doesn't go way down the tubes again. Or is this a bad idea? Any thoughts on this? Tom

Hi all, I hope this is the last update on Tuffy, I took him back in today and they did a xray. One lung looks like it might have some perminant damage from infection so he may have some breathing trouble the rest of his life. She said everything else looked good as near as she could tell. He still has alot of junk in the right side sinus so she mixed up a med in a liquid form I can get into him, its Cefa,Baytril and Amino to hopefully get him as good as he is going to get. They all can't get over what a nice kitty he is, while I was waiting for the xray to develope I was sitting in a chair and he would just lay in my lap and watch the world go by, I didn't have to hold him at all. Also he gained another 2 lbs since changing from Purina cat chow indoor to nutro indoor. He was only 5.2 lbs when I first took him in, today he was 9.4 on the same scale. He had leveled off at 7.5 on the purina cat food. Vet hopes this med will get rid of that last bit of infection and also help with his breathing. She also said after the infection is cleared up that he may be somewhat azmotic [sp?] Cost me $96.50 today but now we at least have alot better picture of what his problems are. Tom

Originally Posted by Tom W

Hi all, I hope this is the last update on Tuffy, I took him back in today and they did a xray. One lung looks like it might have some perminant damage from infection so he may have some breathing trouble the rest of his life. She said everything else looked good as near as she could tell. He still has alot of junk in the right side sinus so she mixed up a med in a liquid form I can get into him, its Cefa,Baytril and Amino to hopefully get him as good as he is going to get. They all can't get over what a nice kitty he is, while I was waiting for the xray to develope I was sitting in a chair and he would just lay in my lap and watch the world go by, I didn't have to hold him at all. Also he gained another 2 lbs since changing from Purina cat chow indoor to nutro indoor. He was only 5.2 lbs when I first took him in, today he was 9.4 on the same scale. He had leveled off at 7.5 on the purina cat food. Vet hopes this med will get rid of that last bit of infection and also help with his breathing. She also said after the infection is cleared up that he may be somewhat azmotic [sp?] Cost me $96.50 today but now we at least have alot better picture of what his problems are.

Tom

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Great to hear!!! I love the name too!!

I named him tuffy because of all he has been through and the other morning he was play fighting with rusty who is alot bigger and younger but tuffy kicked his butt for him So I was telling Yvonne how tough he was and beat up mr macho rusty then the name tuffy came to me. Tom

Tuffy just got done with his last round of meds. He is doing real good now, I haven't heard him have a bad coughing attack for a while now, he sneezes ounce in a while but not the bad sneezing attacks with long yellow/green stuff coming out. Also his breathing is much better. His right eye still tears up a little but nothing like it was. I really hope he is finally over the hump with all his problems. I hope he don't go down hill again now that meds are done which is what happend the last 3 times. I had to take him camping in the motorhome this last weekend so he wouldn't miss his meds 2 times a day, I couldn't find anyone to give him his meds and I don't think he would let a stranger give them to him, I had a hard enough time with him. He didn't like the ride in the motor home but ounce we were set up he had a good time I think. He didn't even try to get outside. He would sit in the windows and watch everything going on and he would sleep in bed with us when he slept. On the road he layed on my lap most of the way while I was driving which calmed him down alot. Yvonne tried to hold him but he just shook and seemed real scared so he then climbed on my lap.